Daily Campus Column: Please, stop shaming students for not going to games.

[joober jones]

Nah, a solid old man argument would be something like "You'll miss a lot of life if you stop to send pictures of your forehead to your friends every 8 seconds, now get off my lawn."

Snapchat is the Eric Devendorf of mobile apps.

 

[joober jones]

You can see attendance softening everywhere.


Even if UConn can’t fix the teams overnight they could overhaul the game presentation. Jock Jams was awesome in 1997 - I think it’s time to retire the exact same game experience we’ve had for as long as I can remember.

We need to scrap Jock Jams for Pickup Truck. Or Arby's commercials.

 

[Austin316]

UConn games should be free for students...

Oh and gampel should sell beer. I love beer.

 

[Towney007]

It's an all over problem. It's def. not exclusive to UConn.

I got razzed a bit the other day - but the UMass tailgate for their football is legit. Really legit, actually (yeah, I actually enjoy it more than UConn) - but they can't give away tickets to those games. Literally they can't get the kids from the lot *into* the stadium. Of all the people there - a quarter of them actually go inside to watch the game. The rest of them just venture back to their houses, etc. It's legitimately the zillion dollar question there - how to get them to literally just put a beer down and walk into the stadium and stay - even if it's for the first half. They don't even charge students anymore.

And you go to other schools? The same thing is happening. College football has completely oversaturated itself. You can watch any game at home. Or on the internet legally or illegally. There's just no incentive to go. No reason a cash strapped college kid would or should go. I mean they're spending a zillion on their education alone, it's not like there's loads of spending money left over for $30 football tickets to watch them get pounded into splinters by East Carolina.

I think the DRIVING issue with UConn hoops is that the team is just terrible. It's not fun to watch, the opponents have no real historical or emotional connection with fans, the team's bad... And on top of it they're married to the conference not because of their own program, but because of the football team. And even at that, there's just no one worth caring about. It's just a heartless conference altogether. Tickets are WILDLY overpriced and no one has interest in going to see the games as-is, never mind getting up for a 'rivalry' with Tulane.

We're basically in the spot we're in for the football team's sake.

 

[champs99and04]

It was a bad article but only because she was taught by bad readers. It's one of those debates where you can picture what everybody is saying before they say it. It isn't an epidemic that is unique to a particular generation.

I'll ask Stephanie this: what are you upset about? Are you upset that other people are upset that you're not doing what they want you to? If the answer is yes, consider why that might be. Perhaps their enjoyment in something is contingent on other people enjoying it too. Maybe these snarky twitter trolls actually feel like they need you? And maybe your acknowledging them means that you actually need them too?

Don't tell me the story, tell me why it's a story. This can be something meaningful or it can be a story I've already read 1,000 times. It depends what direction you want to take it in.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

It's over. Most people on this board are hard core fans, and so it's hard to see it. It's like a relationship that was great. The one in your early 20s, when you were ripped and she was hot and the world was always sunny and bedroom life was top shelf and you didn't worry about mortgages and fed rates. Then one day you wake up and it changed and you can't get it back. Ever. And you have all these great memories and you can't hold back the sadness and you keep trying to find ways to rationalize how you can get it back. But you can't.
It's over.

In garage. In car. Turning key. Starting engine. Deep breath. Deeeeep breaths. Heavy eyelids. Feeling sleeeepy now. Sleep. Sweet sleep. Oooooooohh I’m coming home baby, coming home.

 

[champs99and04]

I didn’t read it at first because of this post.

Just went back and read. Totally disagree.

If someone wants to tell me their time has value and it’s better spent elsewhere who is anyone to disagree.

The people on here who complain about crowds and never go to games are 10000000000000x worse.

Has anybody ever said otherwise though? I mean, I think the fact that you were able to sum the article up in one sentences is exactly where it falls short. It's regurgitating a popular sentiment rather than exploring it. You could give me this article and I could give you the counter to it or you could give me the counter and I could give you this one. We all get that people make decisions with their time. There is something that makes this different than the writer does not get to the underlying reasons.

 

[UConn Do It4]

Wait, people enjoy that music?

Not his new album. It sounds just like our team plays.

 

[CL82]

If someone wants to tell me their time has value and it’s better spent elsewhere who is anyone to disagree.

Agreed, but that column was a little petulant and self-obsessed for my taste.

 

[whaler11]

Has anybody ever said otherwise though? I mean, I think the fact that you were able to sum the article up in one sentences is exactly where it falls short. It's regurgitating a popular sentiment rather than exploring it. You could give me this article and I could give you the counter to it or you could give me the counter and I could give you this one. We all get that people make decisions with their time. There is something that makes this different than the writer does not get to the underlying reasons.

In this very thread a bunch of people have said otherwise. There are hundreds of threads on the Boneyard where posters kill the students.

Just because in 1977 someone liked going to the Field House to watch UConn play Maine doesn't mean a student in 2018 needs to go watch South Florida attempt to play something that resembles basketball.

I've been to 8 games and have pretty much seen every other minute of the season on TV. The games are boring and a complete waste of time. If I was 24 and single instead of 42 and married I'd barely remember to check the scores.

I watch out of habit. If you aren't old enough to feel compelled to watch for that reason why would you?

 

[krinklecut]

IMO The students at UConn are very different today than they were even 7-8 years ago. Much more studious, less outgoing, less party-centric and seem to have less school spirit. Just based on my time there and the cultural shift from 2010-2014

Sad that it continued. I felt it my senior year in 2011. Thought it was just because I was getting older.

 

[boog204]

IMO The students at UConn are very different today than they were even 7-8 years ago. Much more studious, less outgoing, less party-centric and seem to have less school spirit. Just based on my time there and the cultural shift from 2010-2014

And I'd argue that shift began in the early 2000s. I was there from 99-2003. When I first got there, UConn was easy to get into, a lot of the campus was still old and dumpy, and it was absolutely a party school. Most fun I've ever had in my life. When the men won, things started to change. The smart kids started coming in and campus life changed. More rules and regulations; different expectations, etc. There's no way I could get into UConn today. I think the students are still "into" basketball, but these are kids who grew up with them winning 4 titles in 15 years; not watching the rising but underachieving teams of the 90s or our relative mediocrity in the 80s and before.

 

[BRG 1]

The trend recently in college athletics is on campus arenas with adjacent access to large number of students = full arenas.
UConn is different in that many diehards are 40+ alumni/fans who live 1+ hour away who might drive to Hartford but not the extra 1/2 hour to Storrs, especially on a Wednesday when one might leave for work the next day to fight traffic at 7AM.
Students, who might check out a game after dinner in the past might not leave the apartment smoking weed, studying etc. UConn, and for that matter Central in 20 years have gotten hard to get into. The smart kids, who used to go private but can't afford it or they are being prudent now study to to keep their scholarship.
Supposed they grew up hearing their parents or attending games with them against Gtown, BC, PC, Syracuse and Pitt aren't going to get fired up about East Carolina and USF.
When I went to PC 20 years ago about 800 or so PC students would attend hockey games at Schneider on Friday and Saturday nights, then go out drinking afterwards, all in walking distance. This is in an aging arena with mediocre teams, yet in an elite conference. Now with a recent Narional Championship, refurbished arena, current National ranking, still attendance by students is wanting.
Another thing to consider: the Patriots were pretty awful in the 70's and 80's with an occasional playoff appearance. (Rod Rust 1-15, anyone?) My grandmother, who is 92, only remembers anyone talking about the Yankees in Western Massachusetts growing up, now it is all Red Sox and Patriots, even in Connecticut.

 

[Danzz]

IMO The students at UConn are very different today than they were even 7-8 years ago. Much more studious, less outgoing, less party-centric and seem to have less school spirit. Just based on my time there and the cultural shift from 2010-2014

For one thing they are better students than 7-8 years ago. The high cost of tuition at private schools has resulted in more applications from students with higher SAT scores.
UConn and other state universities were backup schools for decent students in the past. This is no longer the case. It isn't cheap to go to UConn but it is still a bargain compared to private schools.

 

[Hankster]

Solid old man argument. If cell phones were as ubiquitous when you were growing up, I'm sure the same phenomenon would have occurred. Somehow other teams don't seem to be having the same problems filling the stands with kids willing to put their cell phones down for a few hours.

Did you watch the Tulsa-Tulane game last night? If it wasn't for the crickets there would have been no noise at all.

 

[Hankster]

Given the cherry seats and Temple wearing white I would have guessed this was a Temple home game. Not for nothing, Cincy is playing all their home games at Northern Kentucky University this season.

Agreed. I was about to post the same. @Temple. I also noticed where Cinncy is playing their games.

 

[traitor71]

It boils down to people wanting to have fun. It's why people sometimes don't even want to leave a tailgate to go into the stadium, because they are having more fun outside. This is the same dynamic in that watching these games just isn't fun at all, so people aren't going to want to invest the time.

 

[Robertelamin]

Our students are lame. Shame. Shame!

 

[JMick]

For one thing they are better students than 7-8 years ago. The high cost of tuition at private schools has resulted in more applications from students with higher SAT scores.
UConn and other state universities were backup schools for decent students in the past. This is no longer the case. It isn't cheap to go to UConn but it is still a bargain compared to private schools.

It really started to get harder to be admitted in 2008-2009 when the economy crashed. Academically there isn't a huge difference between the class of say 2014 and 2021. The difficulty peaked somewhere between the two

 

[cohenzone]

Getting into UConn now is getting closer and closer to impossible. Unless you're a top student in your class in CT you aren't getting in. Hence the better education less school spirit.

Yeah, students don’t show up at Duke, Stanford or Michigan. Darn those studious geeks.

Reality. UConn fans are generally speaking fair weather fans. It’s been that way forever. Calhoun chastised fans for not showing up for an NIT game. The product is hard to watch. The big expense season ticket holders are diminishing and/or don’t show up if they can’t be excited or unload their tickets. The students get the worst seats. The league is uninteresting with zero natural rivals.

 

[JMick]

And I'd argue that shift began in the early 2000s. I was there from 99-2003. When I first got there, UConn was easy to get into, a lot of the campus was still old and dumpy, and it was absolutely a party school. Most fun I've ever had in my life. When the men won, things started to change. The smart kids started coming in and campus life changed. More rules and regulations; different expectations, etc. There's no way I could get into UConn today. I think the students are still "into" basketball, but these are kids who grew up with them winning 4 titles in 15 years; not watching the rising but underachieving teams of the 90s or our relative mediocrity in the 80s and before.

I think you'd find it hard to see a bigger transition than 2010 to 2014. The parties may not have been as big or as good but they were still plentiful Thursday to Saturday. By the time I graduated they were completely gone due to new zoning laws, ordinances and arrests or the threat of arrest.

 

[auggie22]

It boils down to people wanting to have fun. It's why people sometimes don't even want to leave a tailgate to go into the stadium, because they are having more fun outside. This is the same dynamic in that watching these games just isn't fun at all, so people aren't going to want to invest the time.

It really is as simple as that. You need to write an article.

 

[Huskybass]

I have attended games every season since 1983, when as a student it was literally $1 and show your student ID.
Some years I went to every home game, plus away games in cities like Boston, New York, Philly, and D.C.

I gave up my season tickets after Boat's senior year and have only attended a handful of games since then. I am content to watch the games on TV now. The matchups just are not compelling at all. It's either watch UConn get destroyed by the good teams or watch them struggle to beat teams like Columbia, Monmouth and USF.

When UConn starts playing smart, tough basketball consistently the crowds will return, at least to some degree. But very few are going out of their way to see the type of performances we have grown accustomed to over the past 4 seasons.

 

[August_West]

I’ve been to everything under the sun. From World Series, NFC Championships, Final Fours, NHL playoffs, NBA playoffs to the America East Tournament, Roller Hockey International, the D3 College World Series and everything in between.

Lol you've never even been to a superbowl. Sad.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It boils down to people wanting to have fun. It's why people sometimes don't even want to leave a tailgate to go into the stadium, because they are having more fun outside. This is the same dynamic in that watching these games just isn't fun at all, so people aren't going to want to invest the time.

I'd argue that they don't really even understand fun anymore. Or how to manufacture it. Going to a game with a group of people, marching your way to Gampel, then surrounding yourself with your comrades in arms and screaming or yelling together. Riding the emotion in the building, then going out after to Ted's of Huskies or whatever. Yeah...there is no way that can compare to watching YouTube videos on your phone, alone in your dorm room.

They are socially stunted individuals. I admit that the team isn't compelling. But it will be back, and once you make the emotional investment, it sticks with you.