Victory Walk - thoughts and observations

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GOFUR

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I'll start by saying that I like the Victory Walk tradition that Coach Brewster has introduced at Minnesota. It gives fans a chance to show their support and appreciation to the players on a more intimate level before the team goes into battle.

I have attended four Victory Walk's this year and what I have noticed is that as the season has progressed the players seem less interested to the point where half of the team is walking along chatting with each other or listening to Ipods, giving the impression that they could care less. This may or may not be true but even my 12 year old son commented on this after the MSU walk. I won't mention any names but there were a couple of "highly visible players" who couldn't hear my son yelling at them because they were listening to music.

One might argue that this is for the players but I would argue it is for the fans too, especially for the fans who wish to "connect" with the team. Brewster is well ahead of the team so he doesn't witness what I have seen. Is this what Brewster had in mind when introducing and "selling" the Victory walk to fans? This team needs positive PR with the fan base. Removing your head gear and making eye contact and acknowledging the fans can go along ways. Not half of the team - the entire team.
 

I agree with the above observation. I have been very surprised at the apathy displayed by many of the players during the Victory Walk. Many players have been very cool while high-fiving fans (mostly kids which is great) and being engaged in the process. But there are many many players that act as if it's a bother and that is disappointing.
 

For all the crap Weber gets, he is giving fives every victory walk with a smile on his face.
 

GOFUR said:
I'll start by saying that I like the Victory Walk tradition that Coach Brewster has introduced at Minnesota. It gives fans a chance to show their support and appreciation to the players on a more intimate level before the team goes into battle.

I have attended four Victory Walk's this year and what I have noticed is that as the season has progressed the players seem less interested to the point where half of the team is walking along chatting with each other or listening to Ipods, giving the impression that they could care less. This may or may not be true but even my 12 year old son commented on this after the MSU walk. I won't mention any names but there were a couple of "highly visible players" who couldn't hear my son yelling at them because they were listening to music.

One might argue that this is for the players but I would argue it is for the fans too, especially for the fans who wish to "connect" with the team. Brewster is well ahead of the team so he doesn't witness what I have seen. Is this what Brewster had in mind when introducing and "selling" the Victory walk to fans? This team needs positive PR with the fan base. Removing your head gear and making eye contact and acknowledging the fans can go along ways. Not half of the team - the entire team.
Click to expand...

E-mail your concern to Brewster.
 

Iceland12 said:
E-mail your concern to Brewster.
Click to expand...

+1. If you're genuinely concerned, email it straight to Coach Brewster. At the very least someone with a chance of addressing your concern will see it - though not sure if that person is an admin that filters through emails for Coach Brewster or the man himself.
 


I should add that I like the new tradition and hope it continues to grow and be a cool part of the Gopher gameday experience!
 

Will do

Does someone have Coach Brewster's e-mail - please
 

I sent one similar last week:

Coach Brewster -

This is probably an email for after the season is over, so if you want to bucket this in the things to do when I'm not trying to beat Illinois, I will understand. With that said, I wanted to share my experience on the Victory Walk.

MSU was the first chance that I had to take in the Victory Walk. I have two kids under the age of 3, so I am trying to balance a 3 hour game of entertainment into the attention span of a 3 year old. Last weekend with Halloween, I was able to go early sans my family. When I joined the Victory Walk, I was excited. I was excited for the game. I was excited for the players. I wish lonely Kalamazoo College Football had even a fraction of the level of this kind of interest. It made me as a fan feel more part of the experience. It was exciting.

One thing that kind of stood out to me, was that I don't really recognize who was who. I wanted to cheer on some of the people that I had read were scout players of the week from the weeks before. I understand the importance of having a good scout team to go against, and I wanted to let them know as a fan I appreciate them. Is it possible for the players to where their number visible? Can the warm ups be equipped with a number on the sleeve or back?

The other thing was the distance of the lane for the victory walk. It appears that the lane is wide enough for a Band to march through, however, it leaves the players to be able to walk into the middle. I was happy to see your excitement as you came around the corner. You found fans, you cheered, they cheered. You thanked them, and they nodded in appreciation. Then the players came. Some were trying to focus for the game (headphones - intent stares), as well as others were just chatting with their teammates. It felt like the majority walked through the middle without acknowledging the fans. There were a few that came to the sides to high five us, but it felt like I was just watching a bunch of people walk to the stadium, and not really apart of the process. Is it possible that the players split and walk closer to the edge? One group is responsible for the right side, and the other for the left side. Even if three want to go side by side, one out going person can be the token high five guy.

I want to finish this with a positive. The football players who came to the sides were appreciative, positive, and made the experience as a fan tremendous.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Go Gophers!
 





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