Reusse: That buzz you hear? Must be mosquitoes, not interest in Gophers

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Win baby Win is the name of the game if you are the Minnesota media. With having a wide variety of sports selections for the public to choose from it makes the Gophers winning even more important. The media can pick and choose who to cover and what type of stories to run...but with the Twins on a roll right now and Favre back in Purple, it shouldn't be a surprise the buzz of Gopher football is just not there.
 

While the article was mostly accurate, I guess I was bothered more by the angle Reusse took. It is old and tired and I think it has mostly to do with his dislike of Brewster.

If you are like me, you are sick of pro sports ... the prima donna attitudes, the exorbitant salaries, the ridiculous ticket costs. I could go on.

But we have an alternative. The Gophers football team is full of young men who have chosen to play here in Minnesota. Not for a high salary, but for the love of the game and a desire to be a part of this community and this University. In addition, ticket prices are relatively low and you get to watch games in a beautiful brand new stadium and in the great outdoors!

This is the angle I would have liked to have seen. Sure there is no buzz, but we should support this team because it is a great alternative to the disgusting spectacle that is pro sports these days. These kids are mostly great kids with great stories to tell and they are working their tails off for us.

A couple of days ago Phil Mackey on his twitter feed (http://twitter.com/PMac21) said:

"My advice to Brew, from a recent U of M grad (the ones you want coming to your games): Stop bloviating and win games."

This boggles my mind. My advice to the Mackeys and Reusses of the world: stop focusing on Brewster and start giving these kids the support they deserve. They have some great stories to tell now and in the future and who knows, if we give them some support they might surprise us.
 

Brew_recruit said:
its that kind of loser attitude we don't need as fans of this program. Do you think that Badger fans sit around and say "the pacers must go"?
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Why would people in WI give a rip about an NBA team?;)

I do have to agree with much of what Reusse wrote. Sometimes the truth hurts. The Vikings have always gotten a free pass. They had their own periods of futility, and its been over 30 years since they've been to a Super bowl, but they don't seem to suffer from fan apathy. The big difference: they know how to market, and they have the marketing machine of the NFL behind them. Walking to the scrimmage on Saturday, I passed a bus stop 1 block from TCF with a 20' wide poster hyping the Vikes on the shelter. Do you think its an accident that this is on campus in the shadow of TCF?!?

The U's marketing arm is a joke in comparison. I've often thought they should just have marketing majors do the effort as a senior project. Couldn't produce worse results and the cost would be a lot less. I suppose you could have the Carlson school students take this on, but the cost for all their Latte's would be prohibitive. Plus they'd want to hire someone to do the actual work.

As for the Twins, they fall somewhere in between. You literally can't buy a ticket for a game at Target field without going to Stubhub. That will probably last for a few seasons until the novelty wears off. But if the Twins don't keep contending, or if Morneau and/or Mauer get lured away by the Yankees that will change. I had season tix to the Twins in '91 (game 7 of that WS was the most amazing sporting event I've ever been to) but 2 years later I couldn't give my tickets away.
 

Of course Reusse has done no research to advance his thesis. Media is clearly covering Gophers more. Why is that? Because the powers that be see an increased market.

If you look at ticket cost on StubHub, the Gopher-USC game is MUCH, MUCH more of a hot ticket than the Vikings opener against Miami the next day. Vikings may have more fans but they are not voting with their pocketbook.
 

snackeru said:
A couple of days ago Phil Mackey on his twitter feed (http://twitter.com/PMac21) said:

"My advice to Brew, from a recent U of M grad (the ones you want coming to your games): Stop bloviating and win games."
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Wow. Just wow.

I wonder if he knows that not everyone in the world is a front-running bangwagon-jumper.

Oh- and by the way, Brew hasn't done anything resembling "bloviating" in years. Way to stay in touch.
 


I've stated this before and I'll state it again in an arms race of college football, the revenue dollars the U loses due to another football team in town is significant. I don't know how significant, since I can't create two parallel worlds and create test data. However, given the amount of dollars spent on football related items, the U would gain a significant bump in revenue coming in. Would the U be able to turn that revenue dollars into a better product on the field? That is probably another horse that gets beat down around here, which would be a red herring to argue that should be a factor in this discussion. I believe that there are a number of fans that enjoy going to football on the weekend that have to in general choose between one team or the other. They may support both via saying they are fans, but they end up choosing which team gets money. Since there isn't a salary cap in college football, the money is a limiting factor against the Gophers breaking their drought in the presence of a the NFL machine that is a great success in creating fan interest.
 

Until this team wins consistently, which they have not done in the 40+ years of my life, they will be niche in the Mpls/St.Paul sports scene. That being said, I am an alum and a fan and I will be driving from Atlanta to Murfreesboro on 9/2 to watch the game. While there may not be a "buzz" there are still enough of us interested to spend our time and and money to support the team. 50,000 fans is about equivalent of what GT draws in a good year on game days and that's in a city that's also got a popular Baseball and Football pro teams (Not to mention that 5 ton gorilla that is UGA). So I don't necessarily see the fact that the Gophs draw 50,000 fans as any kind of indictment of the team.
 

The other day one of the posters here said that a 5-7 season this year would allow our coach to survive. Two or three Big Ten wins in his fourth year. That would be eight or nine Big Ten wins out of 32 tries in four years. How does that generate buzz? I'm sorry to be so practical about these things, but how could this be effective management of a "building program" that had won fifteen Big Ten games in the four years before this coach was hired? IMHO, even those of us who love the program the most can not "spin" this as "things are moving forward".

The program and the coach needs wins this season. If the AD does not see this, does not understand this, than what will the off season be like? The rest is just silly rationalization. We play the games to win the games.
 

The real irony here is the same paper had a season preview on on NSIC football. How much buzz is there around NSIC football?

How about writing this same piece on the Lynx? On top of there being no buzz, they are professionals who should be able to stand a little criticism.
 



Obviously, the paper thinks there is a market, or they wouldn't run the stories. This is not an article talking about the impact of the Vikings on the Gophers. It might use that, but it's a pure smack piece. He's not talking about enthusiasm for the season, but about interest in general for the Gophers.

The Gophers are not a niche market. A niche market doesn't sell 50,000 tickets. A niche market doesn't have 37 radio stations across the state carrying the games.

If Reusse doesn't like Brewster, he should have the professionalism to put it behind him.
 

Do the mosquitos actually "buzz" up there in the land of 10,000 lakes?

If so, those must be some BAMFs.
 

I remember when I was sixteen, so about ten years ago, really enjoying reading Reusse's articles and listening to him on the radio. This continued for a few years.

Ten years later, it really seems like I can't stand the guy. It seems like more often than not I end up rolling my eyes at least twice before the articles are over.

I can't figure out what happened really.

What does he define as buzz anyway? As a college football fan there is a buzz for me every year because I know that although there are traditional powers, the game is fluid and power ebbs and flows greatly from year to year. You never really have a clear idea of what you're going to get until it takes the field for the first game of the season. Maybe I'm alone in getting excited over that.

I also wonder why the Gophers need to be placed in some kind of perceived competition with the Twins and the Vikings. It's a different game.
 

There's more attention to the program than I've seen recently, most of it people waiting to see Brewster fall flat on his face tho. There's no expectation of anything good happening this year, obviously. People read all the publications, of course they're down on the team, they can't find anyone printing anything that gives them any hope for a good season at all. Casual fans read SI or ESPN, see the 2-10 predictions, and immediately go into "This program is a joke" mindset, despite the fact that this program has been to many bowl games in the last bunch of years, something that indicates mediocrity or being average, as opposed to a joke. But it's easy to make comments when you're uneducated about the product, so it doesn't surprise me.
 



Look at the bright side. At least Reusse didn't take any personal cheap shots at Brewster in this piece. I guess that's a step in the right direction.
 

The reality is that this isn't a college football town. And until the Gophers win big, it may never be.

I'm someone who is part of the demographic that is the problem for the U. I'm just about 40, which means I'm among the thousands of alums in this town who went to college when football was a tiny deal. I had student season tickets only once because the games were lame. The team went 6-5 the first two years I was on campus, but didn't go to a bowl game because there were fewer of them then.

At some point in the late 90s, things got better. There was a big push to get students involved. Going to games became more of a thing to do and because of that there is much more loyalty with that group. But the reality is that the number of truly loyal alums and fans ages 35-50 isn't where it should be. It's an unfortunate reality.

That the U has had to work to sell tickets to a stadium in only its second year speaks volumes.
 

I guess, I didn't really have a major problem with the article as well until the dig at the end. There really wasn't a need for that. I am also curious as to why he didn't write a similar article last season about the purple? People were calling for Childress's head and until #4 signed on, they had only sold out one game and that was the opener. Two years ago, Fox 9 had to buy tickets to multiple games to get them to be sellouts. The purple have been to the playoffs four times this past decade, how is that considered being "consistent winners?"
 

Too Long in the Wasteland said:
Look at the bright side. At least Reusse didn't take any personal cheap shots at Brewster in this piece. I guess that's a step in the right direction.
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Frustrating read, but I agree. There weren't any cheap potshots, just a somewhat revealing and unfortunately truthful assessment. There isn't buzz with casual sports fans.
I do think there will be if we can play big against USC and wisky, those two games early give the program a chance to turn some heads. Ohio State and Ioweee are the other games that give the program a chance to get legs.
I don't see this as a cheapshot article, maybe some here do, but it's more a commentary on the hype of the Twins and Vikes drowning out any "buzz" Gopher Football can muster right now.
I for one am worried about the Vikings chances with all the receiving injuries and poor offensive line depth(41 year old QB needs protection), and truthfully if they end up unraveling and the Gophs put together a solid, probably have to be winning season things will swing, this is a football state AND a fairweather fan state, a 7-9 Vikes team would not out buzz an 8-5 gopher squad with major victories under it's belt. Watch in 2011 what happens if a lockout forces the TC area to not have NFL for awhile, that will be a very interesting turn of events and if it coincides with a nice season by the Gophers, it could even pay dividends down the road.
Hmmm Actually new thread time on that subject.
Continue the ripping of Reusse.
 

josh087 said:
Any other questions on the Vikings effect on the Gopher Football program? A more than 4-1 ratio on hits about washed-up Javon walker than a Gopher feature story. When are the people of Gopherhole going to realize the obvious. The VIKINGS MUST GO.
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A message from the majority of Minnesota Sports Fans "Go F#&k off".
 

Just a few days ago there was a thread ripping KFAN for their coverage of the Gophers. That said, Fat Pat is the epitome of Gopher hatred and I won't listen to 1500 unless the Twins are on.
 

FishingMN said:
Just a few days ago there was a thread ripping KFAN for their coverage of the Gophers. That said, Fat Pat is the epitome of Gopher hatred and I won't listen to 1500 unless the Twins are on.
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I don't think it's "hatred". He takes the classic stereotypical -Minnesotan passive-agressive approach to most Gopher sports.

He clearly hates Gopher Hcokey, indeed. But that's fairly consistent with a lot of the other teams he hates like Duke and the NY Yankees.
 

Ruesse's same old mantra

Message to Reusse: "Where is your imagination?"

Nothing new, again, out of your mouth and off your keyboard.
As we have followed your articles and verbosity, over the years, this "no buzz" discussion and portly criticisim of the lads and coaches in maroon and gold is tiring. This mantra continues as you point out again and again that we are a pro sports fan. And yes we know that Gopher football has not won enough over the years to satisfy the "fence sitters", etc.

For my money, until you can come up with anything about Gopher football that is unique, stick to your human interest stories and your coverage of the the pro teams.

People like me have grown tired of your "buzz".

Go Gophers!
 

If Reusse doesn't like Brewster, he should have the professionalism to put it behind him.

Here's to you. You're a better man then me for even holding out the hope of using professionalism and Reusse in the same sentence. :drink:
 

anonymous said:
The reality is that this isn't a college football town. And until the Gophers win big, it may never be.
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This is something that isn't tied just to the Vikings or winning or buzz. In Madison, State College, heck, even in Champagne...game day in a college town affects the whole town and its much harder to forget/ignore that a game is happening. The atmosphere is just different and isn't dependent on buzz. You can't get hotel rooms in Madison on Badger home game weekends and if you do, the prices are jacked up. Some of the local radio stations have their morning shows broadcast live from a tailgate spot downtown (this is their weekday morning show people). In State College all the little local stores downtown have TV's in them so even people shopping can catch the game. My wife (not a huge sports person) visited there when considering PSU for grad school and she that the vibe was so strong that even she got swept up in the atmosphere. This isn't true for the Gophers, where buzz is still part of the atmosphere equation.

The college town atmosphere won't appear across the Twin Cities even if the Gophers win or even if the Vikings left. Certainly the atmosphere around campus might grow further, but its not like either of those things will suddenly make the whole metro pay attention. Attendance would almost certainly be affected in a positive fashion (more by winning then by a Vikes departure IMO), but the general atmosphere of the city wouldn't change b/c the metro area is just too big.

That's why in addition to winning the bigger thing that needs to happen is that the U needs to find creative ways to A) grow the game day atmosphere further on campus and B) draw new people down to campus for that atmosphere. Drawing folks in is the key since nothing will ever change the atmosphere of the whole metro. That way even in years of lower buzz, you've got a larger group of folks keyed in to the product/atmosphere that will be present on campus every home game Saturday.
 

Tee09 said:
This is what I never got about Minnesotans. I was raised an Illinois fan in Wisconsin, mostly cause my folks went to Illinois. They were fans because it was their school and where they were from. It wasn't conditional based on how the team did, nor should it be.

I went to the U, and now I bleed maroon and gold; it's how it works nearly everywhere but here. For the life of me, I have no idea how a school as big as the U, located in the middle of the metro, has such a small base of alumni/fans who support the team year-in and year-out. Instead we get nice crowds when the Gophs win, and an increasingly empty stadium after each loss.

This "buy my love" attitude pisses me off for pro sports, but I really don't get it for college football. If you are a fan, you are a fan. Otherwise, you are a bandwagon-jumper, a frontrunner, a fairweather "fan." Some people have no problem with that, I just don't get it.

I apologize to the few people who support our team regardless. Just tired of the whining and excuses.
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The problem, IMHO, with most Minnesota sports fans is they make no distinction between pro football, pro baseball, college football, college basketball or any other sport. In their eyes they're all "sporting events." 20+ years in the Metrodome helped reinforce this attitude.

Stop and ask yourself this question, "Why do you enjoy viewing or attending (insert sport here)?" IMHO your answer should NOT be, "because of the hype/buzz." I enjoy games at Target Field because I like the outdoor baseball experience. Warm sun, beer, peanuts and baseball. I like college football because of the college football experience. Tailgating, rivalries, the bands and traditions. I enjoy watching Viking games at home because I like hosting football parties, watching some of the best athletes in the world, divison rivalries, playoffs, etc. None of the reasons above have anything to do with winning, losing or hype.

I hate to admit it but right now most Minnesotans are event snobs. They want to go where everyone else is going. They want to wait in line at Krispy Kreme for an hour because everyone else is. They want to go to Target Field because everyone is talking about it. I could go on and on.

Gopher football will never achieve long term success based on hype or buzz. Maybe someday more people in this state will learn to embrace college football for the experience.
 

Gopherhurrin said:
The other day one of the posters here said that a 5-7 season this year would allow our coach to survive. Two or three Big Ten wins in his fourth year. That would be eight or nine Big Ten wins out of 32 tries in four years. How does that generate buzz? I'm sorry to be so practical about these things, but how could this be effective management of a "building program" that had won fifteen Big Ten games in the four years before this coach was hired? IMHO, even those of us who love the program the most can not "spin" this as "things are moving forward".

The program and the coach needs wins this season. If the AD does not see this, does not understand this, than what will the off season be like? The rest is just silly rationalization. We play the games to win the games.
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I understand what you are trying to say, but you are using a 1 win season in your average. That 1-win season was one in which the coach took over a terrible roster from the previous regime and completely changed the philosophy. If your argument is that he shouldn't have changed coaching staffs, that is debatable. But to that I would say, he realized that it wasn't going to work, so he has switched it again, and has been/is building a program that he wants to move forward with (at least in my opinion). This is definitely a fair criticism.

However, if your argument is that the number of wins in the last 4 years, is less than the 4 years before that - you, yourself are "spinning" the results. Coach Brewster's record over the past couple years is extremely comparable to Mason's "average" year. Given the scheduling discrepancy between what Mason used to schedule and what the Gophers will be playing this year, in my opinion, 5-7 wins is moving forward.

Also, of note, is the fact that the Gophers beat 3 BT teams last year with .500 or above average (one of which was on the road - NW) - which is something that hadn't been done in years.
 

stevedave23 said:
The problem, IMHO, with most Minnesota sports fans is they make no distinction between pro football, pro baseball, college football, college basketball or any other sport. In their eyes they're all "sporting events." 20+ years in the Metrodome helped reinforce this attitude.

Stop and ask yourself this question, "Why do you enjoy viewing or attending (insert sport here)?" IMHO your answer should NOT be, "because of the hype/buzz." I enjoy games at Target Field because I like the outdoor baseball experience. Warm sun, beer, peanuts and baseball. I like college football because of the college football experience. Tailgating, rivalries, the bands and traditions. I enjoy watching Viking games at home because I like hosting football parties, watching some of the best athletes in the world, divison rivalries, playoffs, etc. None of the reasons above have anything to do with winning, losing or hype.

I hate to admit it but right now most Minnesotans are event snobs. They want to go where everyone else is going. They want to wait in line at Krispy Kreme for an hour because everyone else is. They want to go to Target Field because everyone is talking about it. I could go on and on.

Gopher football will never achieve long term success based on hype or buzz. Maybe someday more people in this state will learn to embrace college football for the experience.
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people like winning.
 

I didn't think this was a hatchet job. There really isn't any buzz about the program. I've only been back 45 days now, but NO ONE wants to talk Gopher football or if they do it seems like all they know is what the Strib prints (i.e. basic talking points). When I was trying to find a buddy to go to the scrimmage people acted like I was inviting them to watch rowing practice. I love where Brewster has the program, I think we've stocked the shelves with talent and we're headed for better days. When that translates into wins, the buzz will come.
 


c'monman said:
people like winning.
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Yep. They also like fun experiences. I guarantee that the gameday atmosphere in Madison, State College, etc wouldn't decrease much if the teams lost all the time. I'm not speaking attendance. I'm talking about the pre and post game atmosphere. Because at this point that atmosphere is its own experience and is one that many folks enjoy separate from the games. That's what the U needs to try to build because a great atmosphere can help keep buzz higher then it would be otherwise.
 

Curious how the Chicago media covers Northwestern and Fitzgerald? Somewhat of a similiar situation with all the pro sports teams in Chicago although Northwestern football has been better than the Gophers the past 10-15 years (Rose Bowl). Fitzgerald is an alum - maybe that makes a difference?
 

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