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

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Thanks to the Eric Thrall site, I just did a bit of research.

This fall will be the 40th Gopher football fall in my life. Here are the results of the first 39 years:

Overall record: 195-250-3
Big Ten record: 113-202-3

That means the Gophers would have to win 89 consecutive Big Ten games (or into the 2021 season if they stay at eight games) for them to be .500 for my life.

The best Big Ten finishes in my life have been tied for third in 86 and 76 and solo third in 73 (when I was not even 2 years old).

The Gophers have been ranked in the AP poll at the end of the season exactly twice in my life: 18th in the final poll of the 1999 season and 20th in the final poll of the 2003 season.

That's why there isn't any buzz in this town about the Gophers. While I am not a huge Brewster guy (my opinion was and is that the U of M should have been able to hire a guy who had at least called plays at some point in college or the NFL), this isn't simply a Brewster issue.

This is the result of decades of pretty much below average football. It is going to take a number of years of consistent winning for anything to change.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
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.
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I disagree, if you were to look up "hatchet job" in the encyclopedia, it will show you this article. And is a scrimmage really all that big attraction even in better years?

I haven't noticed any less interest in the Gophers this season than in previous seasons.
 

snackeru said:
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.
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Please do. I have a feeling where this is leading.
 

Reusse compared two articles, one on the Gophers, and one on the Vikings to show that no one was interested in the Gophers. The Vikings article did get 4 times the hits, but 8,000 hits isn't exactly nobody. It's also not as if the Vikings get 4 times the butts in the seats. Attendance for the Vikings is larger, but it is still comparable.

Showing that the Vikings have more support for than the Gophers in no way gives evidence for his premise. No one disputes that more people are interested in the Vikings.
 

MJGopher said:
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.
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Sorry, I am rather addicted to the truth. Just get out the media guide and look at the last twenty years or so. When did we last win six or fewer Big Ten games over any three year period? Which Big Ten teams are we playing this year that we do not play most every year? How can you defend the decision to go 0-8 to introduce the spread and then drop the spread? It does not make any sense at all. Finally, do you really think the media is ever going to be won over with a five win season (2-6 in the Big Ten)?? Remember, this is the schedule that many of you begged for, including the coach. Does that not imply that three Big Ten wins should not be too difficult? I don't want to be argumentative, but surly you can not expect that something like wins against MSTU, SD, NIU, NU and Illinois will be seen as "getting better", "acceptable" or will improve Coach Brewster's image. The low expectations by the media this year are a clear indication that they no longer "believe".
 


I don't care much for Ruesse, but he is right on with this article. He is stating some facts and they are not in favor of our Gophers, but he is correct. Other than sevveral thousand die hard fans that are loyal to the program, there is not much interest in our football team.
 

"When did we last win six or fewer Big Ten games over any three year period"

1991 through 1998. Is there a prize?
 

dlw4gophers said:
I don't care much for Ruesse, but he is right on with this article. He is stating some facts and they are not in favor of our Gophers, but he is correct. Other than sevveral thousand die hard fans that are loyal to the program, there is not much interest in our football team.
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No, Reusse is wrong. Are the radio stations fools for having 37 stations covering the Gophers? There are a lot more than several thousand people interested in the Gophers. There's around 50,000 that buy tickets, there are the people who listen to the games on the radio and the people who watch the games on TV.

We keep being fed a line that Gopher hockey is more popular than Gopher football. It isn't. Gopher football outdraws Gopher hockey, and 37 radio stations cover Gopher football versus 25 that cover Gopher hockey.
 

SKOL VIKINGS!!! Winning is the name of the game. Someone stated the that vikings always get a free pass. Thats BS. Back in the Mike Tice days and early Chilly days all they did was take heat. Childress still takes heat about everything he does. I mean everything. Good stats anonymous! Thats the reason why this is a pro state.
 



SPCPrice21 said:
SKOL VIKINGS!!! Winning is the name of the game. Someone stated the that vikings always get a free pass. Thats BS. Back in the Mike Tice days and early Chilly days all they did was take heat. Childress still takes heat about everything he does. I mean everything. Good stats anonymous! Thats the reason why this is a pro state.
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wow...a Viking fan who announces his arrival to the thread in a style befitting any Wisky or Iowa troll. This should get interesting.
 



Got it. It means disagreeable, which was the point of the post. I know he meant to type "surely;" cheap airplane reference.
 






GoAUpher said:
wow...a Viking fan who announces his arrival to the thread in a style befitting any Wisky or Iowa troll. This should get interesting.
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I dont get what you mean? how does being a vikings fan compare me to a Wisconsin or Iowa fan?
I said Skol Vikings because of the people who think the vikings should leave the state. Thats stupid.
 

SPCPrice21 said:
I dont get what you mean? how does being a vikings fan compare me to a Wisconsin or Iowa fan?
I said Skol Vikings because of the people who think the vikings should leave the state. Thats stupid.
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My only point was is you show up to the discussion screaming "Vikings Rock" on a Gopher board in a thread talking about the impact the Vikings have on the Gophers (if you'll note, most folks don't want the Vikes to leave). Its what someone who wants to stir the pot would do (i.e. the sort of behavior I expect out of lurking Wisky/Hogeye fans). If you did it unintentionally then I apologize.
 

how did we let that ASU game in '69 slip through our fingers

if only we could have pulled that one out.....
 

Maturi says it's o.k. with him if the Vikings stay or if the Vikings move, either way he's all right with it.
 

Reusse writes yet another column talking smack against the Gophers, and everyone just seems to fall into a pit of despair. I'll stop complaining about Reusse right about when people stop taking his crap like it's even worth lining the bird cage.
 

Reusse just earned himself more demerits and signs

Not sure why I care but I'm going to have to hang more porta potty signs. Oh well I'm sure he enjoys having his likeness hanging from a potty, sells papers I guess.
 

I read and listen to Reusse regularly and I think his point is that among casual sports fans there is no buzz. He is right though that before the vikings and twins the gophers were the only game in town.

Part of the problem is that in Minnesota and the twin cities there are a lot of people who went to other schools and have no real love for the gophers. A lot of people went to St. Cloud or Mankato or Eau Claire or Macalester or Hamline or Concordia or Gustavus or St. Thomas or St. John's and just don't have the love for the gophers.

How many slack-jawed yokels who went to Manakato or St. Cloud or Eau Claire are really ever going to buzz about the gophers? How many spoiled children who went ot St. Thomas are ever going to buzz about the gophers?
 

GoAUpher said:
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.
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I agree with this. The Gophers have the opportunity to make Game Day an experience to look forward to/create a buzz about, regardless of how the team itself is doing. You folks with season tickets know you go because the COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME IS FUN. Now you just need to get the university mucky-mucks to make some changes to allow that fun to happen. It doesn't need to be a drunken orgy, but responsible adults should be able to anticipate/replay the game with their buddies before and after the game.

When the experience (i.e. not just the game) is fun, it creates its own buzz.
 

GoAUpher said:
My only point was is you show up to the discussion screaming "Vikings Rock" on a Gopher board in a thread talking about the impact the Vikings have on the Gophers (if you'll note, most folks don't want the Vikes to leave). Its what someone who wants to stir the pot would do (i.e. the sort of behavior I expect out of lurking Wisky/Hogeye fans). If you did it unintentionally then I apologize.
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Ya i did it towards the Josh087 guy cuz he was the guy who said the Vikings should leave. His comment was dumb.
 

goldengophers said:
Josh all the Gophs need to do is win and people will come. The Vikes play Sundays and the Gophs play Saturdays, if the Gophers get better and stay that way on a consistent basis the fan base and buzz will expand. People want to spend their freetime being entertained and if the Gophers improve there is nothing the common fan enjoys more than getting behind a winning team and being part of the shared community that winning team creates. People go to work on Monday and talk about the Vikings and I have no doubt that they would want to talk about Gopher games as well because it creates a shared community interest that the latest movie just can't match. Loyalty to the Vikings or Gopher football is not mutually exclusive and if the Gophers improve and become consistently good you will see more than enough people interested in backing both teams. This is not Omaha, Nebraska where there are two football teams competing for a small market...there are more than enough people here to get great support for both football teams.
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Agree, see miami dolphins and the other 'U' in the eighties.
 

Ralph_Wiggum said:
Part of the problem is that in Minnesota and the twin cities there are a lot of people who went to other schools and have no real love for the gophers. A lot of people went to St. Cloud or Mankato or Eau Claire or Macalester or Hamline or Concordia or Gustavus or St. Thomas or St. John's and just don't have the love for the gophers.

How many slack-jawed yokels who went to Manakato or St. Cloud or Eau Claire are really ever going to buzz about the gophers? How many spoiled children who went ot St. Thomas are ever going to buzz about the gophers?
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I agree Ralph - the Cities is such a melting pot of alums from local smaller schools that even though the U is the big dog on the block, there are many folks who don't give a rip about the Gophers or even resent them a bit. While I was working at the U as a research assistant, I ran into students from Macalester and St. Olaf who would come to the U's labs and equipment, and would sit there and bad mouth our programs and faculty, while using the equipment their schools don't have. Frustrating.

Many students who go to those MIAC schools or UMD and Mankato St, seem to develop their own loyalties to their school, but don't make a connection with the U. It seems different in Wisconsin. Kids who go to UW-Whitewater, LaCrosse, Stevens Point, etc. all seem to carry this weird allegiance to Madison. I don't get it.
 

This might be too real for some people on this board, but this is the truth. The Viking haters that go to the U and become Gopher fans are 90% Badger rejects. They grew up in Wisc and didn't get in and then they come here and cheer for the Gophers unless the badgers are in town, and then rip on the Vikings on Sundays.
 

Regardless of a NFL team or not, if the University wins then people will come. It happened in the '70s when Pitt, Steelers, and Pirates were all winning. Attendance was strong at Colorado in the '90s when they were winning even though the Broncos own Denver. LSU did well with attendance last year even though the Saints were winning. Wisconsin does well even though the Packers are there. The Vikings are not the cause of lack of interest in the Gophers, it is years of mediocrity.
 

anonymous said:
Thanks to the Eric Thrall site, I just did a bit of research.

This fall will be the 40th Gopher football fall in my life. Here are the results of the first 39 years:

Overall record: 195-250-3
Big Ten record: 113-202-3

That means the Gophers would have to win 89 consecutive Big Ten games (or into the 2021 season if they stay at eight games) for them to be .500 for my life.

The best Big Ten finishes in my life have been tied for third in 86 and 76 and solo third in 73 (when I was not even 2 years old).

The Gophers have been ranked in the AP poll at the end of the season exactly twice in my life: 18th in the final poll of the 1999 season and 20th in the final poll of the 2003 season.

That's why there isn't any buzz in this town about the Gophers. While I am not a huge Brewster guy (my opinion was and is that the U of M should have been able to hire a guy who had at least called plays at some point in college or the NFL), this isn't simply a Brewster issue.

This is the result of decades of pretty much below average football. It is going to take a number of years of consistent winning for anything to change.
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Good post. Totally agree. I still think if they had not blown the game against Michigan or the one against Wisky there might be a totally different attitude towards the team.
 

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