Are USF fans being punished?

[TripleB]

It's unfair for anyone to call those with an unpopular opinion a traitor. The fact they they still have an opinion still means that they care.

However, I think you hit the nail on the head regarding where we are in our development. IMO, nothing matters if we don't win.

If we don't win football games, we could market the heck out of our programs and it won't matter. For example, despite all the money UCF has spent and exciting facility improvements they have going on, have they seen a run on season tickets? If anything people are grousing about having to pay more for tickets.

Winning is everything. Thus if CJL thinks closing practices will make his job easier then we have to trust him.  With all that he has accomplished with the piss poor facilities and resources he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Even if we don't approve.

I think we're dealing with two animals here. There are the fans who aren't happy with media coverage, marketing, etc who shouldn't be labeled traitors. Hell, most of us aren't happy with that stuff. Then are the whining, sniveling beetches who say stuff like this:

"Read Warchant.com and then you'll understand why I'm a FSU fan instead of a USF fan.  USF doesn't care enough about their own program to make me care."

Maybe I'm overly sensitive but that just totally pisses me off ... and aholes like that shouldn't be defended.

[Cubanbull]

If we win no one will care that spring practices were close.

[CoolBull1]

This is crap, including the junk spewed by Freak because half of his stuff is off the cuff.  Ownership smonership, some of us already have ownership because we give to the team, and support the University.  

Listen, there was close to fifty people at practice Tuesday, not including the visiting recruits, and school reps.  I saw a family friend that just endowed a scholarship for the team, and actually re-structured his will to give 50% to USF- No Kidding sorry for the kids- but he's still quite a few years away from kicking the bucket.  He wasn't whining about news, he was just begging Jim to get us to a bowl next season.  

The point is, some of us do have a sense of ownership.  Some of us already donate, and receive weekly e-mails, phone calls, and get invited to socials, and all kinds of events for USF.   This crap that USF somehow owes people something is ridiculous.  They're trying, but anyone that expected AC/DC, a ribbon cutting by Iorio, and Steinbrenner to present a $10mm check at halftime for the baseball stadium, at our spring game needed their head examined.

It's a cart before the horse game...  Guys like Freak are starving for them to give him attention, but on the flip side the University is starving, and tight...they don't have the means to placate, and pacify every wannabe donor, or could be fan....you're either a fan or your not.   Fans figure out ways to get involved with the program, and trust me Leavitt's more than willing to help out.  The value of contributing to your University shouldn't be an unknown.  If it takes someone to explain it to you then there's some serious problems.  Listen, if you want to go to practice, or participate with the school, or become a journalist covering the school then you need to push the issue, call them up, ASK THEM!  Some of you HAVEN'T EVEN ASKED THEM.  You expect Leavitt to come up on the street and give you three tickets and a limo to practice.  Get involved instead of spending time on this board whining about it!!!!!!

Listen, criticize me, call me names for you naysayers behind some anonymous handle.  But the fact is I use my real name, and the USF reps read and know me.   Eric, Vickie, **** those people go out of their way to inform this board so you people stop being sniveling whining babies.  Either get involved or SHUT UP!

Call USF and tell them you're going to give them $1,000 and become a GreenJacket.  You'll be amazed by your access, and their candor.

Excellent post....now the coverage we get from the Trib is a smack in the face.  "You want to give us a hard time, we'll give you NOTHING."  The control of the press is an ugly thing...they can write whatever they want or write nothing at all.  My issue at this point is with the SID....can you at least post articles to the gousfbulls site.  Maybe I haven't looked through every area to find out what's up but if you click on "Football"...shouldn't you get info. on spring practices?  Doesn't anybody in the Dept. think, "hey, maybe we should take ownership of the problem?"  

I am a giver to the Dept. also and in many ways feel like I don't get my money's worth on the field at this point.   BUT, the cumulative effect is all you can look at.  If you're a fan, you're a fan.  I'm looking out 5-10 years and love what I see.  And yes, Eric, Vickie and the staff on the fundraising side are superb.   The quote above hits the nail on the head.

In the mean time, I've got to cancel my Trib subscription.  I buy the Trib only for USF news.  I live in Lakeland and believe me, they're not covering Lakeland either.

[USFreak]

Excellent post....now the coverage we get from the Trib is a smack in the face.  "You want to give us a hard time, we'll give you NOTHING."  The control of the press is an ugly thing...they can write whatever they want or write nothing at all.  My issue at this point is with the SID....can you at least post articles to the gousfbulls site.  Maybe I haven't looked through every area to find out what's up but if you click on "Football"...shouldn't you get info. on spring practices?  Doesn't anybody in the Dept. think, "hey, maybe we should take ownership of the problem?"  

I am a giver to the Dept. also and in many ways feel like I don't get my money's worth on the field at this point.   BUT, the cumulative effect is all you can look at.  If you're a fan, you're a fan.  I'm looking out 5-10 years and love what I see.  And yes, Eric, Vickie and the staff on the fundraising side are superb.   The quote above hits the nail on the head.

In the mean time, I've got to cancel my Trib subscription.  I buy the Trib only for USF news.  I live in Lakeland and believe me, they're not covering Lakeland either.

Some good points CoolBull.

1) I agree with you that if no independent access is going to be given the SID can at least post watered-down daily reports to at least provide the fans who do sustain an interest in the program something to wrap their hands around.  Easy to do, university-controlled, and very benign.  Plus, when not much else is out there fans can eat it up.  The side benefit would be that a paper could pick up a quote and maybe print a sentence or two of it the next day.

2) I have to side with McMurphy and Auman if they don't print or run anything.  They are beat writers assigned to covering a program.   If the program decides it doesn't want any coverage by limiting access -- well, they have no responsibility to write anything about that program.  The goal of the media lockout was probably two-fold -- 1) to limit information and 2) to make the beat reporters job more difficult.   In the end the program probably needs the exposure more than the Trib or Times needs to write about it.  For years USF faithful have complained about the local TV stations and newspapers not giving USF its due.  If USF decides they don't want the coverage, well that is a different animal.

3) Getting your money's worth - this is probably a sensitive area.  I know the really hard-core fans will do anything they can to get to games and wrap themselves around every piece of information.  I'm betting some fans are more on the fence and put thought into whether to renew each year.  I know USF can't baby every fan out there, but there is always room to improvement.  They can prioritize concerns each year -- put out a quick survey of season ticket holders.  Find out what was done right and wrong then address the top 3 and convey these actions to fans.  

I KNOW that you can't do everything, but when fans don't follow you blindly (like UF or FSU) putting the effort forth does make a difference.

They may already do this so my apologies for suggesting it if done.   Again, this is not meant to be critical, but rather just a discussion of ideas.  Please see it that way.

---------------

Cyber, I agree with you that winning is going to be what it takes.  Winning isn't a vacuum either, though.   It isn't just like putting all your chips on one horse and hoping it crosses the finish line first.  There are other things that can be done as well to better the odds -- no, they aren't going to affect the numbers and bottom line like a bowl appearance or a winning season will, but in aggregate they can make a difference.  I'm NOT saying these AREN'T being done either (so don't jump on me for that).  I know there are folks working hard in those offices to move other things forward that have nothing to do with winning.   It may be little things like getting tailgate times expanded for larger donor lots or it may be "Family Packs" for individual games or it may be Season ticket pushes for workgroups.  I'm just saying every little bit makes a difference and, that while resources are tight, there are things that can be done to impact support.  The team isn't 11-0, but they are still known as a winning team that has had on-field success and there are opportunities.  I think generally the Tampa Bay area has a high opinion of Jim Leavitt and the Bulls.  There is no 'approval rating' like the presidency, but I imagine the Bulls would fairly entrenched in the positive category with alums and Bay area fans.

Anyhow, fun to talk about.

We've said it a thousand times, though.  Winning cures everything.

[Papa_Bull]

I was very surprised that there wasn't an official release on one of the two scrimmages. In the past they have done that.

http://gobulls.usf.edu/Sports/News.asp?i=624&s=Football

It seems that we are pretty much in the same boat with fans of Rutgers and UConn, as they haven't gotten much info on spring practices either and are complaining.

Here's a sample from the UConn message board:

ucfs

user profile

Post #85 day #15 since the last football update on www.uconnhuskies.com Reply

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...and counting. Sent an e-mail last night to athletic communications office...wonder if any reply will come before date of next update

Posted on 4/13 3:42 PM | IP: Logged

SonicReducer_

user profile

Sect 127,Rentschler Field via Hangar 18, Area 51,

Post #4229 Yet Northwestern nearly has daily updates on their Football team LINK Reply

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Hello UCONN Athletic Department Wake up!

Link: www.nusports.com

RENTSCHLER FIELD(40,000)

Posted on 4/13 9:12 PM | IP: Logged

ucfs

user profile

Post #88 Day 16 and counting Reply

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again, no updates...and only 2 days till spring game

Posted on 4/14 9:41 AM

[Brad]

FREE HANDOUT AT SPRING GAME!!!!

Modeled at Bulls pep rally earlier in week:

;D

[Markeymark]

This is crap, including the junk spewed by Freak because half of his stuff is off the cuff.  Ownership smonership, some of us already have ownership because we give to the team, and support the University.  

Listen, there was close to fifty people at practice Tuesday, not including the visiting recruits, and school reps.  I saw a family friend that just endowed a scholarship for the team, and actually re-structured his will to give 50% to USF- No Kidding sorry for the kids- but he's still quite a few years away from kicking the bucket.  He wasn't whining about news, he was just begging Jim to get us to a bowl next season.  

The point is, some of us do have a sense of ownership.  Some of us already donate, and receive weekly e-mails, phone calls, and get invited to socials, and all kinds of events for USF.   This crap that USF somehow owes people something is ridiculous.  They're trying, but anyone that expected AC/DC, a ribbon cutting by Iorio, and Steinbrenner to present a $10mm check at halftime for the baseball stadium, at our spring game needed their head examined.

It's a cart before the horse game...  Guys like Freak are starving for them to give him attention, but on the flip side the University is starving, and tight...they don't have the means to placate, and pacify every wannabe donor, or could be fan....you're either a fan or your not.   Fans figure out ways to get involved with the program, and trust me Leavitt's more than willing to help out.  The value of contributing to your University shouldn't be an unknown.  If it takes someone to explain it to you then there's some serious problems.  Listen, if you want to go to practice, or participate with the school, or become a journalist covering the school then you need to push the issue, call them up, ASK THEM!  Some of you HAVEN'T EVEN ASKED THEM.  You expect Leavitt to come up on the street and give you three tickets and a limo to practice.  Get involved instead of spending time on this board whining about it!!!!!!

Listen, criticize me, call me names for you naysayers behind some anonymous handle.  But the fact is I use my real name, and the USF reps read and know me.   Eric, Vickie, **** those people go out of their way to inform this board so you people stop being sniveling whining babies.  Either get involved or SHUT UP!

Call USF and tell them you're going to give them $1,000 and become a GreenJacket.  You'll be amazed by your access, and their candor.

All fans shouldn't have to be donors or "get involved" as you put it, or include USF in their will to be able to have an honest opinion or at the very least cheer for the team. Jeez, if that's the attitude that USF wants to have then good luck gaining a fan base.

Everyone's entitled to their opinions, including fans who do not have green-jacket access or USF-related tax deductions.

USF is marketing a product, and like it or not that product is compared directly to UF and FSU by local fans. Until somebody in marketing understands and starts acting accordingly, USF will be stuck in the slow lane. This isn't going to change by me becoming an "insider" or whatever other stupid moniker you want to use...

[Guest BasketBull.]

Originally, the real reason I started this thread was to get my COOL-AS-HELL bull's head on a thread....

But I think now it all leads to summer slam IV or some other number ---you know, where at the beginning of every summer Bulls go nuts and start going after each other. I forget who won the first one....

Take a chill pill, folks!

[Guest S.  Bien]

All fans shouldn't have to be donors or "get involved" as you put it, or include USF in their will to be able to have an honest opinion or at the very least cheer for the team. Jeez, if that's the attitude that USF wants to have then good luck gaining a fan base.

Everyone's entitled to their opinions, including fans who do not have green-jacket access or USF-related tax deductions.

USF is marketing a product, and like it or not that product is compared directly to UF and FSU by local fans. Until somebody in marketing understands and starts acting accordingly, USF will be stuck in the slow lane. This isn't going to change by me becoming an "insider" or whatever other stupid moniker you want to use...

Mark,

You want to label, I am merely telling you that all anyone needs to do is take some initiative and call USF.  They will help ANY fan, even the CASUAL fan, but you have to call.  If you are truly a fan, you can't just sit on a **** website and just cry, and whine like a baby.  A true fan would work around USF, they would call them.

We are mixing words, and topics here.  Freak is upset, as a few others, by a lack of media coverage provided by the University for Spring games.  Now there is actually a reason Leavitt is doing it, and it's not just because he's mad at the reporters, but we'll save that.  Anyway, we're upset because of media coverage, and accessibility but that doesn't mean we denounce ourselves as fans, or criticize every action of the institution we love.  Freak has a legit gripe, BUT from a journalistic point of view.  Some fans can feel a little tense or uncertain because of the limited flow of information from a  FAN'S point of view.  

But cumulatively how does jade someone's view of USF.  If you're dying for USF information then call them up, or go by a practice.  

[hightechbull]

Originally, the real reason I started this thread was to get my COOL-AS-HELL bull's head on a thread....

But I think now it all leads to summer slam IV or some other number ---you know, where at the beginning of every summer Bulls go nuts and start going after each other. I forget who won the first one....

Take a chill pill, folks!

I love that crazy bull and his big ole tongue hanging out.