Steve's Comments this AM

[heitland]

Deace was talking about how Iowa basketball has reached a point where "the fans no longer care." I disagree with this. I believe the majority watch games on TV, follow the players, and enjoy watching freshmen and sophomores grow as players. Does we need to show more backlash from losing to show Iowa fans care about basketball?

Or is this only about the butts in the seats at Carver?

Then again, maybe he is right. I would wager to bet the basketball articles get ~33% (or less) the views the football articles get. I know I'm guilty of that, I wouldn't miss a KF presser, but if TL comes out with one, I know I don't rush to read it.

If Steve is looking at it as a business, and the fans are not spending $ on the product, then yes, he probably is right. I wouldn't say our program has reached the point where fans flat out do not care though.

 

[busabus114]

I think he is dead on - the casual Iowa bball fan doesnt care anymore. I have several friends from college who always followed iowa bball and they dont even watch the games anymore

The diehard fans still care but the casual fans have no interest until we start winning again

 

[joemc1]

I think there are still a lot of fans that care; but there are a lot who no longer pay much attention, or don't care nearly as much. So, I would say Deace is fairly accurate with his opinion.

 

[masoncityhawkeye]

I would consider myself as a DieHard, or used to be but I don't watch all the games anymore.

If I am not doing anything I will watch but I still flip around to other programming.

Back in the day I planned my week around the Wed game and Saturday game. Now I rarely watch a Sat game (family time) and I haven't been to a game in Carver since TL first season. I live in Des Moines and didn't have kids then but now I wouldn't dream of going to IC for a game.

 

[busabus114]

I would consider myself as a DieHard, or used to be but I don't watch all the games anymore.

If I am not doing anything I will watch but I still flip around to other programming.

Back in the day I planned my week around the Wed game and Saturday game. Now I rarely watch a Sat game (family time) and I haven't been to a game in Carver since TL first season. I live in Des Moines and didn't have kids then but now I wouldn't dream of going to IC for a game.

I think this is the point Steve was making. When the team is as bad as they are right now there are a lot of other things that people would rather do with their time. I still watch every game and attend about half of the home games but i cant blame people who have no interest. Sometimes after an 8 minute scoring drought i wish i could brainwash myself to not have any interest

 

[dbohlke]

The fact that a friend of mine couldn't give away his student ticket last week for the Illinois game proves Deace to be right.

 

[DodgerHawki]

This is spot on..

I think he is dead on - the casual Iowa bball fan doesnt care anymore. I have several friends from college who always followed iowa bball and they dont even watch the games anymore

The diehard fans still care but the casual fans have no interest until we start winning again

there will always be segment of the fan base that will watch and analyze every game no matter how bad the team is. But to sell out the arena and create excitement you need the "casual fan" to be engaged. And the product has been so horrendous that people have found other things to do with their time/money. And I guess I can't blame those folks. If you have a family, how are you to justify clearing off the schedule for something that is not good year after year? And even if you don't have a family, there is always competition for everyone for time and resources. With every year that goes by that Iowa basketball is irrelevant, it's more fans that find other things to do with their time and are perfectly happy doing so.

 

[hoffahawk]

I agree with what he is saying but again all it takes is for the team to start winning again, people will become more interested and start following and coming to games again.

Hell, I know some Iowa football fans that quit watching and going to games when we were 6-6 a few years ago. Those same fans wouldn't miss a game last year if their life depended on it.

For all the threads and posts it really isn't that hard to figure out.

 

[GhostofBTT]

Of course the fans don't care. Who would be foolish enough not to notice the fans don't care?

I started the season not caring, then I started to care a little, but now I don't care again. And don't try to use the argument that people care because people are posting on this board. This board has become a troll hive. No one talks about Iowa basketball here, they just ***** about the coach. That is not caring.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

Deace was talking about how Iowa basketball has reached a point where "the fans no longer care." I disagree with this. I believe the majority watch games on TV, follow the players, and enjoy watching freshmen and sophomores grow as players. Does we need to show more backlash from losing to show Iowa fans care about basketball?

Or is this only about the butts in the seats at Carver?

Then again, maybe he is right. I would wager to bet the basketball articles get ~33% (or less) the views the football articles get. I know I'm guilty of that, I wouldn't miss a KF presser, but if TL comes out with one, I know I don't rush to read it.

If Steve is looking at it as a business, and the fans are not spending $ on the product, then yes, he probably is right. I wouldn't say our program has reached the point where fans flat out do not care though.

I think Stave was right on the mark with his comments. Fans are tuning out and to think otherwise is just like turning a blind eye. Most of my friends don't even watch the basketball program and they surely don't make the trek to Iowa City. And, I can't blame them. I am not going to plunk down a total of about $100 for me to make the trek from Des Moines to Iowa City to watch a coach who has a 36-52 record at Iowa (13-34 in Big 10 play) ... Iowa fans, in a way, are taking a stance ... They are not going to settle for mediocrity and mediocrity is exactly what Lick has shown us in three seasons.

 

[busabus114]

Of course the fans don't care. Who would be foolish enough not to notice the fans don't care?

I started the season not caring, then I started to care a little, but now I don't care again. And don't try to use the argument that people care because people are posting on this board. This board has become a troll hive. No one talks about Iowa basketball here, they just ***** about the coach. That is not caring.

This is a fact. Each thread turns into an argument over the coach, Lil Lick, why player x sucks or doesnt suck, why Barta sucks, etc

If i started the 4th thread in 1 week about Lickliters playing time there would be 100 comments by noon

 

[busabus114]

I think Stave was right on the mark with his comments. Fans are tuning out and to think otherwise is just like turning a blind eye. Most of my friends don't even watch the basketball program and they surely don't make the trek to Iowa City. And, I can't blame them. I am not going to plunk down a total of about $100 for me to make the trek from Des Moines to Iowa City to watch a coach who has a 36-52 record at Iowa (13-34 in Big 10 play) ... Iowa fans, in a way, are taking a stance ... They are not going to settle for mediocrity and mediocrity is exactly what Lick has shown us in three seasons.

Dont confuse the fans taking a stance with apathy. The fans i know arent outraged by whats going on....they just dont give a **** anymore

 

[FreddyBrown]

I believe Deace is right on this one, at least as related here. There will always be a group of hard core fans who live and die with it no matter what, but the erosion of the fan base has mostly (but not exclusively) been outside that group. The best barometer I have from firsthand experience, as I've related before, is that for the last couple of seasons I've generally been unable to give away my tickets to games I can't attend.

 

[JHHawk]

Of course the fans don't care. Who would be foolish enough not to notice the fans don't care?

I started the season not caring, then I started to care a little, but now I don't care again. And don't try to use the argument that people care because people are posting on this board. This board has become a troll hive. No one talks about Iowa basketball here, they just ***** about the coach. That is not caring.

Sorry but for hardcore fans, when things go south for the team, the topics do become dominated by discussions of ''what went wrong?''...just the nature of the beast. Calling them trolls is mis-labeling...a troll is someone who actually does not root for the hawks but likes to stir the pot. Very few on here do not root for the Hawks...which is why it hurts to go thru seasons like the last few...

How do you even have a discussion about this 3 year run of Iowa bb without ending up coming off as negative? Factually, it is the worst 3 year stretch in Iowa bb history...which means it probably will be the most negative message board stretch in Iowa history...again..human nature.

When the cavemen were losing consistently to the sabre tooth tigers...I bet they were negative also...

 

[ShadasRevenge]

I think he is dead on - the casual Iowa bball fan doesnt care anymore. I have several friends from college who always followed iowa bball and they dont even watch the games anymore

The diehard fans still care but the casual fans have no interest until we start winning again

I would consider myself a casual Iowa basketball fan, and I watch every game. To get out to Iowa City on a weeknight is simply not realistic for me.

 

[busabus114]

I would consider myself a casual Iowa basketball fan, and I watch every game. To get out to Iowa City on a weeknight is simply not realistic for me.

I would say you are the exception then for casual fans - all the casual fans i know have given up watching this team

 

[Reeon]

Deace was talking about how Iowa basketball has reached a point where "the fans no longer care." I disagree with this. I believe the majority watch games on TV, follow the players, and enjoy watching freshmen and sophomores grow as players. Does we need to show more backlash from losing to show Iowa fans care about basketball?

Or is this only about the butts in the seats at Carver?

Then again, maybe he is right. I would wager to bet the basketball articles get ~33% (or less) the views the football articles get. I know I'm guilty of that, I wouldn't miss a KF presser, but if TL comes out with one, I know I don't rush to read it.

If Steve is looking at it as a business, and the fans are not spending $ on the product, then yes, he probably is right. I wouldn't say our program has reached the point where fans flat out do not care though.

In a way I don't really care. The loses are starting to get less painful, and I'm just looking ahead to next season now.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

I would say you are the exception then for casual fans - all the casual fans i know have given up watching this team

That may be true, but I can't speak for everyone else. I don't have any expectations that Iowa will win, but I think it'd be weird if I knew an Iowa game was on and I wasn't watching it.

In a way I don't really care. The loses are starting to get less painful, and I'm just looking ahead to next season now.

I kind of feel this way about the team as well. I want this season to get over with as quickly as possible, and I want April to come and go with the entire roster intact.

 

[Herkyalert]

Winning changes everything. I think fans still care, but they don't care to spend money on watching them. It pains me to say that, but it's the truth.

 

[FreddyBrown]

And don't try to use the argument that people care because people are posting on this board. This board has become a troll hive. No one talks about Iowa basketball here, they just ***** about the coach. That is not caring.

Forgive me for having a thought process which does not carry the Ghost Seal of Approval, but I think you're wrong about that. Outside of fans of rival programs who might be here just to stir the pot, or someone who's just disturbed enough to enjoy provoking hostility for its own sake, I think the people who are complaining about the coach--even if that's all they do and therefore don't add much to the discussion--are doing it because they care about the program. Other than the exceptions noted above, why else would they do it?