Questions for USF fans

[Economics_Nerd82]

Why do you follow USF athletics (whichever USF sports that you follow)?

I got my BA in economics from USF and currently working towards my masters in economics. I never followed college sports until I came to USF and went to my first couple of games. Fell in love with all things college sports.

As a fan, what's your source of enjoyment from USF athletics (what makes you happy)?

Honestly, it doesn't matter to me if we are winning or losing. I get enjoyment at attending the games and seeing the students support their university... of course, winning is nice too.  ;D

Do you take pleasure in dumping on USF athletics?

Never.

What's your ultimate dream for USF athletics (or whichever USF sport(s) that you like)?

It would be nice to be ranked in a preseason poll.

[WoolyBully]

It's one thing to say, "I don't think our offensive line has played well" vs., "Our o-line sucks"

You can say a lot more things with a smile on your face - and get away with it - than you can with a straight face.

The thing with the board is, you have posters on here whose screed is a mirror of how they speak. They don't factor in that it's not a two-way conversation with your pal...whatever you put out here is for broad consumption. And a lot of times, what sounds funny in your head...when others read it, it may sound, at best, bad.

[Velcro]

Do you take pleasure in dumping on USF athletics?

Some here prolly would say some of my analysis is "dumping" but i just see it as realistic.  The best way to improve on something is to look at it as realisicaly as possible and not let your love for it cause you to ignore problems.  Gotta recognize your weaknesses before you improve them. Even with that said i dont take pleasure in pointing out faults i wish i didnt have to but im not ignoring any 800lb gorillas either.    

 

WRONG... at no time does a fan have the chance to fix any problems on the field by "realizing problems" and "being realistic".  So dumping on the program can only cause negative results by affecting recruiting, etc.

You aren't going to make us tackle better or block better by complaining about our o-line and saying they suck.  It doesn't work that way.  If you see a problem, discuss it, fine... but nothing is going to change due to you realizing some problem.  You aren't going to find one of our coaches reading the board and then saying "****, the fans are on to something here, That Lurkle guy just said our o-line sucks... i'm glad he said that because now I know what we have to work on and we wouldn't have realized our weaknesses without all this negativity."

[Bull Dozer]

Do you take pleasure in dumping on USF athletics?

Some here prolly would say some of my analysis is "dumping" but i just see it as realistic.  The best way to improve on something is to look at it as realisicaly as possible and not let your love for it cause you to ignore problems.  Gotta recognize your weaknesses before you improve them. Even with that said i dont take pleasure in pointing out faults i wish i didnt have to but im not ignoring any 800lb gorillas either.    

 

WRONG... at no time does a fan have the chance to fix any problems on the field by "realizing problems" and "being realistic".  So dumping on the program can only cause negative results by affecting recruiting, etc.

You aren't going to make us tackle better or block better by complaining about our o-line and saying they suck.  It doesn't work that way.  If you see a problem, discuss it, fine... but nothing is going to change due to you realizing some problem.  You aren't going to find one of our coaches reading the board and then saying "****, the fans are on to something here, That Lurkle guy just said our o-line sucks... i'm glad he said that because now I know what we have to work on and we wouldn't have realized our weaknesses without all this negativity."

Please find me a time where i just flat out said something sucks, really please do.  Dont lump me in the the people here who just say something sucks and gives no reasons or ways to improve it as i back my arguements up and dont just leave it at said position groups suck etc. I make an obeservation then i try to back it up with what i saw and usually if i see an answer ill try to put one out there.  Also there is NO affect on recruiting what so ever as to what i say on here so please take that somewhere else, as im just as sure recruits dont check out the message board landscape just as the coaches dont either.  Seriously some people need to grow up and learn how talk about football. As a fan there is nothing wrong eith realizing your teams faults. Some of the fans on this board are the only football fans i have ever met/semi met that in my life that act like this when it comes to realizing your team has weaknesses and wanting discuss them and offfer potential solutions even if it means nothing.  Just as it means nothing to offer nothing but praise on this board as more than likely no players or coaches hear all the positive stuff either.  This place is what it is, a place for people with interest in this program to exhange ideas and thoughs and alot of the times for some unforseen reason try to bach each other.    

[Velcro]

Steve,  I wasn't saying that you said anyone or thign sucks, i'm just using you as an example, since i was quoting off your post.

The only thing this jabbering will have any affect, if at all, is recruiting, not play on the field.  Recruits do read this board, and if all they see is how the coaches are going to get/or deserve to be fired... it CAN affect whether they come here.  Perhaps it may be positive in some aspects, but more often that not, that isn't the case.   If you think this board doesn't get viewed by recruits and has zero influence, you are wrong.  That is one of the bigger reasons behind why we have the smack board... to move some of the bickering to be out of the main view.  

[Bull Dozer]

Ill take your word for it but i find it hard to bullieve that recruits frequent this board, and even if they do im sure the atmpsphere on a message board is near the bottom of the list when it coms to making a decision.  Fans matter to a recruit when their buts are in the seats at the stadium not when they are particpating in standard message board behavior/bickering.  

[Velcro]

frequent, no... visit, yes.

and family members (mainly parents) of the recruits also read the board.

If you had to decide between two schools that you liked, but one school's fans were crying that they want this and that coach fired, especially if it is the head coach, that can cause apprehension.  No kid wants to go somewhere and then have their coach fired or leave, and then be stuck in a bad situation where they are playing for someone they didn't want to be playing for.

[Bull Dozer]

So parents will believe people on a message board over the media and reliable sources who have made no mention of CJL being on the hot seat?  Seriously man your reaching here especially for a board with the small amount of active members that this one has.   If the media perception is a coach is secure within his job and there are no reliable souces stating otherwise some message board yahoos calling for his head means nothing just like all of the stuff that goes on here.  Like i said this place is what it is, its a place where people who support this school and program come to exchange ideas and thats all it is.  

[Velcro]

It isn't a reach... this board gives a good pulse of what the die-hards are like.  If the die hards are "dying" ...

Hey, if you dont' believe me, that is certainly your perrogative... but we certainly are not going to tollerate the dumping anymore.  Be constructive with criticism and there will not be any problems.  Realistic and Rationale is good.  There are many here who are not both, and some that aren't either, even though they seem to claim they are fairly often.

[WoolyBully]

You'd have to be an exceptionally naive to apply any weight to what gets posted on

an internet bulletin board. Any Mortimer with access to a keyboard can get on here

and post whatever they want. Recruits - and the parents thereof - are generally

plugged into a different level than us ticket-totin' crowd. They do a lot more research

than the bulk of those found here in keyboard land. It ain't like this vocal minority

(and yes, minority is the appropriate term) has the inside track.

Think about it this way....what sort of relevence do you attach to the jabbering found

on the UCF board? Gospel truth? Etched in stone? Inside dope? Or, taken with the

proverbial grain of salt.

I've never felt we should temper what we put on here because of who might - and I

mean might - roll across it.