Our team deserves a louder crowd

This isn't meant at one group or another in attendance tonight but just an overall comment - we just don't know how to get excited any more and our definition of "loud" isn't what it used to be. I understand that this was "only" Eastern Washington tonight, but the boys played hard, played tough and played well and we had numerous opportunities to get on our feet but it never happened. We had some big three pointers, some big dunks, some big three-point plays but not one single big thunderous response from the crowd. A few of us in our section observed Donna Smith's reaction and you could see her frustration in the crowds reaction. She was doing her part to get people up and she sat down at one point in noticable frustration that no one joined her and this was at a point when E. Washington called a 30 second time out because we went on a run. The acutal in attendance numbers are getting better so that's not the issue, but we certainly didn't match the teams intensity tonight...hopefully it was just an "off night" for the crowd.

Go Gophers!!

I watched it on TV tonight (already back home for Thanksgiving) and the crowd seemed soooo quiet. You know it's a bad sign when you can hear the 10 cheerleader's voices doing cheers...instead of the whole crowd.

I know I've brought this up to my friends, and on the board - but I just don't get this. We are selling more tickets, I've heard the student section is almost sold out, we have a top 20 recruiting class (some of them are already making big impacts), a future HOF coach, and we're undefeated....why is there no buzz or excitement around this team. Other than than the lack-lucker NC schedule...there's no reason. I loved that Tubby even mentioned that in his post game interview, I guess it's the first time he's gone 5-0 in quite a few years, and he attributed to our schedule, I love his honestly.

Back to the point - what would it take for the fans to get into these games? Should we put Donna in cheerleader uniform and try to get people fired up? I feel that in years past, even with smaller crowds and worse teams, there's been more support.

Play a decent team during a non-holiday and the crowd will be into the game.

If we play a good game against Virginia the crowd will come alive. Everyone knows that these games should all be won by 20+ points - even with a young Gopher team-and the average fan just isn't going to go wild for these games. This year's schedule is understandable but we have got to start spicing up the home schedule with better opponents that have a reputation or the Barn will remain dead in the preseason. A better schedule, some big home wins (beat Wisky, MSU or Purdue) and a trip to the NCAAs this year would change the atmosphere around here.

Agreed, it might not be a bad thing that we are taking for granted beating bad teams.

Good points. I should have also said that our crowd deserves a better non-conference schedule!!

Go Gophers!!

If Tubby decides to actually play some real teams, I'd expect the crowd to be more into it. I don't remember any really loud games against the creampuffs when Clem was here.

I'm not sure I follow you all...

The title of Bleedgopher's post was, "Our team deserves a louder crowd". Forget Tubby. They ought to have their fans fired up, regardless.

It's been said over and over, and I think it has been shown continually at Minnesota sporting events in general.... fans in MN are, for the most part, fair-weather bandwagon jumpers, who feel as though their teams OWE them something special in order for them to offer their full support.

In certain other places and following other teams, fans go absolutely bonkers, regardless of the opponent and regardless of the situation.

andy said:

The title of Bleedgopher's post was, "Our team deserves a louder crowd". Forget Tubby. They ought to have their fans fired up, regardless.

It's been said over and over, and I think it has been shown continually at Minnesota sporting events in general.... fans in MN are, for the most part, fair-weather bandwagon jumpers, who feel as though their teams OWE them something special in order for them to offer their full support.

In certain other places and following other teams, fans go absolutely bonkers, regardless of the opponent and regardless of the situation.

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As others have stated, tonight was against a below average team on the night before Thanksgiving. What do you expect? I'm also guessing there were a lot of people there that normally don't go to Gopher games but got free tickets because some season ticket holders were out of town so they gave them away.

Had a co-worker go to iowa's game tuesday night and she said it was absolutely dead in there. It happens most places. For the most part, only the elites will have crazy crowds all the time no matter who they're playing or when it is played.

I don't know, Bleed, but I'd say the crowd was about 2/3rds of the last game's actual attendance based on the number of empty seats around us. It sure looked like the upper level was pretty sparse as well.

There's just not the same synergy when the arena is not filled.

I wholeheartedly agree with Bleed. The crowd "SHOULD" be better. But it isn't. And the poor non-conference schedule is not the only reason the crowd is apathetic. There is a culture of apathy.

1)We are in a market with many athletic choices. Like someone else mentioned, if one sport gets rolling, people jump on. (In Nebraska, Indiana and Spokane, those are the only games in town.)
2)We are also still experiencing fallout from the Haskins & Monson eras. It will take time to win people back. (Can it be possible that the great Gopher teams of the 60's, 70's & 80's had bandwagon jumpers too?) 3) The Gopher basketball fan base has gotten older. Not everyone in their 60's and 70's want to get up and holler. 4) The local Twin Cities radio and TV media don't care about the Gopher Basketball program. The guys on KFAN know the names of the third-string players on special teams for the Vikings but they don't know who Damian Johnson is.

I think there were years that Fathers brought their kids to the games and the memories of those times were good. Then the kids got season tickets and they began to bring their kids. Maybe that cycle slacked off a bit in the mid 80's, 90's and during the Monson era. (Those kids latched on to other sports teams that were experiencing some success.) In any event, I feel that if Tubby can win and bring in a few more good opponents (and whip them!), this thing will turn around. The scene at the Barn needs to become wild again.

skoalvikings said:

If Tubby decides to actually play some real teams, I'd expect the crowd to be more into it. I don't remember any really loud games against the creampuffs when Clem was here.

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The Gophers in 2010 and 2011 will be stronger and more experienced. Look for tougher OOC opponents those years.

The Wild, T-Wolves, and Gophers all played at home last night. Genious move by the scheduling powers that be. However, the Wild will always outdraw and be a better ticket than the Gophers and the Timberwolves are irrelevant so I guess it shouldn't matter.

I know it's apples to oranges, but was Tubby this gutless with his NC schedule at UK???

Seemed as though Tubby played more top teams coaching at UK. Granted, playing at Rupp or on the road, it's probably an easier sell to have UK on the schedule than the Gophers, financially speaking.

In several of the cases when Tubby was at UK, he had long-term series that there's no way he could have changed.

When you have an annual game with Indiana and Louisville, that's a pretty good start to a non-conference schedule.

In addition, UK is always a very strong draw for some of the really good tournaments -- Preseason NIT, Maui, Great Alaska -- and the one-game TV events like the Wooden or the Jimmy V.

There were also years in which the Cats played teams such as North Carolina or Michigan State.

When you do that, games against Coppin State or Morehead State or High Point are much easier to stomach.

I've said it on here before and I'll say it again: Gophers season ticket holders are being ripped off with this home n-c schedule. There isn't anything close to a marquee game on the schedule.

Because of that, I kind of disagree with my friend Bleed. While a loud crowd is great, fans are also consumers. I can't blame anyone for not getting excited about an inferior product (not a reflection on the Gophers, it's a reflection on the quality of competition/games). Fans have already sat through three games against D2 teams and a couple of other games in which the Gophers clearly had the most talent. I think the majority of fans can only watch so much of that before their interest starts to wane. They're still interested enough to show up, but some of the early-season interest/excitement has been used up.

Part of this is on the athletic department administration. They need to be responsible to make sure that the home schedule has some quality opponents on it.

In terms of when games are played, the reality is that it isn't really possible to try to work around the Wolves and the Wild. All three are working on their schedules at the same time. The reality is that there are probably already contracts signed for games next season. The bigger issues for the Gophers is working with the women (obviously building availability) and men's hockey (because of parking/traffic concerns). Next year there may also be football to work around.

anonymous said:

In several of the cases when Tubby was at UK, he had long-term series that there's no way he could have changed.

When you have an annual game with Indiana and Louisville, that's a pretty good start to a non-conference schedule.

In addition, UK is always a very strong draw for some of the really good tournaments -- Preseason NIT, Maui, Great Alaska -- and the one-game TV events like the Wooden or the Jimmy V.

There were also years in which the Cats played teams such as North Carolina or Michigan State.

When you do that, games against Coppin State or Morehead State or High Point are much easier to stomach.

I've said it on here before and I'll say it again: Gophers season ticket holders are being ripped off with this home n-c schedule. There isn't anything close to a marquee game on the schedule.

Because of that, I kind of disagree with my friend Bleed. While a loud crowd is great, fans are also consumers. I can't blame anyone for not getting excited about an inferior product (not a reflection on the Gophers, it's a reflection on the quality of competition/games). Fans have already sat through three games against D2 teams and a couple of other games in which the Gophers clearly had the most talent. I think the majority of fans can only watch so much of that before their interest starts to wane. They're still interested enough to show up, but some of the early-season interest/excitement has been used up.

Part of this is on the athletic department administration. They need to be responsible to make sure that the home schedule has some quality opponents on it.

In terms of when games are played, the reality is that it isn't really possible to try to work around the Wolves and the Wild. All three are working on their schedules at the same time. The reality is that there are probably already contracts signed for games next season. The bigger issues for the Gophers is working with the women (obviously building availability) and men's hockey (because of parking/traffic concerns). Next year there may also be football to work around.

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The first sentence is not accurate. Tubby had full control over the schedule his last 7 or 8 years at UK.

Really? You mean the UK AD would have let him end either the Louisville or Indiana series?

The Indiana series has been played every year since 1970. The Louisville series has been played in the regular season every year since 1984.

I don't believe that if Tubby had a choice, he would have wanted to play Rick. Pitino obviously had an impact on Tubby's career and he knew that Rick's first trip to Rupp was going to be a circus. Tubby is too classy to want that if he had a choice.

I agree that he had control of a lot of his non-conference schedule at Kentucky. But he has more control now.

Non-marquee games just don't draw all that well. Here are attendance figures from Big Ten home games this week:

Eastern Washington at Minnesota - 11977
Southeast Missouri State at Iowa - 8184
Norfolk State at Michigan - 7544
Bowling Green at Ohio State - 12751
New Hampshire at Penn State - 4546
Oakland at Iowa - 8079
Jackson State at Illinois - 13865

Especially cringe worthy when you look at the size of the arenas at Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.

From the Barn said:

Especially cringe worthy when you look at the size of the arenas at Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.

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Indeed. And, I guarantee you those are "tickets sold" numbers, meaning those attendance figures count season ticket holders who no-show. The actual number of seats filled was far less in all of those cases. I saw BTN highlights of Iowa-SEMO the other night. If they had 5000 people there, I'd be surprised. Empty seats EVERYWHERE.

soneillumn said:

Seemed as though Tubby played more top teams coaching at UK. Granted, playing at Rupp or on the road, it's probably an easier sell to have UK on the schedule than the Gophers, financially speaking.

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True story. What does a top tier team get for a home and home with the Gophers? A chance for a bad loss at Williams Arena or a home win that won't really bump up their RPI? If you are horrible or you are great, you can get whatever schedule you want. If you are middle of the road, or even worse, not particularly predictable, no one wants to play you.

tjgopher said:

Indeed. And, I guarantee you those are "tickets sold" numbers, meaning those attendance figures count season ticket holders who no-show. The actual number of seats filled was far less in all of those cases. I saw BTN highlights of Iowa-SEMO the other night. If they had 5000 people there, I'd be surprised. Empty seats EVERYWHERE.

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How big is Carver-Hawkeye? I'm lazy and don't want to look it up. And isn't arranged the same way as Marriuci, or is that somewhere else?

From the Barn said:

How big is Carver-Hawkeye?

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15,500

From the Barn said:

How big is Carver-Hawkeye? I'm lazy and don't want to look it up. And isn't arranged the same way as Marriuci, or is that somewhere else?

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Yes, it is a larger Mariucci. Seats 15,500. Enter at the very top and walk down to your seat.

tjgopher said:

Yes, it is a larger Mariucci. Seats 15,500. Enter at the very top and walk down to your seat.

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Ouch, at least at The Barn we can hide plenty of empty seats under the overhangs. No where to hide anything with that arrangement.

I know i've said this before, but it's so embarrassing trying to get a chant going in the student section and nobody past the first 3 rows says anything. Its very frustrating; i feel like everybody behind the first three rows either doesn't know anything about basketball or just doesn't care. In either case, things need to change. And yes, I am calling people out in the student section who never say anything. BTW, I want to extend an invitation to Mrs. Smith to come over to the barnyard's first 3 rows to hang out with the real fans.

GortonsFisherman011 said:

I know i've said this before, but it's so embarrassing trying to get a chant going in the student section and nobody past the first 3 rows says anything. Its very frustrating; i feel like everybody behind the first three rows either doesn't know anything about basketball or just doesn't care. In either case, things need to change. And yes, I am calling people out in the student section who never say anything. BTW, I want to extend an invitation to Mrs. Smith to come over to the barnyard's first 3 rows to hang out with the real fans.

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If you had gotten people to start singing "I'm a little tea pot short and stout" whenever Valentine touched the ball, I would have joined in. A little creativity goes a long way. Beef Stroganoff does not count.

And by the way, just because someone doesn't feel like chanting when we are up 20 in a meaningless game, doesn't mean they know nothing about basketball. It means they know a lot about basketball. It doesn't mean they don't care, it means they care the right amount. If you thought you were going to Duke, I can see why you are frustrated.

On a productive note, if you really want more people involved in the student section, spread out. You all have created your little "super fan bubble" and send a signal, unintentional or not, that you up front got the cheering covered. Try this during the Virginia game, and be pleasantly surprised, or if it doesn't work, try something else. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results doesn't make a lick of sense, and you should know that.



In short, you perpetuate the bystander effect. People think it is the job of the people in the front row to be loud, and it is their job to cheer when they feel like it. If you spread out, and keep chanting, people will join in, because they will understand it is their job to be loud regardless of where they are sitting. At the schools known for the student section, the superfans are everywhere, so start being every where.

Of course, you might not be able to sit right next to your buddies, you won't have your front row seat, and you won't be on TV as much. But you will have a more enthusiastic and consistently loud student section. If you want the rest of the student section to be loud, join the rest of the student section and make it happen.

There are plenty of people that can sit down and front and mock the other team. There are not enough people that are willing to wade into the rest of the student section (behind the band especially and the far side from you all) and actually lead. Be a leader, step up, and create this. The student section has slipped since the good old days, and you can bring it back. I've got my little nook of the student section covered, and we aren't afraid to yell.

But if you want the back left corner involved, put two guys there and get them involved. If you want the section right behind the cheer leaders and next to the band to be loud, put your 4 or five loudest guys there. If you want the folks just under the over hang involved, put someone in the middle of each section just under the over hang.

I understand the capitalist reasoning of having the "best" fans in the "best seats," but when you do that there is a lot of open space with no one taking the initiative to be loud and to lead the occasionally more conservative cheerers. You have a lot of people in the student section who are ready to act like idiots (in a good way) and they are just looking for a catalyst. Its time for the super fans to take one for the team, and start covering the real estate.

From the Barn said:

If you had gotten people to start singing "I'm a little tea pot short and stout" whenever Valentine touched the ball, I would have joined in. A little creativity goes a long way. Beef Stroganoff does not count.

And by the way, just because someone doesn't feel like chanting when we are up 20 in a meaningless game, doesn't mean they know nothing about basketball. It means they know a lot about basketball. It doesn't mean they don't care, it means they care the right amount. If you thought you were going to Duke, I can see why you are frustrated.

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First of all, if someone isn't cheering it doesn't mean they know a lot about basketball. Secondly, it doesn't mean they care the right amount. It doesn't matter how many points we are up or down, we should cheer hard all game. This isn't football where everyone comes 15 minutes late and leaves at the half. And FYI, I never even thought of going to Duke, I was born a Gopher fan, and will die a Gopher fan.

You do have a good idea, however. Unfortunately, there are not enough of us to implement it successfully, in my opinion. In an ideal world, there would be world peace, no one starving, cancer cured, and enough people to have 3 crazies per 20 seat area. That's just not the case. I understand that the people under the overhang almost never cheer, and that's too lofty of a goal at this point in the program. I'm most disappointed in the lack of energy from even the first 15 rows of section 110, usually the loudest in the building. It's been abysmal this season, and I think it would be a disservice to scatter the so-called "superfans" around the section. Btw, where do you sit anyway? (I also hope that there is a lottery someday for student tickets, that way nobody can buy an extra for their parents and the people who get it because their friends do will think twice)

Got to agree with FTB. The Barnyard and the crew is great, but they need Gorton and others to expand their leadership. The crowd will get better as the season progresses and the big games begin, but if the leaders of the Barnyard get other fans to have a vested interest in the cheering (a little different than the game) it will produce results. Also expanding out of your little corner would be helpful. Plant a couple operatives over by the band in order surround the students with good examples. Perhaps work on some new chants that everyone can get into as well.

I'm in the student section ('05 alumni) and am a rabid fan. Would be glad to help in anyway I can.

GortonsFisherman011 said:

First of all, if someone isn't cheering it doesn't mean they know a lot about basketball. Secondly, it doesn't mean they care the right amount. It doesn't matter how many points we are up or down, we should cheer hard all game. This isn't football where everyone comes 15 minutes late and leaves at the half. And FYI, I never even thought of going to Duke, I was born a Gopher fan, and will die a Gopher fan.

You do have a good idea, however. Unfortunately, there are not enough of us to implement it successfully, in my opinion. In an ideal world, there would be world peace, no one starving, cancer cured, and enough people to have 3 crazies per 20 seat area. That's just not the case. I understand that the people under the overhang almost never cheer, and that's too lofty of a goal at this point in the program. I'm most disappointed in the lack of energy from even the first 15 rows of section 110, usually the loudest in the building. It's been abysmal this season, and I think it would be a disservice to scatter the so-called "superfans" around the section. Btw, where do you sit anyway? (I also hope that there is a lottery someday for student tickets, that way nobody can buy an extra for their parents and the people who get it because their friends do will think twice)

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You have at least 15 people in your little area. That is more than enough. You complain about how things are, but won't do anything to fix it, nice. Sounds like you are the one hoping to snap your fingers and have world peace. I get that you like being on TV and sitting with your friends, but you need to ask yourself if you want great seats or a great student section.

And dude, you take away the parents and peoples friends and you miss out on about 400 people in a 2,000 person section.