Disgusted by our "fan" and student support when it comes to Basketball (long read)

[sheetman]

I am going to preface this by saying that I am not going to be the nicest guy in this post. But as someone who has attended pretty much every TCU basketball(men and women) home game since I got my drivers license, as well as traveled to watch them in some road games and conference tournaments in Denver/Las Vegas, I am what you would call a big TCU Basketball fan. In fact, my earliest TCU sports memories are of basketball, not football, where I would go to see Billy Tubbs' teams and see tents lining the outside of Daniel Meyer for each home game. I know we are a football school, but we can do better.

Today we played Baylor, and it was the 4th game in a row in which the fans from the other team equaled or outnumbered our own. Plus, our student section was about 5 rows deep today, another pathetic showing. Tired of seeing people I went to TCU with cracking jokes about our basketball team on Facebook or Twitter.

I know our basketball team is struggling right now, and that this has been the norm for the past 12 years or so. But it isn't a valid excuse to sit out and not support our team. Not showing up because you are dissatisfied with the program and want a new coach, and are trying to make your point? I understand that. But this year we have a first year head coach, and its not a valid excuse. Not showing up because you don't have the time or money? OK, that makes sense. But I doubt that applies to most people, especially students who can get into games free.

People on here always get into attendance arguments with other schools, and are we not the biggest hypocrites on this issue when it comes to basketball? The fact that the arena today was more green/gold than purple pretty much proves their point, that our fan base is not one that can fill seats. We can fill seats in football, we can fill out the stadium and then some in baseball. Why can't we do the same for basketball?

None of these guys on our basketball roster signed up to play in the Big 12. They signed on for the Mountain West and now they are playing above their paygrade. Yet they are still trying. I know when I see a team that quits, and this team has not quit or given up. Seniors Adrick McKinney and Connell Crossland especially are out there continuing to give it their all this year no matter what the score is.

I'd rather go support a team that is trying and giving 100% effort that goes 0-18 in league play, than support a team with expectations and underachieves with a sense of entitlement. I produced a lot of baseball games on TV in 2011, and did a lot of prep work observing the guys. Those guys had the biggest sense of entitlement I have ever seen, and underachieved and couldn't even get out of their own damn regional. And in 2012, once again we have a sense of entitlement and players far more talented than the rest of one of the worst conferences in baseball combined and still couldn't even win the conference outright and lost in the conference tournament. If it weren't for the Cinderella run to the super regional it would have been back to back underachieving seasons. With the talent we have in baseball we should be going to Omaha every year. Yet for some reason our fan base is glad to support our baseball team that underachieves, yet thumbs their nose at our basketball team who gives it their all.

I am not trying to pick on our baseball team, I am trying to illustrate a point. You could make a case for our football team underachieving in 2011 and 2012. But I just don't get why our fanbase thinks there are only 2 sports that our school fields. From November to March we do field a basketball team.

If you don't want to watch a losing basketball team, fine, but realize its a 2 way street. Recruits who come to visit TCU and see the stands empty and the fanbase not giving a [Craig James], why would they want to play here? Maybe we could get better recruits if our fanbase didn't treat our basketball team like 2nd class citizens. Especially when we run a national TV spot celebrating our move to the Big 12, and there is NO BASKETBALL FOOTAGE IN THE AD AT ALL. Who screwed up on this? We have plenty of football footage and baseball players jogging across a damn tarp in the ad, but the production company couldn't bother to put one small basketball clip in the ad?

Win or lose, our basketball program deserves better. A true fan would go to the games and take the games for what they are worth, supporting a group of young men working hard and competing. You think fans at Kentucky or Kansas would leave their team out to dry like this? We have a bunch of fairweather fans who can't be bothered to support our basketball team, which is a shame. Meanwhile, I am going to keep going to games, and appreciating it whether we win by 30 or lose by 50.

 

[Land Frog]

Thinking Im gonna eat at Flemings tonight.

 

[Slingin' Sammy]

Agree with a lot of what you are saying, b/c I grew up on Mo Iba, came of age during Billy-ball, and then had to experience the pain of the Daugherty era. But my goodness, your post was one of the biggest beatings I've endured here in a long while. You need an editor, fast. Could have made your point in about 3 paragraphs. Go Frogs.

 

[tcujsauce]

 

[tcujsauce]

Coach TJ said it himself... People will show up when they give the people something to watch.


Make sure you go to the game on 2/6. You'll be pleased with the turnout. Maybe not the proportion of home vs. away fans... but butts in seats, right?


Anyone want to start taking bets as to when the Rock Chalk chant starts in that game?

 

[MTfrog5]

The 2011 baseball team is a very bad example of underachieving IMO. We finished the year with all three starting pitchers hurt. Yes I know Purke's injury could be blamed on himself but people like Winkler had no control of his injury. It's not his fault he tried to pitch with a stress fracture in his elbow the last month of te season

 

[Nohitter]

I'm not going to bash this team because the effort and hustle is there. But the ability to score is not. Until that part gets fixed, it's going to remain painful to watch. I'm pretty sure when Naismith invented the game, it was intended for the winner to be who puts the ball in the basket the most.

 

[AEAfrog]

Basketball attendance isn't so hot at a fair share of Big 12 campuses. It isn't a TCU problem, it's just a harder sell in this part if the country when you don't have a winning program.

 

[jake102]

Good read. I agree with a lot of your points, but disagree overall.

I look towards the football team and how that has gone... in 2007 I was a freshman. For almost all of our games, I could show up five minutes before gametime, and sit on the 50, midway up. 2008 was the same way even though that was a pretty good team. Even in 2009 during our undefeated season and FB run, the stadium had terrible fan support for many many games.

It took results to get fans in the seats, and results is what we got. Now, TCU football is a huge ticket and we complain if 10% of the seats in one section are empty for a game.

If TCU basketball can even just get into the tournament (top 64 teams), I can guarantee you that attendance will spike up. If they get into the tournament and win a game or two, the stadium will start to be packed every game. You can count on it.

I know it's an argument of what comes first, the support or the wins, but I"d like to think that the football team and Gary Patterson provided a roadmap.

As for the baseball team and all of that, even as an underachieving group (and yes, I've heard that a lot of those guys were and are the biggest dbags), they were still pretty darn good. It may be a shame that they got a lot of attention, but they still won their fair share. But, and I have no interest in giving details, the basketball team hasn't exactly been rolling with some of the greatest guys either.

Personally, I believe it's $15 for a home game. I simply can't justify that expense routinely for a losing product. As a student I attended 75% of our home games, and would probably attend 95% now that we are in the Big 12.

 

[GuardianFrog]

The fans will start coming back next year when we have a product that more Frog fans are going to want to get behind. Actually, as bad as this year has been I have seen more purple in the stands at DMC this year than I have in a long time. There were more than plenty of games under ND and Christian where you could count the students on two hands and count the rest of the fans on your toes. It has been nice to see an actual student section there during B12 play, if only for a half of bad basketball. I wish they had more to cheer for.

I think our fanbase in general recognizes that TJ inherited a bad situation, a situation made impossible with injuries, and that this is basically a lost year. I think they also know that we have some guys coming in who can ball, and that we are getting our best player back next year in Fields. Know that the staff is working hard on the trail to bring in the best talent possible to make us competitive, and DMC a fun place to watch basketball again.

 

[illini_frog]

I'm friends with a few guys (more than 5) on the baseball team, and they're all super good guys to me. Now I don't know what they're like at parties and all that, but from my experience, they're far from being the arrogant dbags that some people make them out to be, most of them seem to be super cool guys.

 

[ftwfrog]

Personally, I believe it's $15 for a home game. I simply can't justify that expense routinely for a losing product.

Bingo. 60$ for a family of four isn't worth it for me. I'm not a big fan of basketball anyways but since its TCU I decide to support them at home games two or three times a year. In late February when there's been no football for awhile and baseball is over a month away ill stop by DMC again.

 

[jake102]

I'm friends with a few guys (more than 5) on the baseball team, and they're all super good guys to me. Now I don't know what they're like at parties and all that, but from my experience, they're far from being the arrogant dbags that some people make them out to be, most of them seem to be super cool guys.

I think it's probably some of the guys who are now gone... I know one guy in particular was a huge doosh (everybody knows).

 

[Armadillo]

Sheetman = brilliant observations.

Wow, in the 23 years I've been involved with TCU athletics, I've never seen such ground breaking points you make. You seem so insightful.

NOT.

Wins = attendance.

Got it? Good.

Wait....shall we review once agin? One more time? Please?

Go ahead, post your rebuttal. But let's review: wins = attendance. Got it?

 

[West Coast Johnny]

Your rant won't work. The players & coaches are going to have to figure this out. The volleyball team gets better crowds than basketball. The volleyball girls & coaches work their buts off in the community.

 

[count_biffula]

Bingo. 60$ for a family of four isn't worth it for me. I'm not a big fan of basketball anyways but since its TCU I decide to support them at home games two or three times a year. In late February when there's been no football for awhile and baseball is over a month away ill stop by DMC again.

Exactly. I've heard and discussed with many that say they aren't going to shell out that kind of money to watch TCU get beat game after game. Lower ticket prices to 5 bucks a game until things get turned around. It's a simple supply vs. demand thing. And for real change to attendance, it goes back to the old saying, "Winning is the best deodorant of all." The TCU basketball program is too far gone to think anything attendance-wise is going to change until there is some consistent winning. And even then it will take several years. Look at how long it took football. A whole generation of TCU basketball fans has been lost. It will take a looooong time to change things.

 

[Duquesne Frog]

The legend of the Tubbs era grows again ... tents outside for every home game ... brilliant!

 

[tcujsauce]

I think it's probably some of the guys who are now gone... I know one guy in particular was a huge doosh (everybody knows).

Jake Arrieta, Carp, BryHo, and Brance are all good dudes. Paul Guerrish is a buddy of mine and a solid guy as well.

 

[Despite the odds Frog]

Well if we paid for players like Baylor did it would be packed every night b/c the product is better. And if you say Baylor doesn't pay it's players then you're crazy. It is the most obvious out in your face cheating I think I've ever seen in college sports.

TCU has a responsibility too to get the people in and I dont see it being a focus, why, because all said and done it's football that makes the money, it's football that makes TCU's image, it's football that TCU needs to focus on. I also believe TCU's other focus is baseball. The three main college sports is football, basketball, and baseball...maybe track right after those three. If you have two of the three good then you're making $ for the athletic department. Keeping those baseball coaches is expensive. Usually not all three are good at the same time unless you a big public flagship university or you cheat like Baylor. TCU did go out and did get it's best coach since Tubbs now it's his job to get the product up to par. TCU's not getting full Big 12 $ yet, and I'm sure TCU is having to invest more in football and baseball. Gradually I see TCU being able to invest in basketball more, then you'll slowly be seeing TCU being able to entice the community and to raise funds for new basketball facilities fans would want to come and see.

 

[Genbukan]

I'm disgusted by 14 years of piss poor basketball.

I know CTJ will right the ship but this years team is just hard to watch. I'm not showing up to watch them. If that makes me a bad fan.....I can live with that.