KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

CTRamfan wrote:

TruePoint wrote:

NYGFan_Section208 wrote: Seriously? "..teased and let down"? Do you think that the players and coaches get together to plan that? And, if you don't think the team is doing that purposefully, I would just say.... Just because you're not paranoid - doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you (or emotionally tease you and let you down)

I don't understand what in my post leads you to believe I think anyone is doing anything on purpose. It just is what it is. Every time the fans have been asked to buy in, they've responded and then they've been disappointed. It doesn't matter at all if it is done intentionally (and of course it isn't). It's the old fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice... That is definitely not the fault of this team or this coach, but you can't always reason with the wisdom of crowds. The fan base, especially on the fringes, is skeptical and rightfully so based on what they've experienced in 07-08, 08-09, then the disappointments last year against VCU and Davidson in particular; and this season against Valpo, PC and Nebraka just add to it. You can argue the fairness of that if you want, but the proof is in the attendance figures. If they win people will show up, but they have to really win first. They aren't going to get credit from the casual fans for being really close.

AMEN !.......Last five home games last year, average attendance........ 7141..............we were winning.

Am a co-preacher (with many) of 'win and they will show up'... but no one can 'make you' feel teased and let down. Disappointed? Sure. Pissed? Sure. Regardless of what happened in 07-08 and 08-09...it's a new team, every year. And it's a totally totally new deal for now, starting with Hurley's first year. No year before that has any-thing to do with this year - nothing to do with this year. So far, he's done better - every year he's been here - and still has a chance to do that again this year - can't ask for more that. "Teased and let down"...just seems resigned and a little emotionally overboard.

Bobby got 1.2 million to start at ASU.
He quadrupled his salary.
I'd move to Mars for that kind of money, and
so would every single person here.

TruePoint wrote:

Captainron@ wrote: Not true. Providence attendance is turnstile count, not tickets sold.

I actually know this to be false. It isn't necessarily one or the other. Announced attendance figures are as much art as science. It is an industry norm to fudge the numbers slightly and there are many different ways to figure attendance depending on what your agenda is.

What I posted was fact, not a guess.

Captainron@ wrote:

TruePoint wrote:

Captainron@ wrote: Not true. Providence attendance is turnstile count, not tickets sold.

I actually know this to be false. It isn't necessarily one or the other. Announced attendance figures are as much art as science. It is an industry norm to fudge the numbers slightly and there are many different ways to figure attendance depending on what your agenda is.

What I posted was fact, not a guess.

You are incorrect, sir. My sources on this could not be any more knowledgeable. They make the number. If someone told you any different, they are either uninformed or do not trust you enough to tell you the truth.

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:
but no one can 'make you' feel teased and let down.

I feel like maybe you aren't getting what I'm saying. I'm not telling you how I feel, personally. I'm telling you how the people that go to the "big" games but don't go to the rest of them feel. Like I said, you can argue that they should feel differently but arguing against the wisdom of a crowd is pointless.

I know that you agree with me that if we win people will show up, but then you want to argue with me about what is driving that behavior. You don't have to agree with it, but that is how people feel. I believe you said yourself that your knowledge of the basketball program at URI coincides with the start of the Hurley era. I'm not saying that makes your opinion invalid, but it does mean that you lack some very important perspective and context about what is driving fan behavior with respect to attendance at the Ryan Center.

Ah the horse's mouth.

Roz, what the damn hell was up with those posts you made and deleted?

I'm glad that 'you' don't feel teased and let down, but are able to assess the wisdom of the crowd to tell us how 'they' feel. The 'wisdom of a crowd'? What the bleep is that? If they lost every 'big' game for 10 years and then won the first 15 games of this year...the place would be full (or at least full-er). And, you wouldn't have any idea at all on how many of those people would be the 'people who (used to) only go to big games', the 'teased and let down' set. It could be a totally different strata of crowd wisdom/people that never went to games. Seems pointless to try to assess the 'wisdom of a crowd'...the only 'known' is that winning makes the crowds bigger.

I don't think 'our fans suck' any more than anyone else's but maybe analysis of the fans does...

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:I'm glad that 'you' don't feel teased and let down, but are able to assess the wisdom of the crowd to tell us how 'they' feel. The 'wisdom of a crowd'? What the bleep is that? If they lost every 'big' game for 10 years and then won the first 15 games of this year...the place would be full (or at least full-er). And, you wouldn't have any idea at all on how many of those people would be the 'people who (used to) only go to big games', the 'teased and let down' set. It could be a totally different strata of crowd wisdom/people that never went to games. Seems pointless to try to assess the 'wisdom of a crowd'...the only 'known' is that winning makes the crowds bigger.

There is a kind of "momentum" factor at play when it comes to attendance. If you're continually bad for 10 years, then it takes more to break your fan base out of lethargy then if you're just average for 10 years, or if you're REALLY bad or REALLY good randomly in those 10 years.

I think that is somewhat at play with URI, which is what TP is getting at. URI hasn't been a dumpster fire for 10 years. It was really bad for a couple years at the end of Baron's tenure, but in that 10+ year time span, it has had a nationally ranked team, teams that looked on the upswing, teams that looked like NCAA tournament locks only to fade down the stretch, etc. "Close but not quite" is better than "dumpster fire," obviously, but after X years, the attendance won't be as high when presented with the same scenario. Kind of like an eroding coastline.

In this day and age you're simply not going to get 6000 people, or even 5000, for a disappointing URI vs the Iona's and Riders of the world.

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:I'm glad that 'you' don't feel teased and let down, but are able to assess the wisdom of the crowd to tell us how 'they' feel. The 'wisdom of a crowd'? What the bleep is that? If they lost every 'big' game for 10 years and then won the first 15 games of this year...the place would be full (or at least full-er). And, you wouldn't have any idea at all on how many of those people would be the 'people who (used to) only go to big games', the 'teased and let down' set. It could be a totally different strata of crowd wisdom/people that never went to games. Seems pointless to try to assess the 'wisdom of a crowd'...the only 'known' is that winning makes the crowds bigger.

I don't think 'our fans suck' any more than anyone else's but maybe analysis of the fans does...

I don't even get what you're saying, other than that you want to have an argument. So OK, I'll bite. You are exactly right that if this team ripped off 15 wins in a row, there would be a line for tickets down Alumni Ave. But that isn't the question posed in this thread. That question is why are the fans not showing up now, or stated more crassly, do our fans suck for not showing up in large numbers for this team?

And the answer, to drill down a little more than "because they haven't won 15 in a row," is that the fans that are kind of on the fringes - the "casual fan" who shows up when they become aware that we are really good but otherwise doesn't pay too much attention - are going to need to be really convinced because they have been drawn in before only to be disappointed. So I don't think those people suck because they don't get excited because we are pretty decent and heading for the NIT. The reason I know how they feel is because many of them are classmates, friends, family members, etc. Also, most of the die-hards that support the team whether they are good or bad or somewhere in between also feel that way, they're just die-hards so they are in no matter what. Am I speaking for every living soul that cares about URI to any degree? Of course not. But to deny that a large segment of the fan base feels like they've been burned by getting excited about the team at various points is to betray a lack of knowledge about the team's recent past and its fan base.

And your point about if the team goes on a big run and all of a sudden people are knocking down the doors at the Ryan Center it will be all new fans who have never cared one way or the other about URI basketball is kind of odd. This is not a market where there are a ton of agnostic people to turn. The people who can be pulled in are people that are inclined to care and have cared before but have kind of focused their attention elsewhere when their interest wasn't rewarded in the past. Can you make some whole new fans? Yeah, probably a handful or so. But if we get to the point where we are filling the building it will be by bringing people back in that are burnt out or are lapsed fans - so understanding why they aren't in the building now does help answer the question of whether they suck or not.

Could someone take a wild guess as to how many diehard fans we have? I'm guessing about 1500.

Billyboy78 wrote:Could someone take a wild guess as to how many diehard fans we have? I'm guessing about 1500.

sounds about right, meaning...for PC, there were ~1500 diehard fans and ~6100 'fans that suck'

I would say you're in the ballpark.

We're not close to PC or UConn, either. Probably in the bottom half of the A10.

When it comes to donors, we don't have many big ones......

My take on our fans, the ones that make up our 2500-3000 base every game certainly do not suck.

It's the fair weather ones that take most of the blame.....

So...there could be fans going to the games now...that suck, but don't realize it? The season tix holder fan who has gone to every game so far this year...if at the end of January/beginning of Feb, the team loses 7 in a row...and that season ticket holder decides to either just not go, or give his tickets away...he's "fan that sucks", and right now, he doesn't even know it? Sounds like someone should be rooting out those fairweather eff's NOW...before they get too comfortable?

The "fans" have no obligation at all...so to say there's "blame" (or that they suck) seems to be a bit of a stretch.

The reality of the situation is that ALL fans are good fans. Since we don't sell out don't we need all the customers we can get?

Yes, I think a fan who bails on their team if they lose 7 in a row is not a good fan. This is not pro sports. This is my school. I spent 4 years of my life here. I love my school. I'm never bailing on them.

Billyboy78 wrote:Yes, I think a fan who bails on their team if they lose 7 in a row is not a good fan. This is not pro sports. This is my school. I spent 4 years of my life here. I love my school. I'm never bailing on them.

That's a great way to 'feel'...maybe those fans that would bail if they lose 7 in a row should self-identify right now and just stop going? I mean, you don't want 'bad' fans at the game at any time, do ya? Your dedication works for you...just not sure why you think you can judge or assign 'quality' rating to others (or what that gets anyone)? PS -I'm investing 8 yrs from my income into this school...if I wanna go, I'll go...if I don't I won't, and I don't need someone telling me that when I don't go, I'm not a "good" fan. Thanks.

TruePoint wrote:Roz, what the damn hell was up with those posts you made and deleted?

Where is this video from? Funny.
Did we find out where the posts went?

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:

Billyboy78 wrote:Yes, I think a fan who bails on their team if they lose 7 in a row is not a good fan. This is not pro sports. This is my school. I spent 4 years of my life here. I love my school. I'm never bailing on them.

That's a great way to 'feel'...maybe those fans that would bail if they lose 7 in a row should self-identify right now and just stop going? I mean, you don't want 'bad' fans at the game at any time, do ya? Your dedication works for you...just not sure why you think you can judge or assign 'quality' rating to others (or what that gets anyone)? PS -I'm investing 8 yrs from my income into this school...if I wanna go, I'll go...if I don't I won't, and I don't need someone telling me that when I don't go, I'm not a "good" fan. Thanks.

Oh stop. You didn't even go to this school. You know nothing about the history of this basketball program. As soon as your daughters graduate, I assume you will no longer be a "fan". I don't give a shit what you do. You say it's just a game. It's our school. It's our passion. We don't need some outsider telling us how we should feel about something we love.

Billyboy78 wrote:Yes, I think a fan who bails on their team if they lose 7 in a row is not a good fan. This is not pro sports. This is my school. I spent 4 years of my life here. I love my school. I'm never bailing on them.

YUP!!!

Billyboy78 wrote:

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:

Billyboy78 wrote:Yes, I think a fan who bails on their team if they lose 7 in a row is not a good fan. This is not pro sports. This is my school. I spent 4 years of my life here. I love my school. I'm never bailing on them.

That's a great way to 'feel'...maybe those fans that would bail if they lose 7 in a row should self-identify right now and just stop going? I mean, you don't want 'bad' fans at the game at any time, do ya? Your dedication works for you...just not sure why you think you can judge or assign 'quality' rating to others (or what that gets anyone)? PS -I'm investing 8 yrs from my income into this school...if I wanna go, I'll go...if I don't I won't, and I don't need someone telling me that when I don't go, I'm not a "good" fan. Thanks.

Oh stop. You didn't even go to this school. You know nothing about the history of this basketball program. As soon as your daughters graduate, I assume you will no longer be a "fan". I don't give a shit what you do. You say it's just a game. It's our school. It's our passion. We don't need some outsider telling us how we should feel about something we love.

Billy, I basically agree with everything you're saying here and I personally feel the same way as you do. The only thing I'd add is that I don't hold it against people that aren't die-hards. A fan base needs both. I think the die-hards are essential and whatever our number, I'm grateful we have that many and would always welcome more. But we also need to be welcoming of the casual fan that helps you attract bigger crowds and generate more revenue and excitement. I don't want to tell those people they suck; I want to give them something to pay attention to then try to convert them to die-hards with a great product.

I know there are casual fans. I get that. I know they're not as passionate about URI basketball as I am and as many of this group are. I just don't need a certain casual fan, who just showed up here, and knows nothing about URI pre-Hurley, telling this 44 year fan how I should feel.

Why has everyone become so sensitive?

Billyboy78 wrote:I know there are casual fans. I get that. I know they're not as passionate about URI basketball as I am and as many of this group are. I just don't need a certain casual fan, who just showed up here, and knows nothing about URI pre-Hurley, telling this 44 year fan how I should feel.

Omigosh BillyBoy...getting so upset at a 53 year old fan who just likes college basketball. I bet you wish you could just take YOUR toy (URI basketball) and lock it up in a closet so that none of us 'outsiders' could play with it, don'tcha? By the way...I will be a Rhody basketball fan long after they've graduated.

Hopefully, you don't work in the marketing dept, because your kinda fan ain't exactly going to attract the masses. Then again, you don't really give a spit about that...do you?

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:

Billyboy78 wrote:I know there are casual fans. I get that. I know they're not as passionate about URI basketball as I am and as many of this group are. I just don't need a certain casual fan, who just showed up here, and knows nothing about URI pre-Hurley, telling this 44 year fan how I should feel.

Omigosh BillyBoy...getting so upset at a 53 year old fan who just likes college basketball. I bet you wish you could just take YOUR toy (URI basketball) and lock it up in a closet so that none of us 'outsiders' could play with it, don'tcha? By the way...I will be a Rhody basketball fan long after they've graduated.

Hopefully, you don't work in the marketing dept, because your kinda fan ain't exactly going to attract the masses. Then again, you don't really give a spit about that...do you?

Omigosh!!!!.........

x

Billyboy78 wrote:

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:

Billyboy78 wrote:I know there are casual fans. I get that. I know they're not as passionate about URI basketball as I am and as many of this group are. I just don't need a certain casual fan, who just showed up here, and knows nothing about URI pre-Hurley, telling this 44 year fan how I should feel.

Omigosh BillyBoy...getting so upset at a 53 year old fan who just likes college basketball. I bet you wish you could just take YOUR toy (URI basketball) and lock it up in a closet so that none of us 'outsiders' could play with it, don'tcha? By the way...I will be a Rhody basketball fan long after they've graduated.

Hopefully, you don't work in the marketing dept, because your kinda fan ain't exactly going to attract the masses. Then again, you don't really give a spit about that...do you?

Omigosh!!!!.........

LOL! That's what I'm sayin'!!!

Rhody Guy wrote:Why has everyone become so sensitive?

Team has been frustrating to watch. A lot of problems melt away if you're 11-0.

SGreenwell wrote:

Rhody Guy wrote:Why has everyone become so sensitive?

Team has been frustrating to watch. A lot of problems melt away if you're 11-0.

I understand the bitterness with the results, but being so easy to offend by comments on here? I thought it was only my generation that was supposed to be so thin skinned.

Rhody Guy wrote:

SGreenwell wrote:

Rhody Guy wrote:Why has everyone become so sensitive?

Team has been frustrating to watch. A lot of problems melt away if you're 11-0.

I understand the bitterness with the results, but being so easy to offend by comments on here? I thought it was only my generation that was supposed to be so thin skinned.

Well, even in good times, on The Internet people tend to react in more extreme ways, regardless of age. The issue is compounded when the team that the board is essentially devoted to is in the muck a bit.

bressler3south wrote:

theblueram wrote:What goes on during timeouts? "OK, I know you're gonna miss the free throws, so Hass, block your man out and try for the rebound"?

section(105) wrote:Let me add, FWTFIW. We are still here, wn or lose...

rodfromcranston wrote:Well, FWIW, we are here,
win or lose.

And let me add,

WE SUCK AT KEANEY BLEW!

Ya gotta love the blueram's last few posts.

He must be channeling TruePoint's Emotionally Tortured Post-Partum Therapy Crew......

What, I can't bitch and rant? And my quoted message was sarcasm, but my post before wasn't. Guess we need a sarcasm emoticon.

I laughed at Blue Ram's fake dialogue. You have to to keep from crying.

bressler3south wrote:

section(105) wrote:Tell me, does any other message board have this kinda stuff?......what will keep us involved at this level when we become a national program...more from the off line/campus pharmacy?......

A little humor during the dark times helps us, you know the tortured souls of the last half century, never mind the last 15 years. Don't worry 105, by the time URI is nationally prominent, R.I. support for The University will have shrunk from 8% annually to 1.3%. Also, if you don't like it, don't respond to it.
Also, when this school has a nationally prominent program I don't believe that Dan Hurley will be the head coach. How's that?
And I didn't take a blue pill to think up that one.
I took two.
Don't worry, brother, I won't darken your door anymore.
I'm gonna find Ace and vacation in Arizona and watch some well-coached offense!

How is the vacation in Arizona going?
Will you be returning soon? We miss you.

Yes, Bressler. Come back.

I need all the kindred spirits I can get!

Agree.

Kind of dawned on me reading all these posts that our fan base is what it is. Can grab a solid 5k on most nights.

The issue is that within that core 5k people, they have things to do so they miss a game here and there. The problem is that the people outside of them don't really exist. So to fill the building to the top it takes the fringe people.

Thus, it is not that the fans suck because you're getting 3-5k no matter what. The problem is that the team sucks. They don't draw the 1-3k that it takes of people that only go for winning teams.

None of this addresses the large out of state alumni base. Or the problem millennials face in employment. Especially in RI. I want to live in RI. I don't.

I've just made the decision to move back to RI when I retire, which will be soon.

RI is bad when it comes to taxes. But Connecticut is worse. It's legalized rape.

Seawrightspostgame wrote: None of this addresses the large out of state alumni base. Or the problem millennials face in employment. Especially in RI. I want to live in RI. I don't.

Yep.

I'm not going to read back through three pages of this thread to see where it was likely addressed - If this program had a track record of success, people would come, bottom line.

rambone 78 wrote:I've just made the decision to move back to RI when I retire, which will be soon.

RI is bad when it comes to taxes. But Connecticut is worse. It's legalized rape.

Yep, CT is definitely worse...Malloy is considering a 'per inch' tax on this weekend's possible snow, likely driving the storm out of CT, too.

Ct. May be bad in many ways. But, when it snows, their streets are clear. RI's philosphy is to wait for the spring thaw.

I graduated in 08 and I have maybe 1 friend who lives in RI and has a decent job. Everyone else with a good gig is either in Boston, NY or elsewhere. I know I have never seen any promising opportunities in RI myself...

We need to start beating providence college to have any chance of getting the casual basketball fans to come to Ryan....we could be 13-2 now but if one of those losses is to the friars forget it...

3 pages of posts when the answer is obvious... end the drought and make the NCAA Tournament, the casual fans and bandwagon folks will follow.

This board lately has become a forum for calling each other idiots, in so many words.

More than actually discussing the team anymore.......

rambone 78 wrote:This board lately has become a forum for calling each other idiots, in so many words.

More than actually discussing the team anymore.......

Not sure if this was directed towards me but my intent was not to call anyone an idiot. I just feel like people get so twisted in a pretzel trying to explain the attendance issue when the answer is obvious.

Just look at PC, they make a couple tournaments, get ranked and now they are filling the dunk. The Keno error, uh, I mean era is forgotten. Just like the Baron era will be once Hurley delivers Rhody to the dance.

I just returned from Austin - the land of opportunity for anyone who wants to work.

STC, it wasn't what you said. Just a general observation.

'10 Graduate, had a decent job in providence til last year. Left it for a better opportunity in CT, still live 10 minutes from campus though.