can we stop judging the fan base?

[Marty Jackson]

Its really annoying to constantly read about how bad we as fans are.
Show up to the games, have fun, and cheer the huskies.

I don't want to worry whether my actions are considered big time worthy or not..
One poster even admitted to 'correcting' other fans. WTF?

Just get people to go, have a good, time, and cheer. The rest will follow.

 

[Dove]

In CT the winning is what gets the fans. There is no way in hell that a fan-based renaissance is going to happen while the program fades into gray. This is why things are so depressing right now. That stadium isn't going to be packed unless the team is exciting and/or a ranked opponent comes to town. Man, that game with USF as #2 in the country and a win over UConn was all they needed to get #1 was the most exciting game ever in the Rent. Seems like 10 years ago.

 

[whaler11]

Didn't USF lose the week before at #2 and show up at like #13?

 

[noeynox]

You are right whaler.

 

[phillionaire]

our fans suck. at the fiesta bowl, some old farts behind us got angry because we were standing and cheering the whole game, and made us sit down.

 

[businesslawyer]

As always, there is some truth between the extremes. College athletics is all about fanbases. However, 99 per cent of what fans need to do is make donations, travel to road games, buy tickets to home games and turn on television sets. That is the critical part of what we need from a fanbase.

Everything else is levels down in importance.

 

[Marty Jackson]

our fans suck. at the fiesta bowl, some old farts behind us got angry because we were standing and cheering the whole game, and made us sit down.

grow up...
you sound like a baby.

 

[phillionaire]

grow up...
you sound like a baby.

nah i don't wanna grow up. i like being a baby.

 

[rich1122]

We had 32,00 Season ticket holders and now we have 22,000; and, next year will we crack 20,000?

This did not happen because of PP or GDL. WM SH can pull an Obama and blame prior administrations for everything that is wrong. It happened over a long period and it may take years, if ever, to dig out.

After reading many, this would be a great Harvard Business School Case Study. This is what happens when management is asleep at the wheel and does not recognize the future. Did we not promote correctly/enough? Was it the economy? Fan base leaving the state? Fickle fan base? Big East commissioner? Win/loss record? Our lawsuit against ACC and long-term resentment? Crumbling infrastructure - XL Center? Should we have jumped ship awhile back?

Problems and solutions always come down to management. People complain about CEO salaries, but if I own stock in a company I don't care how much we pay the person as long a we get results. I don't want the guys that ran GM. It seems we were happy with the status quo and basically did nothing for the last 10 years.

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

How about just once have the stadium at least 1/2 full by kickoff and then I'll consider defending this fanbase.

 

[whaler11]

We had 32,00 Season ticket holders and now we have 22,000; and, next year will we crack 20,000?

This did not happen because of PP or GDL. WM SH can pull an Obama and blame prior administrations for everything that is wrong. It happened over a long period and it may take years, if ever, to dig out.

After reading many, this would be a great Harvard Business School Case Study. This is what happens when management is asleep at the wheel and does not recognize the future. Did we not promote correctly/enough? Was it the economy? Fan base leaving the state? Fickle fan base? Big East commissioner? Win/loss record? Our lawsuit against ACC and long-term resentment? Crumbling infrastructure - XL Center? Should we have jumped ship awhile back?

Problems and solutions always come down to management. People complain about CEO salaries, but if I own stock in a company I don't care how much we pay the person as long a we get results. I don't want the guys that ran GM. It seems we were happy with the status quo and basically did nothing for the last 10 years.

They have actually lost more than 10,000 season ticket holders because the 32k represented fewer students than the 22k does.

That being said they will sell more season tickets next year off Michigan.

I think most of the reason the base has declined is simple supply and demand. Because tickets are plenty available at less than face value through the school and secondary market people don't feel compelled to make the lump sum payment and instead can pay less and only for the games they choose to attend.

 

[Marty Jackson]

How about just once have the stadium at least 1/2 full by kickoff and then I'll consider defending this fanbase.

why does this bother you? go to a patriots game. same thing.
get over it.

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

There's nothing for me to get over. I don't attack the fanbase but why should I defend it either? It is what it is. If somebody else wants to attack it for being unimpressive my view is "do something about it." Otherwise live with what you see in the mirror. I'm in my seat at kickoff. It doesn't Boyer me one bit when anyone else gets there.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

We had 32,00 Season ticket holders and now we have 22,000; and, next year will we crack 20,000?

This did not happen because of PP or GDL. WM SH can pull an Obama and blame prior administrations for everything that is wrong. It happened over a long period and it may take years, if ever, to dig out.

After reading many, this would be a great Harvard Business School Case Study. This is what happens when management is asleep at the wheel and does not recognize the future. Did we not promote correctly/enough? Was it the economy? Fan base leaving the state? Fickle fan base? Big East commissioner? Win/loss record? Our lawsuit against ACC and long-term resentment? Crumbling infrastructure - XL Center? Should we have jumped ship awhile back?

Problems and solutions always come down to management. People complain about CEO salaries, but if I own stock in a company I don't care how much we pay the person as long a we get results. I don't want the guys that ran GM. It seems we were happy with the status quo and basically did nothing for the last 10 years.

Great observation. Would be an excellent case study of how not to do business. The Rise and Fall of the Husky Nation - RIP (1979- 2012).

 

[Marty Jackson]

There's nothing for me to get over. I don't attack the fanbase but why should I defend it either? It is what it is. If somebody else wants to attack it for being unimpressive my view is "do something about it." Otherwise live with what you see in the mirror. I'm in my seat at kickoff. It doesn't Boyer me one bit when anyone else gets there.

when you come here to point it out, one might question if it really doesnt bother you.

 

[John]

They have actually lost more than 10,000 season ticket holders because the 32k represented fewer students than the 22k does.

That being said they will sell more season tickets next year off Michigan.

I think most of the reason the base has declined is simple supply and demand. Because tickets are plenty available at less than face value through the school and secondary market people don't feel compelled to make the lump sum payment and instead can pay less and only for the games they choose to attend.

I wonder how many of those season tickets were sold to people who wanted to come and see the new stadium and experience the new level of football, and now that they've done that, they have moved on.

 

[Wise2]

I wonder how many of those season tickets were sold to people who wanted to come and see the new stadium and experience the new level of football, and now that they've done that, they have moved on.

We've said it before and I'll say it again. Our fanbase is aging. Most of our season ticket holders during our rise to BB prominance were baby boomer with disposable income to send on season tickets (these were the whaler season ticket holders too) When the whale left many jumped on the Uconn bandwagon too. The were all excited about the rise of the program and jumped on board and stayed on board. But many of those season ticket holders in the hayday our now retiring and moving out of the northeast with no new structure in place to replace them.

The younger fans are used to Uconn being great and don't want to sink money into donations just to sit in row double DD at the XL center. They can just as easily watch the game on the TV while on Facebook, Youtube & twitter on their IPad and laptops. We need to build up are fanbase by targeting grad in their 20s & 30s a special lower section to get them to the games or other promotions. Otherwise the trend is just going to get worse. My parents gave up their football tickets last year and are now in Florida. I now sit in their lower level seats at the games and see a lot of older folks that will be doing the save in the years to come. Something must be done.

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

when you come here to point it out, one might question if it really doesnt bother you.

That's you're opinion and I'm fine with that. But I didn't start this thread or any that inspired it. I think it's a joke, really. I used to go to Yale games and thought it was funny how many people showed to the tailgate and never went inside. Ok, it's 1AA ball. I get it.
Going to a UConn game I thought it would be different but it's not that radically different. So be it, it's your dollar spend it how you like. I just think its funny that people don't like others being upset with the fanbase. I understand it. It might be tough to get a top level recruit when you have him come for a game and he sees stuff like senior day ceremony happening in front if a mostly empty stadium.
I'm just making conversation. If you think it upsets me you don't know me. I'm a father of three - one serving in the military and one with special needs. I work in air traffic control. I have plenty of real issues to worry about. This is a diversion.

 

[rich1122]

IMHO, many of these boomers have moved to red states. They come back from time to time. I know 10 people giving up season's tickets next year. Why? Moving away from this idiotic CT tax system - not my words. Moving wealth to a bteer place.

I can't figure out why we can't build the younger alum up though. Maybe kids who graduated in the last 10 years are gone too.

 

[Wise2]

IMHO, many of these boomers have moved to red states. They come back from time to time. I know 10 people giving up season's tickets next year. Why? Moving away from this idiotic CT tax system - not my words. Moving wealth to a bteer place.

I can't figure out why we can't build the younger alum up though. Maybe kids who graduated in the last 10 years are gone too.

Its also the nicer weather down south. Old people don't like the cold....

 

[whaler11]

We've said it before and I'll say it again. Our fanbase is aging. Most of our season ticket holders during our rise to BB prominance were baby boomer with disposable income to send on season tickets (these were the whaler season ticket holders too) When the whale left many jumped on the Uconn bandwagon too. The were all excited about the rise of the program and jumped on board and stayed on board. But many of those season ticket holders in the hayday our now retiring and moving out of the northeast with no new structure in place to replace them.

The younger fans are used to Uconn being great and don't want to sink money into donations just to sit in row double DD at the XL center. They can just as easily watch the game on the TV while on Facebook, Youtube & twitter on their IPad and laptops. We need to build up are fanbase by targeting grad in their 20s & 30s a special lower section to get them to the games or other promotions. Otherwise the trend is just going to get worse. My parents gave up their football tickets last year and are now in Florida. I now sit in their lower level seats at the games and see a lot of older folks that will be doing the save in the years to come. Something must be done.

These are some of the biggest reasons. The demographics are upside down in this state. It's a terrible place to retire and you need the well-heeled retirees. We export a ton of college grads and the industry we have isn't attractive to talented young professionals.

It's going to take a financial and emotional investment from the people that are here to save the program. We don't have the luxury of a Purdue or Iowa State - we are on the outside looking in - clearly the recent results haven't matter - we have to bang our way through the door.

 

[rich1122]

These are some of the biggest reasons. The demographics are upside down in this state. It's a terrible place to retire and you need the well-heeled retirees. We export a ton of college grads and the industry we have isn't attractive to talented young professionals.

It's going to take a financial and emotional investment from the people that are here to save the program. We don't have the luxury of a Purdue or Iowa State - we are on the outside looking in - clearly the recent results haven't matter - we have to bang our way through the door.

Honestly, the younger kids have migrated to NYC or somewhere else. The retirees are down south.

Pratt, Insurance, etc. once flagship have escaped.

 

[Doggie Style]

grow up...
you sound like a baby.

So I'm guessing that you are one of those people that goes to the games and sits on his ass, all the while complaining about those who stand while make an attempt to create a competive atmosphere?

 

[John]

So I'm guessing that you are one of those people that goes to the games and sits on his ass, all the while complaining about those who stand while make an attempt to create a competive atmosphere?

 

[John]

Honestly, the younger kids have migrated to NYC or somewhere else. The retirees are down south.

Pratt, Insurance, etc. once flagship have escaped.

This is something that UConn is going to have to come to grips with in the not-too-distant future - this State is slowly but surely contracting economically and population-wise. It's not going to get better, it's going to get worse.