our crappy "fans"

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I love and follow college football. My coworkers will politely ask how the Gophers are doing, but then either don't care, or don't take what I'm saying as legitimtae. EXCEPT when there is drama around the Gophers, then everyone is an expert and has an opinion. This town loves to rip the U. I also get the experience of being in conversations with others where the other person will look at me like "thanks little lady, let the menfolk talk now." As if my husband is going to know what's going on with recruiting, etc! Thank goodness for you guys (not that you might not roll your eyes at me, but I appreciate the information!).
 


GOFUR said:
I'm the "Gopher Guy" at work and amongst friends. The question I always get is "did you attend the U"? When I answer no (Mankato State) the response is typically shock that as a die hard Gopher fan I did not attend the U. My response is "does everyone in the state of Nebraska attend NU"? But they are all or mostly Husker fans.
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This is my case exactly.

I know so many Viking fans who laugh at my Gopher fandom. One of several reasons why I love to see the Vikings lose. Fortunately they do a lot of that.
 

#2Gopher said:
Part of the problem is that we have so many different options. Pro teams; Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild. Minor league; Saints, Loons (yes a minor league by quality standards big time). Many college sports, many high school sports, in addition to all the theater and the arts in the area.

People want to go to something that is good and don't want to waste their money supporting so-so activities. The exception would be the Vikings and they draw from Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Iowa for the most part meaning a larger demographics.
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Yep. Seems like we have this discussion at least once a year. We have the benefit of all these entertainment options and can pick and choose which to support, which primarily works against Gopher football and basketball (men's hockey to a lesser extent). Add to that what others have posted about the long standing up and down nature of Gopher football and basketball, and you are left with a core group of fans. This will not change until there is a sustained elevated level of success in the programs.
 

Yawn, 98% percent of fans talk like this especially when there team has not won a pivotal game in decades, like us.
 



BroncoRedux said:
Nice group therapy thread. Jerry Kill rekindled my interest in the Gopher football program. Fleck has continued it. I bought my first season tickets during the Holtz era and dumped them in the Wacher era. Mason's years were bi-polar, so many ups and downs that for me, I had to condition myself not get optimistic. Like Shawshank, being a Gopher football fan, hope goes to die except that it doesn't.
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I remember going to a restaurant for lunch, trying to watch the Gophers and some jerks kept going "touchdown Jackrabbits!" over and over like it was the funniest thing in the world. I do think it's gotten better since Jerry Kill.
 

That's the other thing. People really liked Jerry Kill but PJ Fleck has waaaaaay too much of a personality and says words and stuff to the point there is a significant portion of the would-be fan base that simply can't get "used car salesman" out of their heads regardless of how many games the team wins, players graduate, and children's hospital patients are comforted. Minnesotans want their coaches to have the appearance of hard working, humorless, salt-of-the-earth types and deviations from that are hard to overcome. Bud Grant, Jerry Kill, Tom Kelly, etc. That's our type. Lou Holtz was the rare exception but bolting to Notre Dame was all the confirmation many people needed that a personality is the devil.
 

i mean people become inured to the habits of their team. if ohio state went on a 60 year mediocre to ****ty streak, their fans would look like us.

it's gonna take a generation to break the pathological mindset.
 



Schnauzer said:
That's the other thing. People really liked Jerry Kill but PJ Fleck has waaaaaay too much of a personality and says words and stuff to the point there is a significant portion of the would-be fan base that simply can't get "used car salesman" out of their heads regardless of how many games the team wins, players graduate, and children's hospital patients are comforted. Minnesotans want their coaches to have the appearance of hard working, humorless, salt-of-the-earth types and deviations from that are hard to overcome. Bud Grant, Jerry Kill, Tom Kelly, etc. That's our type. Lou Holtz was the rare exception but bolting to Notre Dame was all the confirmation many people needed that a personality is the devil.
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Pat Reusse has perpetuated this used car salesmen gimmick with his Twitter rips, and making fun of PJ'isms. You would swear that Grumpy old man is a Gopher fan but he sure likes to dog out Gopher football, with rips and snide comments for some reason. At lease once a year he dust off a column that you would have sworn you have read 15 to 20 times already that is a back handed compliment or some hidden rip of past Gopher coaches, alumns and season's. Jim Souhan is no better and he really stirred it up when he ripped Coach Kill and his Epilepsy situation.
My immediate family are all Gopher fans and a few close friends. Co-workers, and casual friends all Hawkeye, Badger, Spartan, Wolverine, Cyclones, and Boilermakers fans. When you mostly have worked for large firms it tends to be that way that a lot of your Co-workers graduated from other schools. We have U grad's where I work, but we tend to be quieter and not as boastful and bragging as much about our teams. Fleck has grown on me I was a skeptic at first but you can tell he seems genuine in wanting to build the program in to something better than just football. I will admit I was not a fan of the U until getting season tickets as a student and the success of the basketball and hockey teams in the late 80's.
 
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our crappy "fans"

GopherVotary said:
This is my case exactly.

I know so many Viking fans who laugh at my Gopher fandom. One of several reasons why I love to see the Vikings lose. Fortunately they do a lot of that.
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The Vikings are an even bigger joke, and I say that as a fan. They’ve found just as many ways to lose over the years as the Gophers have, and they at least have a level playing field.


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As much as it's hard being a MN fan, and I love the gophers, I am seeing a change. Will they go undefeated this season? probably not. I do see improvement year after year and our quality of players getting better. I dont expect PJ to replicate what he did at WMU, but I do think that after 5 years, we'll be very good in the Big.
 

I think we have great fans, some of the best. It isn't like rooting for Ohio State where fans expect to win the Big Ten and contend for the National Championship. This isn't Iowa where there are occasional down seasons and the odd disappointing season when a hoped for 10-2 while playing in a big bowl becomes 7-5 and playing in a minor one. Since the last share of a Big Ten Title in 1967, we have literally one season with 3 losses or less and only five seasons with 4 losses or less. Since 1999 we've gone to bowls every season but five. However, few of those bowls are considered the attractive ones and we lost more of them than we won by a good distance. The fans that show up every week to live and die with the team are truly dedicated. It's easy to root for Ohio State or Iowa. It is hard to root for Minnesota, but we do it anyway.

That the general public doesn't give the team much credit most of the time, is skeptical of any minor success, and jumps off the train as soon as a hot run by our standards ends must be taken in context. For all the heartache the Vikings produce, the NFL is structured in such a way that a team that puts together good drafts, signs free agents carefully, hires a good coaching and front office staff, and manages the salary cap properly can rise up and win the Super Bowl. College football isn't like that. We last made the Rose Bowl after the 1961 season. My dad was still in high school. He's 75 now. He will very likely never see us play in the Rose Bowl again. I've seen us come close just one time, in 2003. We didn't make it and I think the barrier to us succeeding is higher now in the CFP era. I am resigned to the idea that we will never make the Rose Bowl, but I am no less of a fan and keep on rooting for the team while going to the games.

The average fan sees the Gophers as never being able to make it over the hump to that next level and asks why bother. Note that when the team shows signs of being able to run with the big boys like in 2003 and 2014, people want to believe and come out of the woodwork to get in on the fun, only to vanish once the fun ends. To keep them, we need to have seasons like that most of the time or often enough that people think it's possible to contend for a conference title and Rose Bowl spot and therefore stick around for the occasional middling or meltdown season. Once every decade plus surrounded by 7-5 (4-5) seasons while playing in minor bowls with the odd 4-8 (3-6) season will never be enough. I don't think the diehard fans ought to resent the bandwagon riders over this. We should understand why they don’t hang around and welcome them when they come home every so often, because we need them if we ever want to fill our stadium regularly.
 



Wow. Thank you guys. It’s the positive, true Gopher fans that keep me coming back here.

My grandmother, who was at the dedication of Memorial Stadium, and saw the Gophers beat Illinois and Red Grange, gave me my calling. She remembered every detail of that game, and told the story way into her 90s. “...and then we knocked that guy out of the game!”

I was at nearly every home game from 1998 to 2013, and plenty of road games.

I’ve seen plenty of great moments and lots of heartbreak. I’ve never been so proud of a football moment as when Minnesota beat Air Force to open the Bank with my daughter, who was named after my grandmother. Being in a group hug with Eric Ellestad’s folks in the stands moments after he beat Syracuse. got to touch the pig ON THE FIELD for god sake after they beat Iowa. In the parking lot after that game Adam Weber hugged ME! Now those are moments you don’t forget. My dad’s ashes are on site at the Bank, very near his mom’s name on the wall of donors.

It’s not a choice made lightly.

I always have hope. I don’t need to find a black lining in the silver cloud like so many others. I go into every game thinking we have a shot. If there’s anything I’ve learned from this current squad, it’s that know how to win.

The only thing that helps to keep my sanity is the ignore list.
 

The average rube lives on the west coast and is a Patriots, Vegas Nights, Raptors, OSU, Villanova fan. Winning brings all these a holes out. Do we really want these d-bags around? Let alone actually have a conversation with them.
 

Our Dad had season tickets to both the Gophers and Vikings so that tradition has continued. I follow and cheer for all MN. teams but reality is other than the Lynx they will not win championships. I think you have to be a loyal fan to continue cheering for teams that rarely win championships.
 

BleedGopher said:
YES!!!!!!!! You nailed it big time. I'm the "Gopher guy" among my friends as well, and I've had numerous in the past few days nearly verbatim conversations as you just detailed. It's frustrating, but at least people are paying attention.

Go Gophers!![/QUOTE
Great, great article. I also have encountered the same conversations. .. Doesn’t do any good to argue. They are all experts(in their own mind).
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RodentRampage said:
I remember going to a restaurant for lunch, trying to watch the Gophers and some jerks kept going "touchdown Jackrabbits!" over and over like it was the funniest thing in the world. I do think it's gotten better since Jerry Kill.
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Well, that is kind of funny.
 

Angry said:
The average rube lives on the west coast and is a Patriots, Vegas Nights, Raptors, OSU, Villanova fan. Winning brings all these a holes out. Do we really want these d-bags around? Let alone actually have a conversation with them.
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My neighor, born and raised Twin Cities, is a diehard fan of the Yankees, Wolverines and Dallas Cowboys. Not many neighborly conversations are had.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Pat Reusse has perpetuated this used car salesmen gimmick with his Twitter rips, and making fun of PJ'isms.
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I have been trying to just let this ridiculous ‘woe is me’ thread go, but this idea takes the cake. You give Pat way too much credit. He isn’t that well respected and I seriously doubt anyone is forming an opinion about PJ based on what Pat says. If someone thinks PJ is like a used car salesman it’s because of how/what PJ communicates - not how/what Pat Reusse does.


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Schnauzer said:
That's the other thing. People really liked Jerry Kill but PJ Fleck has waaaaaay too much of a personality and says words and stuff to the point there is a significant portion of the would-be fan base that simply can't get "used car salesman" out of their heads regardless of how many games the team wins, players graduate, and children's hospital patients are comforted. Minnesotans want their coaches to have the appearance of hard working, humorless, salt-of-the-earth types and deviations from that are hard to overcome. Bud Grant, Jerry Kill, Tom Kelly, etc. That's our type. Lou Holtz was the rare exception but bolting to Notre Dame was all the confirmation many people needed that a personality is the devil.
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I was born and raised here and never got used to Kill as I actually found him nauseating. I can't stand the humorless aw shucks personality. Not my type at all. Give me the well dressed outgoing charismatic type anytime. It must be a rural Minnesota thing.
 

Panthadad2 said:
My neighor, born and raised Twin Cities, is a diehard fan of the Yankees, Wolverines and Dallas Cowboys. Not many neighborly conversations are had.
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So cliche! If you would have replaced Woverines with Bama you really would have nailed it! Although most in the Twin Cities are Packer fans over Cowboys. (Just awful!!!)
 

Is there a single person in America everyone likes? Maybe...I don’t know, Tom Hanks? Abraham Lincoln (historically)? I’m sure he did something wrong someone will take issue with. Otherwise I can’t think of one. Newsflash, every person you find hilarious or a great leader is equally irritating, fake, annoying, to someone else.

Getting back to the OP, if we’re being honest there hasn’t been a splashy win yet. Sorry, but true. Get back to me after we go 8-0, defeat one or all of PSU, Iowa in Iowa City, Wisconsin. I think it’s a bridge too far to expect skeptical, casual fans to be totally on board with the Gophers at this point. Every win will build the hype, and maybe this is that special 98 type season the Vikes had that fueled a new generation of fans. Certainly could be if things break right.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Is there a single person in America everyone likes? Maybe...I don’t know, Tom Hanks? Abraham Lincoln (historically)? I’m sure he did something wrong someone will take issue with. Otherwise I can’t think of one. Newsflash, every person you find hilarious or a great leader is equally irritating, fake, annoying, to someone else.

Getting back to the OP, if we’re being honest there hasn’t been a splashy win yet. Sorry, but true. Get back to me after we go 8-0, defeat one or all of PSU, Iowa in Iowa City, Wisconsin. I think it’s a bridge too far to expect skeptical, casual fans to be totally on board with the Gophers at this point. Every win will build the hype, and maybe this is that special 98 type season the Vikes had that fueled a new generation of fans. Certainly could be if things break right.
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I hate to say I told you so but.......... Bateman (Moss) Johnson (Carter) Crab (Jake Reed) Rodney Smith (Robert Smith) Brooks (Leroy Hoard)
Cirocca (Brian Billick) and PJ Fleck as himself.
 


GopherDog1 said:
I hate to say I told you so but.......... Bateman (Moss) Johnson (Carter) Crab (Jake Reed) Rodney Smith (Robert Smith) Brooks (Leroy Hoard)
Cirocca (Brian Billick) and PJ Fleck as himself.
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Does Brooks get 2 yards...

Billick was a bit of an ass but man, those early game scripts were beautiful. The old vet Cunningham to Moss exploding onto the scene, Cris Carter tiptoeing down the back of the end zone..yeah the shoe fits. Don’t leave the field with time on the clock this time...
 

Cruze said:
Minnesota sports fans are NEVER going to buy into Gopher sports teams the way they buy into the Vikings, Twins, Wolves, and Wild. There are more than a few reasons for this but probably the biggest one is the extreme dislike (if not hatred) that a large percentage of Minnesotans have for the U of M and everything associated with it. Although it is primarily a liberal/conservative and urban/rural thing, there are other reasons for it as well. There is evidence for it everywhere. I see it all the time with my family, friends, co-workers, and just being out and about in public.


The state legislature is a prime example of where dislike for the U exists. Republican legislators never seem to miss an opportunity to criticize the U for it's failings and oppose their funding requests no matter how well justified they are. This always gets covered in the news media and people everywhere in the state see it and read it on a regular basis. None of this was happening when I was growing up in the 1960's and the Gopher football team was winning Big 10 championships and Rose Bowls. It was a time when the love for the U as an educational institution and economic driver for the state was almost universal among Minnesotans.
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Hahahaha...wow. So you just took this opportunity on Gopherhole to show hate towards the Republican Legislators. Wow... especially in this state where we have a bunch of dingdongs being elected as mayors and congresswomen. You opened this can of worms. Republican legislators against the U? Who the hell the drove the bills the get the stadium built...? Get your facts right...but as a liberal you will never see straight.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Is there a single person in America everyone likes? Maybe...I don’t know, Tom Hanks? Abraham Lincoln (historically)? I’m sure he did something wrong someone will take issue with. Otherwise I can’t think of one. Newsflash, every person you find hilarious or a great leader is equally irritating, fake, annoying, to someone else.

Getting back to the OP, if we’re being honest there hasn’t been a splashy win yet. Sorry, but true. Get back to me after we go 8-0, defeat one or all of PSU, Iowa in Iowa City, Wisconsin. I think it’s a bridge too far to expect skeptical, casual fans to be totally on board with the Gophers at this point. Every win will build the hype, and maybe this is that special 98 type season the Vikes had that fueled a new generation of fans. Certainly could be if things break right.
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It's true we haven't beaten a ranked team during our winning streak, but we have also won some games that we might have just lost in the past. I would be shocked if we didn't get a victory over either PSU, Iowa or Wisconsin this year. On the other hand, if we defeat Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers and Northwestern on top of the wins we have already accumulated, I would think this would give us reason for rejoice and hope of Gopher football future.
 

HoustonTXGopher said:
It's true we haven't beaten a ranked team during our winning streak, but we have also won some games that we might have just lost in the past. I would be shocked if we didn't get a victory over either PSU, Iowa or Wisconsin this year. On the other hand, if we defeat Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers and Northwestern on top of the wins we have already accumulated, I would think this would give us reason for rejoice and hope of Gopher football future.
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I’m pretty excited about how it’s setting up but the thread is about casual fans and “show me” fans and non-fans. I just don’t think the body of work is quite to the point we can start gettin’ upset with people that are in prove it mode. Nebraska will be nice, Maryland will be nice, an 8 win streak is really impressive, but it would really move the needle on sports radio and tv if MN can take out one or more of the ranked teams later this year.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Well, I must have some pretty hot chili because (and I don’t usually do this) I had to try and get some intel on the Martinez injury. No dice on that issue but I did find this interesting opposing fan viewpoint on the upcoming game and MN vs UN at this point in history.

https://nebraska.forums.rivals.com/threads/why-are-people-predicting-doom-with-minnisota.251592/
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A bit of a mixture, but the general consensus is they know this will be a tough game for their squad to win. Some of them are underestimating the Gophers, as usual...”Illinois with NFL wide receivers.”


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