Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

[yoteforever]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

I am pretty good friends with some parents whose sons play for the Jacks, and they say that the "excitement" factor in CAS is almost non-existent? Now, before I get beat up here or told to move it to smack, I am not making fun. Because we have the same problem in the Dome. It seems like it takes something huge to get fans excited.

My take on it is that in all candor, the majority of fans aren't all that football educated. They don't know when to cheer. A couple of your posters talked about "glaring eyes boring holes in their back" and it sounds so familiar. That's horrible.

What it tells me is the average age of the fans in those sections is older. They don't want to have to stand to cheer. "They have paid their money so now I want to watch the game" type of mentality. I would think with the excitement factor of your current team, along with a very promising future, your fans would be "JACKED" (sorry, had to do it) out of their minds.

A word of caution to all of us. If we don't become fans that are indeed "team friendly" that word will get out, and kids will go to other schools. That isn't a threat, that is a promise. I think it's sad. Maybe our fine TV stations could conduct a show on how to be a football fan.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

I am pretty good friends with some parents whose sons play for the Jacks, and they say that the "excitement" factor in CAS is almost non-existent?

It's just that we've had a bunch of blowouts, including Youngstown, Illinois State, and Missouri State last year, GSU and Indiana State this year. Tough for the crowd to get very intense when the outcome is pretty clear right from the start.

When the games have been contested (McNeese, WIU, UNI last year, the Dakota Marker game the year before) the crowd has been into it. Most of the rest of the home games have been blowouts (Illinois State, Missouri State, Youngstown State last year, and GSU and Indiana State this year.) Terry V wrote today about how SDSU has won 10 of its last 22 by more than 25 points. Many of those have been home games.

I spent three years at the University of Oklahoma. When OU is up by 40, the crowd, despite its size, is just as sleepy as ours. Same thing during my three years at Iowa. And the same thing during my two years at Purdue. This myth of the crowds that are constantly standing and cheering, even when the home team is up by three TDs is just that, a myth. You might see that in the OU/Texas game, but when OU is walloping Tulsa, Baylor, or anybody else the crowd is snoozy. The TV people might turn up the volume on what crowd noise there is to give you the idea that fans are going bananas, even during a rout, but if you're there in person, you know it's not the case.

Let's see how the SDSU crowd performs against UNI, NDSU, and SIU rather than declaring our fans losers because they can't get excited when we're hammering hapless teams like the Trees. The numbers don't lie: We've got more fans coming to the games. I'm sure that whenever we get into a competitive game, those 13,000+ fans WILL make a difference.

[zooropa]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

the majority of fans aren't all that football educated. They don't know when to cheer

Oh f'r cryin' out loud. Somehow failing to make a ton of noise during a 3rd down play when the team looks as flat as day old club soda means a person's not 'educated' on 'how to be a fan'?

By all means, let's come up with all these rules and inform these new fans (many of whom have attended only a smattering of SDSU games up to this point), that unless they come to the game prepared to obey the strictures of the dedicated Jack fanatics, they are not welcome.

Let's also start to fret that (despite SDSU's top 20 ranking) SDSU will lose recruiting battles because its fans don't deafen them during blowouts.

--- Here's a thought ---

What SDSU can do, is go down to Labor Ready on Saturday morning and give a thousand or so people some scripts, and SDSU apparel, and then have them lead the fans.

In fact, why should SDSU be so careless as to rely on paying customers to set the proper tone for the game. Far better for SDSU to recruit and pay (or provide scholarships) to several thousand superfans, and that way the team can be assured of nonstop gales of noise and appreciation, regardless of what they do on the field.

-----

IMO, it's making a mountain out of a molehill.

[JackrabbitGuy]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

A word of caution to all of us. If we don't become fans that are indeed "team friendly" that word will get out, and kids will go to other schools. That isn't a threat, that is a promise. I think it's sad. Maybe our fine TV stations could conduct a show on how to be a football fan.

I think that regularly kicking the piss out of quality FCS teams on your home field in front of 12,000 + fans would provide enough incentive for athletes to choose SDSU even if the fans were deaf and mute.

That said, closely contested games that I have been a part of in the past few years in Brookings have been a blast and the crowd has been an avid participant.

[AugieJackFan]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

I think the crowd was especially down last night. But we do have a quiet crowd since the cowbells went away. Also, the Defense Guy who used to be near the top of Section G seems to be gone. He always got people going. He would ORDER that people cheer and the seemed to listen. Now, when you stand to cheer on third down, for instance, sheesh...you feel totally self-conscious. Nobody gets up. Last night, the two women behind us commented on our standing all the time. I love standing and cheering, but when you start feel you are annoying others, it gets tougher....like I said, you get very selfaware...and aware that others aren't joining in and don't seem to want to. I think crowds at other venues are much more into things.

That's why I bought my season tickets on the east side on the top row so a bunch of old fogies don’t get upset when I’m up and cheering the home team on. The crowds are pretty quiet at CAS but that isn’t the only place. South Dakotan’s by nature are conservative and polite. We don’t want to stand out or get over emotional about anything we tend to sit on our hands and politely applaud when everyone else does. I’ve been to Big 10 games at big venues and there’s a party in the stands even if both teams are lousy like many of the Iowa vs Minnesota games I’ve been to. That’s who were are in SD and that’s part of what makes us great but it doesn’t make for a rowdy college football crowd. My 2 cents.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

I am pretty good friends with some parents whose sons play for the Jacks, and they say that the "excitement" factor in CAS is almost non-existent? Now, before I get beat up here or told to move it to smack, I am not making fun. Because we have the same problem in the Dome. It seems like it takes something huge to get fans excited.

I guess it depends on what you compare it to. I think CAS is on par or better than most teams in our conference and division. There were 3 conference schools with greater attendance than us last season, and 2 of those play in domes that are not expansion friendly. There were 30 teams in our division with better attendance numbers last year, and most of those are in the south or on the east coast. If we keep winning this year, we could average over 13,000 people per game, which would put us in the top 20 for attendance.

I would say that if there is enough "excitement" at the games to attract 13K, there is enough "excitement" to attract recruits.

Are we Florida or Alabama? No, but I don't think a lot of our recruits passed up an SEC offer to play at SDSU.

[JackJD]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

For some quiet fans = too much pre-game beer?

[jackmd]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

I am pretty good friends with some parents whose sons play for the Jacks, and they say that the "excitement" factor in CAS is almost non-existent? Now, before I get beat up here or told to move it to smack, I am not making fun. Because we have the same problem in the Dome. It seems like it takes something huge to get fans excited.

My take on it is that in all candor, the majority of fans aren't all that football educated. They don't know when to cheer. A couple of your posters talked about "glaring eyes boring holes in their back" and it sounds so familiar. That's horrible.

What it tells me is the average age of the fans in those sections is older. They don't want to have to stand to cheer. "They have paid their money so now I want to watch the game" type of mentality. I would think with the excitement factor of your current team, along with a very promising future, your fans would be "JACKED" (sorry, had to do it) out of their minds.

A word of caution to all of us. If we don't become fans that are indeed "team friendly" that word will get out, and kids will go to other schools. That isn't a threat, that is a promise. I think it's sad. Maybe our fine TV stations could conduct a show on how to be a football fan.

I'd like to see more excitement from fans. However, the current atmosphere is significantly better than it was just 5 or 10 years ago and continues to improve each year. So, instead of being critical I would prefer to be positive about the significant progress made since the decision to move to DI. I will continue to get better.

My suggestion for your friends whose sons plays for the Jacks, be thankful they made that choice its the best one they could have Show up for the NDSU, UNI and SIU games along with the 15,000 plus other fans I'm pretty certain there will be plenty of excitement and hopefully a few more blowouts.

Anyone here ever been to Frost arena for a DII regional championship game or a women's WNIT game or one of the Augie games in the 1980's? How about CAS for the NDSU game a couple of years ago or the McNeese game last year? There is plenty of potential for excitement from SDSU fans.

Again, I agree, it could be and will be better.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

The enthusiastic support given to the women's basketball team demonstrates that SDSU fans know how to stand up and cheer. At least the students do. Winning is a great teacher. The football crowds will get louder as the games get better and more meaningful.

[Grizzled_Jack]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

"Anyone here ever been to Frost arena for a DII regional championship game or a women's WNIT game or one of the Augie games in the 1980's? How about CAS for the NDSU game a couple of years ago or the McNeese game last year? There is plenty of potential for excitement from SDSU fans.

Again, I agree, it could be and will be better."

Not to confuse basketball with football but I caught the SDSU/NDSU basketball game over the Internet a few days before seeing the Central Missouri/Northwest Missouri game on satellite. The difference was notable. This is one of the reasons why I think UCM would be a better Summit member than UMKC. I could hear lots of shoe squeak in Brookings, not what I remember from the sixties, certainly not what I'd expect from the biggest rival.

As far as football, I'm sure the crowd's into it more than I remember from those sorry teams in the mid sixties.

[JackBBFan]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

Interesting article on ISU Blue's 3O game losing streak.

http://www.indystar.com/article/2009...+losing+streak

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Donye McCleskey came to Indiana State dreaming of championships.
Now the senior would settle for a simple, dignifying end to the Sycamores’ 30-game losing streak.
“It ruined my college career, honestly,” McCleskey said before last week’s latest drubbing, 41-0 at South Dakota State. “As far as my social life, I don’t have one. I’m embarrassed to go out. I’m ashamed.”

[JackBBFan]

Re: Beef Bowl — Indiana State Sycamores

More ISU Blue news:

In a related scheduling note, Minnesota added Indiana State as its final non-conference opponent for the 2016 season. With that addition, the Gophers now have its entire non-conference schedule set through the 2016 season, with the exception of 2012, which still has one non-conference game open.

http://www.mndaily.com/blogs/upon-fu...ball-opponents