GRIZ football season is over..........

[biga75]

When they bring back wrestling I'll participate in that forum. I'd really like to cover that maple up with mats.

+1 over and over again.

A gym just doesn't look right without mats down.

 

[mtgrizrule]

The intent of my post was not to hear people telling us of their dislike for basketball, or bash the team for a NCAA Tournament butt whipping. Wayne has done a marvelous job with the program. Over the last 3 to 4 years this team has earned much better support than we give them. Our fans show up in drogues to watch us beat up the likes of Western States, OK Panhandle State, which is no more than a scrimmage for the football team. Yet, we cannot support a team who has earned the support with a much affordable ticket price?

Instead of supporting them, some of you choose to turn it into a basketball verses football pissing match. This is about supporting the biggest money making programs for university, which is one athletic department. Hell at least Chase Reynolds was at the game to support the boys.

It would be nice to have support for both football and basketball.

 

[Big Northern Griz]

I always liked attending the basketball games. A good case study for a football school finally getting some support for basketball is Boise State. Attendance at those games has increased drastically. They've done it by winning, better promotion, and a tougher non-conference schedule. A couple reasons I think the Griz have struggled to maintain good attendance:

1. Winning. Yes, we've won a lot of games, but we really haven't beaten the names that people are familiar with. BSU really picked things up after being competitive and beating top 50 rpi teams. We haven't done that. Racking up conference wins and wins against low-major programs just doesn't excite people as much.

2. Weak conference. The Big Sky has continued to get weaker every year it seems like. There aren't may teams in the conference besides Weber and MSU that get people all that excited.

3. Montanans. Attendance always seems to be a bit better when you have a Montana kid contributing. When you have a Crisswell, Chavez, Selvig, McGillis or Hasquet playing. There haven't been many D1 prospects in MT recently that have stayed in state, but it does help spark interest.

4. Promotion. The school doesn't do a good job of promoting athletics. Football can get by on its own naturally, but the other sports need something more. Does Missoula even have a local sports radio program? Boise has some good ones that are popular and get people thinking and talking about the basketball program. If you listen to a show where they are talking about an upcoming match up, you are more likely to be interested in attending the game or at least following it.

5. Non-conference Schedule. Playing stronger teams or a least teams in major conferences are going to bring more interest. In season tournaments and invitational tournaments have also been important for other programs, especially tournaments that are sponsored and are televised. If you can't get the invitation, start your own tournament and try bringing those teams in. I do realize that this is very difficult, but it would get butts in the seats.

 

[EverettGriz]

I always liked attending the basketball games. A good case study for a football school finally getting some support for basketball is Boise State. Attendance at those games has increased drastically. They've done it by winning, better promotion, and a tougher non-conference schedule. A couple reasons I think the Griz have struggled to maintain good attendance:

1. Winning. Yes, we've won a lot of games, but we really haven't beaten the names that people are familiar with. BSU really picked things up after being competitive and beating top 50 rpi teams. We haven't done that. Racking up conference wins and wins against low-major programs just doesn't excite people as much.

2. Weak conference. The Big Sky has continued to get weaker every year it seems like. There aren't may teams in the conference besides Weber and MSU that get people all that excited.

3. Montanans. Attendance always seems to be a bit better when you have a Montana kid contributing. When you have a Crisswell, Chavez, Selvig, McGillis or Hasquet playing. There haven't been many D1 prospects in MT recently that have stayed in state, but it does help spark interest.

4. Promotion. The school doesn't do a good job of promoting athletics. Football can get by on its own naturally, but the other sports need something more. Does Missoula even have a local sports radio program? Boise has some good ones that are popular and get people thinking and talking about the basketball program. If you listen to a show where they are talking about an upcoming match up, you are more likely to be interested in attending the game or at least following it.

5. Non-conference Schedule. Playing stronger teams or a least teams in major conferences are going to bring more interest. In season tournaments and invitational tournaments have also been important for other programs, especially tournaments that are sponsored and are televised. If you can't get the invitation, start your own tournament and try bringing those teams in. I do realize that this is very difficult, but it would get butts in the seats.

My thoughts:

1. No doubt winning helps. And the Griz have. In fact, I think they're in the middle of the most succesful period in school history. And I disagree the Griz don't have some good OOC wins. I pointed some out above. There's a big difference between Boise and UM in their ability to draw top 50 RPI teams. The Griz will simply not get that quality of opponent in Missoula.

2. Agree completely. It's time to get the eff out of the BSC.

3. This is a weak argument in my mind (not saying it isn't based in reality, just that its weak). How many Carolinians does Duke have?

4. I think UM does a decent job promoting, although more can be done. I'd argue that when there HAS been great promotion, the students and community hasn't responded. Why continue what isn't working anyway? I'd love more UM coverage on radio, but that isn't anything UM has control over. They do have the coaches' shows. I don't know if the ratings on those are great enough to support more or not. Sports Talk radio would be great in Missoula, though.

5. Trust me, it ain't for lack of trying that UM cant beef up its schedule. They damn near beg every year to get into a tournament. But again, short of that, you aren't getting many games against top programs. There simply is no upside in it for them. Why would they want to schedule UM, who they might lose to, when they can schedule ISU or Seattle U. After another close game against UW here, I heard Romar say on sports talk radio that he's tired of seeing the Griz on their schedule because he knows its far from a given money game. Boise doesn't need money games, and programs are far more likely to schedule home and homes with them. As noted above, if we could get out of the BSC, we'd get those games too. Until then, we should be happy to watch Washimgton, Colo St, Wazzu, Idaho, Wyo, Nevada, Oregon St, etc. we'd LOVE it if our FB teams played that kind of program. It should be no different for BB.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

Everett, I like your analysis of #5 above, and I agree. But what in the blue fuck was the December schedule this year? We have to be able to do better than that, right? Two games against Idaho and two play-downs?

 

[Big Northern Griz]

Everett, I don't disagree with you on point 3. For me, it isn't as important to have a Montana player on the roster. I do feel that it is important for some people though and that having a Montana kid does benefit attendance. I know that a lot of people came to the games to watch a lot of the guys I mentioned play, especially Chavez with folks from the rez coming down to watch. Not suggesting we should recruit Montana players just to boost attendance though.

I do think more could be done to try for a stronger OOC schedule. Would be nice to see us try to get games with some of the MWC schools, WSU, BYU, Gonzaga, Cal, and programs that are in that RPI top 100 category. Maybe those programs don't want to play us. It seems like our OOC is more full of the Big West and the bottom end of the WCC. Teams that don't rank, don't help our RPI, and don't prepare us for the post season. Also, I think fans would be more interested in match ups with MWC and Pac12 teams than low-majors.

 

[Griziron]

A good portion of the football crowd travels long distances to attend the games. People will do that on a Saturday morning in September - November. Fewer people are going to drive to Missoula at night in December - February.

 

[EverettGriz]

A good portion of the football crowd travels long distances to attend the games. People will do that on a Saturday morning in September - November. Fewer people are going to drive to Missoula at night in December - February.

We understand that. I live in Seattle and have FB season tickets. I don't for BB. That's a given. We don't expect people to drive 400 miles for a Thursday game.

But it isn't just attendance (although that should be better for a team that has been this good for the last half dozen years). But it's community support; it's a dead basketball board while alpobison starts 11 different threads about ndsu.

Some of us just think that a team as good as the one Tinks has put together the last 6 years deserves at least a little acknowledgment.

 

[George Ferguson]

Everett, I whole heartedly agree with you. I was lucky to go to school at UM when I did. 93-96. BB games were still a lot of fun, rowdy and well attended, while the football team was just starting the magical years. That was a great time to be a UM student, even though I just missed out on the great run of 90-92.

It's a shame what's happened to the men's BB fan base, BUT, fandom just isn't something you can force on someone. At least in my experiences, people either are or they aren't fans. Really no gray area. And as many have pointed out, Montana basketball is stuck in the middle of a struggle that a lot of fans can't relate to. The Big Sky season is fun, and the whole community gets behind the team when they make it to March Madness. But it isn't the same as each year bringing the hope of playing for a national championship, and I think that really causes some casual college hoops fans to lack a genuine passion and interest in the Griz' BB program. I'm a DIEHARD Griz hoops fan, and a DIEHARD college hoops fans, so the fact Montana has little hope of ever going farther than the NCAA first round doesn't bother me one bit. But I think it is a BIG reason why non-diehards lack interest in the program. And let's face, in this state, to fill places like Dahlberg and Washington-Grizzly Stadium, you need more than the die-hards. You need the band wagoners, and the casual fans too, and the casual fans are the ones who lost interest in the program.