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"The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes To UAB?
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Matrix Offline
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"The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes To UAB?
Good afternoon. Just finished officiating about 4 youth flag football games earlier this morning. I was partnered with a young man who I would later learn is a UAB student. Voluntarily told me that he was going to Legion Field today to hang out with the "Classic" crowd. When asked was he going to the game, he stated no, the game wasn't important to him, he was more into the tailgating/social event aspect of it all, I said cool, but then I mentioned UAB, and that's when it struck a nerve with him. He couldn't express himself enough about how he felt towards the football team, and at the end of the first end of his very passionate and heartfelt rant, was a statement that I've heard far too often from coworkers/psuedo-associates, many of whom are too damn cheap to even purchase a ticket to go to a game, but love to stick their chests out about how "big" a fan they are of certain other teams/schools.

Anyway, he would then tell me that he is a student at UAB, but had reached his breaking point with the football team's losing, that he was tired of going to UAB games and pretty much knowing what the end result was going to be, he also mentioned that the season opener against Troy was the last straw for him. I shared with him how often I've heard that from other people, but couldn't help but wonder how many thousands of others have come to the same conclusion & have elected to stay away? This young man also went on about UAB's lack of facilities and how they weren't ever going to be able to compete in Conference USA with their limited budgets, resources, and all. Time was not on our side, and I really wanted to talk with him in length after our games, but he had other sports to go officiate elsewhere, I had one moment to ask him if UAB could get on a notable winning streak this season and be in at least the hunt for a divisional crown, would that alter his mindset? He said emphatically, yes, because he was tired of the team's losing ways, afterwards we shook hands and called it a day. Afterwards, I got to thinking about all the conversations this year I've had that I could recall with people about the Blazers football team and how most of them were met with genuine disdain & dismissal, and my #1(Losing) & #2 (Legion Field/Facilities) reasons would somehow come out of their mouths. Let's face facts on this one thing, we know what the Blazers are up against from a bureaucratic, journalistic and political point, but, I can't help but feel that this young man I worked with today may be symbolic of the fan in this area that wants UAB Football to start winning....& start winning now...


That after some time, people who are starving badly for a winner, only to be disappointed time and time again, get frustrated(like that young man I worked with today) to the point where they simply lose any and all interest in the team, and I know that's gotta be a bit hurtful to the players, and to some degree, even the coaches. Hell, I know they're not going out expecting to lose, but I can't get the feeling out of me that unless something great happens for this team this year, that "culture of losing" that Coach McGee spoke of some time ago may become that much more fortified. I really, really feel that this upcoming game against the Road Runners of UTSA and the following Saturday against Middle Tennessee are must wins, & with little to no sincerely good news on the horizon for this program in the foreseeable future (in regards to facilities & new stadium on campus), winning games may be their only option to winning some of these disillusioned fans back, but the ones that hate Legion Field as much or more than I do, but won't attend games because that one reason, I don't see what more the Blazers can do to get them to return and support the team, which goes back to "Gorilla's" observation of how desperately important getting that new stadium on campus would be, but we all know the deal on that, which leads a question I wish to toss out on this topic, in addition to all else, is the system bot just as much a contributor to the "culture of losing" that has plagued UAB Football?

Sorry for the long diatribe, I had to get that in...Going to find a working radio and listen to the game...Go Blazers! I like my Road Runners "extra crispy!"
(This post was last modified: 10-28-2013 06:44 AM by Matrix.)
10-26-2013 02:02 PM
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Hambit Offline
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Post: #2
RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
10-26-2013 02:42 PM
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dfarr Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
I know where he's coming from. I was at UAB during our "glory days" of actually finishing above .500. I was at the Tulane game that seemed to send us into the downward spiral. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends tell me that UAB was ahead against (insert team name) and I always respond with "they'll end up losing." 80% of the time I'm right. It was frustrating at first, but now I just shake my head and move on.
10-26-2013 03:00 PM
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LairDweller Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-26-2013 02:42 PM)Hambit Wrote:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph

03-lmfao
10-26-2013 04:08 PM
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KevMo4UAB Online
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
It's no fun losing all the time.
10-26-2013 04:40 PM
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Big Dee Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes To UAB?
In this what have you done for me lately world, what has UAB football given you? Besides heartache, headache, and other health problems.
10-26-2013 05:01 PM
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BAMANBLAZERFAN Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-26-2013 05:01 PM)Big Dee Wrote:  In this what have you done for me lately world, what has UAB football given you? Besides heartache, headache, and other health problems.

UAB has given me hope for a better day when the present staff has brought in their own players who I hope will be better than the majority of ones we have now whose play got Callaway fired.

Having lost both parents, an oldest daughter and a few friends, I am not having heart or head problems based upon the results of any football game. I have seen many lost by my favorite team of that period of my life, but have not found it to matter in the "Big Picture" a while later.

Disappointed? Definitely. I remain convinced however, that when we get the improved facilities - and maybe even an OCS - we will become a consistent winner. If we continue with only what we have now, we will probably get what we have always gotten.
(This post was last modified: 10-26-2013 07:10 PM by BAMANBLAZERFAN.)
10-26-2013 07:03 PM
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KevMo4UAB Online
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
Recruiting is war. You must have facilities to compete. UAB doesn't have the facilities to compete. Trying to compete without the facilities is insane.
10-26-2013 08:22 PM
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GreenHornet33 Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
I agree with Matrix. You would be surprised on the amount of UAB students and alums that go all out for Classic and other events but will not go to UAB football games. All most every NPHC greek organization had some type of party of tailgate for classic weekend. On campus during Classic weekend at UAB almost every African-American student will have multiple visitors from out of town for the game/festivities. I've talked to several UAB fans and students yesterday and I kinda picked their brain about the situation. Most of them didn't even know UAB had a game on yesterday, and the ones that did didn't know who the opponent was. Winning would change all of this. With UAB being such a young program a lot of students grew up around other school's sporting events. We take for granted that EVERYONE grows up an Alabama or Auburn fan, but you have families that are Alabama State/A&M/ and every other kind of fans also. I have a younger cousin that's enrolled at UAB and she was talking about homecoming next weekend. I took for granted that she was talking about UABs but she was talking about homecoming at Tuskegee. Winning will solve all of this. Everyone wants to be apart of a winner. Look how many people showed up to UAB games in 2004. As soon as the wins start pouring in people will all of a sudden forget about how poor Legion Field is or how bad facilities are.
10-27-2013 08:24 AM
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Matrix Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-26-2013 02:42 PM)Hambit Wrote:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph

03-lmfao Sorry, "Hambit", I had a full plate of activity that day and just rushed thru the whole thing. I got cha! Love the sense of humor at this forum!
10-28-2013 06:45 AM
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Matrix Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes To UAB?
And thank you, "Hornet." That was very well illustrated, this is the overall mindset of the fan base that UAB is trying to win over in football, and UAB's failing...Miserably, I dare say...Miserably...
10-28-2013 06:56 AM
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Matrix Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-26-2013 04:40 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  It's no fun losing all the time.

Amen, brotha!
10-28-2013 08:27 AM
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USAFBlazerFan Offline
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Post: #13
RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-26-2013 04:40 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  It's no fun losing all the time.

Hope we are MUCH improved next year.
10-29-2013 08:09 AM
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Uncle BLAZER Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes To UAB?
Don't we all? Didn't we all say that last year too?
10-29-2013 01:26 PM
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Matrix Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-26-2013 08:22 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  Recruiting is war. You must have facilities to compete. UAB doesn't have the facilities to compete. Trying to compete without the facilities is insane.

And the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.

..."you can't create the future...by clinging to the past..." 11/2
10-29-2013 01:55 PM
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USAFBlazerFan Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-29-2013 01:26 PM)Uncle BLAZER Wrote:  Don't we all? Didn't we all say that last year too?

Yep, and every year I can remember. I'm just trying to stay positive.
10-29-2013 07:20 PM
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Uncle BLAZER Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes To UAB?
Me too. Despite what some on here think. I go into every game hopeful that we will win because I know at any given time, it can happen.
10-29-2013 09:25 PM
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BAMANBLAZERFAN Offline
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RE: "The Culture Of Losing" - Is It A Birmingham State Of Mind When It Comes...
(10-29-2013 01:55 PM)Matrix Wrote:  
(10-26-2013 08:22 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  Recruiting is war. You must have facilities to compete. UAB doesn't have the facilities to compete. Trying to compete without the facilities is insane.

And the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.

..."you can't create the future...by clinging to the past..." 11/2

You can't CHANGE the future for the better by REPEATING the deficiencies of the past is more like reality. The definition given of insanity is applicable to that as well.
10-29-2013 09:45 PM
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