The tide in the fan base seems to be a changin

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upnorthkid

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Just wanted to gather others thoughts/personal anecdotes on the fan base.

Personally it seems that the growing interest in the program is palpable. I'm seeing many more Gopher sweatshirts, caps, etc than ever before. A lot more casual type fans talking about the team. My family (who is about as fair weather as they come) is talking about wanting to hit every B10 stadium at one a year in addition to any B10 championship games starting next year.

Just wondering if you guys/gals are seeing the same changes across the state and within your own lives? All I know is this makes having followed the team my whole life a whole lot sweeter to feel like we are starting to turn the corner and come on the upswing. It'd be a whole lot more fun to have more people jump on the wagon with us and support our team.

Go Gophs and hope I can make it to the bowl game and see some of you there as well!
 

My brother told me back in the summer that there was no way the Gophers would ever become a winning team and that Kill seemed like a nice guy but he wouldn't be able to get the job done. He never gave me a legit reason and he's a die hard Vikings fan that doesn't follow college football other than he "knows the Gophers have always sucked". I took him to his first Gopher game against Northwestern and he had a great time. A few hours after the Badger game he texted me that he was proud of Kill and what he's been able to do with the team and that he's definitely down for the TCU game next fall. I'd say the tide is changing with casual/non-fans.
 


IMHO...too early to say. I think a B1G championship could have spurred a huge sale of bowl game tickets and season tickets to sellout next year. However the loss probably negates that. I wouldn't say the casual fans have jumped off the bandwagon, they just aren't going to commit 100% yet.
 

Yeah, I'll agree with Darren ... the ticket sales for next year will tell the story IMO. I expect they'll be up, but how much? Good/great home slate of games, with TCU, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin ... no excuses not to have a big increase in sales if the tide truly has turned.
 


Kuato Lives! said:
My brother told me back in the summer that there was no way the Gophers would ever become a winning team and that Kill seemed like a nice guy but he wouldn't be able to get the job done. He never gave me a legit reason and he's a die hard Vikings fan that doesn't follow college football other than he "knows the Gophers have always sucked". I took him to his first Gopher game against Northwestern and he had a great time. A few hours after the Badger game he texted me that he was proud of Kill and what he's been able to do with the team and that he's definitely down for the TCU game next fall. I'd say the tide is changing with casual/non-fans.
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This sums up the opinion of most of the people I know. I think most people would love the Gophers to win, but they're so accustomed to seeing them lose they expect losing and don't pay as much attention to the Gophers as they do the Vikings. Winning gets their attention. Just saw this tweet from Doogie (sorry, don't know how to embed a tweet and don't feel like figuring it out now):

Darren Wolfson
NFL-like numbers -- 14.6 rating, close to a 40 share. #gophers RT @BobDreas Any data on Gophs/Bucky BTN ratings?
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I watched the game on Saturday with a few buddies who haven't cared about the Gophers much in the past and they're intrigued about the future of the team under Kill. The building of the fanbase and game attendance numbers will be a lot like Kill's motto, "brick by brick". It won't happen over night, but things are trending in the right direction.
 

It's definitely changing. My sister, who has no U of M affiliations at all, has been super pumped this season. She experienced her first Iowa game and loved WHO HATES IOWA....WE HATE IOWA! She's looking for more games to attend and a potentially a bowl game. Always nice when a family member texts - f wisconsin....I want my axe back. So proud.
 

The in game support has definitely improved. A good portion of our section now stands on defensive 3rd downs, whereas when we first opened The Bank, I was nearly the only one in my section standing and got told to sit down a lot (which I didn't).
 



Prior to a couple weeks ago, I don't remember when I've ever gotten emotional due to something about the football team, but it's happened twice now since the Saturday before last. The first one was the win against Nebraska. It wasn't beating Nebraska but instead about earning a chance to play for the division championship and a berth in the conference title game. It's the rarest air we've breathed in a long time, and when I thought about it the rest of the day, I had a frog in my throat.

The second time was this morning. My radio alarm woke me up, and the KFAN Power Trip people were all expressing genuine indignation that the Gophs got leaped by the Huskers in the polls - even though we'd beaten them and yada yada. I mean, they weren't just mentioning it and saying it was unfair and didn't add up; they were ticked off, truly upset. And my first thought is, I'm not even ticked off about that, but THEY are. And it made me tear up a little then - and even now - to feel that kind of passion come from people who, even though they cover the team as part of the radio station, are essentially casual fans. The Gophers have captured people's imagination and heart in a way that even Mason's best teams didn't. Talk about progress on the field - this is progress in a much broader sense. This feels like much more than the flavor of the month. This is how a program gets new, true fans.
 

Took a friend I met in the MBA program to his first football game - homecoming against Purdue. Being from India, he is a big Soccer and Cricket fan; so this was a new experience for him. After tailgating for a couple of hours and attending the game, I showed him the rest of the campus and the decorations on fraternity row. He's been watching more football and is looking forward to more games next season! Great quotes that sum it up:
"For as much as enjoy a drink, this is as early as I had a drink."
"I can how you can make a day of this."
"LET'S DO THIS AGAIN!"

btw - That was a great day and an exciting game!
 

I absolutely had no problem finding someone to take Mrs Bayfield's spot for the first 5 home games. Can't say that in the past.
 

Thankfully the Vikes' season will be over before Jan 1. PA will probably talk 'wolves...
 



I was at a wedding in Manhattan Kansas this weekend (Kansas State), the wedding was Friday, and on Saturday, there was a planned tailgating party from the couple. There were droves and droves of tailgaters, and people were really into it. I don't know if the Gopher fan base will ever be as huge as what I saw from Kansas State, but I do think things are changing for the better. There was one other Gopher fan at the tailgate party with me, and we left a little early to go watch the Gophers. The other fan went to NDSU for four years, and then went to U of M for four more, and said that even though he had season tickets when he went to the U, he would only go to a game or two a season, and said that he has really gotten into the team this year.
 

DarrenTheGreek said:
IMHO...too early to say. I think a B1G championship could have spurred a huge sale of bowl game tickets and season tickets to sellout next year. However the loss probably negates that. I wouldn't say the casual fans have jumped off the bandwagon, they just aren't going to commit 100% yet.
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Well, how Minnesotan of them. Ha, you all know it's true. And I feel fine saying it having been born and raised in this damn passive-aggressive a$$ state. It is okay to be fanatical (i.e. where the word fan comes from) about something my fellow people. It really is. Embrace you fanaticism. ;)
 

My parents have never really cared much about the Gophers. They'll watch them if they aren't doing anything but this year they really got into it. My mom was even texting me throughout a few of the games. My dad goes hunting in Colorado every fall and the first thing he asked me when he got back was how the Gophers did. In the past it was always the Vikings.

I've taken my dad to a few games and he really enjoys them. Hoping to get my parents and some other family to go to a game next year.
 

GophersInIowa said:
My parents have never really cared much about the Gophers. They'll watch them if they aren't doing anything but this year they really got into it. My mom was even texting me throughout a few of the games. My dad goes hunting in Colorado every fall and the first thing he asked me when he got back was how the Gophers did. In the past it was always the Vikings.

I've taken my dad to a few games and he really enjoys them. Hoping to get my parents and some other family to go to a game next year.
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If you show enough passion for something people will notice and check it out. I have noticed the same with my friends, coworkers and family.
 

My retired guys breakfast group had 3 of us out of about 16 who were fanatical Gopher fans. I still think we're the only ones who live and die with them but there is definitely more discussion and more looking forward to Gopher games. Started last year and really ratcheted up with Nebraska win.

Tide is also changing with the hard core in that expectations are growing. People who would have been ecstatic if they had been told we would go 2-2 over the last four games are still p*ssed and bitching about Kill, Limegrover, and especially Mitch 3 days later. Some are the usual trolls, but some are real fans who aren't quite as patient or understanding.
 

Attendance won't go up until we at least win a Big Ten West Championship. People will pay more attention, but next year expect the same number of butts in the seats as this year.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
If you show enough passion for something people will notice and check it out. I have noticed the same with my friends, coworkers and family.
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I've always said you need to be passionate about something in life and one of mine is being a diehard Gopher fan forever and a day (i.e., since the 70's). I have seen a greater interest in the Gophers by family, friends and co-workers than at any other time in my life.
 

josh087 said:
Attendance won't go up until we at least win a Big Ten West Championship. People will pay more attention, but next year expect the same number of butts in the seats as this year.
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I agree. Well, actually I do think they will sell a few more season tickets and a few more student season tickets but for the most part attendance will look pretty similar. Numbers will be further padded with Nebraska and Wisconsin coming to town.

People are paying attention, but unfortunately 50 years of somewhat up and mostly down football has sapped a lot of college football knowledge out of this fan base. A lot of people think there is the Rose Bowl... And then a bunch of other worthless bowls that crappy teams play in. Even a win in the... say... Citrus Bowl will not light people on fire for next year. The combination of Gopher football history and Vikings dominance over the market means a lot of people don't realize there is a big difference between a pro team winning its division and a B1G team winning the conference. People haven't payed attention to college football here so they don't even understand how to manage their own expectations when it comes to the Gophers.

I could see a sort of groundswell situation arise if the Gophers enter the year ranked, beat TSU, and have an undefeated record midway through the B1G season. If that happened I could see the Gophers build an in-season frenzy, similar to what happened in 2003 right up until a couple minutes left in the Michigan game. But like 2003, the first loss would result in a missed sellout for the next home game following it.
 

My 80 year old mom went to the Northwestern game. The tide has turned. My brother texted me about the last two games (he went with my mom). Both my mom and brother are not football fans in the least. They are the last people to jump on a bandwagon. Yet they are watching the games...
 

GophersInIowa said:
My parents have never really cared much about the Gophers. They'll watch them if they aren't doing anything but this year they really got into it. My mom was even texting me throughout a few of the games. My dad goes hunting in Colorado every fall and the first thing he asked me when he got back was how the Gophers did. In the past it was always the Vikings.

I've taken my dad to a few games and he really enjoys them. Hoping to get my parents and some other family to go to a game next year.
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My niece lives in Des Moines. She hates Iowa. Yes, the tide is turning.
 

NOW is the time for the Gopher marketing team to put together an "early bird" season ticket campaign. Strike while the iron is HOT. Any bets on whether this will happen? I'm betting "not".
 

I realized when I was getting texts from friends all over the country during the Ohio State game that the interest is growing. I've always been the 'Gopher Guy' at work and now people are asking me more about Gophers and showing interest than ever before.
 

We still need to get the Wisconsin monkey off of our back. 11 in a row is absolutely unacceptable, and there are enough Badger fans around the Cities that fencesitters have no trouble observing the annual trash talk when they beat us again. I had it easy this year, the worst I got was a picture of some prehistoric leather and stone tool with the caption "this is what the Axe looked like the last time the Gophers won it".
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
We still need to get the Wisconsin monkey off of our back. 11 in a row is absolutely unacceptable, and there are enough Badger fans around the Cities that fencesitters have no trouble observing the annual trash talk when they beat us again. I had it easy this year, the worst I got was a picture of some prehistoric leather and stone tool with the caption "this is what the Axe looked like the last time the Gophers won it".
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100% agree with this. There are so many Badger fans around MSP that the minute you get excited about the Gophers, you have some Badger fan yapping in your ear about their dominance over us. Next year has to be the year that they get the money off their back. 5th year, at home, team that finally has some depth/talent...have to get it done.

There is excitement for this program and casual fans are definitely taking notice. Just have to keep building.
 


Couple of thoughts: first, I think a win in the Bowl game is VERY important in order to show momentum for the program.

Like it or not, the majority of MN fans (not talking about people on this board) are front-runners and bandwagon jumpers. I've been watching it since the late 60's. A team gets hot, wins some games, generates some buzz, and all of a sudden, people come out of the woodwork proclaiming themselves to be "fans" of the (twins, Vikes, North Stars, Kicks, Wild, Muskies, T-Wolves, Gopher FB, Gopher Men's BB, Gopher Women's BB, etc.)

But, if their "new" team goes into a slump, or loses a game they were not "supposed" to lose, the new fans vanish as quickly as they arrived.

Winning has a lot to do with it, but it goes beyond winning. I'm a native Minnesotan, and the majority of people in this state are just not die-hard fans of anything. It's like being a real fan - being truly committed to a team, win or lose, is somehow beneath them.

Let's face it - the Gopher FB team still can't sell out a 50,000 seat stadium. When the Gophs sell out every game for 2 or 3 seasons in a row, get back to me. Until then, I remain skeptical about MN "fans."
 

There has always been good will towards gopher football, a general sense among almost all people in the state that "I want the Gophers to do well, I just am not going to spend much time worrying about it during Vikings season, or during hockey season, at least until they are good, or beat wisconsin."

Now I think there's a sense of "Hey that's really cool they're winning, I'll wear my Gopher sweatshirt on Saturday and tune in to the game."

Next step is either winning a division title, or beating wisconsin. Do either of those and those fans will start buying tickets, talking smack to badger fans, and start paying attention at a higher level.
Iowa is only a rival to those around Iowa fans, wisconsin is the game that perks up ears around the TC area, and the only way to fully crank the fanbase up is to beat the badgers.

Next year.
 

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