Apathy?

[dwilmont44]

There is one good team on the home schedule this year. For the casual fan it isn't worth investing time, money, whatever to go see second tier schools.

I know...everybody schedules to get in a bowl game. I also know those practices get us closer to reaching football nirvana. I also know this is an event town and the schedule has no 'events" on it. The mindset is why the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball sell out in 5 minutes and the Mets games are a tomb.

Yep this is a big part. The casual fan wants to see high stakes games against good teams. Making a bowl is nice and all but so many teams make a bowl it's a joke. And when you make it by winning 6 games against the sisters of the poor and maybe a couple sub 500 ACC teams that's not going to drive attendance.

We also don't have a rival in football which means we can't even count on that as a one off draw.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Stern’s right. I’m a die hard. I found myself bored during the 1st half Saturday.

The games that interest me now are to 25 games. Our program is just mediocre to bad. And has been for 25 years.

Hope it changes.

Hah. I am the exact opposite, but I don't find cfb as must see TV. I haven't watched an entire college game outside of Syracuse's in years.

 

[bevosu]

I was a student at SU in the mid-70s and I've followed the team closely ever since. I agree that winning is the key when it comes to fan interest, but not only have we not been winning we've also played mostly incredibly boring football ever since the Pasqualoni years.

We had Marrone and Nassib, Dungey, and now we have Shrader. ..a plus. The Robinson and Shafer years were a disaster and painful to watch. Babers can thank a couple of QBs for making a couple of seasons watchable. The W-L loss records for the past couple of decades have been embarrassing based on our prior history as a solid program, but the additional fun killer for me has been the loss of entertainment value when watching boring poorly played football. We've had way too much of it.

 

[SWC75]

1260 has become very bitter towards the University. Lerch still loves Cuse and is a good guy, but they are branding themselves locally as the "Pro" station. So its 90% NFL, NBA and MLB. They also have almost zero listeners. Their numbers are so dreadful I don't know how they stay on the air.

ESPN Syracuse is 90% cuse sports. Infanti and Pauly talk SU football all week long. And Higgins too.

I think this is a big issue here. 1260 doesn't have any SU contracts and nobody from SU talks to them so they have positioned themselves as the station that can be honest about SU, (I'm wondering if Axe will bring his show back there). I tuned into Orange Nation and most of the show was about the SU-Army game.

But neither show gets the amount of call-ins they used to get, by quite a margin. The Manchild show just gets a Fedex guy who just talks fantasy football and tennis and me, occasionally.

 

[690West]

I think this is a big issue here. 1260 doesn't have any SU contracts and nobody from SU talks to them so they have positioned themselves as the station that can be honest about SU, (I'm wondering if Axe will bring his show back there). I tuned into Orange Nation and most of the show was about the SU-Army game.

But neither show gets the amount of call-ins they used to get, by quite a margin. The Manchild show just gets a Fedex guy who just talks fantasy football and tennis and me, occasionally.

Frankly, the only reason to listen to the manchild show these days is the chance for a Steve call-in.

 

[David332]

Stern’s right. I’m a die hard. I found myself bored during the 1st half Saturday.

The games that interest me now are to 25 games. Our program is just mediocre to bad. And has been for 25 years.

Hope it changes.

We have a fun, great team right now. We will miss Shrader once he is gone. Let’s enjoy this season, it’s been a blast so far and just getting started.

When was the last time we won out all four OOC games?

 

[690West]

We spend far too much time worrying about what other people do, or don't do, with their time.

On the surface this take makes sense. But it's more nuanced than that from a utilitarian standpoint. If I judged whether a random lady on my street went to Talbots this Saturday, that would be weird. Her decision to go buy some overpriced plaid shawl doesn't affect my utility at all.

But, the amount of people in the dome can have a direct correlation to wins, thus creating more utility for me, my family, and all my syracusefan brethren. This should be the guiding principle of conduct within the community!

So, in closing, I'm gonna judge away. Get your arses to the game, you lazy casuals!

For the record, Capt. Tuttle will dislike this post with the fire of a thousand suns! lol

 

[elimunelson]

So FanFest or Barbie Night? - Those fighting words bruh

they renamed Fenway "Kenway".

 

[Cusefan95]

I think this is a big issue here. 1260 doesn't have any SU contracts and nobody from SU talks to them so they have positioned themselves as the station that can be honest about SU, (I'm wondering if Axe will bring his show back there). I tuned into Orange Nation and most of the show was about the SU-Army game.

But neither show gets the amount of call-ins they used to get, by quite a margin. The Manchild show just gets a Fedex guy who just talks fantasy football and tennis and me, occasionally.

I may be excessively cynical - but if someone’s pitch to me is they can be honest, I immediately assume they are compulsively dishonest - the type of people who would rather climb a tree to tell a lie than stay on the ground and tell the truth.

I’m not saying that’s the case at 1260 - I am saying I won’t listen long enough to give them the opportunity to prove me right.

 

[IthacaMatt]

1260 has become very bitter towards the University. Lerch still loves Cuse and is a good guy, but they are branding themselves locally as the "Pro" station. So its 90% NFL, NBA and MLB. They also have almost zero listeners. Their numbers are so dreadful I don't know how they stay on the air.

ESPN Syracuse is 90% cuse sports. Infanti and Pauly talk SU football all week long. And Higgins too.

Well, I guess this is kind of a natural response when people get people fired if they don't like their coverage - at their new gig, they cover somebody else who isn't so thin-skinned. Do you think Boeheim would have lasted almost 50 years if he faced the NYC media every game? I doubt it, personally.

 

[shu 49]

If we went 10-2 every year, nobody would care if practices were closed.

Still shouldn't be. If we fill dome every year, then start having closed practices. It's been year 8 and it hasn't worked yet lol. Let the customers enjoy the practices

 

[shu 49]

Completely right.

I enjoy the games for what they are. I'm a psycho (unlike literally every one of my friends from SU) and come to this site for a bit more nuanced observation of the real stories. None of them do or care to. And I don't care one bit. I don't care if any fans care. The university is invested in football. That's all I need. We get subsidized checks from the ACC to keep this afloat for now. Life is good.

I do think the apathy stems from the fact that there is a 1-2% chance of SU ever sniffing a national title again. With no national title aspirations (or even Orange bowl BCS level games) within the grasp people really don't care. Again, I don't care that they don't care. I don't even really care. I just like watching the games for what they are. Ultimately they get bowl eligible that's a good thing for the program. I don't get jazzed up for a bowl game that no one plays in anymore. I just know the team itself sees it as a fun week of gift bags and media and social media buzz (which is what they all want anyway).

I think we can put ourselves in a good spot with a great year now and a great basketball year. We have a chance to be able to provide for out kids but we can't sqandere it

 

[sdhall01]

Oops. My bad

I almost didn't correct you because your sentiment is correct.

 

[BKCuse]

I spent $125 per person for my first season tickets back in 1996 in section 125. That there are ANY seats in the Dome that can be purchased for roughly the same amount I paid 27 years ago is absolutely bonkers.

That’s INSANE.

It also goes to show how important our ACC TV money is. All that bread allows them to keep ticket prices low giving us a better chance to get butts in seats and keep the Loud house LOUD.

 

[SUOrange44]

I think there are a lot of great posts and points in this thread. If I could add two more……

I know it has been discussed before but youth sports now are much different than they even were ten years ago. Huge amount of pressure for kids to play travel and club sports or get left behind.

My son has played travel hockey and club soccer and almost every single weekend was spoken for.

My daughter plays club lacrosse. She would want to go to every SU football and basketball game but just can’t because of tournaments, practice, skills. I think the Venn diagram between people who love college sports probably overlaps significantly with kids playing travel and high school athletics. Makes it really hard to get up to the Hill.

In addition, maybe it is just me, but SU home games seem to be clumped together so I imagine folks are also making choices on what to go to. This year is a perfect example. Four games in September and then a significant gap. A more equitable split month to month would probably make an impact…..

The EndGame though is having a winning team. That is reason 1-7 re: attendance issues.

SUOrange44

 

[hungrychuck]

There is one good team on the home schedule this year. For the casual fan it isn't worth investing time, money, whatever to go see second tier schools.

I know...everybody schedules to get in a bowl game. I also know those practices get us closer to reaching football nirvana. I also know this is an event town and the schedule has no 'events" on it. The mindset is why the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball sell out in 5 minutes and the Mets games are a tomb.

This is the actual.

I like this team, and I appreciate the need to play a weak early schedule to get in bowl position

But then you can’t complain when the home fans take a sniff and say, “umm, no thanks, there’s that other thing.”

We’re not in Alabama or Georgia or Happy Valley. Fans have other good choices and exercise them

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Too bad but not surprising there is nothing in sports that comes close to the NFL in terms of popularity. Sure if you operate when the NFL does not they have to talk about you ie NBA playoffs but the NFL is 10x more popular than any other organization these days and totally untouchable and the legalized sports betting to go with fantasy puts it in another stratosphere.

This day in age here in Boston BC could be 6-0 and the Patriots 0-6 and they wouldn't even get mentioned on the radio.


I was just in Atlanta for work earlier today UGA and Clemson gear everywhere no Falcons. It kind of makes sense why the SEC and Big Ten have been allowed to destroy other conferences bc those areas actually like CFB more than NFL. But they are still football mad the NFL teams just suck down there.

 

[721Comstock]

Apathy?

Meh.

Whatever.







I don’t listen to sports radio, and never have.

ESPN stopped being a thing I’d watch for other than a game ages ago.
SportsCenter? Couldn’t even name a single person on it, were I to ever have it on.
I used to watch PTI pretty regularly, but haven’t in years.

Used to be a hardcore Giants fan, and never missed a game.
Now, I’m not sure I could name more than 2-3 players, and haven’t watched a game since the tail end of Eli’s career.
Didn’t even realize that they were pretty decent last year, until after the fact.
Was just in the habit of actively ignoring them for so long.

Was also a Jets fan, but they were even easier to stop watching.

Haven’t watched the Super Bowl in quite a while also.

Even this year, I wasn’t able to watch the first 2 Cuse games (stupid Disney), and only watched the 2nd half against Purdue.
Did watch almost all of the Army game, but somehow missed the 1 play where Villari had a catch.
Of course.

Cuse hoops used to be must see TV for me, but the past 2 seasons broke me of that habit.

I am looking forward to watching again -
Really psyched to see what Red & co do this year, and am hopeful that, even if we don’t have a huge uptick in the W column (but I think we will, just due to the massive upgrade in talent, athleticism, and depth), that at least it will be a fun, engaging style of play.

tl/dr - yeah, I’m a former diehard who is now pretty apathetic.

Winning (generally) cures everything.
Let’s win more.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

We spend far too much time worrying about what other people do, or don't do, with their time.

And about other people’s money.

 

[690West]

And about other people’s money.

Yes!! On brand

 

[HeaterCuse22]

Too bad but not surprising there is nothing in sports that comes close to the NFL in terms of popularity. Sure if you operate when the NFL does not they have to talk about you ie NBA playoffs but the NFL is 10x more popular than any other organization these days and totally untouchable and the legalized sports betting to go with fantasy puts it in another stratosphere.

This day in age here in Boston BC could be 6-0 and the Patriots 0-6 and they wouldn't even get mentioned on the radio.


I was just in Atlanta for work earlier today UGA and Clemson gear everywhere no Falcons. It kind of makes sense why the SEC and Big Ten have been allowed to destroy other conferences bc those areas actually like CFB more than NFL. But they are still football mad the NFL teams just suck down there.

I think that's partly because in the south your school is a legacy and people generally stay close to their schools regionally. I live in Syracuse but never went to school there and have no close personal friends that did either. So you're relying a lot on locals with no connection and most people just generally don't give a rip. I have more friends that are UNC fans than Cuse fans. Just an observation.

 

[GoSU96]

Yes!! On brand

He’s right

 

[orangenauburn]

Pricing of tickets for SU football isn't driving fans away. A family of four could get upper level endzone season tickets for $500 - that's roughly the same as what I paid in the 90s after I graduated. Syracuse has done a phenomenal job keeping tickets affordable.

What they have not done a phenomenal job of is consistently winning. Fans aren't choosing to watch on TV instead of go to the games - they are choosing to do something else entirely.

While your point overall is correct, and MLB/NHL/NBA/NFL have priced a lot of fans out of going to game and they'll watch on TV instead - it doesn't really apply in this specific case.

For the Army game I got four seats row A section 129 for $150. Field level by the cheer team, on the fifteen yard line, for $150.

The cost of tickets is not the issue.

I spent $30 to park and $30 on food / drink.

$210 all told. That's not bad (to me).


When I took my family to an Orioles game last month I spent $190 for four tickets. Then another $60 for food and drink. Then another $160 for a couple jerseys for the kids.

$410 all in. Sucked but it was the kids first major league game and it was on a family vacation. Well worth it to me.

Your going to pay for the experience. I think that's where the school lacks.

Outside Camden Yards is an experience before the game.

The Quad and lack of tailgating space means the overall event lacks the pizzazz other events have.

Just my two cents.

 

[CousCuse]

All the ruminations in this thread add up to Saturday's game against Clemson is a must win.

 

[690West]

He’s right

Of course he’s right! I just love how he lets us know it constantly. That’s the “on brand”part.

I’ve been reminded by Tuttle many times over the years to stop telling people how to spend their money and he’s been right every time. Lol