This is what a love about WV and WVU fans...people who did not attend the university or leave near Morgantown support the Mountaineers because they are the state's team...

Jackson




School merchandise a hot item
by Mary Childress
Daily Mail staff

West Virginia University Gator Bowl shirts and merchandise are selling fast at Charleston Department Store

Jackson1011 Wrote:This is what a love about WV and WVU fans...people who did not attend the university or leave near Morgantown support the Mountaineers because they are the state's team...

As long as they keep it real. As I'm sure the Louisville, Cincy, Pitt fans and others can attest a lot of that line of thinking also works against a State's other universities. I'm honest when saying seemingly half of the UGA fans I've met couldn't tell you a thing about the difference between UGA and GT, save for the stats of the football team. They support UGA, even if they haven't been there or have any ties, because the perception is it's the State university, as in the only State university. I don't mind people supporting their state's and their State U's like that but plenty of people take that one step further and say "Since I'm for UGA I'm against GT, GSU, etc." (Or if you live in La, you use the legislature to hamper the other state U's...)

Not trying to dump on adding folks to the bandwagon or selling merchandise, I'm just a strong advocate of earnest and knowledgable fans. The fair weather and ignorant ones ruin the game(s) for all of us.

Okay, rant over.

GunnerFan Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:This is what a love about WV and WVU fans...people who did not attend the university or leave near Morgantown support the Mountaineers because they are the state's team...

As long as they keep it real. As I'm sure the Louisville, Cincy, Pitt fans and others can attest a lot of that line of thinking also works against a State's other universities. I'm honest when saying seemingly half of the UGA fans I've met couldn't tell you a thing about the difference between UGA and GT, save for the stats of the football team. They support UGA, even if they haven't been there or have any ties, because the perception is it's the State university, as in the only State university. I don't mind people supporting their state's and their State U's like that but plenty of people take that one step further and say "Since I'm for UGA I'm against GT, GSU, etc." (Or if you live in La, you use the legislature to hamper the other state U's...)

Not trying to dump on adding folks to the bandwagon or selling merchandise, I'm just a strong advocate of earnest and knowledgable fans. The fair weather and ignorant ones ruin the game(s) for all of us.

Okay, rant over.

Definitely a double edged sword. Some of the most annoying and embarrassing (sp?) fans are the rednecks who've never set foot on campus.

I wonder how WVU gear is selling in Alabama? lmfao

bitcruncher Wrote:I wonder how WVU gear is selling in Alabama? lmfao

Bama is going to be fine. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They took a shot at hiring one of the best coaches in the country and damn near got him to leave his alma mater. He thought long and hard about it before he decided to stay at WVU.

3601 Wrote:

bitcruncher Wrote:I wonder how WVU gear is selling in Alabama? lmfao

Bama is going to be fine. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They took a shot at hiring one of the best coaches in the country and damn near got him to leave his alma mater. He thought long and hard about it before he decided to stay at WVU.

Please read posts before making your comments. I didn't comment on how Alabama was going to be doing - one way or the other. I merely asked how sales on WVU gear was in Alabama. You can comment on that any time.

3601 Wrote:

GunnerFan Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:This is what a love about WV and WVU fans...people who did not attend the university or leave near Morgantown support the Mountaineers because they are the state's team...

As long as they keep it real. As I'm sure the Louisville, Cincy, Pitt fans and others can attest a lot of that line of thinking also works against a State's other universities. I'm honest when saying seemingly half of the UGA fans I've met couldn't tell you a thing about the difference between UGA and GT, save for the stats of the football team. They support UGA, even if they haven't been there or have any ties, because the perception is it's the State university, as in the only State university. I don't mind people supporting their state's and their State U's like that but plenty of people take that one step further and say "Since I'm for UGA I'm against GT, GSU, etc." (Or if you live in La, you use the legislature to hamper the other state U's...)

Not trying to dump on adding folks to the bandwagon or selling merchandise, I'm just a strong advocate of earnest and knowledgable fans. The fair weather and ignorant ones ruin the game(s) for all of us.

Okay, rant over.

Definitely a double edged sword. Some of the most annoying and embarrassing (sp?) fans are the rednecks who've never set foot on campus.

Couldn't have said it better. The blue bellies here in the State of Kentucky are a prime example of fans who have never set foot on UK's campus let alone any college campus. These are people who have never "paid" to see a game live. Yet are some of the most obnoxious people. Sadly some of these idiots now have access to the internet.

kardphan Wrote:Couldn't have said it better. The blue bellies here in the State of Kentucky are a prime example of fans who have never set foot on UK's campus let alone any college campus. These are people who have never "paid" to see a game live. Yet are some of the most obnoxious people. Sadly some of these idiots now have access to the internet.

I've had some interesting experiences with that type before. Several times I've met a UK fan in rural areas of KY who were in their 60's, and who talked about UK like it was the old alma mater. However, when you really got down to it, you would find out one of their lifelong dreams (not yet reached) is to one day make it to Lexington and attend a UK basketball or football game. I won't downgrade a religion by calling it a pilgrimage, but there were similarities. You would almost get the impression Lexington is thousands of miles away, but then many in the rural areas of KY are of limited means.

Most root against the Cards in the outlying areas of the state, but some of the older ones had mellowed enough that their hatred of the Cards had lessened. Its just a different animal when a good % of your fan base has never attended a game or maybe been to 1 or 2 in their lifetime. UofL is certainly different from that, to the surprise of none I would suspect.

Quote:I've had some interesting experiences with that type before. Several times I've met a UK fan in rural areas of KY who were in their 60's, and who talked about UK like it was the old alma mater. However, when you really got down to it, you would find out one of their lifelong dreams (not yet reached) is to one day make it to Lexington and attend a UK basketball or football game. I won't downgrade a religion by calling it a pilgrimage, but there were similarities. You would almost get the impression Lexington is thousands of miles away, but then many in the rural areas of KY are of limited means.

-- As a WV fan...I guess I see this in a totally different way then a Ga Tech, Memphis and UL fan would. I think what is being described above is in a way the very essence of college football. This is no different then Irish Catholics in Boston following Notre Dame instead of BC, Holy Cross etc. Being from a rural state, I think its great how fans who don't have a direct tie to the school support the university. That kind of support is genuine, very loyal and often goes back several generations. I find it very interesting that the fans of urban schools or schools who for whatever reason do not have that kind of connection in their home areas tend attack those fans for being "stupid" or "dumb rednecks " or whatever derogatory terms usued to describe rural americans

Jackson

Jackson1011 Wrote:

Quote:I've had some interesting experiences with that type before. Several times I've met a UK fan in rural areas of KY who were in their 60's, and who talked about UK like it was the old alma mater. However, when you really got down to it, you would find out one of their lifelong dreams (not yet reached) is to one day make it to Lexington and attend a UK basketball or football game. I won't downgrade a religion by calling it a pilgrimage, but there were similarities. You would almost get the impression Lexington is thousands of miles away, but then many in the rural areas of KY are of limited means.

-- As a WV fan...I guess I see this in a totally different way then a Ga Tech, Memphis and UL fan would. I think what is being described above is in a way the very essence of college football. This is no different then Irish Catholics in Boston following Notre Dame instead of BC, Holy Cross etc. Being from a rural state, I think its great how fans who don't have a direct tie to the school support the university. That kind of support is genuine, very loyal and often goes back several generations. I find it very interesting that the fans of urban schools or schools who for whatever reason do not have that kind of connection in their home areas tend attack those fans for being "stupid" or "dumb rednecks " or whatever derogatory terms usued to describe rural americans

Jackson

Jackson, you are quoting me here, but I wasn't calling anyone a redneck or stupid. I do feel that in previous times many fans that weren't physically near the team or in a big city weren't real well informed about much regarding the school other than that one team, but I believe that has changed a good deal with the internet.

A person who grew up listening to "his" homestate team on the radio but is from a family with no connections to the school is of course a true fan. You don't have to buy tickets or support the school in a physical sense to a true fan, although you need some fans that are able to contribute and do so.

As for the comment about certain schools not having a connection in their home areas, why would people of eastern kentucky feel a connection to UofL? UK, Marshall, and Tennessee are all closer. That isn't too say there are an overabundance of Herd or Vol fans in the eastern half of the state, but UofL was not even on their radar a couple of decades ago. That has changed a good deal, but UofL is still not going to be the main team in that half of the state. There is very little in common, and anyone that is of full adult age had next to no exposure to UofL growing up.

Quote:Jackson, you are quoting me here, but I wasn't calling anyone a redneck or stupid.

-- Sorry...that was addressing 3601's comments above

Quote:As for the comment about certain schools not having a connection in their home areas, why would people of eastern kentucky feel a connection to UofL? UK, Marshall, and Tennessee are all closer. That isn't too say there are an overabundance of Herd or Vol fans in the eastern half of the state, but UofL was not even on their radar a couple of decades ago. That has changed a good deal, but UofL is still not going to be the main team in that half of the state. There is very little in common, and anyone that is of full adult age had next to no exposure to UofL growing up

-- I think UL is going to be one of the exceptions to the rule...where a univrtsity can pass the "traditional state school" in popularity and fan support. Am I correct in saying UL and UK will basically have the same football attendnace once the Cardinal's expansion is complete? When that happens it will be a major accomplishment for UL football. Of course exhibit A in this matter is Va Tech. When I was a kid, there was very little difference between Va Tech and East Carolina (WVU played both reguarly even then). Now Va Tech football owns the the state of VA

Jackson

bitcruncher Wrote:

3601 Wrote:

bitcruncher Wrote:I wonder how WVU gear is selling in Alabama? lmfao

Bama is going to be fine. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They took a shot at hiring one of the best coaches in the country and damn near got him to leave his alma mater. He thought long and hard about it before he decided to stay at WVU.

Please read posts before making your comments. I didn't comment on how Alabama was going to be doing - one way or the other. I merely asked how sales on WVU gear was in Alabama. You can comment on that any time.

Was the sale of apparrel REALLY the point of your post? We both know the answer to that. So does everyone else.

CollegeCard Wrote:As for the comment about certain schools not having a connection in their home areas, why would people of eastern kentucky feel a connection to UofL? UK, Marshall, and Tennessee are all closer. That isn't too say there are an overabundance of Herd or Vol fans in the eastern half of the state, but UofL was not even on their radar a couple of decades ago. That has changed a good deal, but UofL is still not going to be the main team in that half of the state. There is very little in common, and anyone that is of full adult age had next to no exposure to UofL growing up.

There are more WVU fans within a half hour drive of Huntington, WV than there are Marshall fans. Just like there are more Tennessee fans in Nashville than there are Vanderbilt fans. These are THE STATE UNIVERSITIES. So is Kentucky. Louisville isn't THE STATE UNIVERSITY, so there is no connection to it statewide like there is with UK. That is the reason, plain and simple.

bitcruncher Wrote:

CollegeCard Wrote:As for the comment about certain schools not having a connection in their home areas, why would people of eastern kentucky feel a connection to UofL? UK, Marshall, and Tennessee are all closer. That isn't too say there are an overabundance of Herd or Vol fans in the eastern half of the state, but UofL was not even on their radar a couple of decades ago. That has changed a good deal, but UofL is still not going to be the main team in that half of the state. There is very little in common, and anyone that is of full adult age had next to no exposure to UofL growing up.

There are more WVU fans within a half hour drive of Huntington, WV than there are Marshall fans. Just like there are more Tennessee fans in Nashville than there are Vanderbilt fans. These are THE STATE UNIVERSITIES. So is Kentucky. Louisville isn't THE STATE UNIVERSITY, so there is no connection to it statewide like there is with UK. That is the reason, plain and simple.

Was that supposed to inform me or anyone else on this board of anything new? Everyone is well aware of what the state university is for those states.

Jackson,

Don't fret, I don't think anyone's bashing you or WVU or even the general idea of supporting the State U. And it's most certainly not a rural vs urban thing. The similarity with Catholics and ND is pretty close, though, and that's where I was making my original point. I was raised Catholic but was put off by my grandfather rooting for then Irish because I felt the reasoning used for supporting them was both concocted and trite. Sometimes the same thing can happen regarding state flagships and other schools. I just hope people differentiate between supporting their State school and using that as an excuse to pile on the other schools in the state. That's all I'm saying.

The subject just rings loudly down here where the SEC and ACC country blend. SEC has the primary, larger flagship in all three states the conferences share and many less knowledgable SEC fans perceive the ACC schools like historic normals or directional institutions. It gets kind of insulting. But I know you weren't trying for that and I'll stop now. : )

Jackson1011 Wrote:I think UL is going to be one of the exceptions to the rule...where a univrtsity can pass the "traditional state school" in popularity and fan support. Am I correct in saying UL and UK will basically have the same football attendnace once the Cardinal's expansion is complete? When that happens it will be a major accomplishment for UL football. Of course exhibit A in this matter is Va Tech. When I was a kid, there was very little difference between Va Tech and East Carolina (WVU played both reguarly even then). Now Va Tech football owns the the state of VA

Slightly different case seeing as VT is one of the VA flagships and notably larger than UVA. But I get your point.

CollegeCard Wrote:

bitcruncher Wrote:

CollegeCard Wrote:As for the comment about certain schools not having a connection in their home areas, why would people of eastern kentucky feel a connection to UofL? UK, Marshall, and Tennessee are all closer. That isn't too say there are an overabundance of Herd or Vol fans in the eastern half of the state, but UofL was not even on their radar a couple of decades ago. That has changed a good deal, but UofL is still not going to be the main team in that half of the state. There is very little in common, and anyone that is of full adult age had next to no exposure to UofL growing up.

There are more WVU fans within a half hour drive of Huntington, WV than there are Marshall fans. Just like there are more Tennessee fans in Nashville than there are Vanderbilt fans. These are THE STATE UNIVERSITIES. So is Kentucky. Louisville isn't THE STATE UNIVERSITY, so there is no connection to it statewide like there is with UK. That is the reason, plain and simple.

Was that supposed to inform me or anyone else on this board of anything new? Everyone is well aware of what the state university is for those states.

And the previous arguments were supposed to explain what? This whole thread is stupid.