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Duke students set fire to a giant bench in title celebration

By Ethan Finkelstein

Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils fans celebrate after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers the 2015 NCAA Men
Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils fans celebrate after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers the 2015 NCAA Men /
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Students from Duke University celebrated their men’s basketball program’s fifth NCAA championship by burning a giant bench in the center of campus.

Well, it is finally over. The March Madness has come and gone; left standing we have the 2015 NCAA men’s tournament champion Duke Blue Devils. The school recently took to celebrating their fifth title win in program history in a rather unconventional manner, however.

According to reports, several students set fire to a giant bench in the middle of their college campus. The ceremonial bonfire is a tradition that allegedly stems back several decades, and has now become a police-sanctioned event.

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Whatever happened to setting things ablaze in defeat? Or rather, when did the practice of not destroying any sort of property go out of style? It really is quite perplexing. Though it may come off as a bit dismissive of “tradition,” one really should question where the students’ priorities are in the wake of this championship celebration.

What happens should they lose Monday night, and the Badgers walk away with their first title in 74 years? Probably the same thing. There is no reason to believe anything contrary to the sort. After all, the pastime started following a loss in the 1986 NCAA tournament final against Louisville.

The most important thing is student safety, though. And as long as the festivities remain regulated and contained to a small portion of campus, perhaps it is not so bad; especially if the smell of burning wood conjures up feelings of nostalgia for tournaments past.

You would think, however, that this kind of reaction would truly come from Badgers fans. After all, their team handed Kentucky, everyone’s team of destiny, their first loss of the season. After Wisconsin bounced the number one overall seed, one would assume by virtue of conventional wisdom that the championship game against Duke was but a simple formality.

Apparently, the people of Madison have other post-loss plans. Burning things is pretty cliche in the realm of sports. What about jumping off of streetlights? Now that is what we call a paramount idea. Check out this one daring soul, who decided his anguish outweighed his better judgment.


H/T SB Nation

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