Young people utilize the internet for everything. We need to encourage some UALR students who follow the program to participate.
Of course the administration might not like students sharing their opinions about the program. As someone pointed out recently, we haven't had any new folks on the board in ages that we know about.
We're going to have to figure a way to get them involved.
(08-28-2013 05:38 PM)outsideualr Wrote: [ -> ]Young people utilize the internet for everything. We need to encourage some UALR students who follow the program to participate.
Of course the administration might not like students sharing their opinions about the program. As someone pointed out recently, we haven't had any new folks on the board in ages that we know about.
We're going to have to figure a way to get them involved.
You should put out some flyers advertising the board at a game.
The last student that I know of who used this board, and seems like he even had a site of his own supporting the Trojans, got harassed so much by the administration, that he not only quit the board, but also quit supporting the team. Can't recall his name.
It just does not get any traction on campus. I say we use twitter and facebook. get it on their smartphones.
That was Preston Polson's Tipsy Club.
we don't need more boards. This one is established and we just need to get the word out to folks who might enjoy commenting and reading other comments about UALR basketball. We don't need students starting their own thing. They don't need to reinvent the wheel. Use what's here and enjoy it.
(08-28-2013 05:38 PM)outsideualr Wrote: [ -> ]Young people utilize the internet for everything. We need to encourage some UALR students who follow the program to participate.
Of course the administration might not like students sharing their opinions about the program. As someone pointed out recently, we haven't had any new folks on the board in ages that we know about.
We're going to have to figure a way to get them involved.
Our board is too negative to motivate anyone -- including potential recruits -- to get interested in having anything tondo with us. It has turned into a public forum forums old men to vent our frustrations -- or, at least, some of them.
(08-31-2013 02:56 PM)Ynocpirt Wrote: [ -> ]Our board is too negative to motivate anyone -- including potential recruits -- to get interested in having anything tondo with us. It has turned into a public forum forums old men to vent our frustrations -- or, at least, some of them.
Good point. We are not their crowd.
(08-31-2013 02:56 PM)Ynocpirt Wrote: [ -> ] (08-28-2013 05:38 PM)outsideualr Wrote: [ -> ]Young people utilize the internet for everything. We need to encourage some UALR students who follow the program to participate.
Of course the administration might not like students sharing their opinions about the program. As someone pointed out recently, we haven't had any new folks on the board in ages that we know about.
We're going to have to figure a way to get them involved.
Our board is too negative to motivate anyone -- including potential recruits -- to get interested in having anything tondo with us. It has turned into a public forum forums old men to vent our frustrations -- or, at least, some of them.
If we had something to be positive about, then we wouldn't have this problem. Same old **** for twenty plus years is more than some can handle evidently, with a dropout level of 350 for the past three years. Doesn't that tell you something. It should tell Chris Peterson something.
I tried to find the good in everything for years and hold the board together to have a positive public face. I got the bitching to the private board to hold the heat off of Chris and Steve.
Well, I did that for about the last five years. It is now time for them to hear the unfiltered truth about what the fan base feels about the program and the commitment that the fan base has to the program.
There are only about 8 to 10 regular posters and that has fallen some over the last couple of years.
Robert got this thing going years ago and does not come to games anymore while living close enough to make most (Family and life changes are a lot of that but he is not as active as he once was)
Scotto burned out and probably not buying tickets
Bob burned for years but keeps coming. Says this is his last year of it.
Kerry has not renewed his tickets and is moving to Hot Springs. I will probably buy some single game tickets but have lost faith in Chris and Steve. They will have to prove something before I buy tickets and drive an hour each way to go to the games.
Ptjr I never see him at games anymore. I don't even know if he buys tickets.
Pappy even cocks a critical eye at things now.
LRAlum post very little here anymore and think it is from moving away and the current track of the program.
rbl will travel and go to every game. I have no idea about his public views on the state of the team.
Bill's posts seems he has lost some hope in the program.
mjs and jim still feel like the arena is going to work some magic but that arena is like a F1 racecar with a UPS driver driving it and using the lead mechanic at Walmart to turn wrenches on it.
Throw in the lack of support by the local paper and the inability to attract young fans (ualr alums) and keep what you have (someone said we are losing like 300 a year, so 1000 season tickets in the last 3 years).
Put all that together and you got a stock most would sell and take their loss at this point.
A few more thoughts
When Chris all but killed the tip in club he killed the best tool he had for attracting real long time fans.
Sure he got everyone from his side of town to give money, in the way of buying tickets, to the program but they are not fans, there just friends helping a buddy keep a $175k a year job going.
Hope the above does not sound like a personal attack it is not. Friends will help anyway they can but they will not come sit in a seat and stand when the game is on the line. Most will not even come to the games.
So, this is like a marriage where someone has cheated. You can stay together for the kids but you will never have full faith in it again.
Lastly, let me say that I personally like Steve and think he is a great guy and the Chris has done a lot for UALR.
What I am asking for is that we
1. Do something to attract younger fans
1.a. Be willing to do anything it takes to promote the product
2. Do something to hold the older guys in the tip in club by giving them space at the arena
3. Produce a winner on the court
3.a look at the type of kid that can be recruited to ualr and play a style of ball that fits that kid
4. Find a conference that we can win in
4.a. The Current SBC is that but if things were to change we should be willing to weigh the options
5. Can't go to practice. You lost the biggest thing that brought people closer to the program on this board.
You just struck a nerve with that one. I remember when practices were open, going back to the Porter days if I recall. The players would get used to seeing the fans at practices and we got to know each other. Now, I have as much contact with the UALR players as I do with the Hog players. None. And there's a different feeling about the program. I'm not expecting to be best friends with the players, but there was a family feeling that has been all but extinguished. If closing practices resulted in greater performance on the court, I could begrudgingly go along with it. But have we done any better with closed practices that we did before? I don't think our record reflects that. And when Porter was here, we had a breakfast meeting every single week during the seaon. And Porter would bring film of the last game and point out things that we wouldn't have been able to see at the games. I just think the fans have been taken for granted in recent years. And you know what happens to businesses that do that. They don't usually survive, or there is a change in leadership. For a number of years, Montgomery Ward, Sears and other traditional stores laughed at Wal Mart. That little country outfit. Well who's laughing now? Wards is gone and I don't know how much longer Sears will be around. That's what happens when you think you have all the answers and aren't open to new ideas. Customers have other options. If you don't keep the customers happy, they eventually move on to others who do make them happy. I've come to the conclusion that our program has developed a number of unhappy customers who supported this program when it was playing in makeshift arenas and had no on campus students to speak of. Now that we've moved into a beautiful arena, it seems those folks have sort of been ignored. Give us you money, but shut the Hell up cause we're gonna do whatever we want. Sort of like the IRS. Well, we don't have a choice. We have to give our money to the government, but we don't have to support a basketball program if it isn't producing what we expect. From what I've read on the board, we've lost some more season ticket holders. We should be adding fans, not losing them. Something had best be done before long or we might have a real problem.
(09-01-2013 08:36 AM)insideualr Wrote: [ -> ]5. Can't go to practice. You lost the biggest thing that brought people closer to the program on this board.
Can' disagree with anything you say. I've been arguing 1 and 1a forever. With regard to #2, not treating your core of "real" fans right was a big mistake. I don't know that #5 would change much, but dong something for your few die hard fans is never a bad thing. The few guys that care enough to go watch practice (what could be more boring) will be there game night regardless.
We seem to be doing everything we can to help make the Hogs more attractive to the average Central Arkansas fan. Nothing wrong with backing the Hogs. I cheer for them myself. But UALR needs something to attract local fans to the games. I remember when they had the car giveway if someone could make shots in 30 seconds starting under the basket, and eventually going to mid court. Only once did I see anyone make the shot that won the car, but I recall the excitement, and fans turned out when they had those. And when that guy made the shot that won the car, the place exploded. Wouldn't even have to be a brand new car, but it could be a nice fairly new car in excellent condition. Very seldom would anyone win, but it creates excitement, and you could probably get car dealers to support it. The car thing always seemed to be a great promotion. Even the junk car giveaways at old Travelers Field drew packed houses. Come on Chris. You're a smart guy. Let's really start doing something that brings new fans to the games. It will benefit all ofr us.
I never saw a Trojan game until Newell came. From his second year up until about four or five years ago, I never missed a home game. Since then I've missed four or five. The program has flat ass turned me off as of late. This will probably be my last one. They say that animals never **** in their nest, but the administration at UALR has. Of course some fans have died off, but a lot have just grown tired of mediocrity and an administration that cares not about the fans. I agree with Doc, that when they stopped fans from coming to practices, who did they hurt? Not most of the big time givers, because most of them didn't come to practices anyway, but the little guys who really love the game enough to be interested in what they do in practice. I started going to a few practices when Newell was here, and that was primarily when fall practices started and that was a good time to get a look at the new players.
By the way, evidently the Travelers have decided to go the route of UALR, and not pay any attention to what the fans want. They've fired a very popular General Manager and replaced him with a puppet. If you're not familiar with this, talk to some of the long-time Traveler fans.
When issues run this deep in a program, it isn't the coach. He may contribute, but he did not create all this. He needs to win this year, but we have a huge ego-problem at the head of the Little Rock athletic program.
[b]
(09-01-2013 02:09 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote: [ -> ]When issues run this deep in a program, it isn't the coach. He may contribute, but he did not create all this. He needs to win this year, but we have a huge ego-problem at the head of the Little Rock athletic program.
No, you can't put all the blame on the coach, but a coach can certainly make a difference. Shields is a nice guy, but it's pretty damn obvious that he ain't the guy to get it done. He's done a very average job, and average for a career ain't good enough for me. And as Dizzy Dean said once when St. Louis English teachers were criticizing him for using language like 'ain't' an 'slud' on the radio during broadcasts, and his reply was "let the teachers teach English and I'll teach baseball. There is a lot of people in the United States who say isn't, and they ain't eating"