Good bye Boneyard

[UConnNick]

Some former SEC commish did compare our fanbase to SEC fanbases.

I don't agree with him. We have a fanbase that is fractured to such an extent that I dare say it is singularly unique in the entire country.

I live in the heart of SEC/B12 country and know many alums and fans of multiple schools in both conferences. I have never encountered any who downright resent and disparage athletic programs at their schools, other than their favorite one, which is almost always football, whether they are male or female. They support their school and all of its athletic programs, win or lose.

OTOH, we have football only fans, men's BB only fans, and women's BB only fans. I would guess our alumni are most likely to support any team UCONN puts on a field or court with the school name on their uniforms. Others that fall into the three distinct groups? Not so much. They are at best indifferent about any other programs all the way to borderline hostile toward any program they think detracts from their favorite one, either in real or largely imagined ways. I've never seen anything like it anywhere else in the country.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges the UCONN athletic dept. faces going forward is figuring out a way to unify these three distinct fanbases and convince everyone that what's good for the future health of the dept. is good for their particular sport of interest as well. I get that to some extent every school has what ND has always called its "subway alumni" - fans of the school's athletics programs that otherwise have no connection to the school. I doubt in their case these fans are clamoring to get rid of sports programs at ND they don't care about. The rift between our three fan factions affects everything right on up to the major donor level, because that rift extends there as well.

I do not envy AD Dave having to deal on a daily basis with this level of divisiveness within his major donor roster and the entire fanbase in general. In some respects this man has one of the toughest AD gigs in the country, and it may never be a problem he can completely solve. Everybody wants something different.

 

[Jaker]

oh cruel world

 

[Walker11]

It's pretty simple. There are schools who have down years that still put 15k in a game in hoops.

How many? 4?

There are schools that put 80k in football stadiums who suck real bad.

I don't think football even applies. It is religion in the SEC. And even still, I have been in a half full South Carolina game versus LSU. Watch a Purdue game at 20% capacity.

UCONN fans aren't unique. We are slightly more entitled because many have never seen UCONN not being a powerhouse. For 99% of programs, fans show up when the team wins. Simple.

 

[whaler11]

It's pretty simple. There are schools who have down years that still put 15k in a game in hoops. There are schools that put 80k in football stadiums who suck real bad. We don't measure up as a rabid college sports fan base even when winning. We won two national titles at the beginning of this decade in 3 years. Go look at the 15 and 16 attendence numbers. Should be up, right? If people want to maintain that people come out with winning, how can you do better than 2 titles in a few years? We are a lethargic fan base when it comes to supporting this team in numbers that others rabid college fan bases do.

You can go back way farther than that and find when the worm turned.

I dug into it one night when Upstater was telling me how great attendance was.

It was from about 01-03 when it started to slide and there was no bump from 2004 - pretty sure attendance at XL was lower in 05.

The fanbase got fat and happy and the women’s program broke the idea of healthy expectations. They stopped turning out for anything but the biggest events a long time ago.

The AAC tournaments in Hartford were complete disgraces. The opportunity of home court advantage for a conf tourney and it was beneath our fanbase.

0/10 fanbase.

 

[intlzncster]

How many? 4?



I don't think football even applies. It is religion in the SEC. And even still, I have been in a half full South Carolina game versus LSU. Watch a Purdue game at 20% capacity.

UCONN fans aren't unique. We are slightly more entitled because many have never seen UCONN not being a powerhouse. For 99% of programs, fans show up when the team wins. Simple.

Everybody complains about fairweather fans and pink hats, but every single successful team suffers these types. Every sport. Every fanbase.

If you are good for too long, and then fall off, a lot of 'casual fans' lose interest.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Any attempt to have a discussion here that isn't hostile, bitter, and antagonistic towards Kevin Ollie in some way is quickly derailed and the poster is attacked, and his intelligence insulted. And you seem to encourage this.

This. In spades. Ollie ain’t going anywhere until the season is over. Save it and your animosity for after the season.

 

[UC990411]

You can go back way farther than that and find when the worm turned.

I dug into it one night when Upstater was telling me how great attendance was.

It was from about 01-03 when it started to slide and there was no bump from 2004 - pretty sure attendance at XL was lower in 05.

The fanbase got fat and happy and the women’s program broke the idea of healthy expectations. They stopped turning out for anything but the biggest events a long time ago.

The AAC tournaments in Hartford were complete disgraces. The opportunity of home court advantage for a conf tourney and it was beneath our fanbase.

0/10 fanbase.

You also had Hathaway and an athletic department that started to alienate season ticket holders and continue to do so to this day.

 

[Dove]

@Uconn10922 ...you were a bullet within my Top 50 favorite lurkers! Come on.

 

[temery]

You ar comparing a crappy high school team to a college team that has won national championships.

Get back to me when you’ve won it all.

I coached for almost 30 years, and “won it all” seven times. This includes regional and state team championships, and individual championships.

 

[Stainmaster]

I coached for almost 30 years, and “won it all” seven times. This includes regional and state team championships, and individual championships.

All while serving as the fanbase's unofficial mascot too.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

It's got 43 and counting man. What the hell were you looking for?

Yesterday, I would have apologized for being too subtle, but it's now more than double that and I'd like it to outscore Denham Brown.

 

[T-Squared]

You know, this used to be a fan site.

I don't know what it is now. I just know it's not a fan site anymore.

It's a whining site populated by criers that think that they know something about recruiting but actually don't know much about college hoops. Nothing more.

 

[StoneyDawg]

On a serious note (not the OP), how good are Cranky IPAs?

I'm a big fan. Haha.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

It's a whining site populated by criers that think that they know something about recruiting but actually don't know much about college hoops. Nothing more.

Oh it's much much more, in addition to being, at turns, far worse than you characterize.

 

[David 76]

You can go back way farther than that and find when the worm turned.

I dug into it one night when Upstater was telling me how great attendance was.

It was from about 01-03 when it started to slide and there was no bump from 2004 - pretty sure attendance at XL was lower in 05.

The fanbase got fat and happy and the women’s program broke the idea of healthy expectations. They stopped turning out for anything but the biggest events a long time ago.

The AAC tournaments in Hartford were complete disgraces. The opportunity of home court advantage for a conf tourney and it was beneath our fanbase.

0/10 fanbase.

Agree on MBB but the women are doing just fine in spite of blowing everyone away. They are what you would call good fans.

 

[Showballot]