+- CSNbbs (https://csnbbs.com)
+-- Forum: Active Boards (/forum-769.html)
+--- Forum: SunBeltbbs (/forum-317.html)
+---- Forum: Sun Belt Conference Talk (/forum-296.html)
+---- Thread: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE (/thread-741686.html)
OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - RamblinRedWolf44 - 07-03-2015 02:34 PM
http://g5conferencenews.blogspot.com/2015/07/fiu-panther-fan-base-searching-for.html
Interesting read. I remember that 2010 season; FIU had beaten ASU down in Miami to clinch a share of the conference title and were going bowling and stAte endured another 4-8 season (Steve Roberts would soon leave his position as head coach). It certainly felt like FIU was quickly rising to become the next "troy/early 2000s North Texas" while us Red Wolves fans wondered if we'd ever get over the hump
The firing of Mario was a HORRIBLE mistake by FIU. Yes he had a disappointing 2012 season but I believe he could've easily rebounded; that program is still reeling from his termination.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - chiefsfan - 07-03-2015 02:55 PM
FIU is one of those programs that seems there should be a lot going for it, but instead they can't get out of their own way...
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - OsageJ - 07-03-2015 02:59 PM
Glad they are CUSA' s problem.[/align]
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - GeauxUL - 07-03-2015 03:01 PM
I think They can still pull it together and be a good asset...wish some teams had never left the belt
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - WKUYG - 07-03-2015 05:20 PM
I think they go bowling this year...
lots of players back from a team that was playing a lot better towards the end of the season.
They were a few plays away from getting 6 or 7 wins last year...ODU and UTSA both had two late (last couple minutes) 4th qt scores to beat them and UNT kicked a fg with under a minute to play. All 3 on the road.
I think they go 2-1 at the very least to start the season and a very good chance at 3-2 with 4 out of the 5 road games.
I'm sure we all saw our teams fold late in games when they were young and mistakes start happening...that was FIU last year. They have 16 or 17 starters back. Confidence will play the key role for a turn around season.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - Usajags - 07-03-2015 05:46 PM
If F_U wins, does anyone in south Florida notice, or care.
That is the big issue.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - chiefsfan - 07-03-2015 08:04 PM
(07-03-2015 05:46 PM)Usajags Wrote: If F_U wins, does anyone in south Florida notice, or care.
That is the big issue.
Generally...no
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - Tom in Lazybrook - 07-03-2015 08:08 PM
1) Why do we really care about FIU? Especially since few in South Florida seem to care about them. Heck, people in Miami really don't care about Da U much less FIU.
2) They are where I want them. In CUSA.
3) Their Athletic Department appears to like circus hires.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - OsageJ - 07-03-2015 08:49 PM
(07-03-2015 08:08 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote: 1) Why do we really care about FIU? Especially since few in South Florida seem to care about them. Heck, people in Miami really don't care about Da U much less FIU.
2) They are where I want them. In CUSA.
3) Their Athletic Department appears to like circus hires.
Yep.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - WinstonTheWolf - 07-03-2015 09:17 PM
FIU needs to shut it down. FBS needs to get to 100 or so - and they are one of the top 5 that need to shut it down. Stadium DJ? W T F
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - Tom in Lazybrook - 07-04-2015 12:29 AM
(07-03-2015 09:17 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote: FIU needs to shut it down. FBS needs to get to 100 or so - and they are one of the top 5 that need to shut it down. Stadium DJ? W T F
Meh, no worries about them keeping on. Not our problem anymore.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - WKUYG - 07-04-2015 01:49 AM
(07-03-2015 08:04 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:(07-03-2015 05:46 PM)Usajags Wrote: If F_U wins, does anyone in south Florida notice, or care.
That is the big issue.
Generally...no
Schools have said they do not care about butts in the seats....
they do care about paid attendance. I'm sure you are wondering (maybe not) when a school(s) said this...
they basically said this by playing games on Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. FIU has about as many season ticket holders as ASU.
----------------------------------------------------------
When a school has 50,000 students there's a lot more money already there before any ticket or tv or ncaa or bcs money comes into play than a lot of schools have once everything is added up.
in 12 years of starting a football program FIU has went to more or just as many bowl games as.
ULM
TXST
USA
GST
APPY
GSU
NMST
Idaho
I honestly don't know the real numbers but I'm going to make a guess...
if FIU can capture 1% of the market in their area it will be more than most SBC (and CUSA) schools if they capture 75% which will never happen.
S Fla is never going to be a butts in the seats fill the stadium but there's enough big money in the area that could get behind a winning program ...
butts in the seats will not matter
If you spent any time in this area you would understand why people might spend money on a program but not attend a game. You would also understand why the number of eyes on a TV set could be 10, 20x as large as a winning program in a low population city/area could have...
with a winning program and even 85% empty stadium
So fans act like their team has always won....not really the case for most. FIU went to 2 bowl games in their first 8 years of fielding a football team. The likelihood of them getting back to that level is greater than most of the schools in the same boat as them today.
There's also a very good reason coaches, AD's and Presidents of schools like being in a conference with S. Fla schools.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - panama - 07-04-2015 06:34 AM
Well if you're going to be all logical and all...sheesh.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - moehler - 07-04-2015 08:54 AM
I live here in South Florida, no one cares about FIU or FAU. During football season Florida, FSU, Miami, UCF, even South Florida in Tampa gets more coverage than those 2 teams. This is an area where people just are not going sit in 100 degree weather to watch programs such as FAU, or FIU, when there is so much more to do ie: South Beach, Bahamas, golf, boating etc,, and at night its even worse with all the great bars and clubs. Lets be honest, a good percentage of those 50,000 students are not taking classes on campus, or are anywhere near the school, they could care less about FIU football, and as far as your statement about FIU going to more bowls in their first 12 yrs than those SBC teams, well, you forgot to mention 2 of those teams App and Georgia Southern are both in their first seasons of the FBS and were ineligible to go bowling, but if they were, both probably would have been in bowls, and Im fairly confident with the programs both are building that they will be going to more than 2 bowls in their first 8 seasons. Yes, FIU, and FAU can occasionally go bowling, but lets be honest, it is extremely difficult to build a winning program, where there is such empathy by the local community towards the school, players notice the empty seats, and the lack of support by the fans. Bottom line is, if your a recruit do you want to play in a community where no one really cares, or a collage town, ie; Boone or Statesboro, that really support the programs.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - Eagle's Cliff - 07-04-2015 09:01 AM
I remember being down there when we played them (and gave them a 3 touchdown whipping) in 2004. We may have had as many fans at the stadium and their student section was as entertaining as the game. The kids obviously didn't know much about American Football and were singing Soccer chants and banging their thunder sticks. I did get a cool souvenir Don Strock Bobble Head. Their financial numbers might be enough to get what they're looking for, but that's not the same game other 2nd Tier State schools are playing.
Everyone talks about being "the next Boise State" and forget the lack of regional competition that school has for fans and supporters. I like the model of East Carolina who stayed IA after the 1978 split and grew their fan base and brand to seat 40K+ on game day. I believe this is what we're working towards at GS.
Throwing a rock and hitting 40K people in Miami, Charlotte or Atlanta isn't impressive. They have those kind of numbers at the homeless shelters.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - Tom in Lazybrook - 07-04-2015 09:41 AM
(07-04-2015 01:49 AM)WKUYG Wrote:(07-03-2015 08:04 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:(07-03-2015 05:46 PM)Usajags Wrote: If F_U wins, does anyone in south Florida notice, or care.
That is the big issue.
Generally...no
Schools have said they do not care about butts in the seats....
they do care about paid attendance. I'm sure you are wondering (maybe not) when a school(s) said this...
they basically said this by playing games on Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. FIU has about as many season ticket holders as ASU.
----------------------------------------------------------
When a school has 50,000 students there's a lot more money already there before any ticket or tv or ncaa or bcs money comes into play than a lot of schools have once everything is added up.
in 12 years of starting a football program FIU has went to more or just as many bowl games as.
ULM
TXST
USA
GST
APPY
GSU
NMST
Idaho
I honestly don't know the real numbers but I'm going to make a guess...
if FIU can capture 1% of the market in their area it will be more than most SBC (and CUSA) schools if they capture 75% which will never happen.
S Fla is never going to be a butts in the seats fill the stadium but there's enough big money in the area that could get behind a winning program ...
butts in the seats will not matter
If you spent any time in this area you would understand why people might spend money on a program but not attend a game. You would also understand why the number of eyes on a TV set could be 10, 20x as large as a winning program in a low population city/area could have...
with a winning program and even 85% empty stadium
So fans act like their team has always won....not really the case for most. FIU went to 2 bowl games in their first 8 years of fielding a football team. The likelihood of them getting back to that level is greater than most of the schools in the same boat as them today.
There's also a very good reason coaches, AD's and Presidents of schools like being in a conference with S. Fla schools.
You guys are welcome to have them.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - Usajags - 07-04-2015 10:27 AM
(07-03-2015 09:17 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote: FIU needs to shut it down. FBS needs to get to 100 or so - and they are one of the top 5 that need to shut it down. Stadium DJ? W T F
I agree some schools need to rethink their position on football, not sure how you really punish a school for things out of their control. I'll tell you, I was one saying UAb needed to shut that program down, but at what point does the NCAA get involved. We know there is an uninforced attendance rule, but should you really punish the player that put the time in, won the games and earned a bowl, and then not let them go because the city in which they are located doesn't go to the game. I think the NCAA needs to look at budgets and commitment of the school towards the sport. Have requirements for minimum facilities, if those can't be met for the level you are wanting to play, you get dropped a level, until your facilities and commitment match those schools you are playing against. But some schools also need to look at competitiveness, if you can't win, ever, it is time to rethink your commitment, and the NCAA should also look at those numbers as well.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - EigenEagle - 07-04-2015 10:56 AM
(07-04-2015 01:49 AM)WKUYG Wrote: When a school has 50,000 students there's a lot more money already there before any ticket or tv or ncaa or bcs money comes into play than a lot of schools have once everything is added up.
in 12 years of starting a football program FIU has went to more or just as many bowl games as.
ULM
TXST
USA
GST
APPY
GSU
NMST
Idaho
I honestly don't know the real numbers but I'm going to make a guess...
if FIU can capture 1% of the market in their area it will be more than most SBC (and CUSA) schools if they capture 75% which will never happen.
S Fla is never going to be a butts in the seats fill the stadium but there's enough big money in the area that could get behind a winning program ...
butts in the seats will not matter
That's one way to look at it...
Another way is that FIU has almost a 10-year head-start on Georgia Southern and has the same number of 8+ (FBS) win seasons as we do...
Just being in a large town doesn't mean you can be Central Florida or even South Florida....sooner or later people will realize that.
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - WKUYG - 07-04-2015 11:14 AM
(07-04-2015 08:54 AM)moehler Wrote: I live here in South Florida, no one cares about FIU or FAU. During football season Florida, FSU, Miami, UCF, even South Florida in Tampa gets more coverage than those 2 teams. This is an area where people just are not going sit in 100 degree weather to watch programs such as FAU, or FIU, when there is so much more to do ie: South Beach, Bahamas, golf, boating etc,, and at night its even worse with all the great bars and clubs. Lets be honest, a good percentage of those 50,000 students are not taking classes on campus, or are anywhere near the school, they could care less about FIU football, and as far as your statement about FIU going to more bowls in their first 12 yrs than those SBC teams, well, you forgot to mention 2 of those teams App and Georgia Southern are both in their first seasons of the FBS and were ineligible to go bowling, but if they were, both probably would have been in bowls, and Im fairly confident with the programs both are building that they will be going to more than 2 bowls in their first 8 seasons. Yes, FIU, and FAU can occasionally go bowling, but lets be honest, it is extremely difficult to build a winning program, where there is such empathy by the local community towards the school, players notice the empty seats, and the lack of support by the fans. Bottom line is, if your a recruit do you want to play in a community where no one really cares, or a collage town, ie; Boone or Statesboro, that really support the programs.
You are correct about Appy and GSU and I expect both of you to pass that 2 count with in the first 10 years of playing FBS football. But would you if you played in the same 10 years as FIU? Probably not.
The Fla schools are a lot different than most of us.....
while I'm sure they would love to grow a fanbase and get 30,000 at every game. It's just not going to happen. Smaller schools/city needs the fan support a lot more. So that's the tradeoff.
Money drives the bus...not football ...MONEY! There's more money in a 2 mile area around both schools campus than probably in most of our whole towns. Even if FIU only gets 1000 butts to show up they are still getting some of this money in the form of season ticket buyers. Take that up to a winning program over 5 to 10 years and the payoff could be huge.
But the upside to a FIU is huge and honestly 12 years in is too early to say they are a failure. They may never reach anywhere close to their upside potential. I can tell you as a fan I missed being in a conference with FAU and FIU. If I can only made a few road game trips (I try to make them all unless for health reason) FIU and FAU...football and basketball are at the top of my list.
There's a reason schools will only bring 100 to 200 fans to ULM, WKU, Troy and so on...then have 400 to 600 at the FIU game. Three years ago Western had more fans (600 or so) to make the FIU game and usually 70 for Troy/ULM....
Presidents/AD's/Coaches..money people, love being in a conference with S. Fla schools
RE: OT: FIU PANTHER FAN BASE IN SEARCH OF NARRATIVE TO EMBRACE - BariBlue - 07-04-2015 12:52 PM
(07-04-2015 10:27 AM)Usajags Wrote:(07-03-2015 09:17 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote: FIU needs to shut it down. FBS needs to get to 100 or so - and they are one of the top 5 that need to shut it down. Stadium DJ? W T F
I agree some schools need to rethink their position on football, not sure how you really punish a school for things out of their control. I'll tell you, I was one saying UAb needed to shut that program down, but at what point does the NCAA get involved. We know there is an uninforced attendance rule, but should you really punish the player that put the time in, won the games and earned a bowl, and then not let them go because the city in which they are located doesn't go to the game. I think the NCAA needs to look at budgets and commitment of the school towards the sport. Have requirements for minimum facilities, if those can't be met for the level you are wanting to play, you get dropped a level, until your facilities and commitment match those schools you are playing against. But some schools also need to look at competitiveness, if you can't win, ever, it is time to rethink your commitment, and the NCAA should also look at those numbers as well.
Be careful what you wish for.... many in the Sun Belt (including us and USA) may not be able to meet some of the minimum requirements you just listed.