ULL discussion

[ericsaid]

I am really sick and tired of the sanctimonious blow hards that want to question ones fandom based on their efforts to attend a football game. I live 12 hours from God’s Country and I made it to three home games and one away game this year. I will be at the bowl game wherever that may be. Does it make be a better fan than those who haven’t been to as many games? NO! It makes me blessed that I had the opportunity of time and money to do so. It doesn’t matter if you live within walking distance, or a half day’s drive away, if you can go, go. If you can’t, that’s cool too. Being able to go doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you fortunate. Be thankful for that. Rant over.

It was suggested to me on Twitter that I move my daughter's 7th birthday party in favor of this game. It's pretty easy to see in our fan base a) who has a family and b) where some folks place their priorities.

Just remember folks, sometimes the way you want to plan something doesn't always mean it will come to fruition. Take that into consideration the next time you chastise others on the internet (or elsewhere).

Idea time. Host her birthday part in the Suite at the game.

Seriously though, when you have kids things get infinitely more difficult to plan on short notice like this. I'm at a point of appreciating that more now. Took my oldest to the ODU game in Boone when he was 3 or 4 and he was well behaved and watched all four quarters of the game. If I took my middle child, now almost 3, it would be hell on Earth. Would have to find family to watch and they are about two hours away so it's a huge ordeal to get to a game at noon.

An ideal scenario, if I could get away for the weekend, would be to go up to Boone for the noon game and then drive to Charlotte to take in the ACC Championship experience (not a fan of either school, just to take in the last day of a semi full schedule of football).

[Apptrain]

Many of the possible 30-33k fans that have attended games are more casual and enjoy the nice early season weather and tailgating comfortably more so than the game itself. They show up in big numbers for big early season games but aren’t die hard enough to sit in 40 degree weather. Plus, this game for example, can be watched in many households or viewing parties. Bottom line we on this forum are mostly diehards but I know many who are not on here that show up for big early season games. We don’t have 30 k diehards.

[ericsaid]

Many of the possible 30-33k fans that have attended games are more casual and enjoy the nice early season weather and tailgating comfortably more so than the game itself. They show up in big numbers for big early season games but aren’t die hard enough to sit in 40 degree weather. Plus, this game for example, can be watched in many households or viewing parties. Bottom line we on this forum are mostly diehards but I know many who are not on here that show up for big early season games. We don’t have 30 k diehards.

I see a lot of negatives here and no solutions. Perhaps the Sun Belt should invest in some local ad space once the game location is determined. I know the weather isn't ideal, but I distinctly remember the App State v. Youngstown State in 2006 when it was around 30 degrees and 19,000 fans were there. Then in 2007 against Richmond on December 8th it was also quite cold and 24,000 fans were there.

That isn't 30,000 but the atmosphere at that time was different. Perhaps the shine has worn off. The two commonalities in those games is that they were at night, or finished at night. The fact this is a noon game is what's holding back attendance.

[BeauFoster]

I am really sick and tired of the sanctimonious blow hards that want to question ones fandom based on their efforts to attend a football game. I live 12 hours from God’s Country and I made it to three home games and one away game this year. I will be at the bowl game wherever that may be. Does it make be a better fan than those who haven’t been to as many games? NO! It makes me blessed that I had the opportunity of time and money to do so. It doesn’t matter if you live within walking distance, or a half day’s drive away, if you can go, go. If you can’t, that’s cool too. Being able to go doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you fortunate. Be thankful for that. Rant over.

It was suggested to me on Twitter that I move my daughter's 7th birthday party in favor of this game. It's pretty easy to see in our fan base a) who has a family and b) where some folks place their priorities.

Just remember folks, sometimes the way you want to plan something doesn't always mean it will come to fruition. Take that into consideration the next time you chastise others on the internet (or elsewhere).

Idea time. Host her birthday part in the Suite at the game.

Seriously though, when you have kids things get infinitely more difficult to plan on short notice like this. I'm at a point of appreciating that more now. Took my oldest to the ODU game in Boone when he was 3 or 4 and he was well behaved and watched all four quarters of the game. If I took my middle child, now almost 3, it would be hell on Earth. Would have to find family to watch and they are about two hours away so it's a huge ordeal to get to a game at noon.

An ideal scenario, if I could get away for the weekend, would be to go up to Boone for the noon game and then drive to Charlotte to take in the ACC Championship experience (not a fan of either school, just to take in the last day of a semi full schedule of football).

A suite would probably be cheaper than the party

People need to understand that not everyone has the same situation. For mine, the party has been planned and booked for 3+ months. Invitations were out a month ago. She wants her party the way she wants it, and in the grand scheme of things, her childhood is much more important than a football game (to me and my family). Moving it isn't an option, and I wouldn't suggest it even if it were.

Many other fans will have similar reasons for not attending this weekend, and that's perfectly ok. We as a fanbase (and all fanbases that are serious about their team) tend to eat our own and judge others because they choose to do something different. It's a society problem today, where the only correct opinion is the one I hold - everyone who disagrees with me is WRONG. Simple fact of the matter is that way of thinking cannot stand up to the litmus test - the world isn't black and white. No one on this board is the gate keeper of fandom, we're all free to enjoy our lives and sports as we best see fit. If someone thinks I'm less of a fan than them because I didn't sit in the cold rain in December 2006 (I was there), or I chose to attend my child's birthday party rather than the 2019 conference championship - eff em. I don't care what their opinion is of me.

[MrCraig]

Many of the possible 30-33k fans that have attended games are more casual and enjoy the nice early season weather and tailgating comfortably more so than the game itself. They show up in big numbers for big early season games but aren’t die hard enough to sit in 40 degree weather. Plus, this game for example, can be watched in many households or viewing parties. Bottom line we on this forum are mostly diehards but I know many who are not on here that show up for big early season games. We don’t have 30 k diehards.

I see a lot of negatives here and no solutions. Perhaps the Sun Belt should invest in some local ad space once the game location is determined. I know the weather isn't ideal, but I distinctly remember the App State v. Youngstown State in 2006 when it was around 30 degrees and 19,000 fans were there. Then in 2007 against Richmond on December 8th it was also quite cold and 24,000 fans were there.

That isn't 30,000 but the atmosphere at that time was different. Perhaps the shine has worn off. The two commonalities in those games is that they were at night, or finished at night. The fact this is a noon game is what's holding back attendance.

So would you rather the game kickoff at 3:30, where it will compete for television viewers with the SEC and AAC championship? Or would you prefer 7:30 where it will air opposite the ACC and Big 10 championships? TV viewership is going to be best for us at noon, immediately after College Gameday. We may not have 30,000 in the seats, but I'd be willing to bet we get more than 30,000 eyes watching our team play at our school just because a lot of bar and restaurant TVs won't get changed after Gameday.

[ericsaid]

Many of the possible 30-33k fans that have attended games are more casual and enjoy the nice early season weather and tailgating comfortably more so than the game itself. They show up in big numbers for big early season games but aren’t die hard enough to sit in 40 degree weather. Plus, this game for example, can be watched in many households or viewing parties. Bottom line we on this forum are mostly diehards but I know many who are not on here that show up for big early season games. We don’t have 30 k diehards.

I see a lot of negatives here and no solutions. Perhaps the Sun Belt should invest in some local ad space once the game location is determined. I know the weather isn't ideal, but I distinctly remember the App State v. Youngstown State in 2006 when it was around 30 degrees and 19,000 fans were there. Then in 2007 against Richmond on December 8th it was also quite cold and 24,000 fans were there.

That isn't 30,000 but the atmosphere at that time was different. Perhaps the shine has worn off. The two commonalities in those games is that they were at night, or finished at night. The fact this is a noon game is what's holding back attendance.

So would you rather the game kickoff at 3:30, where it will compete for television viewers with the SEC and AAC championship? Or would you prefer 7:30 where it will air opposite the ACC and Big 10 championships? TV viewership is going to be best for us at noon, immediately after College Gameday. We may not have 30,000 in the seats, but I'd be willing to bet we get more than 30,000 eyes watching our team play at our school just because a lot of bar and restaurant TVs won't get changed after Gameday.

Someone was complaining about not having 30,000 die hards. I explained what the reason was. I didn't discuss the trade-off of TV viewership versus butts in the seats. If we wanted a good atmosphere for the game it would need to be moved to 3:30 or later. So long as the game was on ESPN2, at least, I believe the Sun Belt would still get more viewers than C-USA and the MAC even if competing with the AAC and MWC.

Of course this changes year to year but I can envision a time where the Sun Belt has two ranked teams facing off. Troy popped the proverbial seal of Sun Belt teams getting ranked, App did it again to bust a larger hole in the seal, and now App has completely removed it. That should, in theory, improve odds of other Sun Belt teams getting ranked. The amazing thing is App has a loss in conference and still worked back into the Top 25. 5 years ago most people would've said no Sun Belt team who loses to another one deserves to be ranked, but that's not the case any longer.

If App and Louisiana were both ranked (which they could've been if Louisiana didn't just win by a missed field goal over ULM), I feel the Sun Belt would have quite a few people watching if the game were at 3:30 PM.

[Gonzo]

I am really sick and tired of the sanctimonious blow hards that want to question ones fandom based on their efforts to attend a football game. I live 12 hours from God’s Country and I made it to three home games and one away game this year. I will be at the bowl game wherever that may be. Does it make be a better fan than those who haven’t been to as many games? NO! It makes me blessed that I had the opportunity of time and money to do so. It doesn’t matter if you live within walking distance, or a half day’s drive away, if you can go, go. If you can’t, that’s cool too. Being able to go doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you fortunate. Be thankful for that. Rant over.

It was suggested to me on Twitter that I move my daughter's 7th birthday party in favor of this game. It's pretty easy to see in our fan base a) who has a family and b) where some folks place their priorities.

Just remember folks, sometimes the way you want to plan something doesn't always mean it will come to fruition. Take that into consideration the next time you chastise others on the internet (or elsewhere).

I saw that tweet and the person who responded in that way seemed to be kidding around, FWIW.

Many people (including me) are just trying to do our part by emphasizing the importance of this game on social media. No one personally called you out on twitter, at least not seriously. I even commented how lucky your daughter was to have such a devoted father.

There are "App fans" with no young children and who don't have to drive that far (again, read carefully and see the qualifiers) who will miss this game. If you have a good reason to miss, that's fine. You're not who I was talking to. There are people out there who need to have their fanhood questioned who are young and childless who will watch at Angry Ales in Charlotte (for example) this Saturday. This team deserves our support on Saturday.

Side note: It is ironic and eye-roll-inducing to be called a sanctimonious blow hard by a guy who was so offended by two cheeky "Eric Church Sucks" chants early in the season (and generally throwing shade towards adults drinking responsibly) that he aired his petty grievance on this forum while everyone was getting along just fine. Mind your own business maybe???

[AppSt94]

I am really sick and tired of the sanctimonious blow hards that want to question ones fandom based on their efforts to attend a football game. I live 12 hours from God’s Country and I made it to three home games and one away game this year. I will be at the bowl game wherever that may be. Does it make be a better fan than those who haven’t been to as many games? NO! It makes me blessed that I had the opportunity of time and money to do so. It doesn’t matter if you live within walking distance, or a half day’s drive away, if you can go, go. If you can’t, that’s cool too. Being able to go doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you fortunate. Be thankful for that. Rant over.

It was suggested to me on Twitter that I move my daughter's 7th birthday party in favor of this game. It's pretty easy to see in our fan base a) who has a family and b) where some folks place their priorities.

Just remember folks, sometimes the way you want to plan something doesn't always mean it will come to fruition. Take that into consideration the next time you chastise others on the internet (or elsewhere).

I saw that tweet and the person who responded in that way seemed to be kidding around, FWIW.

Many people (including me) are just trying to do our part by emphasizing the importance of this game on social media. No one personally called you out on twitter, at least not seriously. I even commented how lucky your daughter was to have such a devoted father.

There are "App fans" with no young children and who don't have to drive that far (again, read carefully and see the qualifiers) who will miss this game. If you have a good reason to miss, that's fine. You're not who I was talking to. There are people out there who need to have their fanhood questioned who are young and childless who will watch at Angry Ales in Charlotte (for example) this Saturday. This team deserves our support on Saturday.

Side note: It is ironic and eye-roll-inducing to be called a sanctimonious blow hard by a guy who was so offended by two cheeky "Eric Church Sucks" chants early in the season (and generally throwing shade towards adults drinking responsibly) that he aired his petty grievance on this forum while everyone was getting along just fine. Mind your own business maybe???

I just call it like I see it my man.

[Gonzo]

I am really sick and tired of the sanctimonious blow hards that want to question ones fandom based on their efforts to attend a football game. I live 12 hours from God’s Country and I made it to three home games and one away game this year. I will be at the bowl game wherever that may be. Does it make be a better fan than those who haven’t been to as many games? NO! It makes me blessed that I had the opportunity of time and money to do so. It doesn’t matter if you live within walking distance, or a half day’s drive away, if you can go, go. If you can’t, that’s cool too. Being able to go doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you fortunate. Be thankful for that. Rant over.

It was suggested to me on Twitter that I move my daughter's 7th birthday party in favor of this game. It's pretty easy to see in our fan base a) who has a family and b) where some folks place their priorities.

Just remember folks, sometimes the way you want to plan something doesn't always mean it will come to fruition. Take that into consideration the next time you chastise others on the internet (or elsewhere).

I saw that tweet and the person who responded in that way seemed to be kidding around, FWIW.

Many people (including me) are just trying to do our part by emphasizing the importance of this game on social media. No one personally called you out on twitter, at least not seriously. I even commented how lucky your daughter was to have such a devoted father.

There are "App fans" with no young children and who don't have to drive that far (again, read carefully and see the qualifiers) who will miss this game. If you have a good reason to miss, that's fine. You're not who I was talking to. There are people out there who need to have their fanhood questioned who are young and childless who will watch at Angry Ales in Charlotte (for example) this Saturday. This team deserves our support on Saturday.

Side note: It is ironic and eye-roll-inducing to be called a sanctimonious blow hard by a guy who was so offended by two cheeky "Eric Church Sucks" chants early in the season (and generally throwing shade towards adults drinking responsibly) that he aired his petty grievance on this forum while everyone was getting along just fine. Mind your own business maybe???

I just call it like I see it my man.

One of my close friends recently moved to Arizona and can't attend this game. He's a YC member, a poster on this forum, and an active member of App Nation on twitter. He also wasn't insecure enough to be offended by this message. He knows I wasn't talking about him and he doesn't constantly seek conflict other App fans. Different strokes for different folks.

[VNova]

Couldn't get the time off to head across the country for this one and New Orleans is out of the question this year...I will be adding to the TV numbers, so hopefully we can get more nationally televised games next year.

[AppSt94]

I am really sick and tired of the sanctimonious blow hards that want to question ones fandom based on their efforts to attend a football game. I live 12 hours from God’s Country and I made it to three home games and one away game this year. I will be at the bowl game wherever that may be. Does it make be a better fan than those who haven’t been to as many games? NO! It makes me blessed that I had the opportunity of time and money to do so. It doesn’t matter if you live within walking distance, or a half day’s drive away, if you can go, go. If you can’t, that’s cool too. Being able to go doesn’t make you a fan, it makes you fortunate. Be thankful for that. Rant over.

It was suggested to me on Twitter that I move my daughter's 7th birthday party in favor of this game. It's pretty easy to see in our fan base a) who has a family and b) where some folks place their priorities.

Just remember folks, sometimes the way you want to plan something doesn't always mean it will come to fruition. Take that into consideration the next time you chastise others on the internet (or elsewhere).

I saw that tweet and the person who responded in that way seemed to be kidding around, FWIW.

Many people (including me) are just trying to do our part by emphasizing the importance of this game on social media. No one personally called you out on twitter, at least not seriously. I even commented how lucky your daughter was to have such a devoted father.

There are "App fans" with no young children and who don't have to drive that far (again, read carefully and see the qualifiers) who will miss this game. If you have a good reason to miss, that's fine. You're not who I was talking to. There are people out there who need to have their fanhood questioned who are young and childless who will watch at Angry Ales in Charlotte (for example) this Saturday. This team deserves our support on Saturday.

Side note: It is ironic and eye-roll-inducing to be called a sanctimonious blow hard by a guy who was so offended by two cheeky "Eric Church Sucks" chants early in the season (and generally throwing shade towards adults drinking responsibly) that he aired his petty grievance on this forum while everyone was getting along just fine. Mind your own business maybe???

I just call it like I see it my man.

One of my close friends recently moved to Arizona and can't attend this game. He's a YC member, a poster on this forum, and an active member of App Nation on twitter. He also wasn't insecure enough to be offended by this message. He knows I wasn't talking about him and he doesn't constantly seek conflict other App fans. Different strokes for different folks.

It isn’t a matter of being offended. It is a matter of having the acumen to understand that people have different priorities that take up their time. Whether intended or not, you are the one that seeks out conflict when you start spouting about with some sort of bravado like what you find important is what everyone should find important. As for the Eric Church chant. I wasn’t offended. I get it, you are a narcissist that likes to draw attention to your cause. I’ve witnessed enough of your schtick in person to know that is who you are. Good for you. Fact of the matter is that your hatred of all things baby blue doesn’t allow you to use your well educated brain, to process that while EC does donate to Carolina, and he is friends with Mack Brown, he gives more money to App than most of the people on this board. You make a better living than most App grads and you don’t have kids, so it is easier for you to adjust your commitments for all things App. That’s awesome. A lot of people that want to do more can’t. But you be you man. It’s Ok to have your opinion. It’s not Ok to insist that people have the same opinion.

[Gonzo]

I won’t play the ad homonym game with you, but I really don’t think it makes me a narcissist when I’m expressly championing the betterment of App State. This is OUR school and I’ll continue to Give My All.

Introduce yourself in person next season instead of observing me from behind and maybe we can get along better.

Go Apps!

[mike87]

2 back sets, use tight ends for passing down the middle, THROW early and often--especially 1st down--, get Zac and his receivers in rhythm.

Yeah, I agree with this

[MrCraig]

Many of the possible 30-33k fans that have attended games are more casual and enjoy the nice early season weather and tailgating comfortably more so than the game itself. They show up in big numbers for big early season games but aren’t die hard enough to sit in 40 degree weather. Plus, this game for example, can be watched in many households or viewing parties. Bottom line we on this forum are mostly diehards but I know many who are not on here that show up for big early season games. We don’t have 30 k diehards.

I see a lot of negatives here and no solutions. Perhaps the Sun Belt should invest in some local ad space once the game location is determined. I know the weather isn't ideal, but I distinctly remember the App State v. Youngstown State in 2006 when it was around 30 degrees and 19,000 fans were there. Then in 2007 against Richmond on December 8th it was also quite cold and 24,000 fans were there.

That isn't 30,000 but the atmosphere at that time was different. Perhaps the shine has worn off. The two commonalities in those games is that they were at night, or finished at night. The fact this is a noon game is what's holding back attendance.

So would you rather the game kickoff at 3:30, where it will compete for television viewers with the SEC and AAC championship? Or would you prefer 7:30 where it will air opposite the ACC and Big 10 championships? TV viewership is going to be best for us at noon, immediately after College Gameday. We may not have 30,000 in the seats, but I'd be willing to bet we get more than 30,000 eyes watching our team play at our school just because a lot of bar and restaurant TVs won't get changed after Gameday.

Someone was complaining about not having 30,000 die hards. I explained what the reason was. I didn't discuss the trade-off of TV viewership versus butts in the seats. If we wanted a good atmosphere for the game it would need to be moved to 3:30 or later. So long as the game was on ESPN2, at least, I believe the Sun Belt would still get more viewers than C-USA and the MAC even if competing with the AAC and MWC.

Of course this changes year to year but I can envision a time where the Sun Belt has two ranked teams facing off. Troy popped the proverbial seal of Sun Belt teams getting ranked, App did it again to bust a larger hole in the seal, and now App has completely removed it. That should, in theory, improve odds of other Sun Belt teams getting ranked. The amazing thing is App has a loss in conference and still worked back into the Top 25. 5 years ago most people would've said no Sun Belt team who loses to another one deserves to be ranked, but that's not the case any longer.

If App and Louisiana were both ranked (which they could've been if Louisiana didn't just win by a missed field goal over ULM), I feel the Sun Belt would have quite a few people watching if the game were at 3:30 PM.

I see what you mean. I won’t be able to make the game on Saturday, but you can bet that everyone who is drinking at the bar where I’ll be working will be watching App or they won’t be watching anything at all.

[GastonApp09]

Man....this conversation escalated quickly....

[Yosef84]

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend Saturday and it's certainly not because I don't want to be there. In fact, Sunday is my birthday and the ONLY thing I answered when asked what I want was a Day in Boone for this game. It just isn't going to work for reasons that I don't feel obliged to explain to this message board. I see those strongly worded posts and I choose to believe they are just passionate fans who aren't actually as judgmental as they sound in a quickly type message board post. No reason for me to take it personally. If someone actually DOES want to criticize my decision, I have a suggestion for that person but I fear the language would be edited on this forum and would lack the desired impact.

[appst89]

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend Saturday and it's certainly not because I don't want to be there. In fact, Sunday is my birthday and the ONLY thing I answered when asked what I want was a Day in Boone for this game. It just isn't going to work for reasons that I don't feel obliged to explain to this message board. I see those strongly worded posts and I choose to believe they are just passionate fans who aren't actually as judgmental as they sound in a quickly type message board post. No reason for me to take it personally. If someone actually DOES want to criticize my decision, I have a suggestion for that person but I fear the language would be edited on this forum and would lack the desired impact.

I probably wouldn't edit it at all because I hate the, "I'm a better fan than you," fans. And goodness knows we've had more than our share of them over the years.

[scatman77]

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend Saturday and it's certainly not because I don't want to be there. In fact, Sunday is my birthday and the ONLY thing I answered when asked what I want was a Day in Boone for this game. It just isn't going to work for reasons that I don't feel obliged to explain to this message board. I see those strongly worded posts and I choose to believe they are just passionate fans who aren't actually as judgmental as they sound in a quickly type message board post. No reason for me to take it personally. If someone actually DOES want to criticize my decision, I have a suggestion for that person but I fear the language would be edited on this forum and would lack the desired impact.

I'm actually glad to read your post. I only live a little over 2 hours away and am retired so theoretically I could make every home game and have season tickets. The reason I don't is one child and grand lives 4 hours away west and the other child and grand is 2.5 hours east. When they come to visit or we go babysit it could be on a game day and selling tickets became a gold-plated pain. Ergo I come to certain games, buy single-game tickets, and enjoy the show. I have two families: mine and my Mountaineer family and I don't have to tell you which one comes first but I'll always keep up with the Apps on the TV or computer when possible.

[Stonewall]

I'm hoping for a lot of play-action on first down , use the pass to set up the run. We may not have shown our cards yet on either side of the line , this is the time. The Cajuns want this one bad but I think we are in their collective heads. Get them down and keep them there.Marcus Williams to have a big game running north and south.

[GregPercussion]

I think it will be a game of who's on top of the run game.
Whoever can stop the run and/or establish their own run game will be the victors.

Along with a few pass plays of course...