Re: Undergrad Turnout at Basketball & Baseball

I've read posts from our old-time alums, our recent alums and current undergrads. What we have here is a failure to communicate. There is a generational difference of opinion which is pretty normal. As a 53-year old alum, I played football, basketball and baseball religiously growing up. I was good at football, bad at basketball and had some good moments at baseball in high school but loved them all. I collected and traded pro cards as a kid, followed ACC basketball religiously growing up in VA and followed pro sports.

As for getting to the root of the generational differences, I have a 15-year old son now. The world is much different. As one example, when I grew up, they held baseball little league, pony league and colt league try-outs. The volunteer coaches gave their time, some were better than others, and every year they first drafted the kids who could hit and field the best - eventually most were drafted. Most teams had a chance because the best players were divided among various teams by age group. At the end of the year, the best players made the all-star team and played other league all-star teams.

As my son has grown up, I've discovered we are now in the age of fathers and full-time coaches creating super teams. Every league now has one or two stacked regular season teams that annihilate all the other teams by 20+ runs per game. These kids are winners, the balance of teams, players and coaches are losers. The winners and their coaches are brash, poke their chests out, peacock and often peak at 12 to 14 years old, but in doing so they turn entire generations of kids into kids who give up on the game. The scenario in baseball plays out in other sports as well. So by the time most of these kids make it to college, they have lost interest and love of the game. They may have interest in watching the best of the best, but they have little interest in average play.

And so the world turns. Any similar or opposing thoughts? Go Tigers!

Smiling Tiger®

CU Medallion [58411]

TigerPulse: 100%

Posts: 46321

Joined: 4/23/00

I think there are 3 main reasons we see lower turnout:

Mar 1, 2015, 9:46 AM

1. A generation that doesn't play outside anymore. About a year ago, I was riding through a neighborhood with a coworker when he asked if I noticed anything strange. It was a beautiful sunny day, and he pointed out that there were no kids in sight - not a single one. I'm 55, and when I was a kid, on a day like that you didn't want to be in the house; you wanted to be outside, playing basketball or baseball or football or riding your bike. There was nothing to do in the house, and with only 3 tv channels, it was like being in jail. A kid that had a good basketball goal always had a bunch of other kids at his house showing up to shoot some hoops. We spent hours and hours playing basketball at my best friends house. Now, there are so many other distractions and entertainment options. ####, it's hard to shoot hoops while staring at a smart phone. When these kids grow up, going to a basketball game is just one of many, many options available. Back in the day, there were more kids who grew up following college basketball (and the NBA), and those kids had limited entertainment options when they became college students, so more of them cared about and attended college basketball games.

2. All of the games are on TV. This ties into #1 above. It's just easier to watch a game from the comfort of your own couch or recliner or with friends on TV. I'm sure this affects student attendance to some degree (and attendance in general).

3. Our basketball team just isn't that good. Sorry, but it's true and when combined with the other factors, it's a killer at Clemson. Some schools have great traditions, and consistently good teams; basketball is therefore an important part of the culture at those schools, and hordes of rowdy students pack out the arenas at those schools. It all started with the winning, however; it's a culture built on winning. We have to start winning. Once we do so with just a little consistency (I'm talking about winning more and at a level beyond what we've really ever seen at Clemson), getting students to games won't be a problem. Right now, we have a losing culture at Clemson, built on year after year after year of disappointment. Right here, right now, we have many good, well intentioned fans who are actually happy and excited about being very mediocre; that sums up the basketball culture at Clemson perfectly - that says it all. At this point, with a culture that has very understandably and predictably developed over decades of disappointment, the product on the court must change in order for the culture to change; it CAN NOT and WILL NOT happen the other way around.

Before somebody brings up the fan and student support for football, consider that our football culture and tradition is very, very different. Plus, Clemson football games are huge social events, so naturally we have no problem getting people from all walks attending football games.

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
- H. L. Mencken

Undergrad Turnout at Basketball & Baseball

Interesting take on the issue...

OK. Agree the pace of play and talent level of teams is down

9pm game not attractive to a college student? LOL.***

Oooh, quick trigger TD there...well done.

good post, I enjoyed your analysis

It is a chicken and egg argument. Here is my take...

As Ten Bears said to Josey Wales - There is Iron in your word***

Agree for the most part ...certainly a contributing factor***

we have a different type of undergraduate now at clemson

Point!

I think there are 3 main reasons we see lower turnout:

Well stated as usual ST, it takes a coaching spark

Re: Undergrad Turnout at Basketball & Baseball

The ACC has done that in Basketball for 50 yrs.***

there may be other factors but the #1 issue is winning

Good input ... Winning. Cannot disagree. Seriously***

TigerBoard POTD