Williams Blog: Apathy…I think not, Gilstrap/Brackins notes

[Tre4ISU]

Cyclone fanbase is apathetic and GMAC is pathetic.

You're a *******. While Gmac has not been all that successful, that does not make him pathetic.

As for jdogg- If you are on here talking about the basketball team, you are not apathetic. I think there is probably a number of people who have become apathetic since the beginning of the season, but I think some of those same people were only paying attention because they had heard the team may be good this year. The people that are die hard fans will still be at games and will still find every reason to be optimistic and support the team next year.

 

[jdoggivjc]

You're a *******. While Gmac has not been all that successful, that does not make him pathetic.

As for jdogg- If you are on here talking about the basketball team, you are not apathetic. I think there is probably a number of people who have become apathetic since the beginning of the season, but I think some of those same people were only paying attention because they had heard the team may be good this year. The people that are die hard fans will still be at games and will still find every reason to be optimistic and support the team next year.

Hooray - more classification of what makes a good fan and what doesn't...

 

[CyRodestr]

I have lost interest in ISU basketball under GMac's leadership and have little hope that things will improve soon. He has not shown me that he can put together a Big 12 winning team or even a Big 12 break even team. He has four years left on his contract and will be here at least two of those years regardless of team performance. I am not confident that we could hire a coach that would improve things anyway. Is that apathy? That's what I call it.

I write on a message because I want to see what others are thinking and I want the team to win, but I have no hope that they will and no interest in watching the team play. Maybe a coaching change would give me new hope, but that is years away at best.

 

[kg-cyclone]

I have lost interest in ISU basketball under GMac's leadership and have little hope that things will improve soon. He has not shown me that he can put together a Big 12 winning team or even a Big 12 break even team. He has four years left on his contract and will be here at least two of those years regardless of team performance. I am not confident that we could hire a coach that would improve things anyway. Is that apathy? That's what I call it.

I write on a message because I want to see what others are thinking and I want the team to win, but I have no hope that they will and no interest in watching the team play. Maybe a coaching change would give me new hope, but that is years away at best.

5 years...following this year.

 

[CY ST8T]

I will tell you what is pathetic. All of the threads that are the same thing over and over again. First someone is frustrated and discusses all about how they are mad and have put less energy into the team. (hard not to for many) Then immediately the "true fan" police jumps on it and berates the poster thinking that if they pound on the guy they are proving that they are the true fan. Of course omitting cyclone club donations, ticket sales or actual value that JP would describe as being a true fan in his mind. Which brings about the rebuttal by those who can not stand listening to the "true fan" police and the next thread begins.

 

[stepha4]

I went to my second game of the season Saturday....had a great time. Chris used this word and I used it Monday morning to explain to my coworker that I sensed a lot of PASSION still in the stands at Hilton. Like Chris said the place was loud and there were people cursing the refs left and right. Honestly, it would have been nice to see coach mac get T'd up. That or calling a timeout at the 17:00 minute mark would have been good.

Bottom line.....12,000 + folks in the stands, and a lot of passion on Saturday. Can the kids and coach do anything to feed this passion?

 

[alarson]

I would say there are definitely degrees of apathy. Would i say i am totally apathetic? No. I'm as frustrated as everyone here is with the continued losing we've had so far under McDermott. On the other hand, MBB is no longer 'must see', and id say when you've gotten to the point where it doesnt hurt quite as much to watch a loss, a degree of apathy has set in.

You also have to take into account that on this board, you're probably going to have the least apathetic group around. Its Cyclone FANATIC after all. The best way to see the apathy is the holes in the season ticket sections of hilton. Those are people who paid (sometimes large amounts of) money, and dont care enough to go anymore.

I'd love to get my eyes on the actual attendance numbers from the ticket scanners to see just how below our average we really are.

 

[Sobchakcyclone]

One of the things that hits me, is the following at the Big XII Tourney. I think that speaks to the energy in the program. It's been falling, and I miss the years of, even if we had a mediocre season, we could get our fans behind us and do well there. Not having it in KC all the time makes a difference, but the attitude of only seeing us play on the first day hurts. I've had a blast through the years seeing us pull some upsets, and that keeps you coming back. It's been a while, though. I'm interested to see how many hard core 'Clone fans are in KC.

 

[mustangcy]

A top 10 KSU team stepped into Hilton this Saturday and...I went furniture shopping with my wife to Homemakers.

I used to LIVE AND BREATH ISU basketball...I still make a point to watch every game but I've not been to a game all year and I just went furniture shopping during a game.

I'm not sure what you call that...I really don't care to be honest but it's sad.

 

[kkise]

I call BS on the "If you're apathetic you're not a true fan" bull****. My closet filled with clean ISU clothes and my floor covered with dirty ISU clothes, as well as the 6 years I spent at ISU and the diploma waiting to be hung on an office wall would say otherwise. That being said, not only did I not realize we were playing a top 25 team on Saturday, I didn't even realize we had already lost it by the time I started checking ESPN BottomLine.

Perhaps that says something even stronger - when true Cyclone fans begin not caring anymore because things have gotten that bad for that long, maybe it's time for a change - and this is coming from someone that used to defend McDermott to the hilt. All offseason I said this would be the litmus test for McDermott - Brackins turned down sure $millions to come back, and this was going to be the best team he's had here at ISU. But instead, it's just more of the same. My pendulum hasn't completely swung in the opposite direction, I'm not shouting "Fire McDermott" from the rooftops - yet. But after 4 years it's clear the basketball team needs a radical change.

As far as me not getting angry, I just don't get angry that easily or all that often. I love Cyclone athletics, but I just have far too many other important things in my life - like my family, my job, my friends - that I'm just not going to blow a gasket like some other ISU fans because the team isn't performing. I'm just going to stop caring because, quite frankly, I've got other things that need to be done and right now the way the basketball team is playing it's just not worth my time. If I can flip it on the radio and listen while I"m doing other things, fine. But until the team starts giving me a reason to care it's just another item on my list of things to do...

You misread my post.

 

[PJZ]

This was a big year for Mac. He signed Gilstrap for this year (at the time a 25 year old with one year of eligibility left) then Dendy came after that. Going Juco crazy is not "building" a program (remember that was his line at the end of last year).

How many people on here said this was the year. He needed one of two things, sign Barnes or an NCAA berth. I read that everywhere.

Now we may get this thing turned around, but that requires fixing the problems that have existed since day one. None of that has happened at this point.

It's been his program for four years, which is an eternity in college basketball. That is where the frustration comes from. That is also where the lack of faith in McDermott comes from as well.

Good post.


Honestly, I don't think it really matters what you call them - negative feelings abound for ISU basketball. A drop in AD revenue is sure to follow if this continues...and it takes some pretty serious optimism to think that we will be competitive next year given past results and the quality of our conference.

 

[Cydkar]

My thoughts on the word "apathy," plus Brackins/Gilstrap notes about next year. Enjoy.

http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/basketball/williams-blog-apathy…i-think-not-gilstrapbrackins-notes

There is TONS of apathy. Ignore it at your peril. I can't speak for Ames/Des Moines area but in the CR area I know a bunch of people with tickets that don't use them. Not to mention the number of fans that won't accept free tickets. When the stadium isn't down the street the dynamic changes.

The conversations between ISU and Iowa fans are that of mutual apathetic understanding.

 

[Cydkar]

Yet you continue to post on here in the basketball forum:skeptical:

It doesn't take much passion to post on a message board.

 

[GoShow97]

I'm confused. Is it the fans or the players who are showing apathy this season.

 

[Cydkar]

You're a *******. While Gmac has not been all that successful, that does not make him pathetic.

As for jdogg- If you are on here talking about the basketball team, you are not apathetic. I think there is probably a number of people who have become apathetic since the beginning of the season, but I think some of those same people were only paying attention because they had heard the team may be good this year. The people that are die hard fans will still be at games and will still find every reason to be optimistic and support the team next year.

This is wrong because I know die-hards that are no longer going. They died hard but they did die.

 

[GoShow97]

I don't know Chris, I think that 9500 people for a Saturday afternoon game against a top 10 team doesn't seem like people are excited about this program to me.

As for the board, you know that some people are only happy when they complain. The fact that Mac has given these people a lot of ammo by underperforming doesn't help.

I read the presser, and it was a classic fight for my job, you don't know how hard it was when we took the job shtick. The problem was that he contradicted his defenders on here.

He knows that people aren't happy. He needs those people to want to spend money to show their support. If he's doing this at the beginning of February, it is going to be a long last month of the season.

+1
Apathy or no Apathy -It really doesn't matter taking issue towards what some fans are labeling themselves. 5,000 no shows speaks volumes. So big deal, they are not truly being "apathetic" in some peeps opinion because they make a few message board post. Does it really matter why they are not showing up for games and or posting their displeasure with the current state of the program.

You better find a new definition for these so called "mislabeled - not really apathetic fans" because the number is growing.

 

[Tre4ISU]

This is wrong because I know die-hards that are no longer going. They died hard but they did die.

This is wrong, if they aren't still going that is not a die hard. If four years of mediocre to bad basketball will send you away then you are not a die hard. Die hard fans are the ones that will still go and cheer their ***** off. What you're talking about are fair weather fans. They will be back at the first sign of success.

 

[Tre4ISU]

It doesn't take much passion to post on a message board.

But it takes thought about the team. If you are on here looking at this stuff and posing an argument you are not apathetic.

 

[Final42b]

This is wrong, if they aren't still going that is not a die hard. If four years of mediocre to bad basketball will send you away then you are not a die hard. Die hard fans are the ones that will still go and cheer their ***** off. What you're talking about are fair weather fans. They will be back at the first sign of success.

Exactly!

 

[Wesley]

IF things do not get better, we will look like the Boulder Bombers crowd.