Rethinking my fandom

[NorthernCat]

I get why the Cats hate Griz so much now. That streak was brutal. It sucks to be owned. One thing for sure no more Big brother talk, until proven otherwise the Cats own the Griz. Griz are the little brother now.

Dude. It sucked. Brutal. Anybody 40 and over has PTSD from it.

 

[Grizmed]

Dude. It sucked. Brutal. Anybody 40 and over has PTSD from it.

It's ridiculous. It's kids playing sports. Let's move on the the part where Montana is pretty much the last best place to live. And we have to continue to make that so.

 

[Jordan_20]

I've experienced some pretty bad sports losses as a fan. By pretty bad I mean really bad. If you're anything like me, you'll be pissed for a week and it'll be really painful to think about, but you'll move on, not think much about football for around 6 months, start gaining anticipation, and you'll be jacked by the time August rolls around. The only practical advice I really have is to maybe simplify how you watch. I don't know your game day routine, but perhaps you could tone it back a notch. Like if you tailgate and take shots before every game, maybe go to games but skip that part. If you like going to Red's (or wherever you guys have watch parties down the road there) maybe just sit back and watch from your couch. I might be talking out of my rear here, so bottom line, just remember that the Griz WILL be back next year competing for a natty, and that likely won't change for a long time.

Also I don't know if you like basketball, but you guys are the favorite right now for the conference, so there's that!

Whatever you fans do, do not stop tailgating and showing up to support the team. Each and every one of us help contribute to the best game day experience in the West and that’s something that nobody can take away from us except ourselves. It was a tough loss today but we’ll remember it for next year and use it as motivation

 

[Kabooom]

I've experienced some pretty bad sports losses as a fan. By pretty bad I mean really bad. If you're anything like me, you'll be pissed for a week and it'll be really painful to think about, but you'll move on, not think much about football for around 6 months, start gaining anticipation, and you'll be jacked by the time August rolls around. The only practical advice I really have is to maybe simplify how you watch. I don't know your game day routine, but perhaps you could tone it back a notch. Like if you tailgate and take shots before every game, maybe go to games but skip that part. If you like going to Red's (or wherever you guys have watch parties down the road there) maybe just sit back and watch from your couch. I might be talking out of my rear here, so bottom line, just remember that the Griz WILL be back next year competing for a natty, and that likely won't change for a long time.

Also I don't know if you like basketball, but you guys are the favorite right now for the conference, so there's that!

Good post Billy…except for the basketball mention…Grizzlies have a lot to work on with the round ball. Their body language pretty much says it all. Loosing Malik Moore to Xavier and Pridgen and Johnson not qualifying for another year is certainly giving DeCuire fits..

G0 GRIZ!

 

[Allezchat]

Both games this year were close.

Yep. And given this i dont get the whole sky is falling vibe over here. Two close losses to the team going to the natty. Only losses in the year. Yeah its your rival. You won the 2nd quarter today. I would call the 3rd a draw.

 

[Allezchat]

Good post Billy…except for the basketball mention…Grizzlies have a lot to work on with the round ball. Their body language pretty much says it all. Loosing Malik Moore to Xavier and Pridgen and Johnson not qualifying for another year is certainly giving DeCuire fits..

G0 GRIZ!

Yeah. Losing to Tech does not make you seem the favorite. I don't pay enough attention to basketball so I dont know if you are this year or not. But as long as TD is there most years you will he a favorite.

 

[goatcreekgriz]

Yep. And given this i dont get the whole sky is falling vibe over here. Two close losses to the team going to the natty. Only losses in the year. Yeah its your rival. You won the 2nd quarter today. I would call the 3rd a draw.

Agree. UM had a fantastic season. The defense gave up some big plays and injuries played a big part yesterday — Brooks Davis for sure and I don’t know why Kyon Loud wasn’t on the field in the second half. And the vibe at the stadium reminded me of games in Missoula a few decades ago. Give the Cats credit, but the Griz had a heckuva year and deserve praise.

 

[HikeGlacier]

Yep. And given this i dont get the whole sky is falling vibe over here. Two close losses to the team going to the natty. Only losses in the year. Yeah its your rival. You won the 2nd quarter today. I would call the 3rd a draw.

If you think yesterday was a close loss, you're delusional.

 

[coyotes]

I jumped on your board this morning to try and get a feel for how everyone is doing. You’ve got the same range of emotions as our fan base had last week after losing to the Griz. In simple terms losing sucks. And if you have competitive blood in you it really sucks. And if you truly hate your rival ( I detest sdsu ) that loss is damn near insurmountable.

I watched the game yesterday actually wearing a Griz shirt. I was sincerely pulling for you, but going into the game I had the same fear for you that I did for us last week in Missoula, and that was a rabid sold out stadium with fans that hate you as much as you hate them had control of the “energy” the first 15 minutes of the game and set the tone. You actually climbed out of the hole where we didn’t, but both games had the same feel. They jumped out early…you jumped out early on us. You got it back to the point you had a brief lead, we got it back to a two score game, then the hammer fell. The Cats jumped hard on you and in our game last week we should’ve had you in punting situation but that damn double pass ( hell of a call ) put the nail in our coffin.

You’re history is much more storied than ours, but believe me when I say that from a fan that has no particular ties to either the Griz or the Cats looks at you with admiration and in a sense you are a beacon to where we want to be. You’re RELEVANT. Hopefully we’re becoming that way, but at the end of the day 23 if the 24 teams that enter this fantastic thing called FCS PLAYOFFS loses. 23. Think about that.

I am a huge supporter of Coyote football. I invest time, money, and passion into something I believe in. The truth of the matter is I fully believe now we ( FCS ) have a better product than the so called big boys. Remove the blue bloods out of those power 4 conferences and there’s literally less than 10 schools that will ever have the consistent chance ( every now and then an Indiana will surface ) to win a national title. But in FCS anyone with a pulse and good coaching can win a national championship. You were (1) game away for that opportunity and we were (2). That’s RELEVANT.

We should encourage our administrations to start playing each other on a frequent basis. Or maybe look at consolidation of the BIG SKY and MVFC and forming a damn good league where 6-8 teams each year have a legitimate shot at the title. Where a 9-3 record would be a helluva year.

As frustrated as I was internally last Saturday, on being beaten by you guys, and ready to just say F it, the competitive spirit inside of me said we have to roll up our sleeves even more to catch up and possibly surpass the Griz, or the Cats, or the Bison, or Jacks. In little ol Vermillion, SD there are some that want to win it just like you do. But in between opening game and the national title game, there should be 15 weeks of going to opponents tailgates or hosting you at ours and making game day Saturday a mini vacation, and being so damn fun you’d do whatever it takes to make it to next weeks game. Meeting Griz fans and clinking beer bottles, or eating food that is perfect for pre games but not Christmas dinners. That’s what this damn game is all about. Relationships. Between you and your school, me and my school, and between all if us.

It’s more than just a game. A lot more. But at the end of the day, it’s just a game.

 

[GriznMN]

I jumped on your board this morning to try and get a feel for how everyone is doing. You’ve got the same range of emotions as our fan base had last week after losing to the Griz. In simple terms losing sucks. And if you have competitive blood in you it really sucks. And if you truly hate your rival ( I detest sdsu ) that loss is damn near insurmountable.

I watched the game yesterday actually wearing a Griz shirt. I was sincerely pulling for you, but going into the game I had the same fear for you that I did for us last week in Missoula, and that was a rabid sold out stadium with fans that hate you as much as you hate them had control of the “energy” the first 15 minutes of the game and set the tone. You actually climbed out of the hole where we didn’t, but both games had the same feel. They jumped out early…you jumped out early on us. You got it back to the point you had a brief lead, we got it back to a two score game, then the hammer fell. The Cats jumped hard on you and in our game last week we should’ve had you in punting situation but that damn double pass ( hell of a call ) put the nail in our coffin.

You’re history is much more storied than ours, but believe me when I say that from a fan that has no particular ties to either the Griz or the Cats looks at you with admiration and in a sense you are a beacon to where we want to be. You’re RELEVANT. Hopefully we’re becoming that way, but at the end of the day 23 if the 24 teams that enter this fantastic thing called FCS PLAYOFFS loses. 23. Think about that.

I am a huge supporter of Coyote football. I invest time, money, and passion into something I believe in. The truth of the matter is I fully believe now we ( FCS ) have a better product than the so called big boys. Remove the blue bloods out of those power 4 conferences and there’s literally less than 10 schools that will ever have the consistent chance ( every now and then an Indiana will surface ) to win a national title. But in FCS anyone with a pulse and good coaching can win a national championship. You were (1) game away for that opportunity and we were (2). That’s RELEVANT.

We should encourage our administrations to start playing each other on a frequent basis. Or maybe look at consolidation of the BIG SKY and MVFC and forming a damn good league where 6-8 teams each year have a legitimate shot at the title. Where a 9-3 record would be a helluva year.

As frustrated as I was internally last Saturday, on being beaten by you guys, and ready to just say F it, the competitive spirit inside of me said we have to roll up our sleeves even more to catch up and possibly surpass the Griz, or the Cats, or the Bison, or Jacks. In little ol Vermillion, SD there are some that want to win it just like you do. But in between opening game and the national title game, there should be 15 weeks of going to opponents tailgates or hosting you at ours and making game day Saturday a mini vacation, and being so damn fun you’d do whatever it takes to make it to next weeks game. Meeting Griz fans and clinking beer bottles, or eating food that is perfect for pre games but not Christmas dinners. That’s what this damn game is all about. Relationships. Between you and your school, me and my school, and between all if us.

It’s more than just a game. A lot more. But at the end of the day, it’s just a game.

Great post Coyote! Would love to meet you at a Yotes tailgate next year. Message me if you are up for it.

 

[coyotes]

100%. The best times at my age I have are going to tailgates, whether mine or yours. It’s great. We have a great setup in Vermillion and you’ll be treated like royalty. I’ll see to it

 

[GriznMN]

Outside of NDSU, who's the next best competitive team in the MVFC that you play at home next year? SIU?

 

[wbtfg]

You don’t get to rethink your fandom. That’s not how being a fan works.

 

[GriznMN]

100%. The best times at my age I have are going to tailgates, whether mine or yours. It’s great. We have a great setup in Vermillion and you’ll be treated like royalty. I’ll see to it

I'm not worthy of royalty. I would rather be treated like a good natured opposing fan and do some good bantering.

 

[coyotes]

You and I must’ve grown up together.

I’ll say it another way. You’ll be fed, watered down, and have a few laughs prior to kickoff

 

[lotsa]

For fans who got on the bandwagon late, the comments on disenchantment make some sense.

First, though, think about what we have and compare it to the rest of the FCS. From that standpoint, losing in the semis with only our second loss would be considered heaven everywhere but Missoula and Fargo. More importantly, for the later comeroners, know sitting in freezing cold on delapidated wood stands for years at Dornblaser hoping to go .500 and all that went into that created a different value system for the program--and solid fans.

I say, properly lick our wounds and gripe about whatever, then have a great Christmas and come back the great fans we all are. The new year will not preclude our second-guessing and suggestions but lets do it in a fashion that appreciates our growth, heritage, and status.

 

[GriznMN]

You and I must’ve grown up together.

I’ll say it another way. You’ll be fed, watered down, and have a few laughs prior to kickoff

Sounds great. I'm in

 

[GriznMN]

For fans who got on the bandwagon late, the comments on disenchantment make some sense.

First, though, think about what we have and compare it to the rest of the FCS. From that standpoint, losing in the semis with only our second loss would be considered heaven everywhere but Missoula and Fargo. More importantly, for the later comeroners, know sitting in freezing cold on delapidated wood stands for years at Dornblaser hoping to go .500 and all that went into that created a different value system for the program--and solid fans.

I say, properly lick our wounds and gripe about whatever, then have a great Christmas and come back the great fans we all are. The new year will not preclude our second-guessing and suggestions but lets do it in a fashion that appreciates our growth, heritage, and status.

I remember the wooden stands at old Dornblaser all too well and the shitty porta-potties right behind the stands. That's why I refuse to be complacent. If you are not growing and improving, you are falling behind.

 

[smarsh]

I don’t have as much trouble with it anymore, but it sure is familiar. I just realized one day that I’m not entitled to any particular outcome. Who TF am I to be mad? For me, it’s not about tempering expectations, it’s about not having any. After realizing that, everything is a bonus. I watched my alma mater play an FCS football game on ABC. Win or lose, it didn’t materially change my life. And I didn’t even have to use my AK.

what this dude said. helped that this morning mama cooked a breakfast with no hog.

 

[Kabooom]

100%. The best times at my age I have are going to tailgates, whether mine or yours. It’s great. We have a great setup in Vermillion and you’ll be treated like royalty. I’ll see to it

Mother is a DULUTH native. Many years ago the Griz played Minn-Duluth and have had my eye on the program on and off since then.
Gotta say Coach Nelson was a real class act..always wore his business attire.. Same at Vermillion. The level of play you guys put out year after year competing in the toughest FCS Conference in the country is consistently very Impressive. We need to schedule another home/away series with you guys again..Go Coyotes!

G0GRIZ!