(01-20-2013 04:25 PM)NTMB Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 04:23 PM)tigerfansincebirth89 Wrote:  To say that most students are working full time is just not true. I am a recent grad and knew very few students who worked full time. Most students also weren't heavily involved in extracurricular activities. The people I knew who weren't going weren't spending their free time studying or being involved. They were choosing to go to a bar elsewhere or just sit around and watch tv.

I've been to games in Cameron, Chapel-Hill, Spokane, and many more. The student section is loud at every game. They DO set the energy level and they do it no matter who it is the team is playing. You saying that other school's students don't set the energy level or only go crazy when the camera is on them is also not true.

Fire the students then.

You are defending the failure of a student section with points that are exaggerated and untrue. Just pointing that out. As I said, it's fine if you're ok with the state of it, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be called out for not supporting their fellow students and university.

(01-20-2013 04:28 PM)tigerfansincebirth89 Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 04:25 PM)NTMB Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 04:23 PM)tigerfansincebirth89 Wrote:  To say that most students are working full time is just not true. I am a recent grad and knew very few students who worked full time. Most students also weren't heavily involved in extracurricular activities. The people I knew who weren't going weren't spending their free time studying or being involved. They were choosing to go to a bar elsewhere or just sit around and watch tv.

I've been to games in Cameron, Chapel-Hill, Spokane, and many more. The student section is loud at every game. They DO set the energy level and they do it no matter who it is the team is playing. You saying that other school's students don't set the energy level or only go crazy when the camera is on them is also not true.

Fire the students then.

You are defending the failure of a student section with points that are exaggerated and untrue. Just pointing that out. As I said, it's fine if you're ok with the state of it, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be called out for not supporting their fellow students and university.

And I repeat, since you ignored it the first time...

(01-20-2013 04:20 PM)NTMB Wrote:  I'm not saying any of the above is good. Just trying to help some of you cope with it.

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=614...pid8862613

The student body is doing the same as 95% of the Memphis fans at games and the fans complain when the team isn't energized.

We need to be the 6th man!!

I didn't read the entire thread so it may have been discussed but major universities have bus systems to get students anywhere they want to go. The University of Memphis should shuttle the students to and from the games.

(01-20-2013 04:57 PM)memphistiger001 Wrote:  The student body is doing the same as 95% of the Memphis fans at games and the fans complain when the team isn't energized.

We need to be the 6th man!!

I didn't read the entire thread so it may have been discussed but major universities have bus systems to get students anywhere they want to go. The University of Memphis should shuttle the students to and from the games.

I believe they do or did as recent as last season, as far as providing a free shuttle/bus

I'm a former Blue Crew president from it's early years....and I have to say the the student section is pathetic. I'd take steps maximize butts in seats and dollars in the bank.

At the start of next school year, announce to the campus that if student attendance doesn't equal XYZ for the year, then the 2014-2015 season the students will only have the seats behind the band in 118 (and I think a portion of 117) and one upper level section. This cuts the number of seats in half, and allows the university to make more money on those season tickets. I doubt they'd reduce the student activity fee, so they wouldn't lose any money there.

(01-19-2013 10:26 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  As long as we are starved for money and play downtown in a pro arena, I suppose it will remain like this as far as the student section is concerned. If we had an on-campus arena with the students given prime seating on one of the sidelines and the Tigers were ranked in the top 10 every year with a top notch non-conference schedule and playing in a much better conference we would maybe see better student involvement. Until all of that happens, it will remain like it is, which is a joke.

Would that REALLY make THAT much of a difference? How many students actually live on campus? They'd still only come to the Louisville and Tennessee games. Lets face facts. We are a commuter school.

Honestly, I think if the pattern continues, we could be much more of a traditional college in 5-10 years. A lot of students are now living in the neighborhood south of campus, the dorms are being redone and new ones are popping up. There's a push to redo fraternity lane. Developers are looking to buy up surrounding apartment buildings, demolish, and rebuild. Highland strip is going to be redone with easy access to campus. I'm very positive about how the campus environment is changing. Problem is, there are no plans for on-campus sports venues.

When I was there 12 years ago, I thought it was cool entertainment for free. I worked, had a full load of classes but I always found time to attend all games whether if it was Cincy or a Direction School on a Wed with 5,000 other fans lol. I agree with others it's a thin line whose worse with the students and the old big money farts at the game...

(01-20-2013 08:57 AM)tigerfansincebirth89 Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 03:12 AM)HometownTiger Wrote:  Memphis being a commuter school hurts too. A majority of students live in the surrounding suburbs and drive to school. Once they finish class/hanging out they go home. In most places, the game is played on campus, students are there (for lack of other option) and they go, sometimes out of boredome...at least that's what I'm told from my Mississippi State friends. Believe it or not, it takes some planning and effort to get to the FEF. You can't just decide to go out of nowhere and walk across campus. It's a little bit of a drive, pay for parking, and al that to see us play Tulane? Again, not making excuses...simply explaining the situation from a student's POV. I'm at the game when I can make it and am very loud.

I was a student 2 years ago. My friends and I never missed a game. It's a 15 minute drive from campus and a 25 minute drive from East Memphis. That excuse is tired and played out regarding attendance.

Again, you keep talking about attendance when that's not the point. The students that do go are the quietest, least enthusiastic fans in the whole forum. That's incredibly embarrassing when it's supposed to be students that give the crowd energy.

Fact is , commuter schools are normally in bigger cities, urban campuses. There is much more to do compared to college towns. Ole miss has one of the best pregame football sites in the country. But aside from those seven days, nothing worth goining to oxford for. Schools like cinci, memphis, houston,usf, ucf,have enough intrested fans, they just have many more options and distractions!

I really don't know what people expect. The FedExForum is designed to attract adults with money and to impress recruits.

It would be almost impossible to put the games further from the campus.

Concessions are out of the price range of the college students as well.

The Beale Street area is the most expensive entertainment district in town.

The drinking age is 21. That lowers the appeal of Beale even for many students who have some money.

Until recently, gas has been higher than ever.

Games at the FedExForum were not designed to attract students. They were designed to attract booster dollars, adult fans, and recruits. It has been very successful at all three. Attracting students is a fourth priority. THAT'S why the student section is mediocre. If it gets better, it's just a bonus.

(01-20-2013 07:23 PM)Brother Bluto Wrote:  

(01-19-2013 10:26 PM)JMSTiger Wrote:  As long as we are starved for money and play downtown in a pro arena, I suppose it will remain like this as far as the student section is concerned. If we had an on-campus arena with the students given prime seating on one of the sidelines and the Tigers were ranked in the top 10 every year with a top notch non-conference schedule and playing in a much better conference we would maybe see better student involvement. Until all of that happens, it will remain like it is, which is a joke.

Would that REALLY make THAT much of a difference? How many students actually live on campus? They'd still only come to the Louisville and Tennessee games. Lets face facts. We are a commuter school.

We are less of a commuter school than we have probably ever been. There are thousands of students living on or very close to campus now. Plus, an on-campus arena would be far more centrally located to those that live in areas to the east and south of the campus. But, even in that fantasy world scenario, I wouldn't expect the student section to be dramatically better than it is now. Like others point out, there are reasons other than a lack of an on-campus arena with prime sideline seating that is resulting in a crappy student section. Student leaders, the athletics department and the University could do things to improve the situation as could a better schedule and a home team that is nationally ranked.

(01-20-2013 04:18 PM)NTMB Wrote:  

(01-20-2013 02:20 PM)tigerfansincebirth89 Wrote:  NTMB - are you saying that our student section is just fine with the attitudes they bring to the game? Watch games of any other major program. The students are on their feet all game. Our students stand only when the old farts stand up. Other student sections get ridiculous when the opponent is facing the section taking free throws (btw - the baseline sections seem to be a vast majority of schools' student sections). Our students sit there and don't do a thing.

Your post seems to be stating that its ok for the students to act the same way the non-students do. That's fine if you feel that way, but that doesn't change the fact that them being that apathetic makes them a bad student section when compared to other schools. Other schools do not use the cheerleaders and bands to give off the energy, they use the student section and it's what makes college basketball so special everywhere else.

What I'm saying is that students are no different than any other fan when it comes to getting excited during a game. Students have many more pressing needs and obligations than watching basketball on weeknights and saturday mornings. The economy is in the crapper and most of our student body is living off campus, paying rent, car, and all the same bills as most adults in Memphis... plus working (often full time) and going to school full time. Throw in their own extracurricular activities (such as social organizations, etc.) and I personally can see why there is apathy among the students toward attending games. Now as for the students AT the games... I simply pointed out that I doubt that the student section is the only "dead" section in the forum and they are there to be entertained just like anyone else there. To expect them to provide you with entertainment and inspiration is just dumb.

Also, I don't attend other schools' events. the only way I know how the students typically act at other schools is either when WE play them, and of course they're fired up for that; or when they are shown on TV, and of course the section is going to look good when the camera is zoomed in on their faces.

Good synopsis. Simply put, Duke is full of very, very wealthy students living off of their parents' dime and Duke doesn't even offer night classes. Virtually everyone lives on campus and it's an easy WALK to the games and Cameron Indoor Stadium is a tiny place that's pretty easy to fill.

That said, the glory days were not that long ago, so the student body hasn't changed much since the glory days. Cal made the games an event and hopefully we will have more of an event atmosphere when we start playing Cincy, UConn and Temple. Throw in the fact that there is an off chance of being on ESPN when we were in the glory days, it explains much of the student apathy.

I don't understand this. Typically, students don't have a lot of money. Are there that many options that are better than spending 3 hours watching a D1 basketball game for free?

(01-21-2013 01:53 AM)Claw Wrote:  I really don't know what people expect. The FedExForum is designed to attract adults with money and to impress recruits.

It would be almost impossible to put the games further from the campus. True

Concessions are out of the price range of the college students as well. Eat before or after the game, all concessions are high anyways

The Beale Street area is the most expensive entertainment district in town. The games are free...

The drinking age is 21. That lowers the appeal of Beale even for many students who have some money. This is true for every state and the drinking age on campus is 21. Not sure why that matters.

Until recently, gas has been higher than ever. School provides free transportation to and from the games.

Games at the FedExForum were not designed to attract students. They were designed to attract booster dollars, adult fans, and recruits. It has been very successful at all three. Attracting students is a fourth priority. THAT'S why the student section is mediocre. If it gets better, it's just a bonus.

I see lots and lots of excuses but the school has done a lot of things to help take of the reported problems. I am not sure anything they will do will make much of a difference. It is a student culture problem. I could not figure it out while I was a student. I loved attending and being noisy but outside of the blue crew it was rare anyone else would join me.

And that's exactly right, Tygrys. For whatever reason, a lot of UM students pretend like they have the worst possible setup in regards to being able to attend games. Rather than come up with a solution to these (overblown) issues, they just make the same excuses, year after year. It's absolutely a student culture problem. And this problem is amplified by a student base that believes its the athletic departments fault for putting games downtown, or the states fault for making the drinking age 21, or the economies fault for making Beale street so expensive, or the basketball team's fault for not being interesting enough to watch, etc. etc.. They refuse to acknowledge that they need to change the culture. They're content to wait for someone to change it to be more convenient for them.

There is blame on both sides, students and administration. When I was a student, guest tickets were allowed to sit with you, it was first come first serve (minus the section reserved for blue crew), and cal did a great job at making the blue crew a part of the experience and culture of his team. We were also playing at a high level and had a decent home schedule. I think the problem with the student section is the same problem with many of our fans, they were spoiled during the cal years so there is a huge gap between their expectations and reality. Especially for students who are freshman. If they didn't grow up tiger fans, they probably became fans during that historic run, and they expect that every year.

(01-21-2013 11:15 AM)staciemontero Wrote:  There is blame on both sides, students and administration. When I was a student, guest tickets were allowed to sit with you, it was first come first serve (minus the section reserved for blue crew), and cal did a great job at making the blue crew a part of the experience and culture of his team. We were also playing at a high level and had a decent home schedule. I think the problem with the student section is the same problem with many of our fans, they were spoiled during the cal years so there is a huge gap between their expectations and reality. Especially for students who are freshman. If they didn't grow up tiger fans, they probably became fans during that historic run,
and they expect that every year.

Lord have mercy....if true, this younger generation of college student is more screwed up than I thought.

(01-21-2013 11:19 AM)missjtiger Wrote:  

(01-21-2013 11:15 AM)staciemontero Wrote:  There is blame on both sides, students and administration. When I was a student, guest tickets were allowed to sit with you, it was first come first serve (minus the section reserved for blue crew), and cal did a great job at making the blue crew a part of the experience and culture of his team. We were also playing at a high level and had a decent home schedule. I think the problem with the student section is the same problem with many of our fans, they were spoiled during the cal years so there is a huge gap between their expectations and reality. Especially for students who are freshman. If they didn't grow up tiger fans, they probably became fans during that historic run,
and they expect that every year.

Lord have mercy....if true, this younger generation of college student is more screwed up than I thought.

Ha well our adult fans are expecting the same things, so I don't think we can throw stones.

(01-21-2013 11:21 AM)staciemontero Wrote:  

(01-21-2013 11:19 AM)missjtiger Wrote:  

(01-21-2013 11:15 AM)staciemontero Wrote:  There is blame on both sides, students and administration. When I was a student, guest tickets were allowed to sit with you, it was first come first serve (minus the section reserved for blue crew), and cal did a great job at making the blue crew a part of the experience and culture of his team. We were also playing at a high level and had a decent home schedule. I think the problem with the student section is the same problem with many of our fans, they were spoiled during the cal years so there is a huge gap between their expectations and reality. Especially for students who are freshman. If they didn't grow up tiger fans, they probably became fans during that historic run,
and they expect that every year.

Lord have mercy....if true, this younger generation of college student is more screwed up than I thought.

Ha well our adult fans are expecting the same things, so I don't think we can throw stones.

yeah well.... at least most of those adult fans actually show up to the games

(01-21-2013 11:26 AM)missjtiger Wrote:  

(01-21-2013 11:21 AM)staciemontero Wrote:  

(01-21-2013 11:19 AM)missjtiger Wrote:  

(01-21-2013 11:15 AM)staciemontero Wrote:  There is blame on both sides, students and administration. When I was a student, guest tickets were allowed to sit with you, it was first come first serve (minus the section reserved for blue crew), and cal did a great job at making the blue crew a part of the experience and culture of his team. We were also playing at a high level and had a decent home schedule. I think the problem with the student section is the same problem with many of our fans, they were spoiled during the cal years so there is a huge gap between their expectations and reality. Especially for students who are freshman. If they didn't grow up tiger fans, they probably became fans during that historic run,
and they expect that every year.

Lord have mercy....if true, this younger generation of college student is more screwed up than I thought.

Ha well our adult fans are expecting the same things, so I don't think we can throw stones.

yeah well.... at least most of those adult fans actually show up to the games

I agree with that, BUT the reason most of those folks still go is because they have invested $$ in season tickets. Obviously, the students are paying for them as well (from the student activities fee) but they don't see it as throwing money away when they don't attend. I've been frustrated at times this year, but I still go, because I'm not wasting the dollars I spent paying for them.