Football is a lifestyle in South Carolina. Teams are passed down from generation to generation, while rivalries run deep, lasting decades. Or, in the case of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson University Tigers, well over a century.
The infamous rivalry stretches back to 1896 when the public universities first battled in an athletic series. Aside from the annual Palmetto Bowl, local sports fans also have the Palmetto Series to look forward to, which includes dozens of varsity sports.
Since 2018, interest in the NCAA has risen—in part thanks to the availability of betting lines from sportsbooks. Today, sports fans have access to DraftKings promo codes online and other offers from oddsmakers, which creates new forms of fan engagement. And for many locals, the focus remains on college football.
But why is that? Can South Carolina’s love of in-state rivalries like the Palmetto Bowl be chalked up to a lack of an NFL team and the Panthers’ ongoing struggles in Charlotte? Or is it about identity and culture more than the chance of taking home a Lombardi Trophy?
Keeping Things Inside State Lines
Not all South Carolinians would rather watch the Palmetto Bowl over the Super Bowl. That said, many would say the game is more meaningful, and that’s because it’s an in-state rivalry. That means locals have an allegiance—a strong allegiance—to either the Tigers or the Gamecocks.
That makes the stakes of the game an even bigger deal. Imagine watching the Gamecocks topple the Tigers, a team your grandparents cheered on, and your very own alma mater. For many locals, that victory is more meaningful than a championship win… especially when the Panthers aren’t even located inside state lines.
But this goes beyond just the Palmetto Bowl, aka Big Thursday. It’s a good day for the Gamecocks any time the Tigers lose, and vice versa. Viewed in this way, the rivalry is an engrained part of every single season. Put simply, football fans don’t foster that kind of hatred toward any NFL team, which makes it hard to get truly worked up for a big game.
The Biggest Game of the Year
And speaking of big games, the reason the Palmetto Bowl is bigger than the Super Bowl is that it’s been happening inside state lines for over a century—a total of 126 years, for those who want to count. Imagine watching a Super Bowl-caliber game take place inside your state every single season.
Aside from tons of excitement and fodder for an endless rivalry, that’s a big deal because of the history involved. Back in the 1880s, the teams were actually tied to different political parties; Clemson was associated with agrarian populism, while USC was associated with conservatism and urbanism.
The game is not just a battle between the Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers. It’s a living tradition that connects the past to the future. Some fans today remember the final ‘Big Thursday’ when the game was played in Columbia back in 1959. Others might remember the Sigma Nu prank from the 1960s, when USC frat members dressed up as Tigers cheerleaders, then ran wild leading the cheering fans through homemade routines.
Is It About Football?
Viewed in this light, the Palmetto Bowl isn’t necessarily about football. Football, instead, is the battleground for this storied rivalry to keep recycling itself. It’s about intergenerational ties and a love of sports, along with plenty of state history.
The Carolina Panthers, by comparison, have only been around since 1995. Since then, the team hasn’t achieved much in the NFC South—nonetheless the league. Furthermore, the Panthers don’t have longstanding cultural ties in the region. While football lovers will always cheer for their home team, there’s simply not much to chew on with the new franchise.
In fact, the Clemson Tigers have had a much more successful run than the Panthers. Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Tigers, has been on a tear since 2015. While it’s a rough pill for USC fans to swallow, the Tigers domination in the NCAA highlights just how strong the state’s football legacy is.