The face of fandom in college basketball

[Jaydumo20]

After seeing a little life in our stands last night, I am hopeful that we will reach the same level of Fandom across the region that we enjoyed during our title years. But then after seeing the stands at the Pitt-Cuse game among other big name programs with basic no shows at games, I am left wondering: will ncaa regular season hoops ever get back to where it was even 10 years ago? I'm thinking it may be a covid thing, but that doesn't stop people from going to nfl or college games. I don't think that college hoops has the same community saturation (in general) as football does and I think that students have so many entertainment options at their fingertips that unless they are at a school where a team has been a powerhouse year in and year out, the fans won't show up anymore. Where do we think the sport is headed?

 

[upstater]

After seeing a little life in our stands last night, I am hopeful that we will reach the same level of Fandom across the region that we enjoyed during our title years. But then after seeing the stands at the Pitt-Cuse game among other big name programs with basic no shows at games, I am left wondering: will ncaa regular season hoops ever get back to where it was even 10 years ago? I'm thinking it may be a covid thing, but that doesn't stop people from going to nfl or college games. I don't think that college hoops has the same community saturation (in general) as football does and I think that students have so many entertainment options at their fingertips that unless they are at a school where a team has been a powerhouse year in and year out, the fans won't show up anymore. Where do we think the sport is headed?

Q: when you know part of your tuition is subsidizing all of this, and they are making it into a semi-pro game, are you still engaged as a student who in former times would simply be supporting their fellow student and showing school spirit?

 

[MexicoHusky]

Watched a Xavier game earlier in the year. Their crowd sang Mr Brightside in unison. It was pretty darn cool. So their definitely are places where the crowd intensity and fun has gotten back to pre-Covid levels..... so that's promising.

That said, I'm not sure I love the direction of college sports, but that statement may be clouded with my own feelings. I know I've tuned out college sports a bit over the last decade. I like to say my souring begins with UNC and their lack of punishing, but maybe I'm just getting older and crankier. And maybe I'm just unhappy my Huskies are not what they once were. So either the financial interests within college sports are ruining everything or I'm just becoming an old crank...yelling at kids in my lawn. I'm not sure.

 

[husky429]

Q: when you know part of your tuition is subsidizing all of this, and they are making it into a semi-pro game, are you still engaged as a student who in former times would simply be supporting their fellow student and showing school spirit?

I don't think your average fan or student even knows about NIL deals, let alone avoids going to games because of them.

School spirit and attendance are lower than they previously have been because of other factors.

 

[Skiblets]

I will say this. The Jock Jams soundtrack from the 90s surely doesn't help. We need a Jump Around or a Mr Brightside or something more contemporary. Having middle to late aged white guys control the arena noise is no bueno.

 

[XLCenterFan]

That was a late weekday tip-off in Storrs in the freezing cold.

If that game was Saturday/Sunday, 1:00 in Hartford, and the temps weren't near-zero, it would have been a packed house. Plus this thing called covid.

Also, I mentioned this in another thread. College kids are Charmin soft today. They would rather be doing yoga, dancing on Tik Tok, or hiding in a safe space. Getting drunk, betting the game, and yelling at a ref is so aughts.

 

[navery12]

Q: when you know part of your tuition is subsidizing all of this, and they are making it into a semi-pro game, are you still engaged as a student who in former times would simply be supporting their fellow student and showing school spirit?

Yes. Students didn't stop showing up because RJ Cole made a few hundred dollars selling t-shirts

 

[gtcam]

That was a late weekday tip-off in Storrs in the freezing cold.

If that game was Saturday/Sunday, 1:00 in Hartford, and the temps weren't near-zero, it would have been a packed house. Plus this thing called covid.

Also, I mentioned this in another thread. College kids are Charmin soft today. They would rather be doing yoga, dancing on Tik Tok, or hiding in a safe space. Getting drunk, betting the game, and yelling at a ref is so aughts.

Not sure if the kids are Charmin Soft but they sure lack the enthusiasm and creativity that was around years ago. I'm sure the pandemic stuff has a lot to do with it. Also, students of old didn't need a guy with a microphone telling them what to da and say - he would have been booed off the floor.
Watching the student sections from my seats at Gampel, a majority of them have their noses buried into their smartphones while the game is being played.
In the end, I'm just happy there is live basketball to attend. Some student with creativity and guts will come along and lead the student section in inventive things that will electrify the building.

 

[bendm]

Also, I mentioned this in another thread. College kids are Charmin soft today. They would rather be doing yoga, dancing on Tik Tok, or hiding in a safe space. Getting drunk, betting the game, and yelling at a ref is so aughts.

the face of XLCenterFan:

 

[uconnfan68]

I will say this. The Jock Jams soundtrack from the 90s surely doesn't help. We need a Jump Around or a Mr Brightside or something more contemporary. Having middle to late aged white guys control the arena noise is no bueno.

As one of those guys, I agree.

 

[gampelcrazies]

I will say this. The Jock Jams soundtrack from the 90s surely doesn't help. We need a Jump Around or a Mr Brightside or something more contemporary. Having middle to late aged white guys control the arena noise is no bueno.

Love when people criticize jock jams. It’s probably the best thing we do right now.

 

[Jaydumo20]

That was a late weekday tip-off in Storrs in the freezing cold.

If that game was Saturday/Sunday, 1:00 in Hartford, and the temps weren't near-zero, it would have been a packed house. Plus this thing called covid.

Also, I mentioned this in another thread. College kids are Charmin soft today. They would rather be doing yoga, dancing on Tik Tok, or hiding in a safe space. Getting drunk, betting the game, and yelling at a ref is so aughts.

I agree. It also feels like we are being curmudgeonly, early 2000s, bleed blue super fans, criticizing the younger set, but it's true- they are way less dedicated. However, live, top 25 bcs football is still gigantic, so people will come out behind the phones for something great. My hope is that if NIL becomes prevalent, there will be more visible stars in the college b ball game that this will draw the hit-a-minute, dorm rat scrollers, out of their nests.

 

[87Xfer]

Student enthusiasm for UConn BB ain't what it was (...thinking of those who trucked to hartford and shouted themselves voiceless in the "dream season"). But the school did tell students not to show up on Tuesday - not exactly a rallying cry. We'll see.

Either way I doubt NIL has much to do with it.

 

[willie99]

WINNING solves everything

Programs like Pitt and Cuse ain't WINNING

Butt I'm shocked to learn their fans aren't celebrating those conference dollars the school is receiving. Don't they know how good they are?

 

[UConn Dan]

Really disappointed of supposedly grown adults in here claiming "today's" college kids as being "soft" or "lacking creativity". I didn't even read half the ish in here. It's garbage.

Remember you were once a kid too. When I was a student during our first title run, there were very energic games and there were very just meh games. I don't think we had half the creativity that some of the students have today.

If you don't think the students are brining the energy, bring it yourself - paint your face, your body, and scream your head off.

 

[navery12]

WINNING solves everything

Programs like Pitt and Cuse ain't WINNING

Butt I'm shocked to learn their fans aren't celebrating those conference dollars the school is receiving. Don't they know how good they are?

No Syracuse schadenfreude?

Based on what I observed in chat, I was sure there’d be a thread on this. After taking a peek at their board, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the state of our program. This may be sacrilege, but I kinda feel bad for their fan base. What an unmitigated mess.

the-boneyard.com

 

[Huskybass]

I recently attended the Georgetown and St. John's games at Gampel. Both were 8:30 starts on weeknights. Crowds were ok given students were on break.

Winning certainly helps put people in the seats. We should see some nice crowds for the XL games in February. Times have changed, but we will still sell out the big games when we are playing well.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Really disappointed of supposedly grown adults in here claiming "today's" college kids as being "soft" or "lacking creativity". I didn't even read half the ish in here. It's garbage.

Remember you were once a kid too. When I was a student during our first title run, there were very energic games and there were very just meh games. I don't think we had half the creativity that some of the students have today.

If you don't think the students are brining the energy, bring it yourself - paint your face, your body, and scream your head off.

You're right that it doesn't help to call names. And to toss around the word "soft" to the younger generations is a standard complaint of any older set.
But there are real differences to the upcoming generation that, while it may not make them "soft" as a fan base (not sure what a "hard" fan base looks like either, to your point) it may make them less interested. There are numerous studies that today's college/highschool students do participate in less group social activities, even pre-covid. I went to uconn the same time as you it seems and I remember spending very little time in front the computer. Not sure if I would have been just like them, logging in 50hr/week on social media sites, but I'm not arguing personal choice, simply saying that the current climate may not encourage campus wide devotion to sports teams like there was in the early '00's.

 

[XLCenterFan]

How fun does this Bama/Baylor crowd look?

I think UConn should reimagine their student section. Let’s get the kids closer to the court.

 

[huskiesouth]

How fun does this Bama/Baylor crowd look?

I think UConn should reimagine their student section. Let’s get the kids closer to the court.

Crowd is simply going nuts, at a football school.

 

[Deepster]

I will say this. The Jock Jams soundtrack from the 90s surely doesn't help. We need a Jump Around or a Mr Brightside or something more contemporary. Having middle to late aged white guys control the arena noise is no bueno.

Mr Brightside was released in 2003. The solution is a song that’s almost 20 years old?

 

[spudzj6]

Crowd is simply going nuts, at a football school.

I've been to a game there. It has such a tiny gym feel and they really pack the people on top of each other. Really only set up for students on the side rather than the baseline. Their fandom is 100% because of Oats. The student section feeds off his coaching style...after he said they weren't "blue-collar" enough he adopted the hard hat for his players and the university handed out hard hats to the students.

 

[Skiblets]

Mr Brightside was released in 2003. The solution is a song that’s almost 20 years old?

Cmon man. Ur smarter than that. Don’t cherry pick a portion of a post. My point is that the 90s called and they want their game day experience back. This was my era. And even I know it’s old and tired

 

[UConnSwag11]

After seeing a little life in our stands last night, I am hopeful that we will reach the same level of Fandom across the region that we enjoyed during our title years. But then after seeing the stands at the Pitt-Cuse game among other big name programs with basic no shows at games, I am left wondering: will ncaa regular season hoops ever get back to where it was even 10 years ago? I'm thinking it may be a covid thing, but that doesn't stop people from going to nfl or college games. I don't think that college hoops has the same community saturation (in general) as football does and I think that students have so many entertainment options at their fingertips that unless they are at a school where a team has been a powerhouse year in and year out, the fans won't show up anymore. Where do we think the sport is headed?

The Providence crowd and student section were on fire. I felt it through the tv.

 

[Rico444]

I will say this. The Jock Jams soundtrack from the 90s surely doesn't help. We need a Jump Around or a Mr Brightside or something more contemporary. Having middle to late aged white guys control the arena noise is no bueno.

This 100%. Even putting aside the outdated Jock Jams, I'm not even that old (35) but I recognized every song they played during breaks. I am not someone that keeps up on the up to date music trends, that's for sure. Probably the newest song I heard was something that was popular when I was in college, which was 14 years ago at this point. If you want to pump up the kids, play stuff that they listen to.

 

[buddy]

The Providence crowd and student section were on fire. I felt it through the tv.

I agree with you. Most raucous student section this year that I have seen. I probably missed something, but why did so many students bring blow up palm trees to the game?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I will say this. The Jock Jams soundtrack from the 90s surely doesn't help. We need a Jump Around or a Mr Brightside or something more contemporary. Having middle to late aged white guys control the arena noise is no bueno.

IMO it’s a tradition at this point and from a fan base that complains we don’t have any traditions I wouldn’t change it at this point.

 

[PAHusky]

Not to attack the OP but I'm sure this same sort of question gets asked ad infinitum every time there's a change in college hoops (three point line, one and dones, etc).

You didn't see fans out for Cuse-Pitt because those teams suck. Watch a game between two teams that don't suck and there are rabid student sections and raucous crowds. There aren't many teams at all beyond the blue bloods of the sport who are going to draw huge crowds with bad teams. The same is true in any other sport.

Basketball at UConn hasn't felt the same because we were barely starting to crawl back into relevance after the KO debacle when Covid hit, which robbed us of a few great home crowds and put a damper even now on attendance, etc. But let's not extrapolate from "no fans watching terrible teams and UConn doesn't seem the same" into "the sky is falling for college bball".

No one is going to stop watching because the kids are finally making a little money. College basketball will be fine.

 

[Squeeze]

I think it's been pretty well documented at this point that kids are generally less interested in sports. Fewer kids are playing in rec leagues, fewer kids are watching professional sports.

I don't know what the solution to that is, but I'll be pissed if they ever change the jock jams intro.

 

[FriarJ]

I agree with you. Most raucous student section this year that I have seen. I probably missed something, but why did so many students bring blow up palm trees to the game?

They were calling the student section "Blizzard Beach" Many wore beach time attire as well. There were no student buses, so 2,000 kids took Uber. Apparently it was a crap show at the campus, LOL.