Time to add Grand Canyon to your CBB bucket list

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Coyle eff’ed up. Bad time to screw things up similar to college football in 1992 pre internet.
 

alaska said:
GCU>UM

Its like every other business or entity in the world. You have to adapt to the times whether you like it or not. Minnesota will not do that. Thus we will have mediocre products and experiences for fans and athletes.

Alaska Anchorage volleyball has a better experience than gopher basketball. And no UAA is not for profit for those you whom that really bothers.
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UAA (a DII school) has a pretty nice arena:

ak-airlines-center2.jpg
 

"The Gopher game day experience is exactly what it was for decades. Literally nothing has changed. Same animal costumes in the front row, same in-game promotions, same Little Chippers halftime game, etc."

half-time entertainment HAS changed tho-- the marketing people have figured out that if you have Little Chippers playing ball at half-time you can sell 30 or 40 tickets to kids and parents.... but if you have a local dance business come in with 100 girls, that is 200-300 tickets sold. I think there have been at least 3 different groups this year

at least they haven't cut the FM Acro team yet, but Quick-Change, Red Panda, the frisbeee dogs (got them at St Thomas saturday night) and the relay dogs are probably not coming back for awhile. (I know Red Panda is virtually retired since someone stole her bike.. and one of the Quick Change people died- but you get the point)
 

Minnesconsin fan said:
"The Gopher game day experience is exactly what it was for decades. Literally nothing has changed. Same animal costumes in the front row, same in-game promotions, same Little Chippers halftime game, etc."

half-time entertainment HAS changed tho-- the marketing people have figured out that if you have Little Chippers playing ball at half-time you can sell 30 or 40 tickets to kids and parents.... but if you have a local dance business come in with 100 girls, that is 200-300 tickets sold. I think there have been at least 3 different groups this year

at least they haven't cut the FM Acro team yet, but Quick-Change, Red Panda, the frisbeee dogs (got them at St Thomas saturday night) and the relay dogs are probably not coming back for awhile. (I know Red Panda is virtually retired since someone stole her bike.. and one of the Quick Change people died- but you get the point)
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Today we had the Little Strippers entertaining us at halftime.
 

FredCoxRocks said:
As far as the U of M basketball experience, either go to a game or watch a game on TV...you'll see the stands full of an old school generation entrenched in their seats with arms folded, wearing their worn Russell Athletic Minnesota sweatshirts. They hate change and loud noises...and people that stand.
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This is spot on, 100% true. Sorry if the truth hurts. And it CAN change. Football has. Great stadium, younger fans coming now, and good teams. Even though us big time Gopher football fans have been disappointed in not getting over the hump, the Kill-Fleck years are at a point unimaginable for those of us who came up in the Salem/Guety/Wacker years, or lived through the hell that was Brewster. Gopher football games are FUN.

We've been attending a lot of Wayzata high school hoops games this season (my kid plays in the youth house league). It's without question a better atmosphere than the Gophers games. It's a better product on the floor, with multiple kids who have signed LOI's or have D1 offers, and certainly a better experience for the money.
 



Grand Canyon advanced to the Tournament, this was their student section at the conference tournament, they were like this all game, every game according to many tweets throughout the tournament.


Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Grand Canyon advanced to the Tournament, this was their student section at the conference tournament, they were like this all game, every game according to many tweets throughout the tournament.


Go Gophers!!
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Hate to say it, but cults will do some pretty crazy shit.

My high school played in the same league as the top all-boys private school in the Denver metro back in the day. Their student section was notoriously vociferous and choreographed (much like GCU). They also waved dollar bills at our female dance team when they performed. Guess that's a good example of group think when Jesus decides you shouldn't attend school with the other sex? Regardless, those guys - on the average - ended up being misogynistic douchebags in their adult lives. I encountered numerous personal examples years later in corporate America and they may as well have been the person standing in the corner staring at the wall at the end of the original "Blair Witch Project", as they were so emotionally underdeveloped and closed off.

So, suffice to say, I'll take the public school experience at the U and sleep well with it.

Bleed, you're a legend on this board. I've read your posts since the Jason Groth days. So no disrespect, but I know you went to Kansas. Have to say, it's not a shock you'd be drawn to yet another college basketball atmosphere where money that is being handled in seriously questionable ways is manufacturing the atmosphere.

PS. There are a lot of wild churches in middle America (or Colorado Springs) that would blow you away with their "atmosphere" too. 😘
 

WriterGoph said:
Hate to say it, but cults will do some pretty crazy shit.

My high school played in the same league as the top all-boys private school in the Denver metro back in the day. Their student section was notoriously vociferous and choreographed (much like GCU). They also waved dollar bills at our female dance team when they performed. Guess that's a good example of group think when Jesus decides you shouldn't attend school with the other sex? Regardless, those guys - on the average - ended up being misogynistic douchebags in their adult lives. I encountered numerous personal examples years later in corporate America and they may as well have been the person standing in the corner staring at the wall at the end of the original "Blair Witch Project", as they were so emotionally underdeveloped and closed off.

So, suffice to say, I'll take the public school experience at the U and sleep well with it.

Bleed, you're a legend on this board. I've read your posts since the Jason Groth days. So no disrespect, but I know you went to Kansas. Have to say, it's not a shock you'd be drawn to yet another college basketball atmosphere where money that is being handled in seriously questionable ways is manufacturing the atmosphere.

PS. There are a lot of wild churches in middle America (or Colorado Springs) that would blow you away with their "atmosphere" too. 😘
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It doesn't have to be a cult like experience for it to be more fun and exciting. I'm not crazy about GCU as an institution but that looks like straight up fun. All fan participation in any sporting event could be considered "cult like," I suppose.

I'm pretty sure there are as many "misogynistic douchebags" sitting in Williams on a Wednesday night in Feb as there are at a GCU game.

The U is lazy and they have given Johnson nothing to sell other than the practice facility which is now 7-8 years old. Twenty five or thirty years ago I thought Williams was iconic. Today I think it's a half empty dump. The game day experience is also figuratively a half empty dump.

The BTN cash makes it rain at the U. They have the resources to make gopher hoops and the fan experience into something so much better. It feels like an active choice not to do so.

You are on a college hoops board and you are criticizing Bleed for being interested in programs that spend money on college hoops? Do you not realize this is a multi billion dollar industry? It never was an amateur sport.
 



BleedGopher said:
Grand Canyon advanced to the Tournament, this was their student section at the conference tournament, they were like this all game, every game according to many tweets throughout the tournament.


Go Gophers!!
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Wow, I picked a bad week to give up amphetamines.
 

jamiche said:
It doesn't have to be a cult like experience for it to be more fun and exciting. I'm not crazy about GCU as an institution but that looks like straight up fun. All fan participation in any sporting event could be considered "cult like," I suppose.

I'm pretty sure there are as many "misogynistic douchebags" sitting in Williams on a Wednesday night in Feb as there are at a GCU game.

The U is lazy and they have given Johnson nothing to sell other than the practice facility which is now 7-8 years old. Twenty five or thirty years ago I thought Williams was iconic. Today I think it's a half empty dump. The game day experience is also figuratively a half empty dump.

The BTN cash makes it rain at the U. They have the resources to make gopher hoops and the fan experience into something so much better. It feels like an active choice not to do so.

You are on a college hoops board and you are criticizing Bleed for being interested in programs that spend money on college hoops? Do you not realize this is a multi billion dollar industry? It never was an amateur sport.
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More of a slight at Kansas for having "for-profit" basketball players for decades - thanks to the NCAA valuing its brand more than its integrity - and the way GCU has swindled disadvantaged "students" through its online degree programs and the for-profit education model for decades than any actual personal shot at Bleed.

I just don't have any respect for either institution. Great that they figured out a way to get an amazing basketball atmosphere. The way they got the money to create that has ruined plenty of lives - as others pointed out in this thread.

Yes, I know our program is sad and the atmosphere has sunk to a low. It's a huge bummer. I'm just not personally willing to give any credit to Grand Canyon regardless (for legitimate ethical reasons laid out).
 

jamiche said:
It doesn't have to be a cult like experience for it to be more fun and exciting. I'm not crazy about GCU as an institution but that looks like straight up fun. All fan participation in any sporting event could be considered "cult like," I suppose.

I'm pretty sure there are as many "misogynistic douchebags" sitting in Williams on a Wednesday night in Feb as there are at a GCU game.

The U is lazy and they have given Johnson nothing to sell other than the practice facility which is now 7-8 years old. Twenty five or thirty years ago I thought Williams was iconic. Today I think it's a half empty dump. The game day experience is also figuratively a half empty dump.

The BTN cash makes it rain at the U. They have the resources to make gopher hoops and the fan experience into something so much better. It feels like an active choice not to do so.

You are on a college hoops board and you are criticizing Bleed for being interested in programs that spend money on college hoops? Do you not realize this is a multi billion dollar industry? It never was an amateur sport.
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Also, yes there are misogynistic douchebags at every school, but when the group think leads to that being the identity of said school's student section, it's shit (directly speaking about the private Jesuit all-boys school in my old Denver-area high school league here).
 
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WriterGoph said:
Also, yes there are misogynistic douchebags at every school, but when the group think leads to that being the identity of said school's student section, it's shit (directly speaking about the private Jesuit all-boys school in my old Denver-area high school league here).
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There's group think at every sporting event at every level. It's called cheering. It's fun. GCU, which is a predatory institution--agreed, does it bigger and better than most.
 



WriterGoph said:
Hate to say it, but cults will do some pretty crazy shit.

My high school played in the same league as the top all-boys private school in the Denver metro back in the day. Their student section was notoriously vociferous and choreographed (much like GCU). They also waved dollar bills at our female dance team when they performed. Guess that's a good example of group think when Jesus decides you shouldn't attend school with the other sex? Regardless, those guys - on the average - ended up being misogynistic douchebags in their adult lives. I encountered numerous personal examples years later in corporate America and they may as well have been the person standing in the corner staring at the wall at the end of the original "Blair Witch Project", as they were so emotionally underdeveloped and closed off.

So, suffice to say, I'll take the public school experience at the U and sleep well with it.

Bleed, you're a legend on this board. I've read your posts since the Jason Groth days. So no disrespect, but I know you went to Kansas. Have to say, it's not a shock you'd be drawn to yet another college basketball atmosphere where money that is being handled in seriously questionable ways is manufacturing the atmosphere.

PS. There are a lot of wild churches in middle America (or Colorado Springs) that would blow you away with their "atmosphere" too. 😘
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Wait!What?

No idea what the KU connection has to do with anything. I'm not passing judgement on GCU as an institution and I had no clue about any of their history until this thread, but I figure there's a college basketball fan or two on this board and GCU wasn't on my radar at least until a few weeks ago when I went to a game there. For those that like fun college basketball atmosphere's this is one to definitely put on your list. For those that are inserting a moral clause for fun college basketball atmospheres, I'm not going to have much to add into that discussion.

Go Gophers!!
 

Not that Bleed needs defending, but he wants to see this program succeed more than anyone I know. The initial post was clearly all about the atmosphere that GCU had a created that made going to a low major basketball game a fun event.

I agree wholeheartedly with this from Fred Cox Rocks : As far as the U of M basketball experience, either go to a game or watch a game on TV...you'll see the stands full of an old school generation entrenched in their seats with arms folded, wearing their worn Russell Athletic Minnesota sweatshirts. They hate change and loud noises...and people that stand.

The Barn was nearly empty for the Rutgers game and the TV crew panned the crowd several times and almost everybody they showed was over 60. Many were looking down and reading something or eating some popcorn or whatever. I emailed someone that the only people continuting to go to Gopher games are those who have a routine in the same way that they watch the 6:00 news every night. To be clear, these are great fans who have put up with a lot of BS over a long period of time, but they aren't going to change the environment and there is not another generation of people coming up behind them to take their seats.

I think free tickets, music changes, contests at tv breaks, etc are all good ideas but the University also has to show its serious about basketball.
 


WriterGoph said:
Hate to say it, but cults will do some pretty crazy shit.

My high school played in the same league as the top all-boys private school in the Denver metro back in the day. Their student section was notoriously vociferous and choreographed (much like GCU). They also waved dollar bills at our female dance team when they performed. Guess that's a good example of group think when Jesus decides you shouldn't attend school with the other sex? Regardless, those guys - on the average - ended up being misogynistic douchebags in their adult lives. I encountered numerous personal examples years later in corporate America and they may as well have been the person standing in the corner staring at the wall at the end of the original "Blair Witch Project", as they were so emotionally underdeveloped and closed off.

So, suffice to say, I'll take the public school experience at the U and sleep well with it.

Bleed, you're a legend on this board. I've read your posts since the Jason Groth days. So no disrespect, but I know you went to Kansas. Have to say, it's not a shock you'd be drawn to yet another college basketball atmosphere where money that is being handled in seriously questionable ways is manufacturing the atmosphere.

PS. There are a lot of wild churches in middle America (or Colorado Springs) that would blow you away with their "atmosphere" too. 😘
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This is one of the weirdest and most bizarre posts I've ever read. Congrats
 


You couldn't pay me enough to attend that diploma and indoctrination mill. Their degrees from an overpriced, low graduation rate, 3rd rate correspondence college won't be taken seriously by employers. And they will get stomped in the first round.
 

EG#9 said:
Not that Bleed needs defending, but he wants to see this program succeed more than anyone I know. The initial post was clearly all about the atmosphere that GCU had a created that made going to a low major basketball game a fun event.

I agree wholeheartedly with this from Fred Cox Rocks : As far as the U of M basketball experience, either go to a game or watch a game on TV...you'll see the stands full of an old school generation entrenched in their seats with arms folded, wearing their worn Russell Athletic Minnesota sweatshirts. They hate change and loud noises...and people that stand.

The Barn was nearly empty for the Rutgers game and the TV crew panned the crowd several times and almost everybody they showed was over 60. Many were looking down and reading something or eating some popcorn or whatever. I emailed someone that the only people continuting to go to Gopher games are those who have a routine in the same way that they watch the 6:00 news every night. To be clear, these are great fans who have put up with a lot of BS over a long period of time, but they aren't going to change the environment and there is not another generation of people coming up behind them to take their seats.

I think free tickets, music changes, contests at tv breaks, etc are all good ideas but the University also has to show its serious about basketball.
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I've probably read hundreds of posts through the years on the FB and BB boards blaming older fans for the atmosphere at the games.

From what I see, there's plenty of room for younger fans at the games--in all locations. The student sections are generally about half full, even for B1G games. As long as we are generalizing, for every old dude sitting with his arms crossed in a Russell sweatshirt, there are five young dudes staring at their phones during live action.

The kids don't show up and it isn't cost (the secondary market is super weak for most games and student tix are almost given away). When they do show up, they don't pay attention. The atmosphere in both BB and FB is stale. The BB product is stale. Give people a reason to stand and they'll stand. The people aren't stale.
 

WriterGoph said:
Hate to say it, but cults will do some pretty crazy shit.

My high school played in the same league as the top all-boys private school in the Denver metro back in the day. Their student section was notoriously vociferous and choreographed (much like GCU). They also waved dollar bills at our female dance team when they performed. Guess that's a good example of group think when Jesus decides you shouldn't attend school with the other sex? Regardless, those guys - on the average - ended up being misogynistic douchebags in their adult lives. I encountered numerous personal examples years later in corporate America and they may as well have been the person standing in the corner staring at the wall at the end of the original "Blair Witch Project", as they were so emotionally underdeveloped and closed off.

So, suffice to say, I'll take the public school experience at the U and sleep well with it.

Bleed, you're a legend on this board. I've read your posts since the Jason Groth days. So no disrespect, but I know you went to Kansas. Have to say, it's not a shock you'd be drawn to yet another college basketball atmosphere where money that is being handled in seriously questionable ways is manufacturing the atmosphere.

PS. There are a lot of wild churches in middle America (or Colorado Springs) that would blow you away with their "atmosphere" too. 😘
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It has nothing to do with private vs. public or Christian vs. public.

Texas A&M is the school that most closely resembles a cult in all of college sports (and it's not even close). They have their own language. They have their own terminology. They are a public school.

I don't think St. Thomas Academy students are any more/less prone to being a douchebag than someone at a Edina (similar socio-economic status). I don't know if they still do it, but 22-25 years ago when I was in school, it was incredibly common to hear suburban public school's fan bases chant things about their wealth (boats/lakes/etc.), I've actually see the exact same dollar thing when I was in HS by public school kids. Am I surprised that rich kids at that particular school were extra douchey? No. But kids from Edina were smug jerks when I was in HS.

Also, Grand Canyon U doesn't really fit that mold. It's not full of rich, entitled kids. It's essentially Rasmussen on steroids pumping out worthless diplomas.
 

jamiche said:
There's group think at every sporting event at every level. It's called cheering. It's fun. GCU, which is a predatory institution--agreed, does it bigger and better than most.
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Bob_Loblaw said:
It has nothing to do with private vs. public or Christian vs. public.

Texas A&M is the school that most closely resembles a cult in all of college sports (and it's not even close). They have their own language. They have their own terminology. They are a public school.

I don't think St. Thomas Academy students are any more/less prone to being a douchebag than someone at a Edina (similar socio-economic status). I don't know if they still do it, but 22-25 years ago when I was in school, it was incredibly common to hear suburban public school's fan bases chant things about their wealth (boats/lakes/etc.), I've actually see the exact same dollar thing when I was in HS by public school kids. Am I surprised that rich kids at that particular school were extra douchey? No. But kids from Edina were smug jerks when I was in HS.

Also, Grand Canyon U doesn't really fit that mold. It's not full of rich, entitled kids. It's essentially Rasmussen on steroids pumping out worthless diplomas.
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Genuine question: How much do you think the "young Christian zealot" aspect of the majority of GCU's on-campus student body impacts how their student section buys in and comes together for these games? They're not a basketball power and have hardly any history - polar opposite of Duke or Kansas. So what is driving these kids to treat these games with such passion?
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
It has nothing to do with private vs. public or Christian vs. public.

Texas A&M is the school that most closely resembles a cult in all of college sports (and it's not even close). They have their own language. They have their own terminology. They are a public school.

I don't think St. Thomas Academy students are any more/less prone to being a douchebag than someone at a Edina (similar socio-economic status). I don't know if they still do it, but 22-25 years ago when I was in school, it was incredibly common to hear suburban public school's fan bases chant things about their wealth (boats/lakes/etc.), I've actually see the exact same dollar thing when I was in HS by public school kids. Am I surprised that rich kids at that particular school were extra douchey? No. But kids from Edina were smug jerks when I was in HS.

Also, Grand Canyon U doesn't really fit that mold. It's not full of rich, entitled kids. It's essentially Rasmussen on steroids pumping out worthless diplomas.
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You have no idea what your talking about.....worthless diplomas? you can attend the University of Minnesota and never have to attend a class in person....completely BS your way to a degree....does that make the U worthless as well?
 



EG#9 said:
I agree wholeheartedly with this from Fred Cox Rocks : As far as the U of M basketball experience, either go to a game or watch a game on TV...you'll see the stands full of an old school generation entrenched in their seats with arms folded, wearing their worn Russell Athletic Minnesota sweatshirts. They hate change and loud noises...and people that stand.

The Barn was nearly empty for the Rutgers game and the TV crew panned the crowd several times and almost everybody they showed was over 60. Many were looking down and reading something or eating some popcorn or whatever. I emailed someone that the only people continuting to go to Gopher games are those who have a routine in the same way that they watch the 6:00 news every night. To be clear, these are great fans who have put up with a lot of BS over a long period of time, but they aren't going to change the environment and there is not another generation of people coming up behind them to take their seats.
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For the record, I was at the Rutgers game and am under 60 (but over 50). I was wearing a Nike sweatshirt so hopefully that's "hip" enough. I also enjoyed some Drew's popcorn in the 2nd half, but feel that I can multi-task well enough to recognize the Rouser and stand up and cheer whilst setting the bucket down for a moment. I was totally locked in the last 10 minutes.

I hope I passed the audition.
 

EG#9 said:
Not that Bleed needs defending, but he wants to see this program succeed more than anyone I know. The initial post was clearly all about the atmosphere that GCU had a created that made going to a low major basketball game a fun event.

I agree wholeheartedly with this from Fred Cox Rocks : As far as the U of M basketball experience, either go to a game or watch a game on TV...you'll see the stands full of an old school generation entrenched in their seats with arms folded, wearing their worn Russell Athletic Minnesota sweatshirts. They hate change and loud noises...and people that stand.

The Barn was nearly empty for the Rutgers game and the TV crew panned the crowd several times and almost everybody they showed was over 60. Many were looking down and reading something or eating some popcorn or whatever. I emailed someone that the only people continuting to go to Gopher games are those who have a routine in the same way that they watch the 6:00 news every night. To be clear, these are great fans who have put up with a lot of BS over a long period of time, but they aren't going to change the environment and there is not another generation of people coming up behind them to take their seats.

I think free tickets, music changes, contests at tv breaks, etc are all good ideas but the University also has to show its serious about basketball.
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So we are going to blame the people that show up at the games for the bad atmosphere?

The U is to blame for what is, not the people that show up- you are right about that. Most of these fans are the remains of the Musselman era.

Everything the U does in basketball looks foolish:
The tickets are over priced for the product.
I love the barn for its history but its an antique in bad need of repair
The timeout promotions are a total buzzkill
We don't want to pay for big time coaches
Minimal effort to keep up and compete on NIL (we have some of it but not enough and not done to attract big time kids- its approached in an "equity" fashion)

They have been burning goodwill for 40 years. Any time the administration can make it difficult for a coach- they will do it.
 

No surprise to me to see GCU student section selected.


Go Gophers!!
 


jamiche said:
There's group think at every sporting event at every level. It's called cheering. It's fun. GCU, which is a predatory institution--agreed, does it bigger and better than most.
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It’s a shared delusion
 

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