Would NFL Lockout Help Gophers?

Donate To GopherHole
Foster

Foster

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
183
Reaction score
0
Points
16
If the NFL does actually lockout tonight (which I don't think will happen) will that help the Gophers in any way? Would their fanbase pick up because the die hard Vikes fans don't have any other football to watch and they need a team to get behind?

I could see a little spike in tickets and maybe ratings but from what I've seen is that the NFL fans are a different breed and don't really pay much attention to college football.
 

Five years ago I would have said that a lockout wouldn't do much for the gophers, but with a new stadium and a new coach a lockout now could create a lot more community interest.
 

Without an NFL season there would certainly be more media attention on the Gophers. Media outlets like the FAN and the papers would be forced to cover the Gophers at all/ingreater detail. Whether the coverage would be favorable, lasting, or attract many new fans will/would be interesting to see.
 


I would say lockout or no lockout, they need to win, or be more competitive, to get most "casual" fans to pay more attention.
 


Foster said:
If the NFL does actually lockout tonight (which I don't think will happen) will that help the Gophers in any way? Would their fanbase pick up because the die hard Vikes fans don't have any other football to watch and they need a team to get behind?

I could see a little spike in tickets and maybe ratings but from what I've seen is that the NFL fans are a different breed and don't really pay much attention to college football.
Click to expand...

does a bear sh i t in the woods?
 

Would an NFL lockout help the Gophers?

I think a lockout is nearly assured.

An NFL lockout would kill the Vikings in Minnesota. No stadium will go forward. Team moves to L.A. Those of you that think this couldn't possibly happen are dreaming. I'd say it's 60%-40% right now that the Vikings leave town. A lockout makes that 70-80%.

Would the Vikings leaving help the Gophers? Makes a football ticket a hot commodity...
 

highwayman said:
Would an NFL lockout help the Gophers?

I think a lockout is nearly assured.

An NFL lockout would kill the Vikings in Minnesota. No stadium will go forward. Team moves to L.A. Those of you that think this couldn't possibly happen are dreaming. I'd say it's 60%-40% right now that the Vikings leave town. A lockout makes that 70-80%.

Would the Vikings leaving help the Gophers? Makes a football ticket a hot commodity...
Click to expand...

While a lock-out doesn't help, it doesn't necessarily kill the bill this session. Everyone's known this day was coming for months, it's not some big shock. In any event, if it drags on, I think it just kicks the can down the road and there will be another bill next year. The Vikings moving to LA is still ~25% at best.

In any event, a lock-out would do more to spike interest for a while than the Vikings moving. There's a big difference between no NFL football all week-end and no Vikings football on Sunday.
 

The Vikings are not moving. Why? The tax the state makes on 100 million dollar player salaries is staggering. I guarantee they will not move.
 






MinnMarchDTF said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a bear an apex predator, ie doesn't have predators?
Click to expand...

For the most part, that is true, but bears in Asia are susceptible to tiger attacks. Bears also win some of the fights against tigers, though.

GopherHole - your zoology leader.
 



Charlie Sheen would probably be considered an apex predator, what with his tiger blood and all. Bears have to be leery of his winning.
 


dpodoll68 said:
For the most part, that is true, but bears in Asia are susceptible to tiger attacks. Bears also win some of the fights against tigers, though.

GopherHole - your zoology leader.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected.
 

Bears are only an apex predator in ecosystems without a Jerry Kill.
 

4four4 said:
The Vikings are not moving. Why? The tax the state makes on 100 million dollar player salaries is staggering. I guarantee they will not move.
Click to expand...

A boy can hope, can't he?

The Vikings have been staggeringly mediocre for 50 years. Of the pre-1976 franchises, only the Lions haven't been to a Super Bowl longer than the Vikes.
 

Every creature is a potential meal to somebody. Wolves will go after bear cubs, and a sick weak bear can be a target for wolves. The young, sick and weak are the prey of choice for most predators.
 

The media will certainly pay more attention to the Gophers, meaning more fans will have their eye on the team. It will be good for college football in general, which is a plus.

That said, if the Gophers go 3-9 again it won't matter. More fans will be there for the taking, but without wins they won't come, especially since the media will also be all over when the lockout will end, etc. The NFL will still be in people's minds and thoughts with a franchise still located in the Twin Cities.
 

highwayman said:
A boy can hope, can't he?

The Vikings have been staggeringly mediocre for 50 years. Of the pre-1976 franchises, only the Lions haven't been to a Super Bowl longer than the Vikes.
Click to expand...

I've been saying this for years. I've never understood the whole Gophers haven't done anything so why should I follow them argument. What the heck have the purple done? There is only one thing that matters in the NFL and that is winning the Super Bowl. Last time I checked, they haven't won one, which makes every season for them a failure.
 

The NFL in the national sport now, we are not going to change that, and we do not have to. We need to win and build our own fan base. I used to get PO'd at the Vikings, now I just don't care about them. Our problems have been caused by poor leadership at the U, and the Vikings only fault is they make it easier to tolerate crap from the Gophs. If the Gophs were the only team in the state, like Nebraska, people would be lynching Maturi, not just complaining about him.
 

SMU GOPHS FAN said:
I've been saying this for years. I've never understood the whole Gophers haven't done anything so why should I follow them argument. What the heck have the purple done? There is only one thing that matters in the NFL and that is winning the Super Bowl. Last time I checked, they haven't won one, which makes every season for them a failure.
Click to expand...

Ha, I have never understood that argument. The Vikings have been good and have been good recently. Look at last year they were clearly the most talented and best team in the league, but just like typical Minnesota sports they choked at the end (6 fumbles in the NFC championship game). Where as the Gophers have never been considered even one of the top 3 teams in the Big Ten in the last 30 years, if they ever start winning consistently they will be a big story in Minnesota.
 

A lockout would help the Gophs in the short turn. Until the NFL comes back, then we'd be back at square one. Well, with the exception of maybe a handful of new fans. Now, if the lockout lasted longer than a season (not gonna happen), then it was exponentially help the Maroon and Gold's fan base. Having a really successful season(s) during the lockout will only help out more.

And as far as the Vikings stadium deal thing goes, I'm going on a limb and saying they aren't moving. Arden Hills passed the initial approval of a stadium pretty convincingly, Goodell (NFL's commissioner) has stated many times in the past that the NFL will do as much as it can to help keep the Vikings in MN, and new bill ideas being formulated to help pay for the stadium with little to no public funds are all over the place. Add to that our new governor is being a bit more proactive in this department than his predecessor, which is going to help the Vikings' cause.
 

DrunkGopher said:
Ha, I have never understood that argument. The Vikings have been good and have been good recently. Look at last year they were clearly the most talented and best team in the league, but just like typical Minnesota sports they choked at the end (6 fumbles in the NFC championship game). Where as the Gophers have never been considered even one of the top 3 teams in the Big Ten in the last 30 years, if they ever start winning consistently they will be a big story in Minnesota.
Click to expand...

The purple have only made the playoffs three times in the past decade. Is that consistent winning?
 

SMU GOPHS FAN said:
The purple have only made the playoffs three times in the past decade. Is that consistent winning?
Click to expand...


Just my opinion, but yes.

If the Gophers had made the playoffs (BCS bowl is my equivalent standard) three times in the past ten years I would call that consistent winning.....
 

SMU GOPHS FAN said:
The purple have only made the playoffs three times in the past decade. Is that consistent winning?
Click to expand...
Yes, they have at least been competitive compared across the league. They have been at least 2nd in the division 8 of the last 10 years. Thats how you get people interested, by having at least a chance at winning it all which the Gophers haven't even had a real chance at taking 3rd in the Big Ten.

This is actually probably a bigger problem with college football in general than just the Gophers because unless you are one of the power teams (that apparently can get away with cheating) then you really have to no chance of going to the MNC.
 

The NFL doesn't want to leave the Twin Cities because of the 20 or so Fortune 500 companies. There is way too much corporate money to lose if the Vikings move to LA. Not so much Minnesota dollars but country dollars.
 

BCS bowl is not an equivalent standard IMO, at least numerically. 12 out of 32 NFL teams make the playoffs. 8-10 (depending on non-AQ) out of 65 BCS teams make a BCS bowl. 12/32 = 38%, 10/65 = 15%. I'd say making the playoffs is more akin to making a top 4 finish in a BCS conference (24/65 = 37%).

Perceptually you may have a point, but numerically it's much easier to make the NFL playoffs than it is to make a BCS bowl.

That said, the Vikes have made the playoffs 3 times in the past decade while the Gophs haven't finished above 5th.
 

For the Big Ten, I would call a BCS bowl, Cap One & Outback the equivalent of the playoffs.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom