I wonder who sold who on the specific terms of Pastner's agreement?

Did Bowen press the boosters? Did the boosters press Bowen?

Was it mutual?

It would be interesting to know.

Defcon one people and the media already knows. Between two mountains and a hard place. Brillant!!!

Posts 79, 80, and 81 are spot on.

Bowen is the man and has done a HELLUVA job.

He has helped transform the football program which was absolutely MANDATORY to any possibility of attracting a P5 invitation. Football drives the P5, not basketball. Basketball has importance and has its place - # 2. Football is # 1 by a wide margin. That is NOT a slam. It is the straight up TRUTH. Embrace that reality like Bowen and MOST boosters have.

Fuente turned the football program around and Norvell was hired to keep the trend moving upward. If his recent recruiting haul after only 60 days on the job is any indication of his work effort and intensity as a coach, then Norvell seems like a really solid hire for the football program.

Okay, now that football seems to be on the winning track and in capable hands, the basketball issue can finally be looked at and a decision made. I suspect it will be, as wylioats, TigersRuleAll, and covingtontiger have inferred.

End of story.

(02-12-2016 10:51 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  

(02-12-2016 05:44 PM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  

(02-11-2016 10:03 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  

(02-11-2016 06:30 PM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  

(02-11-2016 06:13 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  Here's the thing. Right now football > basketball. Conferences tell us that. TV tells us that. $$$$ tell us that.

We've just come off a two-year run in football that is the best in 50 years.

Basketball is set for our worst two-year run in 15 years.

With the importance of football, this "50-year" success is MUCH better than our "15-year" basketball failure. Bowen is doing what he was hired to do.

I think I'd like to see the revenue/expense numbers for football and basketball for the last four or more years before I accept football at Memphis as a "MUCH better" revenue generator than basketball. I suspect prior to last year, basketball has always dwarfed football in gross profit.

And I don't think, if you had thrown in "and to preside over the destruction of basketball" into his job description, that you would've been able to get out of committee with that one. He's not doing everything he was hired to do, which includes not killing basketball.

Are you one of those guys who takes a quote like "MUCH better" and places it out of context for your own benefit? Never, ever did I say or imply that football at Memphis is a higher revenue generator than basketball.

Bowen was brought in to build football and he has. He inherited an incompetent bb coach. He's not destroying basketball. He just hasn't cleaned up the mess yet. Funny, since he's supposed to be the "axe man".

No, I'm one of those guys who likes to see facts instead of bulletin board projections. The sky is falling on bulletin boards, and anything spent on basketball is wasted. You have bought into this, obviously, when you say things like, "With the importance of football, this "50-year" success is MUCH better than our "15-year" basketball failure," implying that a two-year bump in football at Memphis somehow overshadows the fact that an 18,500-seat arena downtown that used to be sold out now regularly sees about 25-40% that many people. It doesn't.

Success = Revenue. I'm all for having a better athletic program in all sports, but I know which side Memphis' bread is and always has been buttered on. You seem to have forgotten it. And just for the record, not cleaning up the mess is exactly what has destroyed the basketball program. Blame Bowen, the boosters, Rudd, whomever, but that is irrefutable. The fans aren't there because Pastner still is.

Geez, the basketball program is not destroyed. It's at a 15-year low. Down but not out. True, fans aren't there because Pastner is. And when he's gone, a good portion come back. That's not destruction. That's a no-confidence vote led by hiatus.

You want facts about what a 50-year high in football means compared to a 15-year low in hoops? About 20k more tickets sold. Over the past 2 years we've lost 4,400 tickets per game in basketball. Over 18 home games, that's 79,200 fans lost per year. Yikes. That is terrible - no doubt.

Over the same 2 years we've gained 15,265 tickets per game in football. Over 6.5 games (6 one year, 7 the next). that's 99,223 fans gained per year. These are just the tickets numbers. It's huge. Doesn't even address the new fans and boosters represented by this 15k increase. Or the tv, publicity, other benefits.

Now the idea is to gain the 99k without losing the 79k. When The Change is made, a lot of that will be solved. Let's wait until the end of the season before we say it's not happening. Meanwhile, yes, the 2-year gain in football is greater than the 2-year loss in basketball. Facts. Not bulletin board material.

Well, I agree more tickets sold equals success over where you were. What you're either missing or ignoring is that you're talking apples and oranges. How many of those 15,265 new football tickets we sold carry a $10,000 TSF donation per seat and how many of the 4,400 basketball ones do? Keep in mind, when the lower bowl season tickets remain unsold, according to BrotherBluto, they are offered to faculty/staff. I'm guessing they don't require the donation when they do that, so that's even more of the actual money seats we're losing (than are reported in the numbers) in our insignificant dip in basketball attendance.

We agree on more issues than we disagree, I suspect, but the money is not nearly the same between basketball and football. We HAD basketball fans throughout the city -- for generations. Now, most are gone. We've NEVER had football fans throughout the city. Most are SEC fans, and probably always will be because SEC football will probably always be better than Memphis football. Fan loyalty is much more susceptible to dropoff in football than basketball for that reason -- no tradition of winning/support.

I'm not a big football fan, but I'm all for building up football. I, and most other Memphians, grew up being a Tiger basketball fan, and losing our identity in that is way more significant than a two-year football happy dance that will disappear as quickly as it arrived if the new guy doesn't match Fuente's success. It is what it is.

I just want to know why everyone is mad at Bowen because 3 years ago most of the people on this board was happier than Rick Pitino at an Italian restaurant when Pastner signed the last contract extension.

http://csnbbs.com/thread-626602.html

(02-13-2016 10:04 AM)wylioats Wrote:  I guess some on here would rather have RC and Shirley back. People who really believe that Bowen is someone who doesn't care about Tiger basketball, or is out to kill Tiger basketball, has, either an agenda or just plain don't know what the hell they're talking about. Am I a friend of Bowens, no, but I have talked to him regarding our athletic program. The man came in with a charge of fixing our train wreck of a football program and to try and put us in the best position for a power 5 invite. So far so good on the football end of things. He also realizes that something has to be done to fix this train wreck of a basketball program that Pastner has brought onto the scene. He understands what it means to have both football and basketball on the upswing and the importance of having them both winning at a high level (fan support). Like I said, agenda or just plain don't know what the hell some on here are talking about. RC or Shirley. HMMM!!

I hope you are right and what you say here certainly makes sense.

(02-13-2016 10:48 AM)Crazier Wrote:  I just want to know why everyone is mad at Bowen because 3 years ago most of the people on this board was happier than Rick Pitino at an Italian restaurant when Pastner signed the last contract extension.

I don't know anyone who was happy with it in all honesty. Granted, most posters on here that weren't happy have been banned, but in real life, everyone I know thought it was a horrible move even then.

(02-13-2016 11:03 AM)bluecrew Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 10:48 AM)Crazier Wrote:  I just want to know why everyone is mad at Bowen because 3 years ago most of the people on this board was happier than Rick Pitino at an Italian restaurant when Pastner signed the last contract extension.

I don't know anyone who was happy with it in all honesty. Granted, most posters on here that weren't happy have been banned, but in real life, everyone I know thought it was a horrible move even then.

Yes it was a horrible move but not to most people here. I want to know why they have turned on Messiah Josh and his stepfather Bowen.

http://csnbbs.com/thread-626602.html

(02-13-2016 11:23 AM)Crazier Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 11:03 AM)bluecrew Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 10:48 AM)Crazier Wrote:  I just want to know why everyone is mad at Bowen because 3 years ago most of the people on this board was happier than Rick Pitino at an Italian restaurant when Pastner signed the last contract extension.

I don't know anyone who was happy with it in all honesty. Granted, most posters on here that weren't happy have been banned, but in real life, everyone I know thought it was a horrible move even then.

Yes it was a horrible move but not to most people here. I want to know why they have turned on Messiah Josh and his stepfather Bowen.

http://csnbbs.com/thread-626602.html

#1: I'm glad to say I never posted in that thread.

#2: "Dan Wolken @DanWolken
Pastner has it on the verge of a huge run at Memphis. Leaving for USC would've been the wrong move. He's 35. No need to do that. "

It may that the exact terms of the extension were not fully understood. It's one of if not the most one sided contract I've ever read. Not sure how many had the opportunity to really dissect it section by section.

Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

(02-13-2016 10:47 AM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  

(02-12-2016 10:51 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  

(02-12-2016 05:44 PM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  

(02-11-2016 10:03 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  

(02-11-2016 06:30 PM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  I think I'd like to see the revenue/expense numbers for football and basketball for the last four or more years before I accept football at Memphis as a "MUCH better" revenue generator than basketball. I suspect prior to last year, basketball has always dwarfed football in gross profit.

And I don't think, if you had thrown in "and to preside over the destruction of basketball" into his job description, that you would've been able to get out of committee with that one. He's not doing everything he was hired to do, which includes not killing basketball.

Are you one of those guys who takes a quote like "MUCH better" and places it out of context for your own benefit? Never, ever did I say or imply that football at Memphis is a higher revenue generator than basketball.

Bowen was brought in to build football and he has. He inherited an incompetent bb coach. He's not destroying basketball. He just hasn't cleaned up the mess yet. Funny, since he's supposed to be the "axe man".

No, I'm one of those guys who likes to see facts instead of bulletin board projections. The sky is falling on bulletin boards, and anything spent on basketball is wasted. You have bought into this, obviously, when you say things like, "With the importance of football, this "50-year" success is MUCH better than our "15-year" basketball failure," implying that a two-year bump in football at Memphis somehow overshadows the fact that an 18,500-seat arena downtown that used to be sold out now regularly sees about 25-40% that many people. It doesn't.

Success = Revenue. I'm all for having a better athletic program in all sports, but I know which side Memphis' bread is and always has been buttered on. You seem to have forgotten it. And just for the record, not cleaning up the mess is exactly what has destroyed the basketball program. Blame Bowen, the boosters, Rudd, whomever, but that is irrefutable. The fans aren't there because Pastner still is.

Geez, the basketball program is not destroyed. It's at a 15-year low. Down but not out. True, fans aren't there because Pastner is. And when he's gone, a good portion come back. That's not destruction. That's a no-confidence vote led by hiatus.

You want facts about what a 50-year high in football means compared to a 15-year low in hoops? About 20k more tickets sold. Over the past 2 years we've lost 4,400 tickets per game in basketball. Over 18 home games, that's 79,200 fans lost per year. Yikes. That is terrible - no doubt.

Over the same 2 years we've gained 15,265 tickets per game in football. Over 6.5 games (6 one year, 7 the next). that's 99,223 fans gained per year. These are just the tickets numbers. It's huge. Doesn't even address the new fans and boosters represented by this 15k increase. Or the tv, publicity, other benefits.

Now the idea is to gain the 99k without losing the 79k. When The Change is made, a lot of that will be solved. Let's wait until the end of the season before we say it's not happening. Meanwhile, yes, the 2-year gain in football is greater than the 2-year loss in basketball. Facts. Not bulletin board material.

Well, I agree more tickets sold equals success over where you were. What you're either missing or ignoring is that you're talking apples and oranges. How many of those 15,265 new football tickets we sold carry a $10,000 TSF donation per seat and how many of the 4,400 basketball ones do? Keep in mind, when the lower bowl season tickets remain unsold, according to BrotherBluto, they are offered to faculty/staff. I'm guessing they don't require the donation when they do that, so that's even more of the actual money seats we're losing (than are reported in the numbers) in our insignificant dip in basketball attendance.

We agree on more issues than we disagree, I suspect, but the money is not nearly the same between basketball and football. We HAD basketball fans throughout the city -- for generations. Now, most are gone. We've NEVER had football fans throughout the city. Most are SEC fans, and probably always will be because SEC football will probably always be better than Memphis football. Fan loyalty is much more susceptible to dropoff in football than basketball for that reason -- no tradition of winning/support.

I'm not a big football fan, but I'm all for building up football. I, and most other Memphians, grew up being a Tiger basketball fan, and losing our identity in that is way more significant than a two-year football happy dance that will disappear as quickly as it arrived if the new guy doesn't match Fuente's success. It is what it is.

Very obvious by your post you're not a big football fan. But, is that not a Tiger football fan or just not a big football fan in general, or possibly a Tiger basketball fan whose also a SEC football fan. Not throwing stones, but just curious, because even though you say, you're all for building up football, but by your post it sounds to be quite the opposite.

(02-13-2016 11:39 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

Why not post the pictures of Tiger Lane for the other Tiger home games?? Seems you only thought it necessary to post the one for the SMU game, when it was a cold, windy, rainy day. Why not post a picture of the LB with 55,000 fans in the stands for the Navy game, or of any other Tiger home game?? Amazes the crap out of me how some of you basketball only fans seem to fear any success or possible success of our football program.

(02-13-2016 12:09 PM)wylioats Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 11:39 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

Why not post the pictures of Tiger Lane for the other Tiger home games?? Seems you only thought it necessary to post the one for the SMU game, when it was a cold, windy, rainy day. Why not post a picture of the LB with 55,000 fans in the stands for the Navy game, or of any other Tiger home game?? Amazes the crap out of me how some of you basketball only fans seem to fear any success or possible success of our football program.

ahh....so you just had to take it to a personal level of attack on me and the poster before me. I'm a football fan now, too, and can't wait for the season. A lot of my fan emotions are already invested in Norvell.

But I'm not gonna sit around and be quiet any more about BB.
BB is the heart and soul of Memphis. It will not go quietly into that good night. lol.

(02-13-2016 11:52 AM)wylioats Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 10:47 AM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  Well, I agree more tickets sold equals success over where you were. What you're either missing or ignoring is that you're talking apples and oranges. How many of those 15,265 new football tickets we sold carry a $10,000 TSF donation per seat and how many of the 4,400 basketball ones do? Keep in mind, when the lower bowl season tickets remain unsold, according to BrotherBluto, they are offered to faculty/staff. I'm guessing they don't require the donation when they do that, so that's even more of the actual money seats we're losing (than are reported in the numbers) in our insignificant dip in basketball attendance.

We agree on more issues than we disagree, I suspect, but the money is not nearly the same between basketball and football. We HAD basketball fans throughout the city -- for generations. Now, most are gone. We've NEVER had football fans throughout the city. Most are SEC fans, and probably always will be because SEC football will probably always be better than Memphis football. Fan loyalty is much more susceptible to dropoff in football than basketball for that reason -- no tradition of winning/support.

I'm not a big football fan, but I'm all for building up football. I, and most other Memphians, grew up being a Tiger basketball fan, and losing our identity in that is way more significant than a two-year football happy dance that will disappear as quickly as it arrived if the new guy doesn't match Fuente's success. It is what it is.

Very obvious by your post you're not a big football fan. But, is that not a Tiger football fan or just not a big football fan in general, or possibly a Tiger basketball fan whose also a SEC football fan. Not throwing stones, but just curious, because even though you say, you're all for building up football, but by your post it sounds to be quite the opposite.

Nope, I said exactly what I meant -- not a big football fan. I used to follow three different pro teams, depending on where I was living, but I even gave up NFL. I probably watch about two hours worth of college football per year -- except for this year. I did try to be a Tiger football supporter, but it just reminded me that I'm not a big football fan.

(02-13-2016 11:39 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

You people are losing your minds. Just because we have had success in football the last two years doesn't mean basketball is being abandoned. We have top notch basketball facilities and we are paying a coach top 20 money(He doesn't deserve it). We hired the wrong coach and now we are stuck with a bad contract. That's life. The people who signed off on the contract believed in CJP and so did most of the fans. Funny thing is most fans blamed West and Porter for bad football but will blame everybody but CJP for the state of the basketball program. Josh Pastner is responsible for the current state of the basketball program. He has all of the tools and resources to be successful but he is not because he a terrible coach.What more do you want the university to do to show that they are committed to basketball besides firing the basketball coach? Invest in better facilities(which they are already doing) or give a bad coach a pay raise? With the right coaching hire next time, basketball will be back to it's normal self. If anything, having success in football these last two years is a nice compensation for basketball sucking these last two years. Trust me because both could be bad right now.

(02-13-2016 01:02 PM)Crazier Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 11:39 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

You people are losing your minds. Just because we have had success in football the last two years doesn't mean basketball is being abandoned. We have top notch basketball facilities and we are paying a coach top 20 money(He doesn't deserve it). We hired the wrong coach and now we are stuck with a bad contract. That's life. The people who signed off on the contract believed in CJP and so did most of the fans. Funny thing is most fans blamed West and Porter for bad football but will blame everybody but CJP for the state of the basketball program. Josh Pastner is responsible for the current state of the basketball program. He has all of the tools and resources to be successful but he is not because he a terrible coach.What more do you want the university to do to show that they are committed to basketball besides firing the basketball coach? Invest in better facilities(which they are already doing) or give a bad coach a pay raise? With the right coaching hire next time, basketball will be back to it's normal self. If anything, having success in football these last two years is a nice compensation for basketball sucking these last two years. Trust me because both could be bad right now.

The name 'Crazier' does not inspire much trust'.

It doesn't matter to me who did it and what happened to get us to this place. Pretty sure it was a group effort.

Whoever is is charge, please just fix it..asap... do it in a way that stops the hemorrhaging, the embarrassment, the struggle of the head coach/team and the lack of support for our team.

It's bad when so many hardcore fans decide they have to STOP attending games, i.e. STOP supporting our players, just to get the people in charge moving.

If we BB fans don't squeak about what's happening, who will?

And, just for the record, I wanted to be there at Paxton Lynch's last home game as a show of support for what he had done for our program, in spite of the criticism that got leveled at him earlier on. I'm not big on stats, but I do know Lynch (basically a nobody when he came here) was being considered to go first in the draft when he left.

Rain should not keep fans away. Blizzards did not keep some of us from getting to that last game. lol.

(02-13-2016 12:29 PM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 11:52 AM)wylioats Wrote:  

(02-13-2016 10:47 AM)MTigerBlue Wrote:  Well, I agree more tickets sold equals success over where you were. What you're either missing or ignoring is that you're talking apples and oranges. How many of those 15,265 new football tickets we sold carry a $10,000 TSF donation per seat and how many of the 4,400 basketball ones do? Keep in mind, when the lower bowl season tickets remain unsold, according to BrotherBluto, they are offered to faculty/staff. I'm guessing they don't require the donation when they do that, so that's even more of the actual money seats we're losing (than are reported in the numbers) in our insignificant dip in basketball attendance.

We agree on more issues than we disagree, I suspect, but the money is not nearly the same between basketball and football. We HAD basketball fans throughout the city -- for generations. Now, most are gone. We've NEVER had football fans throughout the city. Most are SEC fans, and probably always will be because SEC football will probably always be better than Memphis football. Fan loyalty is much more susceptible to dropoff in football than basketball for that reason -- no tradition of winning/support.

I'm not a big football fan, but I'm all for building up football. I, and most other Memphians, grew up being a Tiger basketball fan, and losing our identity in that is way more significant than a two-year football happy dance that will disappear as quickly as it arrived if the new guy doesn't match Fuente's success. It is what it is.

Very obvious by your post you're not a big football fan. But, is that not a Tiger football fan or just not a big football fan in general, or possibly a Tiger basketball fan whose also a SEC football fan. Not throwing stones, but just curious, because even though you say, you're all for building up football, but by your post it sounds to be quite the opposite.

Nope, I said exactly what I meant -- not a big football fan. I used to follow three different pro teams, depending on where I was living, but I even gave up NFL. I probably watch about two hours worth of college football per year -- except for this year. I did try to be a Tiger football supporter, but it just reminded me that I'm not a big football fan.

Wgas?

(02-13-2016 11:39 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

The basketball only fans showing their true colors. Disgraceful to try this nonsensical straw man argument.

(02-13-2016 11:39 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  Our FB program enjoyed huge national attention for a brief glorious moment..because of Fuente and Lynch.

Until we get to the money conferences, until we can compete on somewhat equal money terms, FB is not fixed. And even then, we are still starting from behind. One of the nicest things that can happen will be getting rid of the TBR...which just might happen next year.

Unlike many here, I have not experienced all the emotions and reactions of watching our FB program struggle for years...watching our best players scooped up by SEC. Enduring the arrogance of utk and om fans had to be brutal.

Bottom line. I'm a BB fan...from a big family of BB fans....my mom taught dem dudes at Memphis State/UM....and was told to pass dey azzes by higherups and then more higherups. For the first time, I bought nice season FB tickets and gave them to my family. It was hard to get them to go, and there are 8 Memphis degrees in my immediate family.

So y'all wanna put our Memphis tradition of BB in jeopardy to live the dream of being equal to the bad boys around us...be my guest. I'm not gonna go with ya all the way, but I did fly in for two FB games--OM and the last one in the rain.

It had been 'known' for a while that Fuente was leaving at that point, taking folkses with him....that Bowen and he were not on the same page about a lot of stuff.

Bottom line, this does not look all that fixed.



And at the expense of this.

Nice picture. What about the 15k bump in attendance? Give all the credit to Fuente and Paxton if you want. They certainly deserve a lot of it. Then come to the opening game in September and witness what it's like post-those-two.