RE: We may have movement...UCONN insider claims something's afoot
As a veteran of many Big East tournaments, I think people are vastly underrating the size and scope of UConn's following.
Connecticut has a large and passionate following. However, when you are used to playing relatively big-name schools - at least within that region - and suddenly you are thrust into a conference with a bunch of schools from other parts of the country and with whom you have no history or tradition, and who don't have the same cache, of course that's going to negatively impact your attendance.
Every year when I would go to the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, Connecticut had the largest following - hands down. Syracuse was usually next on that list but they were well behind the Huskies. Also, as someone who has been to a few football games there, their stadium is full and the atmosphere was pretty good. Now, it is not going to make anyone forget Alabama or Clemson. However, it was definitely a rock-solid college football atmosphere.
Now, I will also say that UConn also had the nastiest fans. They were a very surly bunch - oddly so, IMHO. The Connecticut fans definitely had a major chip on their collective shoulder, which I'm sure has only grown with the events of the past few years.
The Big East tournament was an amazing event. There was just so much electricity in that building – especially for the late round games. Those are some of my favorite sports memories ever.
However, one of the things that struck me most about that event - and which made it such a staple of my calendar - was how congenial it was off the court. You would go into one of the many bars that circle Madison Square Garden and it was not at all hostile. It was extremely common for me and my friends to spend the night drinking and carrying on with Syracuse fans or St. John's fans or Providence fans or Villanova fans, etc. you would talk trash to each other and you sure wanted to beat them if you were playing them in the next round but it was mostly friendly and fun. In fact, in my experience, it was always friendly and fun - even in defeat.
...with one consistent exception: UConn fans. They were to men's basketball what West Virginia was to Big East football. Their fans just were so nasty all the time.
Look, I get it. I am far from prudish when it comes to fan behavior. I don't need you to buy me a beer to invite me over to have a hotdog with you and your friends. However, I don't think it's too much to ask to not be berated by you on the way out of the arena after my team has already lost to yours. I don't think it is too much to ask to have people threatening to fight you because my team has beaten your team. It is just sports – have fun but let it go.
The UConn fans were kind of like the guy in the office that is just way too intense about everything and it just rubs everyone the wrong way. Their fans just couldn't seem to separate the game from real life. Time after time after time when we would go to New York City, there would always be some crazy story with our group or one of the groups we were with who had an insanely negative interaction with some group of Connecticut fans.
Now, the Huskies were also an exceptional program at that time (as they are now) and that made it even worse. They acted very differently when they were winning versus the way Syracuse acted when it was winning, Georgetown acted when it was winning, etc. It was just a little bit nasty. I think that is why you won't find too many fans of old Big East teams feel too badly for Connecticut for how things turned out. I think the general sentiment is that it couldn't happen to a nicer fan base.
However, I don't look at it that way. I think they have a large and passionate fan base that deserves to be in a P5 league. I think a lot of things have gone against them that probably shouldn't have. However, I also think their fans can be pretty idiotic towards other fans which is why you see so much acrimony towards them and forums like this one.
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