For those complaining about the students not showing up

Mar 4, 2014, 12:43 PM

I understand your aggravation but I think the problem is a little deeper than just blaming the students. Students today were just being born when I was a freshman at Clemson. Yes, I guess that means I'm old and don't understand. But I try to understand and being old I do know the differences between kids today and when I was growing up. And they are huge. I can't say I've walked a mile in a college students shoes today, but I walked plenty in my own one time.

Everything for kids today is structured, to the point of being ridiculous. Their play time, their sports, their schools, and that is following them to college. Case in point...beer. You can do absolutely everything any adult can do while in college, except drink a beer. Then there's smoking. I lived in a tin can, literally, for 2 years, and then moved into an apartment that was not as nice as most dorms now on campus. I took showers in something that resembled a gas chamber. A big room with shower heads sticking out. I used toilet stalls with no doors. Back then that WAS college life and it was different than how most people grew up. But it was our life as college students and we made the best of it, and loved it.

Students are different today because the world is different today. A lot of things are better than they were 2 decades ago when I was in Clemson. But there are also things that are worse. Cell phones, computers, video games, the internet, and the list goes on and on. College is more expensive and more selective in taking in students. There's simply too much at stake for most students and families now, with sky high tuition, to party and socialize right on through college.

Today's students are doing better in the classroom than ever before, and the value of a Clemson degree has been steadily rising, along with tuition and more selective admissions. That brings to Clemson a lot of monetary value and academic prestige and students who are more responsible and mature than perhaps we were. And these students (and parents) are going to be looking at $100,000 of student debt in the very near future. So with that albatross hanging over your head, I can totally understand why studying may play a bigger role than drinking, smoking, and attending games.

There is a whole lot more going on for students at Clemson that sporting events, and they're under more pressure than ever. And most, to achieve what is necessary now to become a Clemson student, are much more structured, mature, and responsible than us old farts. And even as a student from Columbia who absolutely understands our rivalry as good or better than most, I will admit that during my tenure in God's country sports did not matter nearly as much to me because Clemson has so much more to offer. Clemson sports will matter when you are a kid going to the games, and when you're an alum going to games. But as a STUDENT, there is a whole other world that we as old farts are ignoring, and we shouldn't because Clemson is a special place for many more reasons than just sports.

Which brings us to the whole alum versus fan argument. As far as I'm concerned, we are all brothers when it comes to Clemson sports, whether you attended Clemson or not. But as an alum, you do have a different perspective about the school and a much better understanding of what makes Clemson so special. And likewise, I think you can understand a little better why students are showing up less and less to sporting events and give them a pass.

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I disagree with just about everything you've said concerning the reasons. Students aren't showing up because I think the popularity of basketball is slowly dwindling. You could probably say as many empty seats are a result of non-students not showing up as students. Plus the commodity you're selling plays a big factor in the equation. You're seeing empty seats at every venue. When I was in college and A was 95-100, B was 89-94, etc, etc, today, A is 90-100, B is 80-89, etc, etc. No wonder the stats look better than 50 years ago. It's a lot easier to get in college today than 50 years ago, because the student high school grading system has changed, showing that D student as a B student. You can't compare today to 50 years ago, it's a totally different universe. There's more partying going on today than 50 years ago, drugs, drinking, open sex, criminal assaults on campus, you name it, it's happened. A big percentage of students in college today wouldn't have even been considered academically in my day. And I haven't even begun on student athletes.

For those complaining about the students not showing up

cliffnotes, please***

Needs a "TL;DR"***

Let's keep it real.............

all home and many conference road games

Re: Let's keep it real.............

I was in the high 80's as a percentage for my entire

Re: Let's keep it real.............

ACC basketball isn't hyped that much

Au contraire

'65-'69.....don't remember missing any (plus frosh games)

and like henry above 2.22, but I did okay.***

Late 70s- early 80s - I rarely missed a game

Good post

Re: For those complaining about the students not showing up

Current elementary - HS grading scale in SC is

I don't know about students not having time to party

Hate to say it - I think our students don't see BB as "cool"

Ha! I thought you meant Brad Brownell wasn't cool enough.***

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