Just for sake of argument about "fan apathy"

[Madclone1]

. . . because we know how much Giggles likes to smear ISU and dig up dirt every chance he gets . . . .but that being what it may . . . how much of our current fan apathy is related to the following:

1) We all knew this was going to be a "beat down" year given the strength of schedule.
2) We did not anticipate getting rolled by Iowa as much as we did. Bummer.
3) We came off a very emotional summer with conference realignment talk . . . and many ISU fans are still wondering why the so many in this state were wiling to write ISU off and throw us under the bus. I mean . . we all know the UofI should NEVER be challenged for supremacy! :wideeyed:
4) Some of ISU's other sports are down . . like our wrestling program.
5) The NCAA has established a formula where the RICH will only get richer ($$$$$$ and recruiting). The game is becoming less interesting for less established programs while the elites keep moving up. Iowa seems to be in that category now.
College sports is losing its amateur appeal and starting to emulate the NBA/NFL . . where big money does all the talking.
6) Culture of this state. Trash talking and ridicule of ISU . . is the norm.

Just random thoughts . . any other ideas on "fan apathy?"

 

[jdoggivjc]

What is the average attendance for ISU games this year - ~45,000? Whatever it is, isn't it the highest average we've had since the Earl Bruce era in the 1970s? Don't confuse "apatheticness" of the ISU fan base for the "patheticness" that is MattyP.

 

[Chipper]

Have we said a snow winter yet? Harvest season? Highway 30 potholes?

 

[sunset]

I don't know what this guy said, nor do I care, but apathy has settled in. It started with Mac's last few years when they couldn't kick a field goal to win a B12 Noth championship. It continued with the debacle that was chizik (I'll admit, I was a supporter of the hire and it made total sense at the time). There was a slight come back with the suprise bowl game last year, but it's now obvious we are in a conference who's sole goal is to make more money for UT/OU/A&M/etc. while the "have-nots" struggle to get by. We have our second straight QB that has gotten worse (or at the very least not improved) over his time at ISU and since the coach keeps putting him out there we must not have anybody that is better. To be honest, there just isn't a whole lot to look forward to. After twenty plus years of devoting a lot ot time and emotional energy to this program, I don't feel too bad about taking a step back and seeing what happens.

As a side note to your culture of Iowa comments, the Iowa "media" is a complete joke and seem to do their damndest to make sure ISU is shown in the absolute worse light possible.

 

[mcblogerson]

Before the season I think most fans were hoping for 6 wins and a bowl game at best. Getting blown out isn't fun, but its been happening to our football team all my life. I know well never be an elite football program, its not apathy ,just realistic expectations.

 

[GeneralHouston]

All of the above.

 

[VeloClone]

I don't know what this guy said, nor do I care, but apathy has settled in. It started with Mac's last few years when they couldn't kick a field goal to win a B12 Noth championship. It continued with the debacle that was chizik (I'll admit, I was a supporter of the hire and it made total sense at the time). There was a slight come back with the suprise bowl game last year, but it's now obvious we are in a conference who's sole goal is to make more money for UT/OU/A&M/etc. while the "have-nots" struggle to get by. We have our second straight QB that has gotten worse (or at the very least not improved) over his time at ISU and since the coach keeps putting him out there we must not have anybody that is better. To be honest, there just isn't a whole lot to look forward to. After twenty plus years of devoting a lot ot time and emotional energy to this program, I don't feel too bad about taking a step back and seeing what happens.

As a side note to your culture of Iowa comments, the Iowa "media" is a complete joke and seem to do their damndest to make sure ISU is shown in the absolute worse light possible.

I must admit, I wasn't at JTS Saturday for the Oklahoma game. I must be getting apathetic.



Lighten up, guys. Despite what some schmo says, based on what this fanbase has been through, we have a pretty amazingly engaged fanbase!

 

[Isoleucine]

I don't see that the traditional powers position at the top is getting stronger, I see teams like Utah, Boise State, and TCU taking mediocre players and programs and turning them into great ones, and playing spoiler to the big boys. I agree that money makes a difference but there may be an amount above which it just doesn't help that much.
If these non BCS conference teams can build success with dedication and quality coaching staffs, why not Iowa State? Sure they have an easier schedule, but we certainly have better facilities and more resources in general. Success in college sports is not as obvious as getting wonderful recruits and having enough money to get whatever coach you want, otherwise Notre Dame would not be in the situation it is.

 

[tazclone]

What is the average attendance for ISU games this year - ~45,000? Whatever it is, isn't it the highest average we've had since the Earl Bruce era in the 1970s? Don't confuse "apatheticness" of the ISU fan base for the "patheticness" that is MattyP.

No it is lower than last year and the year before. Not to mention, we usually have greater attendance early on and support dwindles as the season moves on.

Attnedance/ game
2010- 44587
2009- 46242
2008- 47429
2007- ??????
2006- 46171

 

[Tre4ISU]

Here's my attitude right now and I am not proud:

First, a little background: I was a Michigan fan long before I was an ISU fan. My first memory of college football is Charles Woodson and assorted CW highlights, that's how it started.

Once I cam to ISU I become a huge ISU athletics fan. I am a believer that it is much more fun to cheer for that team when you have that attachment. It is to the point where now, if there was a matchup between ISU and Michigan in the National Championship, I would be in ISU gear, no question. The reason I use that scenerio is because there is no effect on either team past that game. It is simply rooting for who I want. Now, if Michigan was undefeated and ISU hadn't won a game in the 10th week of the season, it would be hard to root for ISU given the effect it may have on the other team I generally root for.

Now, on with my mindset last week and this week. Generally, I work 5 days a week and then I work on the family farm on the weekends which is why I will not be to any games from OCt. to the Kansas game. However, I usually get out of working during the ISU game and maybe Mcihigan games so I can watch. This weekend, I quit for a bit at about 2:30 and watched the Iowa/Michigan game. My initial intention was to then watch the ISU game. I don't know if my negative attitude had something to do with it, but after the Michigan game I just went back out to work. I still listened but I shut it off at halftime. I never do that. I don't leave at halftime, I don't ever quit caring until it is over but last week was different. This week, I feel no excitement. I care, but not to the extent I usually do. I am sure this will come back when we play KU. It isn't going to effect how I support or when I support but I just don't feel the excitement. I don't know if it's apathy or not but I am surely in a different mindset right now. I do think it would be brought back with a win against KU. If we were to somehow beat Texas, it would surely be brought back but right now I find it hard to be excited which is weird. It never happened during the CHizik years or last year, but now it has.

 

[AmesHawk]

. . . because we know how much Giggles likes to smear ISU and dig up dirt every chance he gets . . . .but that being what it may . . . how much of our current fan apathy is related to the following:

1) We all knew this was going to be a "beat down" year given the strength of schedule.
2) We did not anticipate getting rolled by Iowa as much as we did. Bummer.
3) We came off a very emotional summer with conference realignment talk . . . and many ISU fans are still wondering why the so many in this state were wiling to write ISU off and throw us under the bus. I mean . . we all know the UofI should NEVER be challenged for supremacy! :wideeyed:
4) Some of ISU's other sports are down . . like our wrestling program.
5) The NCAA has established a formula where the RICH will only get richer ($$$$$$ and recruiting). The game is becoming less interesting for less established programs while the elites keep moving up. Iowa seems to be in that category now.
College sports is losing its amateur appeal and starting to emulate the NBA/NFL . . where big money does all the talking.
6) Culture of this state. Trash talking and ridicule of ISU . . is the norm.

Just random thoughts . . any other ideas on "fan apathy?"

Only mentioned Iowa twice, not bad:wink:

 

[brianhos]

Before the season I think most fans were hoping for 6 wins and a bowl game at best. Getting blown out isn't fun, but its been happening to our football team all my life. I know well never be an elite football program, its not apathy ,just realistic expectations.

Most people on here were way to drunk on the nebraska 2009 koolaid. Reality has set in now.

 

[Wesley]

Reminds me a little bit of the last half season of Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe playing. Kept seeing deja vu of Bret rolling out to the right and throwing to a leaping Todd who was pushed out of bounds for no completion.

Now we have two straight weeks of rushing going nowhere and dline looking like a sieve.

 

[247cy]

No it is lower than last year and the year before. Not to mention, we usually have greater attendance early on and support dwindles as the season moves on.

Attnedance/ game
2010- 44587
2009- 46242
2008- 47429
2007- ??????
2006- 46171

Actually, given the economic climate of the end of 08 to present, I'd say those numbers are quite healthy. Unemployment is hovering around 10% nationally, the drop is only 6% from 08 numbers or about 3,000 fans. Pretty good considering all of our games so far have been televised as well.

There's a difference between watching your team struggle to 6 wins in a season as opposed to one with a 20 game home streak, and the fair weather fan probably won't show if we're playing for that 6th win at the end of November in the bitter cold. But it's not like we're going back to Walden days when you could move wherever you wanted to after kickoff.

 

[Madclone1]

Only mentioned Iowa twice, not bad:wink:

And you point is what? You hawk obsessives really need to get a life or move over to the Iowa board and stay there.

 

[Madclone1]

I don't know what this guy said, nor do I care, but apathy has settled in. It started with Mac's last few years when they couldn't kick a field goal to win a B12 Noth championship. It continued with the debacle that was chizik (I'll admit, I was a supporter of the hire and it made total sense at the time). There was a slight come back with the suprise bowl game last year, but it's now obvious we are in a conference who's sole goal is to make more money for UT/OU/A&M/etc. while the "have-nots" struggle to get by. We have our second straight QB that has gotten worse (or at the very least not improved) over his time at ISU and since the coach keeps putting him out there we must not have anybody that is better. To be honest, there just isn't a whole lot to look forward to. After twenty plus years of devoting a lot ot time and emotional energy to this program, I don't feel too bad about taking a step back and seeing what happens.

As a side note to your culture of Iowa comments, the Iowa "media" is a complete joke and seem to do their damndest to make sure ISU is shown in the absolute worse light possible.

Great insight . . Mac damaged my interest substantially by BLOWING two Big XII north titles. I mean . . it was inexplicable how that happened? It was inexplicable to see how ISU was manhandled by OU/Texas when Seneca was our QB.

The game against FSU . . last TD . . blown by officials.

The game against Alabama . . field goal . . . blown by officials.

I think all of this has really taken a toll with bandwagon types and the general ISU athletic psyche.

Not to mention . . seeing Hilton wash away again this summer.

 

[Madclone1]

Have we said a snow winter yet? Harvest season? Highway 30 potholes?

Obviously . . this discussion is way above your pay grade.

 

[tazclone]

Great insight . . Mac damaged my interest substantially by BLOWING two Big XII north titles. I mean . . it was inexplicable how that happened? It was inexplicable to see how ISU was manhandled by OU/Texas when Seneca was our QB.

The game against FSU . . last TD . . blown by officials.

The game against Alabama . . field goal . . . blown by officials.

I think all of this has really taken a toll with bandwagon types and the general ISU athletic psyche.

Not to mention . . seeing Hilton wash away again this summer.

FSU came out with a 24-0 lead and then took the pedal off. We came back to make a game of it and theofficials blew the call. Simple thing is don't let FSU come out to a 24-0 lead and the officils can't blow the call.

 

[aeroclone]

Most people on here were way to drunk on the nebraska 2009 koolaid. Reality has set in now.

Brian is right. Last year, we beat 5 bad football teams, got the biggest gift in football history at Nebraska, and landed a bowl matchup with a bad team that didn't want to be in the game to begin with. We eeked out a win and everyone was drunk on the kool-aid. The fact of the matter is that we haven't had much to be excited about since back around 2004 and 2005. And what did we get then? A potential Big 12 championship game ****** down our legs in almost identical fashion in back to back years. We had 5 mediocre years in the early 2000's followed by 5 awful years in the last half of the decade with one little run of luck mixed in to shake it up.

We also just spent an entire off-season learning that we are totally irrelevant in the college sports world and that won't change. First off, it isn't about media markets, otherwise it would have been Mizzou or Syracuse to the Big Ten and not Nebraska. It isn't about other sports either. Nobody cares about our rankings in the Director's cup. KU was about to get dumped right along with us even though they have one of the top 5 bball programs in the nation all-time. If that doesn't punch your ticket, it is clearly all about football. And of course nobody ever believed it, but academics have nothing to do with this either. Once again, see Nebraska to the Big Ten or Utah to the Pac 10.

Basically, if there was ever any question, we now know without a doubt that big budgets and football are driving the bus. We have dug ourselves into a huge hole in that regard and I don't think it would be hard for one to imagine that we will never really get out. The on field results this year have just driven that point home and it isn't hard for yet another season of poor results to drive one towards apathy.

 

[MrGreg]

I don't know what this guy said, nor do I care, but apathy has settled in. It started with Mac's last few years when they couldn't kick a field goal to win a B12 Noth championship. It continued with the debacle that was chizik (I'll admit, I was a supporter of the hire and it made total sense at the time). There was a slight come back with the suprise bowl game last year, but it's now obvious we are in a conference who's sole goal is to make more money for UT/OU/A&M/etc. while the "have-nots" struggle to get by. We have our second straight QB that has gotten worse (or at the very least not improved) over his time at ISU and since the coach keeps putting him out there we must not have anybody that is better. To be honest, there just isn't a whole lot to look forward to. After twenty plus years of devoting a lot ot time and emotional energy to this program, I don't feel too bad about taking a step back and seeing what happens.

As a side note to your culture of Iowa comments, the Iowa "media" is a complete joke and seem to do their damndest to make sure ISU is shown in the absolute worse light possible.

That one really hurt, big time. I don't think that opportunity (competing to win a conference) will ever come back, especially with the North/South divisions going away. ...I hope I'm wrong...