What happened to this board?

[Rockraven]

On one level, I think it's just more fun to be negative. on the football board, there are always more posts after a loss, because a loss offers more opportunities for criticism. If the Gopher hoops team was finishing 8th or 9th in the B1G, there would be much less action on this board.

For some reason, it's easier to bitch than to praise. It's easier to complain than to offer support. In short - people are a-holes.

a-holes? Far too kind.

 

[MNVCGUY]

On one level, I think it's just more fun to be negative. on the football board, there are always more posts after a loss, because a loss offers more opportunities for criticism. If the Gopher hoops team was finishing 8th or 9th in the B1G, there would be much less action on this board.

For some reason, it's easier to bitch than to praise. It's easier to complain than to offer support. In short - people are a-holes.

Especially when you can do the ripping and complaining from behind a keyboard under an anonymous name.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

a-holes? Far too kind.

B-holes?

 

[Rockraven]

B-holes?

There is a reason I call them ‘holers.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

On one level, I think it's just more fun to be negative. on the football board, there are always more posts after a loss, because a loss offers more opportunities for criticism. If the Gopher hoops team was finishing 8th or 9th in the B1G, there would be much less action on this board.

For some reason, it's easier to bitch than to praise. It's easier to complain than to offer support. In short - people are a-holes.

Competitive sports have binary outcomes. So when the team wins, whatever happened was good enough to get the outcome we wanted, so there isn't much to dissect. When we lose, any number of things went wrong, some combination of those things would have given us the outcome we wanted had they gone differently, and everyone has their theories about which issues annoy them most.

It's not just on message boards. When the Gophers lose, my wife and I often find something stupid to argue about on the way home (whether we should park somewhere differently, who is walking too fast or too slow to the car, whether and what we will pick up to eat when we get home). When the Gophers win, we are perfectly happy to sit in the car listening to the post game show for however long it takes us to get to the highway and are generally in a good mood.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Well said. The exception would be the hockey board where a historic season was a total failure because we lost in OT of the title game.

Losing in OT in the title game was what prevented that from being a historic season. What was frustrating about that was that we had a lead going into the third period, were in a position to hang a banner, and then sleep-walked through the last 20 minutes when we were in a position to win it all. I'd be annoyed at the basketball team too if they had a halftime lead in the national title game, and then squandered it by trying to dribble out the shot clock every possession and lost after finishing with only 6 second half points.

 

[alchemy2u]

The loudest four or five posters on the basketball threads are all counting down the days until Ben Johnson is fired, and they're posting every day about it. Makes it a little tough when there are threads designed for actual news and then it's completely bombarded. This group claims it's only because they care about the program, but when every single comment is negative, that's enough proof that they will be like this as long as they have GH accounts. Simply have to get used to it or block them. This is coming from a guy that believes Ben Johnson should be fired if the Gophers don't get to a minimum of seven Big Ten wins next year. However, I also believe the roster will be quite a bit better than last year, and I'm ready to see if Ben and the staff have learned their lessons from the first two years to become better coaches.

I agree. What is the point of trying to have any type of discussion if it is dragged into the same cesspool of depression? Many posters just stop responding to threads. Some of the "fights" are generated from the same people that regurgitate the same opinions over and over again, no matter the topic, or the coach, etc...

I guess that is what happens when you have a free message board. It just converts to the lowest denominator.

But, hang in there, you do get a little bit of info from time to time. You just have to wear waders.

 

[Some guy]

I've been a regular reader on this board for many years, and rarely a poster. I like to come here to pick up on tidbits of information I otherwise likely would miss out on. But something has changed. Almost every post becomes an argument that takes the original post off topic. It's basically a mess and hard to enjoy. What happened?
It seems like it could be trolls from both St. Thomas and Wisconsin fans, who create accounts and aren't really fans but want to take conversations and move them off topic and be overly negative. This was a fan board. Now it seems like almost the complete opposite. How can we get it back to what it used to be?

Lol

Trolls from st Thomas and Wisconsin?
Someone should be able to talk about st Thomas without being called a troll.
Someone should be able to say the coach is bad or good without being called a troll.

The problem with the board is a symptom of a crappy program.

 

[Some guy]

On one level, I think it's just more fun to be negative. on the football board, there are always more posts after a loss, because a loss offers more opportunities for criticism. If the Gopher hoops team was finishing 8th or 9th in the B1G, there would be much less action on this board.

For some reason, it's easier to bitch than to praise. It's easier to complain than to offer support. In short - people are a-holes.

Am I an asshole for thinking the basketball program is bad and should get better?
No wonder we suck

 

[MonikerSchmoniker45]

I've been a regular reader on this board for many years, and rarely a poster. I like to come here to pick up on tidbits of information I otherwise likely would miss out on. But something has changed. Almost every post becomes an argument that takes the original post off topic. It's basically a mess and hard to enjoy. What happened?
It seems like it could be trolls from both St. Thomas and Wisconsin fans, who create accounts and aren't really fans but want to take conversations and move them off topic and be overly negative. This was a fan board. Now it seems like almost the complete opposite. How can we get it back to what it used to be?

This is exactly the type of post a St. thomas loving badger troll would use to turn us even more against each other.

 

[Gophers1992]

Losing in OT in the title game was what prevented that from being a historic season. What was frustrating about that was that we had a lead going into the third period, were in a position to hang a banner, and then sleep-walked through the last 20 minutes when we were in a position to win it all. I'd be annoyed at the basketball team too if they had a halftime lead in the national title game, and then squandered it by trying to dribble out the shot clock every possession and lost after finishing with only 6 second half points.

Yeah I watched the game (along with every other game this year). I was simply making the point that gopher hockey fans like to throw tantrums after every loss, and even after some wins. I get it that’s the price of being a blueblood program, but it does annoy me a bit.

 

[Slim Tubby]

20-25 years ago on this board, there was plenty of negativity after losses or disappointing seasons. To me, the biggest difference is the complete and utter lack of respect shown to fellow Gopher fans. We use to save all of our hatred and vitriol for fans of the Skunks and Pig Farmers. Not anymore.

If I'm being 100% honest, I'm not really interested in the "opinions" of other Gopher fans...I can form my own. I just want game recaps, prospect stats/offers and general recruiting news.

 

[Captain Willard]

This has been coming for awhile.

The last time there was universal approval was when they hired Tubby. Then everyone realized he had retired from recruiting after the first 4 years and his potentially program changing teams seemed to always finish worse than their potential due to injuries and incidents.

So they hired Pitino.

This was not well met, but he exceeded expectations with Tubby’s guys and won a coaching award after picking up some good players and getting into the tourny. He, like Tubby, built some teams with potential that despite the win over Louisville never seemed to live up to their highest expectations. He was submarines by off-court catastrophe and players leaving early and a failure to land the biggest MN recruits. He was handed off to Nee Mexico.

Pitino raised the frustration meter to near the breaking point.

Johnson pushed it over the edge with his bizarre hiring over more desirable choices who we have watched do well at other locations.

And then, he led the team to the worst 2 consecutive seasons in Golden Gopher History!

And you wonder why people are negative?

If this history belonged to an SEC football team, the fans would burn down the stadium and lynch the AD!

Just be happy most of us are Minnesotans, which means this is pretty much the worst it will ever get.

Did Johnson somehow hire himself?

 

[Rockraven]

20-25 years ago on this board, there was plenty of negativity after losses or disappointing seasons. To me, the biggest difference is the complete and utter lack of respect shown to fellow Gopher fans. We use to save all of our hatred and vitriol for fans of the Skunks and Pig Farmers. Not anymore.

If I'm being 100% honest, I'm not really interested in the "opinions" of other Gopher fans...I can form my own. I just want game recaps, prospect stats/offers and general recruiting news.

The haters can not control themselves.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

It's just a microcosm of every single human interaction. When things are going bad, people don't get along. That's been true since the beginning of time.

The football board has a completely different feel and it's mostly the same posters. It's because the football team is decent.

To be fair though on the FB board some days after a loss you’d think the god damn world was ending and Fleck pulled the trigger. Or the OC.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

To be fair though on the FB board some days after a loss you’d think the god damn world was ending and Fleck pulled the trigger. Or the OC.

Oh yeah, when things are going bad, message boards look like the basketball board. They've just been pretty bad a few straight years over here.

 

[Roland Brooks]

You mean like the Doc Rivers post?

 

[Ewert86PC]

The last 30-some years of inept and spineless decisions regarding the athletic department would bear down on anyone. The worst is the 1997 MBB team and the missing banner that should be hanging, like a giant middle finger, in the rafters. But any inspiration for future generations must be eradicated from athletic department history.

After all, they *are* student-athletes, who could generate an additional stream of revenue for the University, but we like being slavenly beholden to the State Legislature for funding, especially when the academics can hold the athletes down in some twisted form of vengeance.

So we're totally happy with the state of things and don't really need to bury the board in pointless athletic related nonsense.

 

[Chico Gopher]

While the same posters, posting pretty much the same opinion or thought over, over and over again can get a little irritating and redundant, it's when 2 or 3 posters start going toe-to-toe, or should I say "Keyboard-to-Keyboard" at each other with personal insults that basically turn into "dick-measuring" or "you're an idiot" posts, that are really difficult to put up with.

Of course, if you go into any sports bar, you end up seeing the same kind of yelling at each other over sports. At least here, nobody gets a beer bottle busted over their head for disagreeing.

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

And I haven't even been wetting these past few months

 

[Dave H]

The negativity is 100% understandable. The part that gets frustrating is the need some in that crowd have to attack/mock anyone that chooses not to dwell on the negative and who leaves open the possibility that things could improve.

Heck, when a poster has decided the players we have brought in aren't good enough, the guys on the roster won't improve enough, and the only solution is fire the coach there really isn't much more that person can bring to the table discussion wise.

True...but then according to some negative thoughts mean we are BADger trolls so

 

[Dave H]

Well said. The exception would be the hockey board where a historic season was a total failure because we lost in OT of the title game.

There is a reason bonin21 has been banned by other boards. He and his ilk are the worst!

 

[CPTMidnight]

Gopherhole could add an admin or two, give a warning or two, lock a thread or two. They choose not to... Bad business in my opinion but it IS their business so whatever. I think they get alot more traffic if they actually manage some of the "Trolling" and "Grieving" that happens on every single thread. It would improve the brand equity of Gopherhole along with its value and revenue (however small). It would also, by association, better support the U of M athletics program and the Gopher basketball team which would create even more traffic.

Imagine a Gopher basketball fan forum website that was not a cesspool.

 

[GopherHole Staff]

Gopherhole could add an admin or two, give a warning or two, lock a thread or two. They choose not to... Bad business in my opinion but it IS their business so whatever. I think they get alot more traffic if they actually manage some of the "Trolling" and "Grieving" that happens on every single thread. It would improve the brand equity of Gopherhole along with its value and revenue (however small). It would also, by association, better support the U of M athletics program and the Gopher basketball team which would create even more traffic.

Imagine a Gopher basketball fan forum website that was not a cesspool.

We do give warnings and ban posters temporarily who constantly hijack threads, and permanently if the actions are egregious. Obviously we can always get more strict with those actions and we will consider that, but we talk to a lot of other Board moderators and as frustrating as negativity can be, we are nothing compared to most boards when their teams are bad.

That being said, we take these comments to heart and will look to cut off more of those that push a consistent narrative that hijacks threads.

 

[BarnBurner]

We do give warnings and ban posters temporarily who constantly hijack threads, and permanently if the actions are egregious. Obviously we can always get more strict with those actions and we will consider that, but we talk to a lot of other Board moderators and as frustrating as negativity can be, we are nothing compared to most boards when their teams are bad.

That being said, we take these comments to heart and will look to cut off more of those that push a consistent narrative that hijacks threads.

Be consistent on the narrative cut offs. One way cutoffs are bs.

Pushing a consistent narrative goes both ways.

And, the foul language that is permitted here is ridiculous. Main offenders are never "banned". But, narratives are "banned".

 

[Johnnyboy18]

We do give warnings and ban posters temporarily who constantly hijack threads, and permanently if the actions are egregious. Obviously we can always get more strict with those actions and we will consider that, but we talk to a lot of other Board moderators and as frustrating as negativity can be, we are nothing compared to most boards when their teams are bad.

That being said, we take these comments to heart and will look to cut off more of those that push a consistent narrative that hijacks threads.

Can we ban posters that post under two usernames?

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Can we ban posters that post under two usernames?

Name names!

 

[GopherHole Staff]

Can we ban posters that post under two usernames?

Absolutely. If there are posters you believe are using 2 usernames, please send us a DM and we will review. Most of the times when these are brought to our attention, they are in fact not the same, despite the claims. But we have on rare occasions matched IP addresses and banned the less active username.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I agree. What is the point of trying to have any type of discussion if it is dragged into the same cesspool of depression? Many posters just stop responding to threads. Some of the "fights" are generated from the same people that regurgitate the same opinions over and over again, no matter the topic, or the coach, etc...

I guess that is what happens when you have a free message board. It just converts to the lowest denominator.

But, hang in there, you do get a little bit of info from time to time. You just have to wear waders.

It beats a paid message board with the delusional idiots who like to pretend they're insiders.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Gopherhole could add an admin or two, give a warning or two, lock a thread or two. They choose not to... Bad business in my opinion but it IS their business so whatever. I think they get alot more traffic if they actually manage some of the "Trolling" and "Grieving" that happens on every single thread. It would improve the brand equity of Gopherhole along with its value and revenue (however small). It would also, by association, better support the U of M athletics program and the Gopher basketball team which would create even more traffic.

Imagine a Gopher basketball fan forum website that was not a cesspool.

Most of what people are trying to ban as trolling is just people disagreeing with them.

For example, I was accused of trolling in the Jack Wilson thread because I talked about him being a bad recruit. All I did was refute points made by other people in response to my thread. To some people, that's "trolling" or "grieving" because it disagrees with their opinion. Personally, I don't care that a group of people think any post that doesn't celebrate all things is trolling, but I've noticed that's group of people demanding more board moderation.

Even on this board, for one of the worst programs in the country, most of the threads are positive. Outside of the Ben Johnson is a Disaster Thread and grading the Gophers thread, the rest are either positive or completely benign. Yet, people are still clamoring for more moderation. It's self-moderated, don't click in that thread and you won't see he vast majority of negative posts.

As far as a business decision, if the men's basketball board banned people for being negative, it would be an awful business decision. It's supposed to be an online version of people talking sports with their friends where some of them are wide-eyed and eager to believe and others are eternal pessimists. If you get rid of the pessimists/realists, you have nothing. This is true with sports talk radio, message boards, and pretty much fandom as a whole.