Daily Campus article on UConn fans

[Silk City]

Great article on how fans have handled this post-championship season. I know a lot of people on here have said similar things (and others have been guilty of going overboard with criticism), but it's nice to see it in print.

http://www.dailycampus.com/sports/a-sorry-state-of-the-union-1.2789084#.T0O-APE7WAi

 

[UofCT]

Not a great article. I understand where Matt is coming from but at the same time this UConn team played about 5 or 6 games where they looked like they quit on themselves. They also did a poor job of defending their home court. As a fan you're allowed to be critical if you don't think your team is playing up to its potential.

Having said that, lets go out there a beat cuse.

 

[RIHusky13]

Not a great article. I understand where Matt is coming from but at the same time this UConn team played about 5 or 6 games where they looked like they quit on themselves. They also did a poor job of defending their home court. As a fan you're allowed to be critical if you don't think your team is playing up to its potential.

Having said that, lets go out there a beat cuse.

But I think there is a difference between criticism, and just saying that the whole team sucks and selling off the rest of your tickets. Nothing wrong with well thought out criticism, but that's usually not what's happening with the students. As soon as the team loses it's top 25 ranking interest goes way down. As an example, look at the game vs. Wagner earlier this season. Weeknight game at Gampel, but the student section was full. Then there is a week ago vs. Depaul, another weeknight game at Gampel, and a conference game. But because the team "Has been sucking this year", there was much less student interest. The other half of the student section was as empty as I've ever seen it during my time at UConn, pretty embarrassing for the defending national champions.

 

[UChusky916]

I blame the bandwagon fans

 

[baldinghusky]

I don't really mind analyzing players' play in the context of a forum, etc., and while I think the criticizing and bashing that happens here is distasteful, I understand it's part of carrying a fan's emotions. I certainly shout at players on my TV often enough.

But one thing the article was talking about was tweets directed at players after a poor performance. I wasn't aware of this, but to me, any fan who would blast a player *to* that player after a bad game is acting like an balloon knot. I don't follow twitter much, but we as fans, if we see others tweeting @players in such a way, we should jump all over the offending twit for being an balloon knot.

 

[phillionaire]

Listening to students in the student section at games makes me angry. After every missed shot, that player "sucks". It's pathetic.

 

[UconnAlum04]

I have to say the number of fair-weather/bandwagon UConn fans amazes me. My gf and I are both UConn alumni, and are very passionate about UConn basketball. With that said, we cannot understand how “fans” can boo their own team when they are not playing well. This is our home court, and we need to protect our court and show support for our team..win or lose. Besides, I’m sure our team gets enough Booing at away games; they do not need it while playing at home.

I believe Confidence is crucial to an athlete paying to the best of their ability. A player will not shoot well (or take the shot at all) if confidence is lacking. Booing our team will not help instill confidence in our players(s).

On that same note, attacking a player’s performance/heart on their public twitter account is the ultimate slap in the face to our players. Any person, athlete or not, will immediately become defensive when verbally attacked. Cheering when you win, but booing/bashing players during a loss is the Ultimate definition of a fair-weather fan.

We are 3 time and current defending national champs. We need to rally behind our team, win or lose. I’ll see you at Gampel on Saturday.

 

[CBallfan]

Actually liked the article

 

[upstater]

I have to say the number of fair-weather/bandwagon UConn fans amazes me. My gf and I are both UConn alumni, and are very passionate about UConn basketball. With that said, we cannot understand how “fans” can boo their own team when they are not playing well. This is our home court, and we need to protect our court and show support for our team..win or lose. Besides, I’m sure our team gets enough Booing at away games; they do not need it while playing at home.

I believe Confidence is crucial to an athlete paying to the best of their ability. A player will not shoot well (or take the shot at all) if confidence is lacking. Booing our team will not help instill confidence in our players(s).

On that same note, attacking a player’s performance/heart on their public twitter account is the ultimate slap in the face to our players. Any person, athlete or not, will immediately become defensive when verbally attacked. Cheering when you win, but booing/bashing players during a loss is the Ultimate definition of a fair-weather fan.

We are 3 time and current defending national champs. We need to rally behind our team, win or lose. I’ll see you at Gampel on Saturday.

Is twitter a thing where I can get online and call myself CalipariUKfan and then tell a bunch of Wildcats they are going to choke again? Is that possible?

 

[HuskyFan16]

eh i understand the sentiment, and I dont really get the whole call out people on twitter (just not very good manners to be honest)... but lets be clear, these players didn't sign up to go to University of East Nowhere State, their at UConn. Bash us for being demanding, impatient and insensitive if you want, but I root for the name on the front, not the one on the back. I dont really care if my visible frustration in the stands upset Tyler Olander... too bad TO, play better or at least try harder. You won't be here in four years, but I will be. This guy wants to tell fans they don't deserve the Championship gear they buy? Uh, sorry dude but without us buying all the t-shirts we do, this program probably wouldn't have half the sucess its had over the years.

 

[RickyMoore21]

I blame the bandwagon fans

i agree, i hate to generalize but i feel like the majority of the fans in the student section are bandwagon fans. the majority become uconn basketball fans by default because they are students at the school not because they grew up a fan. going to games is simply a social and fun thing to do for most people.

the core of the issue is, although CT does have a solid fan base, this state certainly doesnt revolve around basketball. this is reflected in the crowd (which can be great but certainly isn't top notch). thus, rather than being fans since they are young and truly have a passion for uconn basketball, students become fans when they enter storrs. as a result, there a ton of fair weather fans that are ignorant and will bash on the team when they are going through a tough stretch.

the issue i have with this article is i feel that the writer is generalizing an entire fan base when only a specific group of fans should be the culprits

 

[dsturdy5]

This is hardly a new phenomenon. In the early part of the 2002 season, my friends and I were asked to sit down in the student section by some uppity smurf and his friends who was going to sit until "this team does something worth standing for." All of us, who were in our 4th and 5th years at UConn, asked if a national championship three years earlier was not enough. His reply, "That was before MY time. This team has to do something for ME."

Nothing new.

For the record, we stood for the remainder of the game and he sat behind us, pouting that he could not see.