Student Section's Back Must Hurt

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I agree w/ awag. The lower level sideline would not look out of place in an assisted living center. You'd think the athletic dept. is taking out full-page ads in AARP Magazine. I don't have anything against the old folks, but the way they are concentrated in the primo seats is not good for anyone except them.

I am a proponent of moving the student section along the sideline, Michigan style. This would dramatically change things. With all the students standing, it would force the fogies and the suits behind them to stand as well. The fairweathers would say "screw this, I'm canceling my tickets," etc., and leave, and be replaced by fans with more enthusiasm.

The problem is that the athletic dept. doesn't want to do anything to upset anyone. They are bean counters who see a balance sheet in the black and say perfect, don't change anything. They don't understand that the loss of a season ticket can actually be a net positive. And they are not confident in their own ability to resell canceled tickets because they don't know how to market their own sport.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Yeah, I'm all of 30 years old. Time to break out the rocker and walker.

I still remember when I was a college student and thought I knew everything.
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And now youre an old dude who THINKS he knows everything.
 

Good lord, after re-watching the second half closely on the DVR I was not at all surpised how dead the fans in the two sections the the east to the student section were the whole time.

My experience at the barn since day one of the Tubby era has been that the fans suck compared to the bulk the Clem years. These fans suck. There was more noise and excitement in theBarn during a 1990's era NIT games against Marquette and Tulsa than what we now see.

There were two large people on the aisle near the Target sign in gold sweatshirts who did not stand at all until the last Purdue possesson. Both sections barely moved all during the last few Purdue trips up the floor, much less stood up and cheered. The whole idea that sitters create as much energy as standers is pure BS as well. It just does not happen.

The fan base is casket ready for sure.


The students were raising hell, and everyone else to their right (our left on TV) might have well just have been wearing Purdue black and gold.

Those deadbeats did clap their hands after a big dunk or block, but that was about it. There was nothing else; this resembled a senior citizen bingo hall on a bad night.

Watch the DVR again if you do not buy into this.

For DPDoll only
If the band had marched down University Avenue to Buffalo Wild Wings before the game, then I am sure things would have been better. (or else maybe the geezers would have had a few whiskeys and 3 Mile Island wings to get them off the old stool to stand up and cheer)
 

SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI said:
I am a proponent of moving the student section along the sideline, Michigan style. This would dramatically change things. With all the students standing, it would force the fogies and the suits behind them to stand as well. The fairweathers would say "screw this, I'm canceling my tickets," etc., and leave, and be replaced by fans with more enthusiasm.

They don't understand that the loss of a season ticket can actually be a net positive. And they are not confident in their own ability to resell canceled tickets because they don't know how to market their own sport.
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Precisely.

I am sick of this topic. I suggested 2 years ago that students, in preparation for the upcoming - now next year - reseating, to coordinate an effort to persuade the U to consider exactly this, since you are the ones who care the most about it. I agree this would be the best way to revitalize the atmosphere. Did any of you do this?

I highly doubt it.

For those that think the further corporatization of The Barn is going to help, pull your effing heads out of the sand. Ever been to a T-Wolves game?

I thought Bareemo had a decent theory today when he suggested that those of us that were fans during the Haskins rise-and-fall, who lived through the heyday of that (no Musselman era, but pretty good) had either completely checked out or had been so jaded by all of that, and the seemingly endless supply of garbage that has followed, that it's very difficult to pour our hearts into it like we had during that 1996-97 season. That year, the Gophers pounded everyone on the court and the Barn rocked. But it turned out bad. Very bad. And a generation - or two even - was diminished or lost. And what we have left are the blue hairs who remember when the Gophers were good at football.

I can appreciate the sentiment. I can. Because I yell and scream from my seat every game. But I've been burned several times too. And so has everyone around me. Badly.

One more thing. After you graduate in a couple years, if you don't pony up for season tickets and come and scream and yell every game, you owe us old people an apology. Who's up for the challenge? It's going to be about $800+/ticket. Who's in? (No cheating. You need to buy a season ticket, not scalp just for the 5 games you want to attend.)
 

A few thoughts
1 there is a reason a funeral home is the primary sponsor for gopher athletics.
2 Williams is a poorly designed arena by modern standards, if the crowd isn't into the games it is by far one of the bottom 2 venues in the conference (with northwestern) IMO
3 now looking back at the game, the crowd wasn't as bed as I thought initially
 


97alumni said:
Isn't that the truth. Those were the days :)

I remember in 97 after we beat Michigan I couldn't talk for days.
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Was at that game and remember it well. The student section and the whole Barn was rocking in those days.

BRING BACK THE CYMBAL PLAYER!:cool02:
 

Corporate sponsorship has become a major player in big time sports whether we like it or not. Obviously the dollars are the main thing(arms race). Unfortunately it has changed the atmosphere of pro sports first and now college sports.

Corporate suites are fine but corporate seats are what can cause problems in many cases. Tickets given away to people that are casual or even less of fans. A poster on another thread stated when he was at a MN Michigan game last year a guy next to him asked "Which team is the Gophers".

There are a lot of 'older' season ticket holders(paying big bucks) on the sidelines that are big time Gopher fans. Seems as though older seems to mean anyone over 30 to a lot of people. Don't confuse these fans with corporate hang ons. I dropped out of my shared tickets about eight years ago(I was in my early 50's then) but I can guarantee the people in my area(section 115 row 10, free throw line) and myself were damn loud. Driving two hours each way got kind of old on Jan and Feb nites. If I lived in the metro area it would be different.

The lame (corporate sponsored) promos have also led to the declining atmosphere in the Barn. It all works together.

BTW as someone posted earlier, many young people seem to think they have all the answers. By the time they hit around 30 they realize they don't. From the people that are 40-60+ to the under 30 people....We've been your age, you haven't been our age. With a little luck, some day you will be our age. Beats the alternative.;)

BRING BACK THE CYMBAL PLAYER!:clap:
 

I'm sorry, but I don't understand why the majority of attendees are comatose. I'm 48 years old, and a graduate student at the U. I get student tickets and sit (sorry, stand) in the student section with my son (also in graduate school at the U). Yes, I'm one of the oldest in the section, but am accepted well as I scream and chant along with the rest. Why can't the rest of you old fogies get off your butts and cheer? During the rouser at a minimum, for crying out loud...
 

Want to make it loud again? Dump the chairbacks, bring the cost of a ticket down a bit and add 4,000 bench seats. It will be loud again.
 



I Miss D.J. said:
I get student tickets and sit (sorry, stand) in the student section with my son (also in graduate school at the U). Yes, I'm one of the oldest in the section, but am accepted well as I scream and chant along with the rest. Why can't the rest of you old fogies get off your butts and cheer? During the rouser at a minimum, for crying out loud...
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So, what you are saying is, you are a part of the problem. [EDIT: See Below - Misread 'I Miss D.J.' post - apologies]

1. You rip the U off by paying a fraction of what you should be paying, forcing all the rest of the ticket prices up, which ultimately has led to the new "extortion plan."

2. You take your admirable cheering and locate it in the "only section where people cheer," isolating it further and exacerbating the problem.

Well done.

Rosemountian said:
1 there is a reason a funeral home is the primary sponsor for gopher athletics.
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I like your zingers!

Rosemountian said:
2 Williams is a poorly designed arena by modern standards, if the crowd isn't into the games it is by far one of the bottom 2 venues in the conference (with northwestern) IMO
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If they Target-centerize the place, I'm dropping my tickets (and, believe it or not, I'm one of the people you want to stay in the general seating area). If I want a totally lame, phony, forced "atmosphere," I'll go to a T-Wolves game.

Rosemountian said:
3 now looking back at the game, the crowd wasn't as bed as I thought initially
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Kind of late, but better than never. Genuine atmosphere, which as Station 19 mentions above, has an uphill climb in this day of "TCF Bank Card" BS, is a slow build. But, dude, trust me, if the team gets on a roll, it will return. If they can stay out of jail and win several games, it will build. If they lose to Iowa and another player transfers, it won't.

Again, if you are a student, stop bitching and continue to lead by example. And after you graduate, buy GENERAL SEATING season tickets and yell and scream. Like I do and have for years. And scream, yell and stand to your hearts content. Naysayers be damned.
 


See, even as a student now, i think getting someone outside the student section to get up to cheer is bascially impossible, even if they did want to, the rest of the section would get angry with them, and have them kicked out. And like in the football stadium, our security guys are more than happy to usher out fans who feel the need to actually cheer for their team.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Yeah, I'm all of 30 years old. Time to break out the rocker and walker.

I still remember when I was a college student and thought I knew everything.
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I couldn't have said it better myself :) There is a slight perspective issue that you just don't have before you join the real world (having a job during college doesn't count). Having a 40+ hr/week job, a mortgage, a child(ren), going back to school as an adult, having to travel for work, having to actually keep a house clean, paying real bills, getting older and having health concerns....all things I never thought about in the general time-suck of living life when I was a student.

A lot of us who have been fans prior to the Tubby era, have seen a lot of very poor basketball. That doesn't excuse not being excited for good games and quality wins, however, it doesn't mean we are all going to blow a gasket when someone dunks the ball. I say that as someone who has only been a Gopher fan for 12 years. Think how many more stupid losses, blown leads, transferring players, piss-poundings, etc. that the old-timers have seen. Not an excuse, but perhaps why they don't break a hip getting out of their seats at every great play. They weather the storms of good and bad games with constant support, not crazy antics at each home game.

I also used to get frustrated when the other ticket holders wouldn't stand up. It is a shame more people don't get up and cheer, but I definitely understand why there are those that just seem to sit and watch and that is their choice. Buying season tickets is definitely supporting the team, whether you think so or not. Some years it is practically a charitable contribution :)
 



GopherJake said:
So, what you are saying is, you are a part of the problem.

1. You rip the U off by paying a fraction of what you should be paying, forcing all the rest of the ticket prices up, which ultimately has led to the new "extortion plan."
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You missed the part where I Miss D.J. states he is a grad student. Even though he is 48 years old he is entitled to purchase student tickets. They are called "student tickets", not "traditional student only" tickets.
 

TheHofferette said:
I couldn't have said it better myself :) There is a slight perspective issue that you just don't have before you join the real world (having a job during college doesn't count). Having a 40+ hr/week job, a mortgage, a child(ren), going back to school as an adult, having to travel for work, having to actually keep a house clean, paying real bills, getting older and having health concerns....all things I never thought about in the general time-suck of living life when I was a student.:)
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I personally work 36 hours a week plus 16 hours of school, thats before i think about studying, and i can assure you i am not the only one. having to actually keep a house clean?? i dont know what you are trying to get at there? I along with numerous other students do my own tax returns, financial aide etc.
students are forced to take on thousands of dollars of debt to get through college with the *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#ty job market to look forward to in the future. I wont even get into health concerns because that is just a stupid arguement to begin with, but the main point is maybe college was easier when you went to school or maybe you were just coddled in college but dont use that age perspective crap in comparing college students
 

gopheraschells said:
I personally work 36 hours a week plus 16 hours of school, thats before i think about studying, and i can assure you i am not the only one. having to actually keep a house clean?? i dont know what you are trying to get at there? I along with numerous other students do my own tax returns, financial aide etc.
students are forced to take on thousands of dollars of debt to get through college with the *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#ty job market to look forward to in the future. I wont even get into health concerns because that is just a stupid arguement to begin with, but the main point is maybe college was easier when you went to school or maybe you were just coddled in college but dont use that age perspective crap in comparing college students
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thus proving you don't get it yet.

yes, I was a full time student (18-20 credits a semester so I could graduate in 4 years), I had massive loans (hubby and I still paying ours off and will be for a long time), little help from my parents, and had to work 30-35 hrs/wk to make ends meet. that is college life, I get it. it is just different when you graduate. you think you have it tough now (I did too), it gets much tougher.

and maybe health concerns are funny to you, but to those of us who deal with them, they are far from amusing.
 

TheHofferette said:
thus proving you don't get it yet.

yes, I was a full time student (18-20 credits a semester so I could graduate in 4 years), I had massive loans (hubby and I still paying ours off and will be for a long time), little help from my parents, and had to work 30-35 hrs/wk to make ends meet. that is college life, I get it. it is just different when you graduate. you think you have it tough now (I did too), it gets much tougher.

and maybe health concerns are funny to you, but to those of us who deal with them, they are far from amusing.
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AMEN to that. I got up at 4:00 in the morning, every morning, my senior year so I could work, take a full course load and pay my way through. To be honest I'd go back to that vs. the "real world" in a heartbeat.

College was one of the best times of my life. The "real world" however is a kick in the pants sometimes.
 

Watching Illinois at Wiscy and guess what even the student section isnt making any noise!!! Oh no what terrible fans!! ;)
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
You missed the part where I Miss D.J. states he is a grad student. Even though he is 48 years old he is entitled to purchase student tickets. They are called "student tickets", not "traditional student only" tickets.
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Roger that. My bad. I did miss that. I read it to say that only the son was in grad school. I apologize.

p.s. I'm jealous!! Hmmm. Time for a career switch maybe.....
 

GopherJake said:
Roger that. My bad. I did miss that. I read it to say that only the son was in grad school. I apologize.

p.s. I'm jealous!! Hmmm. Time for a career switch maybe.....
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The last year of the Monson regime, there were companion student tickets, where the student could bring one non-student. I always enjoyed being one of the older people in the student section.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The last year of the Monson regime, there were companion student tickets, where the student could bring one non-student. I always enjoyed being one of the older people in the student section.
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Students attended the games at the end of the Monson era? (Smiley face!)

I actually like that idea a lot. Enforce the 'must-be-student' policy and add a companion seat.

I also wish they would situate students in more than one section. How about 5 or 6 rows behind the visiting bench? Or ring the floor. Whatever. Get creative. If the reseating results in the students in the exact same location, they have completely blown it.

And as GL suggests on her blog, put them directly behind the basket(s). Move the frickin' band to the corner, please. Love 'em, but move 'em.
 

I have been a season ticket holder for over 25 years, which means that I was supporting the program before many of the "good" fans were born. I yell as much as I can, though I admit that I have less volume noe than I had as a student in the 1970s. I stand, but am comsiderate of those sitting behind me. I love Gopher basketball, but I'm getting very tired of hearing about what a "lame" fan I am. Knowing that I am not wanted kind of puts a damper on the whole game experience.
 

It certainly is fun. One of the most enjoyable and memorable activities my son and I have ever done together.
 

Don't let it bug you!

EverTheSkeptic said:
I have been a season ticket holder for over 25 years, which means that I was supporting the program before many of the "good" fans were born. I yell as much as I can, though I admit that I have less volume noe than I had as a student in the 1970s. I stand, but am comsiderate of those sitting behind me. I love Gopher basketball, but I'm getting very tired of hearing about what a "lame" fan I am. Knowing that I am not wanted kind of puts a damper on the whole game experience.
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Reading some of the posts about what losers the players are will give you some perspective!
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The last year of the Monson regime, there were companion student tickets, where the student could bring one non-student. I always enjoyed being one of the older people in the student section.
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Clem's tenure had companion tickets too. I brought my Dad to a lot of games. There were a lot of father/daughter combinations. Since we had assigned seating - you developed relationships with the people around you and by the end of the season my Dad was just another "student".

Is the student section now just students and general admission?
 

EverTheSkeptic said:
I have been a season ticket holder for over 25 years, which means that I was supporting the program before many of the "good" fans were born. I yell as much as I can, though I admit that I have less volume noe than I had as a student in the 1970s. I stand, but am comsiderate of those sitting behind me. I love Gopher basketball, but I'm getting very tired of hearing about what a "lame" fan I am. Knowing that I am not wanted kind of puts a damper on the whole game experience.
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Don't let it bug you :)
 

No better way to support and promote Gopher basketball than by having Gopher fans call out other Gopher fans.:rolleyes:
 

Seems to me that getting the home crowd roused is the primary job of the cheerleaders. Why aren't they stationed in the aisles encouraging the crowd to "make some noise" at strategic times during the game? This can be done within the "good sportsmanship" guidelines. Just a thought.
 

GopherJake said:
That's good, because during the Monson era, they barely had a pulse.

Give it a rest.
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I am aware I am late joining the party, and I apologize if someone has already made this point, but MANY MANY posters on this board are very quick to rag on the student section any time we are not carrying the load. It's a two way street, unfortunately for you.
 

This thread is hilarious. Rip on the oldsters if you want, but our student section is a joke. Some suggestions before you get too high on yourselves:

- Sell out. For once. The empty seats are embarrassing.
- Get a cheer or two. And ditch the "bulls shirt"...we're not in 6th grade, we can say/hear bullsh!t.
- Have any of you watched another student section when the opposing team is shooting free throws? Wave your freaking hands, jump, yell, do something.

Our student section is the worst in the conference, and they have the b@lls to rip on the fans paying some of the highest prices in the country. Sorry if I don't give a sh!t what u think.
 

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