CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: OrangeAfroMan on February 23, 2018, 02:13:20 PM
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The blowouts thread reminded me of "Orange Afro Man"'s end in the Swamp.
Short of it - I had annual season tickets in the front row of the NW corner (end zone). The GatorVision camera crew would move around during the game, but I must've been the midpoint or something, because I was on the jumbo-tron A LOT. So often, in fact, that after a few games, they gave me my own graphic - Orange Afro Man.
I wore a big, orange afro, obviously, and blue face paint - usually a U and an F on my cheeks. I went to every game and things were great. But then #1 Miami came in and laid it on us. The final score was 41-16. We were #6, but not that good - just a byproduct of reputation and being early in the season.
I'm cheering my heart out - and by that I mean I'm literally yelling the entire time Miami is on offense - there were a few afternoon games I felt lightheaded at times - gotta hydrate!
Anyway, we're hapless. Not even competing. So we leave early in the 4th quarter. Now maybe it was a coincidence, but I never saw my graphic up on the jumbotron again. We weren't alone, mind you, I was standing there in the aisle waiting in a line to exit the section. People were giving me some flack - probably because I was a familiar face or whatever.
But my point was that Florida wasn't even competing. I was looking for any reason to continue watching, but I couldn't find any - it was too sad.
So I'm asking if I was a fairweather fan. It's not like this bothers me, I'm just curious. What if I had stayed? Wouldn't have mattered or changed anything, imo. If my team is almost doing this or nearly doing that - if they're getting after it and the ball just isn't bouncing their way, that's one thing. But in that game, they might as well haven't have shown up.
If your team is getting drilled and looks listless overall, do you feel any sort of duty to watch it until the clock reads 00:00? I didn't and I still don't.
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I've seen you on TV...
I always watched until the end, because I liked to see the younger fresh faces get in the game as to how they perform, and I liked to watch the coaches coach. I also looked for sideline body language as a sign of whether or not the team could bounce back the next week.
A lot of that is hard to do when you're watching on TV, minus the fresh faces part.
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I wore a big, orange afro, obviously, and blue face paint - usually a U and an F on my cheeks.
Pics or it didn't happen.
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My interest goes up and down with how well they are doing. I think that is typical. I paid more attention in CKS' first year even though they looked horrible because I was trying to see if there was any life there somewhere.
Two games I attended along the way was Alabama who got up 31-0 at the half and Ole Miss who was up 35-0 at the half and made it 42-0 just after the half. I stayed for the entirety, but I was mostly chatting with Ole Miss fans in the latter.
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I've never avoided watching OSU because they were bad.
Of course the worst they've been in my lifetime is 6-7, and the only time they've ever been worse than that was in 1897. So I don't know how I would react to, say, a winless season.
I did finally throw in the towel on the Browns. But that was because they benched Brian Hoyer for Johnny Football. If they aren't going to take themselves seriously, then I'm not going to take them seriously either. I found it so liberating to free up my Sundays that I haven't gone back.
Now if they ever found their way into the playoff hunt, I might start watching again. But until that point, I'll continue to enjoy my Autumn Sundays. I won't go as far as to claim fair weather fandom, as I watched every game for years while they were absolutely awful. Frankly, I've just had it with the NFL as a whole.
With the NBA, I am a proud fair weather fan. I didn't watch a single NBA game when LeBron was in Miami, and I probably won't watch another one ever again after he leaves Cleveland again. But they are quite fun to watch with him on the Cav's roster.
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Like Brutus, it varies by sport for me.
CFB:
This is my main sport to watch/follow. I've left a few games early but mostly that was due to one of two factors:
- Weather and/or being there with someone who was uncomfortable staying.
- Because the Buckeyes were up by 20+ and we wanted to get a head start on the traffic out.
I've never left a game early because the Buckeyes were getting crushed. I sat through every last minute of their loss in Arizona to OAM's team (to be fair, I was there with a tour group and the bus wasn't leaving until after the game anyway but I stayed in the stadium until the bitter end). I've sat through some other bad losses as well.
NFL:
I liked NFL football and back before the Browns moved I was a big Browns fan. When they moved it just brought home the "this is a business" aspect of it to me. I realize that CFB is a business as well, but I KNOW that at least the Ohio State University is never going to pack up and move to another state.
When the Browns moved I guess I just decided that they were a product and, as a consumer, I'll watch if the product is worth watching. In the ~20 years that the Browns have been "back" I think there were one or two years in which the put a product on the field that was worth watching.
NBA:
This is a sport in which literally more than half of the teams make the playoffs. Seriously, unless they added a team and I didn't notice, they have 31 teams and 16 playoff spots. IMHO the entire regular season and the first round of the playoffs are a complete waste of time. I cannot remember the last time that I watched an entire NBA regular season game, maybe never. The first round of the playoffs isn't much better. The #7 and #8 seeds universally do not belong in the postseason so the 1/8 and 2/7 series are worthless. The 3/6 and 4/5 series are generally better but even there, the 4/5 winner basically never beats the #1 anyway so who really cares? Here is my NBA watching plan:
- Regular season: I don't watch or even follow the standings.
- Playoff first round: I follow how the Cavs are doing if they are in it and if it is VERY convenient I'll watch a game or two.
- Playoff second round: I watch most of the games if the Cavs are in it.
- Conference Finals: If the Cavs are in it, I watch every game.
- NBA Finals: If the Cavs are in it, I watch every game.
MLB:
I love to go to a baseball game once in a while but I have literally never watched an MLB regular season game on TV. I would make an exception if the Indians were in a really tight race but I wouldn't make the exception until it got to the point that the regular season games were effectively playoff games. If the Indians are in the playoffs, I watch every Indians playoff game. If not, I don't watch nor even care or check who won after the fact.
In my entire lifetime the only WS games that I have watched have been the ones the Indians were in.
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I wasn't giving up on the team in general or anything, but getting spanked at home by an in-state rival with no inspired play, no nothing to enjoy watching. I simply didn't want to be there anymore.
As for pics....eh....that was like 3 phones ago, 3 moves ago, and pre-facebook, so idk about pics. A coworker of mine also got on the screen often, but his wig was half orange/half blue. He spoke mostly in puns and is now a relator.
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I've noticed the state of Michigan does an early exit things during bad losses, or big wins. We always did it growing up, and I never thought twice about it. Moved away, people look at me like I've threatened to blow up the stadium when I try to leave early anywhere but a game in Michigan. And not tied to any specific fan base; UM games, MSU games, Detroit games, leaving early up big or down big is no big thing.
I'll turn games off on tv down big. Turned off MSU-OSU this year. Won't turn them off up big for an MSU game, will for a Detroit game. As for giving up on a season, pro sports, absolutely. Tigers season is over once football season starts if they are done. 2016 I stopped watching MSU football the last couple weeks. I enjoy college football enough that I figured why watch something I wasn't going to enjoy, at the expense of something I was?
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I've noticed the state of Michigan does an early exit things during bad losses, or big wins. We always did it growing up, and I never thought twice about it. Moved away, people look at me like I've threatened to blow up the stadium when I try to leave early anywhere but a game in Michigan. And not tied to any specific fan base; UM games, MSU games, Detroit games, leaving early up big or down big is no big thing.
I have been to two games in the state of Michigan. The first was Tressel's first game in Ann Arbor. Ohio State led most of the day but only won by six points. The game was not "out of reach" until the last few seconds if that. Despite this, I was shocked to see people (Michigan fans, obviously) leaving early.
The other one was Ohio State at Michigan State in John L. Smith's last year. That game was over before it began. Ohio State cruised to an easy win and by the time it was over practically the only fans left in the stadium were wearing red. The funny thing about that game is that when we left the stadium, the MSU fans hadn't left, they had just adjourned to their tailgate gatherings to watch a Detroit Lions MLB playoff game.
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Well I can't say that I blame them for that.
How many opportunities are you ever going to have to see the Detroit Lions play an MLB Playoff game?
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I have been to two games in the state of Michigan. The first was Tressel's first game in Ann Arbor. Ohio State led most of the day but only won by six points. The game was not "out of reach" until the last few seconds if that. Despite this, I was shocked to see people (Michigan fans, obviously) leaving early.
The other one was Ohio State at Michigan State in John L. Smith's last year. That game was over before it began. Ohio State cruised to an easy win and by the time it was over practically the only fans left in the stadium were wearing red. The funny thing about that game is that when we left the stadium, the MSU fans hadn't left, they had just adjourned to their tailgate gatherings to watch a Detroit Lions MLB playoff game.
Heh, I was at that '01 UM-OSU game, and we left early. Also left the '99 UM-MSU game (as UM fans) before Brady nearly led them back.
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I recall a game at Auburn a few years back. I was watching with some friends and Auburn was blowing us out, so I switched over to some Big Ten game of interested, and after an hour flipped back to see UGA had come back and was ahead and had Auburn 4th down and 20 something to go, and a desperation pass by them was tipped by two UGA defenders and collected by an Auburn WR who waltzed in for the winning score.
I would have been better served by ignoring the whole thing.
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I've seen you on TV...
I always watched until the end, because I liked to see the younger fresh faces get in the game as to how they perform, and I liked to watch the coaches coach. I also looked for sideline body language as a sign of whether or not the team could bounce back the next week.
A lot of that is hard to do when you're watching on TV, minus the fresh faces part.
yup.... when the underclassmen come in it's almost like a new game. a 'scouting' game, but worth watching.
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I agree, but that wasn't the case in the game I was at.
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I figure watching sports is intended to bring me some enjoyment. If I don't enjoy it, I don't watch. Even crushing losses can be enjoyed during the competition.
If the Dawgs are getting trounced, I don't enjoy it, and find something else to do.
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Found him.
(https://www.cfb51.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsbradio.com%2Frf%2Fimage_lowres%2FPub%2Fp4%2FAJC%2F2013%2F10%2F23%2FImages%2Fphotos.medleyphoto.4024616.jpg&hash=f60baed7ee0b5879e105895cb81d7973)
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Nope, that's not me or my friend.
I googled trying to find something, but didn't. It's amazing how recent 2002 sounds, but technology has progressed so far since then, that anything from back then is long gone.
It was very cool to have my own graphic/name on the jumbotron, though.
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Well, I'm a Purdue fan, and I've been around this joint even through the Hazell years, so I'm not exactly fair-weather lol...
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became a Husker fan in 1981
didn't walk on on a game in the stadium or turn the channel on the TV until 2007 - Bill C's last season
the wheels were gone
stayed till the bitter end of Bo's blowouts vs the Badgers
didn't quit on Riley, but decided not to scalp a ticket to the Buckeye game last season
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I figure watching sports is intended to bring me some enjoyment. If I don't enjoy it, I don't watch. Even crushing losses can be enjoyed during the competition.
If the Dawgs are getting trounced, I don't enjoy it, and find something else to do.
That's how I feel. I don't think it makes you a bad fan. It's entertainment. If its no longer entertaining, what's the point?
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I do have a signature move that is the opposite of leaving early.
A lot of College Football/Basketball games only charge admission during the first half.
So I'll slither on in at half time and watch the second/better half for free.
Now that you can get live stats/video on your phone, it is extremely easy to execute that move with precision.
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I pride myself on being a “until the bitter end” kind of fan. I almost never leave a game or turn off the TV early. I tell myself if I endure the shit then the good times are that much better and, honestly, I really do believe that.
That said, we are all human. I did leave the 2012 K State game early. For some reason I had just had enough. WVU played so poorly. We had really crappy seats which actually put me in sort of a bad mood right from the start. Idk. I just gave in that game. Very unusual for me.
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I stay till the end of normal losses where they're fighting and clawing, but it's just not happening. But the game, maybe the attitude in the stadium or whatever.....a - it wasn't fun to watch, but also b - they weren't even competing.
It's the only game in which that was the case that I had been to and left in that manner.
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My uncle left the Pitt hoops game at halftime this past Saturday. Recall, Pitt scored 7 points in the first half. SEVEN. On 1-22 shooting.
Dude's been as die-hard as they come for Pitt athletics since as long as I can remember. I have no qualms with him leaving at halftime and not watching that dumpster fire. That doesn't make you a fairweather fan, it means you have more important things to do in life than waste time watching bad entertainment.
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My uncle left the Pitt hoops game at halftime this past Saturday. Recall, Pitt scored 7 points in the first half. SEVEN. On 1-22 shooting.
Dude's been as die-hard as they come for Pitt athletics since as long as I can remember. I have no qualms with him leaving at halftime and not watching that dumpster fire. That doesn't make you a fairweather fan, it means you have more important things to do in life than waste time watching bad entertainment.
I can't believe he went in the first place
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Heh, I was at that '01 UM-OSU game, and we left early. Also left the '99 UM-MSU game (as UM fans) before Brady nearly led them back.
I just don't get the rationale for that because it wasn't out of reach.
Now as I type that, I should clarify that when it concerns my team, both ways, I am pretty much the last person to admit that it is over. Seriously, if the Buckeyes are down by 35 points I'm the guy calculating how quickly each of the five necessary scoring drives needs to be executed to determine if they have a chance. I do it both ways though because if the Buckeyes are up by 35 points and everybody else has basically moved on, I'm the guy saying "well we have to defend here and then make sure they don't get four consecutive onsides kicks and . . ."
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I can't believe he went in the first place
My uncle left the Pitt hoops game at halftime this past Saturday. Recall, Pitt scored 7 points in the first half. SEVEN. On 1-22 shooting.
Dude's been as die-hard as they come for Pitt athletics since as long as I can remember. I have no qualms with him leaving at halftime and not watching that dumpster fire. That doesn't make you a fairweather fan, it means you have more important things to do in life than waste time watching bad entertainment.
Must've been vs Virginia?
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I was heart broken when we left a White Sox game (2nd game of double header in the 1970s), and then Ron Santo (yes he played a year or so for the Sox) hit a grand slam, while we were tooling down I-90 heading for Iowa, and my parents never heard the end of it. We now stay to the bitter end.
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Only Badger game I can remember leaving early was against Austin Peay in 2010. It was boring from the start and wasn't going to get any better. I think we left at the end of the 3rd quarter after Jump Around. We may have left before then. Not a memorable game.
SFIrish is generally happy to leave early unless it's a good game. I always resist, but in baseball I generally cave.
As for games on TV, there are a thousand reasons not to watch entire games. I don't think of it in remotely the same way.
Wow, this reminds me how long it's been since I've been to a Badger game in person. It's been a LONG time now. Hopefully I'll fix that this fall...
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I booked my hotel room for our one game this season. UNL it is.
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I agree completely on this. Even on TV I almost always stick through the losses at least until it gets to the point that there is just no plausible chance and even then I only move on if I have something pressing to do. With wins though I frequently switch to a different game or go do something that I need to do once a game I am watching on TV gets to the point that my team is sticking in 3rd stringers and waterboys.
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"Fan" is short for fanatic, so if you're anything other than fanatical about watching your team, then you're not really a fan.
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Must've been vs Virginia?
It was
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You can only take so much as a 'fan'. This is about entertainment. You spend your hard earned money on something that's supposed to entertain and amuse you. If it doesn't, why should you be thought of differently for not wanting to waste your time?
Consider a movie - you get the benefit of a trailer, what it'll kinda be like. If you want, you pay to see it. If you don't, you don't. If you get half way through it, just b/c you paid for it are you going to continue watching?
I've been through 20 years of Pirates losing, putrid Pens hockey in the early 2000's, some really down PSU years at that same time. I paid attention, sure (especially PSU), but did I actively look to spend my time and money on something I knew wasn't going to entertain me? Heck no. Same goes for the Pirates right now - Pittsburgh is REVOLTING against this ownership. Doesn't make them bad fans (well, many things make Pittsburghers in general bad fans but that's another story), makes them not interested in patronizing something that doesn't entertain them.
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I booked my hotel room for our one game this season. UNL it is.
Nebraska or Illinois are the most likely. Going to have to weigh some external factors...
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I agree completely on this. Even on TV I almost always stick through the losses at least until it gets to the point that there is just no plausible chance and even then I only move on if I have something pressing to do. With wins though I frequently switch to a different game or go do something that I need to do once a game I am watching on TV gets to the point that my team is sticking in 3rd stringers and waterboys.
This is what the DVR is for...I record just about every game, then decide whether to watch (as I'm generally coaching my kids' soccer games during the live broadcast).
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I booked my hotel room for our one game this season. UNL it is.
my usual trip to Madison????
I'll make that decision halfway through the season
not making the trip for another expected blowout