(04-08-2014 12:46 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(04-08-2014 12:13 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-08-2014 11:00 AM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(04-08-2014 10:38 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-08-2014 10:10 AM)WKUApollo Wrote:  Two things.....

1. Ouch.....funny how facts change assumptions. Good data bud.
2. I hadn't realized how bad EKU's attendance had become in the last 10 years. Since Roy Kidd retired, their prestige and national prominence took a nose dive...that and the decline of the OVC as well. EKU continues to have winning seasons though. They've only had one losing season in the last 40 years so it's not because of losing. I really think their attendance decline is because of the changing OVC. It used to be a powerful IAA/FCS conference.

There seems to be a really thin line with EKU fans. Merely winning seems to be insufficient. Winning AND being relevant appears to be the key. Just being above average doesn't seem to inspire their fan base.

I also find it interesting that in the 1960's they seemed to have a pretty significant vision. They built a 6,500 seat arena and 22,000 seat football stadium. Those aren't the actions of a school that had a vision of playing small-time, but they seem to have at some point put their hands on their hips surveyed the scene and declared they were satisfied as numerous schools rushed past.

Very astute and I think you're right. On a related topic, I think that applies to WKU basketball to a similar degree. No offense to the SBC, but I think the move to CUSA for WKU was to address the same issue. Since the SBC was raided of UAB, VCU, ODU, Charlotte, etc. back in the early 90's, our fanbase hasn't been as inspired....although we've had some good seasons, we've not been relevant to the same degree we were in the 80's. I'm not a fortune teller so I don't know if we'll ever return to the level we were back then, but I know plenty of WKU faithful that are ecstatic about playing those teams again in basketball. It just wasn't the same atmosphere playing basketball against the newer SBC teams, except of course USA and ULL.

WKU wasted a decade or more kicking the dirt being pissed that all those schools got called and they didn't.

Immediately post-merger, the Sun Belt wasn't a bad league, the American South put two in the Dance and two in the NIT the year prior.

WKU went to the NCAA Tournament four times in the decade post-merger and even garnered an at-large bid, advanced to the second round twice and sweet 16 once but everyone was so busy grousing that it wasn't the Sun Belt they had joined no one seemed to notice that in the preceeding decade of the "better" Sun Belt WKU had made the NCAA Tournament twice, went round of 32 twice but no Sweet 16.

Of course if WKU had embraced the cards dealt, the 'Toppers would probably be in Valley now rather than playing FBS ball so I guess it worked out.

I think you misunderstood my intent. I was referring to the "fans'" interest. Yes we had some success after the merger but many fans stopped caring about going to see, what they considered, "unknowns"....ala the EKU situation with football when the OVC changed membership. The excitement level from the fanbase changed. As nearly all SBC fans here will readily admit, the SBC is a football conference.....some even say it's a Football and Baseball Conference. To many diehard WKU fans, basketball is everything. I wasn't trying to slight the members of the SBC that were part of the merge. We true sports aficionado's know that there has been some quality over the years in the SBC but the average fan doesn't see that.

That was my point.

Post-merger, the Sun Belt was a hoops conference, football came a decade later but because the fans were reeling from the raids, they missed that it was a good hoops league. Remember we lost members post-merger because those members weren't ready or willing to compete at the Sun Belt level. WKU fans just missed that in their frustration and I think that gave the WKU administration of the day cover to not do what it took to push the program to a higher level.

It is far easier to be an administrator when the fans aren't holding your feet to the fire. I remember on the old Prodigy boards, and Usenet groups the WKU fans didn't give a d@mn if they won the league most just tried to figure out how to get into the Metro or Great Midwest or Valley or a few even the MAC and that distraction made it easy to avoid accountability.