Improving the atmosphere at Carver Hawkeye

D

dmihalke

Well-Known Member
One idea to improve Carver's atmosphere (other than moving the students) or a large money improvement straight up, could be to appeal to the fact that it is under ground entirely. If Iowa could think of like maybe a "Pit" type thing, or another underground slogan or something catching like that it could help in just the student section and overall feel. I know having a good team is the main thing but something of this nature could help I think. Any other thoughts?
 
You get what you put in. Barta is obviously content with this piss poor product. Im guessing that after he didnt get canned for the lesbo thingy he feels untouchable
 
I don't think gimmicks are going to make any difference. Calling CHA "The Pit", things like "Let's Get Mad Again", etc. sound cool but don't do much in the end, IMO, if the on-court product is mediocre.

My belief is that too many people have gotten skeptical or apathetic about Iowa hoops. And regarding the students, the last Iowa team that had a really good year was 2005-06, 12 years ago. Those currently enrolled probably were what, 8-10 years old at the time, and probably barely remember it.

It comes down to being a good program again, more than anything, in my mind. It's been a long time.
 
The problem with gimmicks and slogans is that when you play piss poor they get made fun of and have the opposite effect. They actually make things worse.

Look at Nebraska and their “blackshirt” crap. Nobody takes them serious anymore and the blackshirt thing is the opposite of scary. It’s just a joke.

Just win games and the atmosphere will be fine.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
I don't think gimmicks are going to make any difference. Calling CHA "The Pit", things like "Let's Get Mad Again", etc. sound cool but don't do much in the end, IMO, if the on-court product is mediocre.

My belief is that too many people have gotten skeptical or apathetic about Iowa hoops. And regarding the students, the last Iowa team that had a really good year was 2005-06, 12 years ago. Those currently enrolled probably were what, 8-10 years old at the time, and probably barely remember it.

It comes down to being a good program again, more than anything, in my mind. It's been a long time.
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This is correct. On a lousy weather day, with the basketball team equally lousy, you're not going to get students, the bulk of whom live on the other side of the river, to want to go to Carver to watch a game. It's just not going to happen. Further, it's my impression, just that, an impression, that the Athletic Department could really care less about the students. If they could sell the seats to the general population at higher prices, they would do so in a New York minute. What I suspect at this point is that unless the team gets a lot better, there's not much they can do to entice the students to come back in bigger numbers, even then, nothing would really change for the students. Putting them at courtside is probably not going to bring them back - the team would need to get better first. But if that happens, then more of the general population will want to come, so why give up all of those expensive seats to a bunch of students at discounted prices. The students are an obligation of the Athletic Department, not a priority. It's backwards in my opinion.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
I don't think gimmicks are going to make any difference. Calling CHA "The Pit", things like "Let's Get Mad Again", etc. sound cool but don't do much in the end, IMO, if the on-court product is mediocre.

My belief is that too many people have gotten skeptical or apathetic about Iowa hoops. And regarding the students, the last Iowa team that had a really good year was 2005-06, 12 years ago. Those currently enrolled probably were what, 8-10 years old at the time, and probably barely remember it.

It comes down to being a good program again, more than anything, in my mind. It's been a long time.
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Let's Get Mad Again never sounded cool in the first place haha.
 
homes said:
This is correct. On a lousy weather day, with the basketball team equally lousy, you're not going to get students, the bulk of whom live on the other side of the river, to want to go to Carver to watch a game. It's just not going to happen. Further, it's my impression, just that, an impression, that the Athletic Department could really care less about the students. If they could sell the seats to the general population at higher prices, they would do so in a New York minute. What I suspect at this point is that unless the team gets a lot better, there's not much they can do to entice the students to come back in bigger numbers, even then, nothing would really change for the students. Putting them at courtside is probably not going to bring them back - the team would need to get better first. But if that happens, then more of the general population will want to come, so why give up all of those expensive seats to a bunch of students at discounted prices. The students are an obligation of the Athletic Department, not a priority. It's backwards in my opinion.
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Spot on observation here. I've written about the atmosphere at Carver and the placement of students from my vantage point of having watched games at the Fieldhouse on this and two other boards over the years. The problems at Carver boil down to the culture at Iowa which emphasizes revenues ahead of students and the product. Until that changes we will stay mired in mediocrity. Gary Barta survives in spite of his incompetence because he feeds that culture. I appreciate the sentiment of the OP but the suggestion offered doesn't address the heart of the problem.
 
Hawk5656 said:
Step 1: Fire Fran and bring in a good coach. The rest will work itself out.
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With our current AD, it's not possible. It's almost hard to accept the fact that we haven't won a regular season Big 10 title since the early 80s. Were any of you guys even born then? I was in elementary school at that time.
 
EstronHawkKing said:
With our current AD, it's not possible. It's almost hard to accept the fact that we haven't won a regular season Big 10 title since the early 80s. Were any of you guys even born then? I was in elementary school at that time.
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I feel badly for younger fans like yourself who have never seen anything but the mediocre post Davis years in basketball. I graduated from Iowa in 82 in the glory days of Lute Olson and Hayden Fry and never thought about how things could change when I went off and joined the Navy and started a new life. Not a wrestling fan but add to that I went to school during the Dan Gable days as well.

I've witnessed a sea change in the attitude of the administration in the prioritization of revenues above all else and sadly it reflects on my generation in how we have run things. Does that make me me feel nostalgic for the better days of old? I have great memories of Iowa sports that I can hang on to into old age and I hope to witness some better times in the years I have left so that fans like you can develop some great memories as well.
 
EstronHawkKing said:
With our current AD, it's not possible. It's almost hard to accept the fact that we haven't won a regular season Big 10 title since the early 80s. Were any of you guys even born then? I was in elementary school at that time.
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I was 3 and have no memory of it.

That said, I do remember that great 1986-87 Iowa team pretty well, and the good late 80's teams with BJ, Roy, Ed and company. The 1990's weren't quite as good but I still was accustomed to being in the NCAA's most years, and were ranked often enough. So I grew up with that brand of Iowa basketball and LOVED it above all else.

The last 17-18 years of Iowa basketball is not what I grew up with, and that's a real downer.

Later generations who grew up with Alford and Lick, and now Fran... Probably feel different, if they even feel anything about it at all.
 
hawkeyemark said:
I feel badly for younger fans like yourself who have never seen anything but the mediocre post Davis years in basketball. I graduated from Iowa in 82 in the glory days of Lute Olson and Hayden Fry and never thought about how things could change when I went off and joined the Navy and started a new life. Not a wrestling fan but add to that I went to school during the Dan Gable days as well.

I've witnessed a sea change in the attitude of the administration in the prioritization of revenues above all else and sadly it reflects on my generation in how we have run things. Does that make me me feel nostalgic for the better days of old? I have great memories of Iowa sports that I can hang on to into old age and I hope to witness some better times in the years I have left so that fans like you can develop some great memories as well.
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Ditto. I do have to admit that part of me has gotten tired of looking back to 1986-87 for a great Iowa team, for example. But, as much as I miss those old teams, that was 25-30+ years ago. There's only so many old games you can watch on YouTube. Time to move on.

I'm ready for some current teams to make me proud, and start some new memories. Yes, football has had some good success the past 10-15 years, but Iowa Hoops is my true passion.
 
EstronHawkKing said:
With our current AD, it's not possible. It's almost hard to accept the fact that we haven't won a regular season Big 10 title since the early 80s. Were any of you guys even born then? I was in elementary school at that time.
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I started going to games in 1979, as a 3rd grader.
 
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