UC games used to be televised on network TV (Fox) during prime time!! Crazy to even think about that being an option. Now you need to figure out where you can watch the games. Times and television programming have changed. Casual fans don't make an effort to find out where, when, and how they can watch the game....casual fans just don't care that much.
UC fanbase....
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jacobkdoyle
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Yet those are the same fans L-T wants Mick to pander to.
bearcat jeff
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Jason and NTS are right. I too have lived in several states and yes you do have fair weather and fringe fans everywhere; Cincinnati by far has the most negative and fair weather fans across all sports of any place I have been including business travel. It's the reality of my experience. Cincy sports teams constantly have to woo fans and often winning isn't enough. Other cities sell out or nearly sell out games no matter whose playing.The team a couple miles up the road does.
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UCalum08
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This is something I've always said as well. Cincy fans as a whole suck but specifically UC is awful. The number one thing that kills me is the lack of attendance. It is just embarrassing. Everyone can have dozens of excuses to justify why they don't come but at the end of the day they are just excuses. The constant bashing of our coaches, especially our bball coach is also embarrassing. We are lucky to have Mick, a wonderful coach and a person who does things the right way. Most importantly he wants to be here. I've often called out UC fans but you get no where so sadly I've come to accept it.
We have had enough success is football and basketball to where people should be happy and should want to attend games and support. Period. There are too many people that want to complain about things they don't have control of. As fans the only thing we can do is show up and support the program.
We have had enough success is football and basketball to where people should be happy and should want to attend games and support. Period. There are too many people that want to complain about things they don't have control of. As fans the only thing we can do is show up and support the program.
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Mick does things the right way, but he still hasn't made the big splash required to win the fans back. It's pretty simple. You can theorize and complain all you want. The fans will come on board when you earn their support. Mick's support is not much different than what Huggs was getting in his first two years when we were going to the NIT. In our final four year, Huggs had his lowest fan support of his 14 straight years of going to the NCAA at10,099 per game. But, he earned the fans respect by making a legitimate run in the NCAA. Not only did he make a long run, people believed we could win it all. Of course, we played a cheating program (Michigan's Fab 5) and were denied. The following year, we could have won again and played anothing cheating program, North Carolina. But, the fans believed we finally were legit and we were rarely under 12,000 fans a game for the next 12 seasons.
Mick has gotten us to the tournament, but nobody on the planet believed we had a snowball's chance in hell of winning. When fans supported this program, we had a lot of top rated recruiting classes, a lot of years being ranked number 1 or in the Top 5, plus the big splash years when the fanbase got invested. Most of all, the fans believed we could win it all. When your teams can't score and your recruiting classes are ranked 36th, you'll never get the fans to believe you're legit and get the excitement factor going to draw them to the games. And, unless you get a run of luck, you'll never make the splash in March that you need to capture the fans either. Sad but true.
Mick has gotten us to the tournament, but nobody on the planet believed we had a snowball's chance in hell of winning. When fans supported this program, we had a lot of top rated recruiting classes, a lot of years being ranked number 1 or in the Top 5, plus the big splash years when the fanbase got invested. Most of all, the fans believed we could win it all. When your teams can't score and your recruiting classes are ranked 36th, you'll never get the fans to believe you're legit and get the excitement factor going to draw them to the games. And, unless you get a run of luck, you'll never make the splash in March that you need to capture the fans either. Sad but true.
WAITE HOYT 2
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I understand what your saying. Hell the bengals have made the playoffs 3 years runnig and they can't sell out. Objectively looking at the UC Football and Basketball programs one would have to be excited in the improvements that have gone on.
The Football program since Dantonio has improved by leaps and bounds. Nippert is under going a face lift which should help as well. Hopefuly the success and upgrade will help propel us into a better conference.As well as make money for the University
The Basketball team after overcoming a Rocky change in leadership to put it mildly is back making regular appearances in the NCAA. Is There still room for improvement? Sure!!! I guess the big gripe now is we can't run a offense. Mick can't coach offense. If the players make shots he is good if not he is bad. At this point in his career Mick doesn't carry the kind of clout that enables him to get the pick of the litter. He recruits kids that fit his system and want to be here and wins 20 gams or more a year. As his national stature grows so will his ability to land big time recruits. Until then I'll enjoy the games and be amazed in how much he gets out of the kids. As far as debating coaching decisions and so forth I understand that to a extent. Its fun. It is only when it is done in a condescending way the makes me upset because the person doing it generally couldn't coach a pack of Piss ants to water. It most of the time is used as a way to downgrade the Coach. Something he doesn't deserve.
TheLongHaul
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Isn't that team a couple miles up the road in Cincinnati? You're contradicting yourself.
#BearcatNation
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Honestly, if we only had one premier college team, our attendance numbers would be insane. We'd need an NBA-sized arena.
I agree with the fair weather nature and negativity of Cincinnati fans that you point out. Where I would push back a little is that we're somehow unique for it. From my experience, we're not that far off from other markets.
ccmbearcat
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Cincinnati fans just seem irrational sometimes. If you want sellouts fire Mick Cronin and hire Pete Rose as coach. You'll win four games per year and sell out every one.
ccmbearcat
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Look at Louisville, no pro sports and not even a small Xavier type school to contend with. They are literally the only game in town, and their media doesn't import other home teams to compete with them. Can you imagine how big UC would be in a similar situation?
UCalum08
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Haha this sums it perfect. Also, I can't stand hearing people compare our basketball program now to early Huggins' 90's era. College basketball is extremely different now than it was back then. You can't compare the two. Its worthless to dwell on that. Yes, those years are nice, but college basketball is different now and we have a nice program. Time to let it go and embrace the now. If not, don't waste your time being a "fan".
Robert
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One thing that must be taken into account is just how beaten down Cincinnati fans are. Since the 1992 Final Four run, there hasn't been much to cheer about. The Reds and the Bengals went through a decade plus of being amongst the worst franchises in professional sports. Although they have had a little success lately, neither has been past the first round the playoffs since the early '90s. The Bearcats football program has risen from the dead, but every time we lose a coach it's like a punch to the gut. And while I don't think it's a valid excuse in 2014, the mishandling of the Bob Huggins firing set our basketball program back years and really soured our fan base. Cincinnati fans have had their hearts broken so many times in the past 20 years between years of mediocrity, watching Kenyon Martin and Carson Palmer both go down during some of our best seasons, Brian Kelly bailing on us before our biggest game in program history, etc. Cincinnati fans have a reason to be skeptical and pessimistic.
#BearcatNation
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THIS. I always ask people "since the late 90s, who would you say our city's top 4 athletes are?" I think a common four would be Ken Griffey Jr, Kenyon Martin, Carson Palmer, and Joey Votto. What else do these four have in common? They've all been plagued by injuries; often at the worst possible times.
We as a city have been through a lot. Now that's not to say that other city's haven't, but factor in those devastating injuries while knowing the Reds/Bengals are a combined 0-9 in games that would send them to the next round since 2005 is gut-wrenching. Just on sheer odds, that's unbelievably unlikely. We are a city with teams that have either been abysmal, or teased us into thinking we're good, only to get our hearts ripped out very early in the postseason.
I'm pretty darn optimistic about my teams, but everything I've mentioned makes it VERY difficult. For the record, I'm 25, so the only "glory days" I have are Huggins consistent 2nd round exits, which were also quite heart-breaking.
Bearcat_NTS
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I don't follow the Bengals. I couldn't care less about that worthless franchise. I don't care about the Reds either but at least they've won something at some point in history.
Xavier can easily sell out their 10,250 seat arena almost every game. UC which is supposedly a top 20 program of All-time and has a much larger alumni base cannot even average 10,000 for a season playing in a larger arena. What are the excuses?
Does Mick not "wow" you??? He is at his alma mater and has reached 4 straight NCAA tournaments....Chris Mack's resume is very similar and there doesn't seem to be a concern about the "wow factor."
Is it because of the poor OOC schedules??? Tell me which school plays 10 top 25 teams at home during the OOC? Most schedules are made up of a few good teams and mostly bottom feeders....has Xavier played Duke, UNC and Kentucky at home,??? NOPE! Yet they still draw crowds....
In football UC has been a very good program over the last decade. How many sellouts have they had?? Probably less than 10. They drew 19,000 for the biggest home game this season.
UC was basically giving away tickets to the football games this year....yet did nothing to market the season downtown basically blowing their only chance to show everyone that UC can be a big draw for football....without the lame Nippert excuses we saw what really happens...under 30,000 attendance every game but 2.
UC charged $99 for season tickets in basketball....in what world does a top 20 all time program coming off of 4 straight NCAA tournaments and a season where they were ranked in the top 10 and had a 1st team All-American have to do that??? The demand is simply not there...
UC fans are so pathetic and lame...I'm tired of trying to come up with excuses or rationales it....
Xavier can easily sell out their 10,250 seat arena almost every game. UC which is supposedly a top 20 program of All-time and has a much larger alumni base cannot even average 10,000 for a season playing in a larger arena. What are the excuses?
Does Mick not "wow" you??? He is at his alma mater and has reached 4 straight NCAA tournaments....Chris Mack's resume is very similar and there doesn't seem to be a concern about the "wow factor."
Is it because of the poor OOC schedules??? Tell me which school plays 10 top 25 teams at home during the OOC? Most schedules are made up of a few good teams and mostly bottom feeders....has Xavier played Duke, UNC and Kentucky at home,??? NOPE! Yet they still draw crowds....
In football UC has been a very good program over the last decade. How many sellouts have they had?? Probably less than 10. They drew 19,000 for the biggest home game this season.
UC was basically giving away tickets to the football games this year....yet did nothing to market the season downtown basically blowing their only chance to show everyone that UC can be a big draw for football....without the lame Nippert excuses we saw what really happens...under 30,000 attendance every game but 2.
UC charged $99 for season tickets in basketball....in what world does a top 20 all time program coming off of 4 straight NCAA tournaments and a season where they were ranked in the top 10 and had a 1st team All-American have to do that??? The demand is simply not there...
UC fans are so pathetic and lame...I'm tired of trying to come up with excuses or rationales it....
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ccmbearcat
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You really put things in perspective. In my life I have seen UC win two national championships and six final fours. I have seen the Reds win six National League pennants and three World Series, including two by baseball's greatest team. I have seen the Bengals play twice in the Super Bowl and UC play twice in a major bowl. But there have also been heartbreaks; the horrible trades of Frank Robinson, Tony Perez and Oscar Robertson, and great Royals teams never quite able to get past the Celtics or 76ers. Others of course included the unimaginable loss to Loyola in the 1963 championship, stolen by the worst officiating in NCAA history, seeing baseball's greatest team be the first to be torn apart by free agency, broken legs to Kenyon Martin and Tim Krumrie rob us of a super bowl and another NCAA title.
In my time I've seen all that, which ain't to bad, so I do understand how your generation must feel. Hopefully by the time you're my age you'll see a lot of that for yourself.
#BearcatNation
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I HATE YOU. Haha yeah I can't believe I forgot the BCS Bowls, but shocker, those ended in disappointment too. I was 3 during the Final Four so I don't remember that. I *vaguely* remember the '96 Elite Eight run. I don't really remember the Reds in the NLCS in 1995. I have nothing to look fondly back on. Some big moments, but not BIG moments. I'll always root for my teams and generally be positive, but I get the frustration.
ccmbearcat
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I think you really underestimate the division caused by the Huggins firing. I mentioned Pete Rose somewhere in this thread, and Huggins was the same type of person; somebody who was a winner through hard work and determination, but deeply flawed as a human being. Both were adored by a major portion of Cincinnati fans, and both departures were met with controversy and divided fan bases. It took a really long time for the Reds to recover, and some fans still have not forgiven them for letting Rose walk in 1978, my neighbor hasn't gone to a game since then. UC sold out every game for years, 13,176 every game. I honestly believe that much but not all of the criticism of the arena and other items is at least somewhat tied to lingering resentment of the Huggins firing.
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BearcatSpaniard513
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Winning the big games fills seats. When Mick makes a deep run, they will come. When the Bengals win just ONE playoff game, people will come. Why is X selling out games? The past decade they have had more success in the tournament than we have. Sweet 16 and a couple of Elite 8 appearances. It's that simple
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