A Trip to Austin puts Michigan Fans into Perspective
Effing pathetic. That is all.
12 months ago
Peter Bean
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So embarassing.
But so true. I can’t put my finger on why. The worst part is that basketball is even more pathetic. I know it lacks the tradition, but we’re consistently a top 10 program.
by roywilliamsisgod on Nov 10, 2008 4:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
This post still applies...
My thoughts from before the season are still applicable:
http://www.burntorangenation.com/2008/6/25/558957/first-bon-contribution
This post wasn’t groundbreaking, but it lays out the premise for the crowds this season…the crowd was insane against Mizzou, well above average against Oklahoma State, and sucked against Baylor. Texas fans can be great when being willed into it, but when facing an inferior foe, they’re on-hand to merely observe the predicted beatdown.
However, I think any reader of this site could have predicted the bad crowd for Baylor, especially after the crushing loss against Tech. The entire week, I had people offering their tickets, tailgating spots, etc. It was early, it was hot, and it was against what the average fan believed to be a terrible team.
None of this makes it right, but I don’t see how anyone can be surprised…
by txtwstr7 on Nov 10, 2008 4:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
um I can be surprised
Horns fans talk about being the ‘most loyal’ and deep pocketed and all that jazz, but can’t even go to the games. Too cool for school syndrome. So weak. Honestly, even though I’m partial to UT because of all my family ties who went there including PB, I personally think part of the reason much of the football loving country hates UTs program is because the fans act so entitled without actually doing their part and showing up, staying late, and be really rowdy. Lots of new Tech fans across the country because of the ridiculous atmosphere that comes across there. Classy or not, it’s about showing up first and foremost and being loud. Texas fails.
And I don’t see how you could say this is not a surprise? Why do the add on if pepole arent going to show for EVERY game? It’s the only team in town! Show up! If you’re so supposedly loyal that is.
Weak.
by Blitzburgh on Nov 11, 2008 4:30 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yikes.
I was at the Baylor game, and thought it was the worst fan showing I had ever seen. My girlfriend remarked “Is the stadium officially too big for our fanbase?”
Ugh.
by the1austin on Nov 10, 2008 5:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
11 am
Is miserable for anyone. Managed to get to the game 3 minutes before kickoff and also cheered until the band played its last “The Eyes of Texas”. There were so many students missing that when we moved down a couple of rows in the student section during the fourth quarter, we were asked to sit down, as we were blocking several sitting students view.. :S. For those who don’t know, sitting during the game is what the old people on the West side of DKR do at home by not coming to the game, and by coming to the game.
A quarter of section 19 may have been missing throughout the entire game, even as students generally move down, towards the center and fill up the empty seats to get a better view. Overall a bad fan performance. Cheerleaders even more so. Had to yell at them once to encourage a Texas Fight.
Excitedly nervous in 08.
by Ultra Horn on Nov 10, 2008 5:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
It really was pretty bad
Baylor game was one of the worst games I have seen in a long long time. First time in awhile I haven’t tailgated, opted to pregame at home instead. I think it was just a perfect storm of situations. 11am = bruuuuuutal. This is also a party school. People wake up hungover at 10, and think about going to a hot game (sun was extremely strong) against Baylor, and it’s unfortunately just too simple a decision for most. The only time there is an excuse to play football that early is in September. You put this game at 2:30 and it’s a whole different ballgame.
by ryanlionrah on Nov 10, 2008 5:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
the kids definitely noticed
Would have been nice for them to see a full supportive crowd after the gutty comeback that fell short last week. Surely the kids were saddened to see the ebb and flow of support from the fans based on the time of the game. Had UT won against Tech, wouldn’t have been like that.
To me, that just means fair weather fans to a degree. Cheer when it’s convenient. Make excuses when it’s not.
by Blitzburgh on Nov 11, 2008 4:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
My first game at DKR
Saturday was my first Texas game – not an alumnus but a lifelong fan. Not knowing any different I don’t have other games to compare it to, but it seemed subdued for the reasons stated. It’s Baylor, it’s expected they’ll win (blowout), early kick, the incredible hangover from Tech, etc. If they would have beaten Tech I have to believe it would have been a little livelier.
We had good seats (10 yd line Baylor side, 2nd row) so I felt a little more into it because I didn’t get a sense of any emptiness in the stadium. It did clear out like crazy at the 6 minute mark after the FG to make it 45-14. Bottom line for me is it’s human nature – Mack has done such a good job that Texas fans expect not to lose. He has said it many times himself.
by jtlonghorn on Nov 10, 2008 5:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Worst game in DKR
I didn’t go the game, but, every single one of my friends who went to the game said it was one of the worse games in DKR. 11AM start, Baylor after the stretch of 4 tough games, and the depressing loss to Tech sort of make it understandable.
In Mack Brown We Trust!
by Cyrus on Nov 10, 2008 6:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Bump........
I posted this earlier and it was not just alumni – a big portion of the student section did not show up.
by texascfo on Nov 10, 2008 7:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
TV drives the game time and it sucks.................
This is a time for Big ten games, not Big 12 games
by texascfo on Nov 10, 2008 7:06 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
UT = UM
I believe I am well able to comment on this since I attended both school as a student (UM for four years and UT for two years) and attended every single football game.
UT and UM fans are virtually identical. This year aside for UM, both fan bases expect to win every game and therefore only get excited for the big games. My experience with the Big House and with DKR is that they can get very loud for rivalry games but are quiet for the cupcakes. Also, both fanbases tend to empty out early (this seemed somewhat understandable in my 1st yr at UT when VY was running up 50 pts by halftime.)
As a comparable game at the U of M, Michigan was undefeated in 2006 (9-0) heading into a november game vs Ball State. The attendance was pathetic, with many ticket holders not showing up at all. Very similar to the Baylor game.
by hkemblu on Nov 10, 2008 7:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Oh I agree about Ball State
I was at that game too. Huge disappointment there. Going into DKR I would have at least imagined it being filled for a conference opponent. I mean I know Baylor isn’t that great, but I would expect better for my own school (Michigan) against Indiana. Either way, I enjoyed myself , and that’s what matters. Thanks to any of you who I talked to during the game. The fans who knew of BON were much more intelligent that that idiot who sat behind me cursing Colt McCoy for throwing wide receiver screens.
Thanks guys and good luck.
by formerlyanonymous on Nov 11, 2008 9:57 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Clever nickname
It's a Horns' world. Even Aggies play hoops with a burnt orange ball.
by Speedway on Nov 11, 2008 3:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't like going to the games
Someone always ask me to sit down. If I wanted to sit down, I’d watch at home, it’s a much better seat than anything the stadium has to offer. I wanna go to the game to experience the game. To feel the crowd screaming, and to join in. To have my legs get tired from standing all day. To see the whole field.
by osa1011 on Nov 10, 2008 8:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Damn straight
I can accept that the alumni don’t want to stand all day. This is one reason the students should have their own section (another being that it helps amplify the craziness – scattering them makes every part of the stadium a little louder, concentrating them makes that part of the stadium absolutely nuts) – the only excuses for sitting down in the student section are 1) it’s halftime, or 2) your leg is broken.
by SpartanDan on Nov 10, 2008 11:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Twas ever thus....
Going to games in the mid-60s, 70s and in 80s, the same pattern of full house for big games, poorer attendance for less interesting games, and leaving early for blow outs was common then. TV games were fewer, and with less viewing access, the relative attendance was probably better. Of course, in the fallow years, only the most dedicated attended while the glory years drew grew crowds.
I do think concentrating the student population would help. My eldest daughter, an ’07 grad, was an avid fan, and was livid that she never drew even good seats. I thought that was outrageous. I think the edge should go to the students; in all senses, it is their team and their time at UT and that should be honored and not demeaned for a few more season ticket holders.
The students should take the lead in some manner. Indeed, they have the capacity to raise hell as few can.
by whills on Nov 10, 2008 8:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Only time I've sat down...
is at the mizzou game at halftime. I was standing from 2 AM standing in line at College Gameday until the game’s end
by BlinkOneGun on Nov 10, 2008 9:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
This is pretty dissapointing
For you guys- after the rowdy home games against Mizzou and OSU, I thought DKR would finally be able to put “The Library” in its past. Oh what a difference a week makes. Especially given that you are still just one Tech loss away from the Big XII Championship Game and a possible MNC shot.
by mojavereject on Nov 10, 2008 10:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Who buys tickets
To understand this, we need to bear in mind that people buy tickets — and attend games — for different reasons. First off, you’ve got your hard core partisans, that’s 95% of us BONers. Next, you have the football fans, people who love to watch football but may or may not have a strong attachment to the home team. Third, you have your school loyalists, students and alumni who identify with the school and feel they should come out to support their team. And fourth, you have your casual fans, for whom the game is a social event. With the vast majority of seats going to season ticket holders, you have a great many going to people in the last three groups, who may find other priorities on gameday. The football fan may decide to take a pass on a lopsided contest and watch a better game on TV. The student may be looking a midterms (or recovering from Friday night). The casual fan may have other things to do — after all 11am is not exactly a good time for a date. But for the big game, the football fan wants to be where the action is, the supporters come out when the team needs them, and the casual fans are drawn to the event.
This is all natural. Not every one is hard core. And if the seats were all filled with hard core fans, where would that leave everyone else?
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
by Caradoc on Nov 10, 2008 11:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
im still not sure how thats an excuse
wouldnt you have the same sort of overall fanbase at any school? and yet they still seem to be more excited and fired up about games than we do.
that aside, i wouldnt mind having a football education test before entering the stadium. i dont know how many times ive had to stand next to drunk sorority girls spending more time texting their friends from across the stadium and taking hook em pictures on their digital cameras while paying just enough attention to the game to know when to cheer for the other team.
by UTrumbo on Nov 11, 2008 10:48 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
further aside
i dont actually want a football education test.
by UTrumbo on Nov 11, 2008 10:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
No excuse
My point is that UT has an exceptionally broad base of ticket holders, thanks to the size of the school and the lack of pro sports in the city. (And all things being equal, I’m not so sure that having a seat next to a drunk sorority girl is all that bad.)
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
by Caradoc on Nov 11, 2008 11:59 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
seriously
Let that not be an excuse for the MALES of the group to celebrate all things college football 7-8 f’n times a year. Get over yourselves. Facebook and laying out by the pool at your new apt complex on west campus can wait a few hours. I assure you.
by Blitzburgh on Nov 11, 2008 12:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I have no idea what you are trying to say here. -NT
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
by Caradoc on Nov 11, 2008 12:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You confuse me
but obviously you don’t like facebook or the new apartments on west campus.
by Wells on Nov 11, 2008 9:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I long for the day
when Texas fans bashing Texas fans is no longer in vogue. It’s not that the bashing has no merit, it’s just that this is probably 10th piece I’ve read about the lackluster Baylor crowd. And there have been 10,000 discussions of this issue before the Baylor game. At this point, it is what it is. Expectations need to be re-calibrated, because I don’t think we’re going to get louder or more intense all of the sudden.
However, one positive step that could be taken is to negotiate a better television deal that doesn’t require 11 AM start times.
by andy_wooster on Nov 11, 2008 1:35 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
thats right expectations need to be recalibrated
Texas fans need to stop calling themselves some of the best, most visible and most vocal fans in the country. You’re right. It’s not this way at other schools across the country, even though those littany of excuses are in play elsewhere too.
by Blitzburgh on Nov 11, 2008 4:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Fans
I have never once heard Texas fans call themselves the best or the most vocal. It is pretty much understood that most Texas fans are not hardcore and don’t “live” for the horns like you will see in most of the SEC (The reasons have been covered so many times before). Texas only claim to have a very large fanbase that is willing to support the team monetarily.
by JohnsonUT on Nov 11, 2008 7:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i have heard the word 'loyal'
Very recently, in regards to BCS considerations and economics. That Texas fans, who are the most ‘loyal’ in the country (as well as financially sound of course), would travel better than anyone else. Well, this isnt a display of loyalty imo. It just reeks of I only really care about the team when it fits into my otherwise very crammed social life. Talking about the students of course. I’m not going to criticize older folks for not being rabid. That’d be dumb to do that as I think must of us find it sad that so many grown ups in SEC country are so wrapped up in the games, sometimes even killing in anger like last weekend in Alabama. But man, the student body at UT sure is pretty f’m soft these days. Popped collars, too cool to be rowdy in the non signature games, not interested in basketball because its not a prominent date/social activity, etc etc.
by Blitzburgh on Nov 11, 2008 8:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I felt miserable, but I made it.
I had a wicked hangover when my buddy charged into my room at 10:30 to get me up and I promised to personally castrate whatever FSN exec. scheduled this game so damn early. I usually make it a point to get drunk / flask it for all of the games, but I’m not super man and I had to last through on my five hours of sleep (with none the night before that) and stay from kickoff to conclusion.
I guess the point I’m making is, I consider myself a fairly typical student and terrible hangover + lack of time to get drunk = quiet, groaning misery in the stands.
BTW I live/tailgate in west campus and the extra getting drunk time is definitely worth the 15 minute walk i make everyday anyway
by TexasFinance on Nov 11, 2008 12:21 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Nice profile pic
It's a Horns' world. Even Aggies play hoops with a burnt orange ball.
by Speedway on Nov 11, 2008 3:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
If it was about the fans you wouldn't need a team.
all of you people must be the reason TV coverage is so bad. Crowd reactions shots, Players reaction shots, rich people and movies stars reaction shots. Then they can’t get back to the game and miss next the play.
All I want is to see is the game I don’t want people to watch me watch the game, I don’t want to watch some else watch the game. What is the fetish with " the Fans" is having dedicated fans some kind of status, does it raise your BCS standing?
Look very closely at the fans at the horns game on the MU site short sleeves and shorts. Nice sunny weather is the difference, At MU is the ground frozen yet? Just what you need drunk fans on icy roads. I think I’ll go swimming out at the lake
by Xerxes on Nov 11, 2008 1:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
WELL...
I think you can pretty much kiss J. McFarland out because of the horrible showing Texas fans showed against Baylor. I hope other recruits don’t de-commit because of the poor support.
by Longhorns84 on Nov 11, 2008 1:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Oh, boo hoo
Do you seriously think a prime recruit counts the fans in the stands against the conference punching bag when deciding on a school? Do you expect that someone like McFarland would fail to consider the school, the coach, the facility, the media coverage, and (oh yes) the team? Or do you think some other school has all that on a par with UT and that the number of fans at the Baylor game is the tie breaker?
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
by Caradoc on Nov 11, 2008 3:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I hope they don't!
I think the biggest plus for McFarland is that he’ll get some, if not a lot, of playing time next year.
There aren’t many schools that can catch the attention of someone his caliber and knowing that we have some seniors leaving and places to be filled, will be a big factor in his decision, as well as his mother.
aka MyPoolLeaks
by afaeguy on Nov 11, 2008 6:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
A poor showing indeed...
I posted a pic on “Fan Shots” expressing the same concern. I whole heartedly agree with many of you and as a life long Longhorn fan am disappointed by the poor crowd attendance. On a side note JaMarcus McFarland was there and I bet he was not impressed. So keep that in mind the next time you don’t show up to a game.
ATX
by Atownatx on Nov 12, 2008 1:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
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