WVU Deserves A Better Class Of Fans
by 5th Year Senior on Jan 27, 2009 10:09 AM EST
in Things That Made Me Want To Throw My Shoe
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Entertain me...
That is the motto of many WVU students and alumni that attend Mountaineer sporting events these days. Over the years, the atmosphere in the Coliseum and at Mountaineer Field has left something to be desired. Many of our "fans" have become spoiled little brats.
They sit on their hands, drink their wine and eat their cheese until something major happens. Only then will they give a polite Masters clap at the effort. Then, with five minutes left in any game, they pack up their Grey Poupon and head for the exits to beat traffic.
Instead of attempting to have an impact on the game -- by making actual noise -- y'all would rather sit on your ass so you can bitch and moan about how bad the team and coaches are performing. While your doing this, you are missing your opportunity to have an impact on the game by making it too loud for the other team to piss straight.
Young said after the game, he had never heard the Coliseum as quiet as it was on Sunday. For a guy who has seemed to be at Pitt forever, that’s saying something. [DA Tony Dubies]
For the fucking Backyard Brawl, we can't make enough noise for this idiot to be thrown off his game. Are you serious? We have failed as fans.
I was sitting in the student section with my fuck buddy for this game and let me just say, "Y'all are LAME." More people wanted to talk about the kid who puked in front of me than wanted to yell when Pitt had the ball. I was given cross looks when I yelled "OOOOO" when Pitt had the ball.
Most students just stood there with dumbass looks on their faces, like you had no clue what to do. JUST MAKE NOISE. A former D+ student who was still drunk from the night before -- me -- knew what to do.
I really don't even want to get started on the regular ticket holders because they might as well have stayed at home for the noise they made. They only stood up three times the entire game. Only one of those times was was to cheer on our team. The final two were for the t-shirt toss and to leave en mass at the 5 minute mark.
It is a sad state of affairs at WVU games these days. There is a lack of noise, no veracity in our cheers, and the general attitude of us fans suck. Many of us talk about how our coaches can improve by doing this, that, and the other. However, before we go any further with our criticism, let's look in the mirror and realize that in the past 4 years, we as fans have sucked ass too.
People once feared coming into the Coliseum and Mountaineer Field. Now we are no better than a campfire story. Something that is scary when you're told about it but you know it isn't true.
It is time for a change. Stop worrying about bubble screens, no big options in the post, or a coach messing with his headset and cheer on our team. We once had an impact on games and we can again. Fucking step up and do your part.
I know I will!
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I am working...
on a manifesto of how to be the “perfect fan.” I don’t even meet all the criteria but I am still writing it.
by 5th Year Senior on Jan 27, 2009 10:10 AM EST reply actions
Amen to that. You hit the nail on the head. This is how I feel when I go to every game. You also should note that the rising ticket prices only fuels this. The people in the poor income state that have extra $$$ will be the ones with the tickets. The rabid faithful, for the most part, will not be able to purchase tickets any longer, thus more of the ritzy snobish assholes will attend making a Wvu game almost unattendable.
To them it is more of a social gathering, than a football or basketball game. A place to be seen, not a place to cheer on the Mountaineers.
by 5th Year Senior on Jan 27, 2009 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
I agree with 5YS about the quality of the fans, but I’m inclined to disagree with Lip that it’s caused by rising ticket prices. First, student tickets are FREE, so no excuses there. Second, ask around at some of the other big time schools with loud, boisterous fans (Penn State being example 1-A). Those schools pack 100,000 seat stadiums with loud fans who pay even more money than WVU fans do. So, having money doesn’t preclude you from making noise. Third, although I agree that it’s a shame that many people can’t afford to take their families to games anymore, I don’t think WVU owes it to any of them to make it affordable. It’s called capitalism—-the law of supply and demand. Again, look at the big time programs. I know Ohio State fans (I’m ashamed to say that) who are alumni that donate a lot of money for the chance to go to one or two games a year. When people want to see your team play, you can charge more money for that. More importantly, WVU SHOULD charge more so the school can continue to improve facilities, pay competitive salaries for coaches, etc. It’s the cost of running a big-time program. There’s a reason you can buy Marshall season tickets for $40.
Paragraphs?
I think money has more to do with it than you think. It is more than ticket prices because everyone has to travel so far to see games.
Prices have nothing to do with fans being snotty nosed kids once they sit in their seats. Just make noise, it is really simple.
by 5th Year Senior on Jan 27, 2009 11:23 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed
I was at the game (not in the student section) and I would not get backed up by other people in the crowd when I screamed while Pitt had the ball. The few dozen Pitt fans behind us were making way more noise. It was pretty unfortunate.
Mountaineer fans seem way too reactive on the action to be willing to make noise. At the Pitt game in ‘07, it was quiet the whole time. There’s no damn reason not to do your part and shout while the other team has possession. Not every time, not continuously, but do your part. Otherwise, why not just watch it on TV in your living room?
sadly agree
Can we get this printed in the the dominion post or the DA? My guess is 99% of the people who read this blog are the same people who get rowdy and loud at games, stay to the very end, and put their hearts into every play/possession. It is the others that really need to hear what you’re saying
Glory Days
I feel like it was pretty loud throughout the first half and to start the second. It never exploded because there was never more than a 5 point run by WVU. Then when Pitt scored on like 15 of 16 possessions it was pretty quiet. I think Young is referring to how quiet it was when he dunked almost every possession.
Also, I think we have a tendency to remember things better than they were. Things may have been loud when UMass and Georgetown came to the Coliseum in the 90’s, but we forget the dismal turnout and effort against St. Bonaventure or Providence.
I think crowds today are consistently better than in the past. What is lacking is the desperate screaming of fans praying for an upset and hoping that they can give the team an extra edge, rather than expecting to win, as we are lucky enough to feel like these days.
Right On!
Perfect summary and response. The Coliseum is still pretty loud (UCLA last) but Mountaineer Field was a little on the quiet end last season. I did appreciate the hint of a cup fight Saturday as the students pelted the dumbass pitt fan that felt he needed to wander from his pack. I hope at least two cup fights per game will be included in the manifesto- and that we throw down in the season ticket sections!
Enjoy your wine and cheese
This is attitude that I am talking about. "We expect to win these days so we should not cheer very loud anymore." "The team didn’t do anything for us to cheer about." We are fans, we are supposed to fucking cheer.
At some point it does become sill to cheer but it wasn’t even loud at the start of the game. The loudest I heard the crowd after the first five minutes of the first half was when the embarrassing fat guy did the YMCA.
The Suckeyes football stadium is loud and packed every weekend for Big 11 football and they are guaranteed a W every Saturday. They still cheer. Duke "expects" to win every game and they are loud and rowdy every game.
I know Duke is an extreme example but even half of what the Crazies put out would have been better than what occurred during the Pitt game. During the "glory days" it was a lot louder. I think the fans that came to see games in Wheeling, Charleston, and Fairmont during the 99-00 season made more noise than those in attendance on Sunday afternoon.
You expect to win? Just like people from "The Hill" to expect everything to be given to them without earning. Just be loud and support the team.
by 5th Year Senior on Jan 27, 2009 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
Rabid Fans
My drug-clouded brain doesn’t allow me to remember much of what went on when I went to WVU in the early ‘80s, but one thing I do remember is screaming like hell every time our opponent had the ball. We all walked out the stadium unable to speak for the rest of the day. Maybe our current crop of students needs a little tutorial in proper game-day behavior when it comes to making the other team’s life a living hell….
by Pepperoni Roll on Jan 27, 2009 12:34 PM EST reply actions
We Need A Fan Manifesto...!
5th…that is a thought a couple friends and I have had for years. How To Be A True Fan…and not a weak-minded, spoiled, hopelessly negative Buckeye/Crimson Tide/Wolverine-fan replicant.
I think 25314 may be right, though. In both sports, we have gone from dangerous underdog to frequent favorite and, even if the teams might not yet have mastered playing with bullseye on their backs, fan expectations are different and perhaps that makes them cheer weakly, er, differently. We aren’t trying for upsets anymore. We are trying to prevent them. Even in this last Pitt game…we were a one-point favorite on the site I use.
It’s OK, though. Remember your predicitons for this brutal stretch. We can still emerge in a sweet spot. And better to lose to them now and take them out at MSG.
Fan Manifesto
I agree with JP Fanshawe- we need a fan manifesto. So here is a rough draft.
Fan rules
1. NEVER boo your own team. Ever.
2. Loving your team is UCONDITIONAL. You are not allowed to secretly, passive-agressivly root for your team or coach to fail. This means that if you have made it your personal life mission to prove to everyone that Bill Stewart, Bob Huggins stinks as a coach, you are NOT a real fan.
3. You should only rarely complain about the officials/refs. Constantly whining about refs creates an atmosphere of negativity. The refs are always gonna blow calls. You can complain if they affect a huge play or if there is a huge imbalance in the number of calls.
4. You should never boo the opposing band or cheerleaders. The only exception to this is when we play an arch rival(Pitt, Va Tech, etc)
5. NEVER yell at the players! No matter how bad they are playing, you should remember two things:
a. They aren’t pros
b. They want to win more than you do, so rest assured they are trying!
yelling at your own players is bush league
6. ALWAYS cheer. Don’t sit quiet until someting great happens. You can will great things to happen.
We are working on this as we speak.
Expect it next week.
by Dr. Charley West on Jan 27, 2009 6:34 PM EST up reply actions
Ovation
Way to go, WVU South!
I would add that the UVA band can be booed at any time, though. (I still think Jefferson has got to be spinning in his grave!)
Me, and Nietzsche, and obviously yourself….are both big believers in the Will To Power. People can collectively will things to happen, and that is why we need to join the old grads and the young ads and make the Big Noise….
Futher, I would take the manifesto spiritual. What you put out is what you get back. If you want to win, then spread hope and positivity, not venom and maliciousness…
The problem is “it’s not as loud as it was before” is completely subjective. Unless there is a decibel meter, there is no way to tell. I attended every game in Charleston in the 99-00 season, and in my memory it was not close to being as loud as it was Saturday. Even Duke and Ohio St. would not are quiet when there opponent outscores them by 15 points in a 5 minute stretch.
Also, when you are in the student section where everyone is yelling it seems alot louder than if you are not around people yelling, which might account for why everyone seems to think it was louder when they were in school.
Furthermore, The 25314 does not endorse any fan manifesto other than cheer for the Mountaineers.
Most importantly, I do expect to win every game. And always will. A loss is more painful than a win is joyful.
I was in the student section on Sunday and it was LAME.
by 5th Year Senior on Jan 28, 2009 8:41 AM EST up reply actions
I actually agree with red shirt author
The students section hasn’t been the same in years. I guess it is just a generation of kids who don’t appreciate what I thought was an honor. They are disgrace to my alumni class.
The next problem is the cost of tickets has placed the rich (older people) in the seats that many of the hard core blue collar fans used to own. I have been in several different sections in my 29 years as a season ticket holder (football). The last 10 years I have seen the majority age group in my section average around 60 plus. Some of them have no business being at the game since they spend most of the time complaing to me and friends that we are standing to much and are way to loud . Yes I said way to loud at a college football game. Despite the fact that some of them can hardly walk let alone stand and cheer.
I have a 12 hour round trip to attend football games. I would rather sell my tickets and not go before ever considering getting up and leaving a game early. It is just unacceptable as fan. I don’t care how far anyone has to drive. WV is a investment for me and it will be a cold day in hell when I don’t get every pennys worth of a win or blowout loss.
I will say that they Auburn game this year was the closest thing I have seen since the early 90’s. But 5th is right! We had a electrifying product that raised the bar and the price of our fan base. Spoiled and fat rich!
We still travel better than anyone in the big east or acc.
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