- Joined
- Apr 25, 2013
- Messages
- 638
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After years of visiting the FB group of the Boneyard, I still have no clue about who are the members and the occasional visitors (as I am). I'll get to the point, but first this info. I am mainly a reader of both M + W bb. It is clear to me who are those people- they are well informed, Uconn students, alum. or outside visitors. But what about FB? There is a core group- a large group- that is so negative, hostile and operate with the dream that they can make Uconn a power house in FB. Just hire the right coach- perhaps stealing one from Ala. Yes, I have see a post of desired FB coach that the School should pursue. It's not funny; but as the author said, we must think big. It is this will to greatness that has troubled me, because it has the smell of teenage piss. Hence, my question about the writers- are they HS kids, really college kids, lurkers making fun of 'US.' And the running posts from day1 about firing the AD Warde), coach(es), President, qb, on and on. And then those who knew the correct play(s) that should have been called. As some one who have been a student and/or professional at Berkeley, UW, UT-Austin and Uconn, the latter will never be at the level of the former. We do not have the culture, money and recruiting base. These are not things that you can willed yourself in or out. Private and elite schools like Stanford, ND, for ex. have their own shield processes for admitting students athl and they have a well establihed pool of top players that they can dip into because student athletes with high grades are going to select those schools over other schools (A highly ranked HS student with an A-grade and coming from a private school in Conn will 98% of the time select a Stanford/ND over a Uconn, Cinn or a MD. There is little to come after there. Perhaps this is not the same in Ala, etc.
But I have been at UT, Berkeley and UW when they had losing seasons and everybody and their kids were at the games. The stadiums at UCB and UW were filled with students and city residents when the teams were 1-6 or 2-5 and it was raining cats and dogs. There were never talks about firing this one or that one. No depressing talks about the negatives, people went to see a game- win or lose. It was the experience. It was about being there. I have gone to games that I never saw. Indeed, a high pertage of people attend games for every other thing then 'seeing' the game. Until the Uconn Nation can be a part of such a culture it will be a 2nd rate FB school. I believe that the people writing on this Board are trully not representative of Uconn and probably constitute a relic that is self (re-)motivating.
Let me end by saying that the consolidation of schools into P5 entities was a disaster for the student athletes as historically constituted. We now have an industry that have turned students into a new (different) commodity to be basically bought and sold. And we have all participated into this perversion. Perhaps a school like Uconn has no choice but to play the game- or op out and sell itself differently. But let us speak thruthfully, now of these top and middle level FB schools are truly academic institutions for the 'student' athletes. The latter is an entity within an entity- hiding and covering up the latest exposure or leak. Personally, I would get all these revenue sports out of the universities and turn them into semi-professional clubs- where players are paid adequately- free to attend a college on their free time.
But I have been at UT, Berkeley and UW when they had losing seasons and everybody and their kids were at the games. The stadiums at UCB and UW were filled with students and city residents when the teams were 1-6 or 2-5 and it was raining cats and dogs. There were never talks about firing this one or that one. No depressing talks about the negatives, people went to see a game- win or lose. It was the experience. It was about being there. I have gone to games that I never saw. Indeed, a high pertage of people attend games for every other thing then 'seeing' the game. Until the Uconn Nation can be a part of such a culture it will be a 2nd rate FB school. I believe that the people writing on this Board are trully not representative of Uconn and probably constitute a relic that is self (re-)motivating.
Let me end by saying that the consolidation of schools into P5 entities was a disaster for the student athletes as historically constituted. We now have an industry that have turned students into a new (different) commodity to be basically bought and sold. And we have all participated into this perversion. Perhaps a school like Uconn has no choice but to play the game- or op out and sell itself differently. But let us speak thruthfully, now of these top and middle level FB schools are truly academic institutions for the 'student' athletes. The latter is an entity within an entity- hiding and covering up the latest exposure or leak. Personally, I would get all these revenue sports out of the universities and turn them into semi-professional clubs- where players are paid adequately- free to attend a college on their free time.
