DRC: Baker appeals to fans after dismal attendance for win over Southern Miss

Green Crazy · October 15, 2018

1 minute ago, KingDL1 said:

Do you want a star?

I am glad you were there and I wish there was more like you. but no matter how much you bitch or shame other fans that percentage of hardcore fans willing to be there in yesterday's situation is not going to change. I would have guessed more students but I have never figured them out.

Honestly, I don't think anyone is shaming anyone. If someone feels like that maybe they are kicking their own asses for not going. A hindsight is 20/20 thing.

emmitt01 · October 15, 2018

10 minutes ago, KingDL1 said:

Do you want a star? Shit I will buy you a shot next time I see you!

I am glad you were there and I wish there was more like you. but no matter how much you bitch or shame other fans that percentage of hardcore fans willing to be there in yesterday's situation is not going to change. I would have guessed more students but I have never figured them out.

Said it before, I’ll say it again, I don’t really care about gold ⭐️ ‘s or recognition for showing up to support my alma mater.

I was simply replying to your erroneous assertion that people outside of Denton couldn’t make a decision to attend yesterday given the weather. Rain gear was created a long long time ago.

As to the idea that there will never be a change in the number of people willing to show up rain or shine, I don’t buy that either. 5 years ago, if there had been identical circumstances, we wouldn’t have seen the attendance we did have.

And I don’t have any interest in “shaming” anyone. I do, though, have an interest in pointing out the hypocrisy of a fanbase that I have watched put forth every excuse under the sun for 20 years...only to see them roll out a new one when the old ones are eliminated. How you FEEL about me pointing things out is none of my business...just don’t bore me with the constant “why don’t people take us seriously” whining when our fans are part of the WHY.

Edited October 15, 2018 by emmitt01

KingDL1 · October 15, 2018

7 minutes ago, UNT 90 Grad said:

I’m not bitching, sir. Let’s recap. Wardly implied that the AD stayed drier than those that attended the game. I clarified that it didn’t rain during the game. You said my post was irrelevant. I was bringing relevance to my post despite why you said it was irrelevant.

touche

I was off in a different conversation in my head

NorthTexasWeLove · October 15, 2018

Well...who cares. Attendance struggles all over the country in poor weather. Some more so than others. It is what it is. Had it been a beautiful day with that type of attendance than the AD and his department has a platform to stand on. Otherwise he's basically saying, "I'm disappointed that more people didn't take the chance to come sit in the pouring rain with a moving kick time with the possibilities of delays to further your chances of being in the potential driving rain for even longer while I and my staff look down upon you all from our perch indoors."

Or was he planning on walking around in the monsoon had there been one shaking hands and kissing babies?

KingDL1 · October 15, 2018

2 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

Said it before, I’ll say it again, I don’t really care about gold ⭐️ ‘s or recognition for showing up to support my alma mater.

I was simply replying to your erroneous assertion that people outside of Denton couldn’t make a decision to attend yesterday given the weather. Rain gear was created a long long time ago.

As to the idea that there will never be a change in the number of people willing to show up rain or shine, I don’t buy that either. 5 years ago, if there had been identical circumstances, we wouldn’t have seen the attendance we did have.

And I don’t have any interest in “shaming” anyone. I do, though, have an interest in pointing out the hypocrisy of a fanbase that I have watched put forth every excuse under the sun for 20 years...only to see them roll out a new one when the old ones are eliminated. How you FEEL about me pointing things out is none of my business...just don’t bore me with the constant “why don’t people take us seriously” whining when our fans are part of the WHY.

Maybe I am having reading issues but it comes across to me that you are trying to shame those did not show up yesterday.

I did not say people could not be there, I said that only a certain percentage of fans would show up under those conditions. The number of hardcore fans will get bigger as the over all fanbase gets bigger, but that percentage will remain close to the same.

UNTLifer · October 15, 2018

41 minutes ago, KingDL1 said:

This is completely irrelevant to the situation with the prior weather that day the given forecast unless you live in Denton.

With technology what it is today, people have a radar in their hand via the cell phone, and if they would use that technology, they would have seen that the weather was going to clear. I understand what you are saying, but people have the ability to stay up to date with the weather.

Green Crazy · October 15, 2018

16 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Well...who cares. Attendance struggles all over the country in poor weather. Some more so than others. It is what it is. Had it been a beautiful day with that type of attendance than the AD and his department has a platform to stand on. Otherwise he's basically saying, "I'm disappointed that more people didn't take the chance to come sit in the pouring rain with a moving kick time with the possibilities of delays to further your chances of being in the potential driving rain for even longer while I and my staff look down upon you all from our perch indoors."

Or was he planning on walking around in the monsoon had there been one shaking hands and kissing babies?

I think the whole point of Baker and some on this board are making is so it's not just thought of as "it is what it is".

Also, sitting in the rain isn't a big deal. Cold rain is a beating though. Fortunately we had neither yesterday.

Edited October 15, 2018 by Green Crazy

meangreenJW · October 15, 2018

46 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

One can hope that it communicates to our fanbase that the expectation level has increased for this athletic program and that we all have a part to play in helping them get there. We are, after all, having this discussion in this thread so somebody clearly read his tweet.

I have been beating the “you don’t build a consistent winner by taking the ‘show me something and THEN I’ll show up’ approach” drum for 20 years since I was a student in Talons. I’ve begged, bribed, poked and prodded my peers and others to show up. But my voice is just that of a fan.

When the athletic director (and the head coach and players have echoed it BTW) comes out and actually says “hey fans, we’re doing our part so do yours” it should communicate to all that we the fan are a part of that championship vision we all clamor for.

It also sends a clear message to his head football coach and the players that he is willing to publicly demand the community to acknowledge the progress they have made by showing up. That part of his job, supporting his people, can’t be forgotten either.

If people want to ignore him, or get inexplicably bent out of shape because he speaks truth, then so be it (I know you are not doing this).

Pretty much what the point I wanted to make but did a much worse job making it. Agree totally.

meangreanmick · October 15, 2018

I’m good with what Wren said, he wasn’t criticizing he was encouraging fans to come.

Like it or not, Alumni, students and Dentonites (?) are under no obligation to come to a game. They are customers and it’s your job (AD) to sell the product to the customer. Sonic doesn’t call out people for not buying their food, they figure out a way to get them to buy food and make it easy and enjoyable to do so. 2 winning seasons isn’t considered “consistent” winning, so you can’t expect what has been mostly 30+ years of mediocrity with a few flashes of winning to be overcome in what amounts to about 18 months.

I love what Wren is doing, but there is plenty he can do to make game day easier and more enjoyable.

- I had some first timers come for La Tech. They were quite confused why there is such a long line to get into a half empty parking lot when you arrive early. 7 games in and we still can’t figure that out?

- Get some freakin options in the team store, it’s embarrassing. Can we not get more shirt options, pull over options, etc?

- why can I still not buy a UNT branded yeti. That have schools I have never heard of as options. When I called yeti they said we have to talk to UNT.

- lines to get in the game, put more ticket people on the student side and north end where everyone comes in. We have people standing around doing nothing on the west side.

There is more, but Wren and company have plenty they can work on to make it easier and more enjoyable to be a fan. That will also help get butts in seats more regularly.

NorthTexasWeLove · October 15, 2018

12 minutes ago, meangreanmick said:

I’m good with what Wren said, he wasn’t criticizing he was encouraging fans to come.

Like it or not, Alumni, students and Dentonites (?) are under no obligation to come to a game. They are customers and it’s your job (AD) to sell the product to the customer. Sonic doesn’t call out people for not buying their food, they figure out a way to get them to buy food and make it easy and enjoyable to do so. 2 winning seasons isn’t considered “consistent” winning, so you can’t expect what has been mostly 30+ years of mediocrity with a few flashes of winning to be overcome in what amounts to about 18 months.

I love what Wren is doing, but there is plenty he can do to make game day easier and more enjoyable.

- I had some first timers come for La Tech. They were quite confused why there is such a long line to get into a half empty parking lot when you arrive early. 7 games in and we still can’t figure that out?

- Get some freakin options in the team store, it’s embarrassing. Can we not get more shirt options, pull over options, etc?

- why can I still not buy a UNT branded yeti. That have schools I have never heard of as options. When I called yeti they said we have to talk to UNT.

- lines to get in the game, put more ticket people on the student side and north end where everyone comes in. We have people standing around doing nothing on the west side.

There is more, but Wren and company have plenty they can work on to make it easier and more enjoyable to be a fan. That will also help get butts in seats more regularly.

Not to add on....but they have to turn that PA system down. It's annoyingly loud.

Mean Green Fan4Life · October 15, 2018

I really don't take issue with what Wren said. I wouldn't have expected him to say something like "We really would have liked more fans to show up today. But, with today's weather, we certainly understand your staying home." He's already delivered in so many ways with our program. I just see it as him challenging the fans to show up much like the coaches challenge the players to execute their game plan. Together, we all contribute to building a winning program which includes atmosphere, expectations, and public perception. The awesome thing is that we share this common passion of supporting Mean Green Athletics. It is an exciting time for our program and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Edited October 15, 2018 by Mean Green Fan4Life

wardly · October 15, 2018

1 hour ago, meangreenJW said:

This is one of the all time ridiculous posts. I'm at every home game and watch every road game (despite the difficulty of having all the outlets). I sit on the south 35 yard line. Baker is on the sidelines every game. Was there yesterday with associate AD Mosely. When I watch the road games including Liberty (in an epic downpour) he's there. Disagree with his statement if you want but to act like he isn't out there is false.

I was not aware that Baker was on the sideline,so my bad. Point being that if a game is delayed 30 minutes because of a rainstorm I have a hard time poking at fans for poor attendance. Most of us are not just as dedicated as you . I think criticism for poor attendance is certainly justified.

NorthTexasWeLove · October 15, 2018

16 minutes ago, Green Crazy said:

I think the whole point of Baker and some on this board are making is so it's not just thought of as "it is what it is".

Also, sitting in the rain isn't a big deal. Cold rain is a beating though. Fortunately we had neither yesterday.

But it is. People meltdown in this kind of stuff. I personally have no issue with what WB said, could care less quite frankly. It just comes off as a bit hypocritical given his in game situation vs the average fan's in game situation. I was there. My wife was there. Brought 2 first timers with us, regrettably. But weather matters to people. Even the chance of it.

TheTastyGreek · October 15, 2018

1 hour ago, emmitt01 said:

He has delivered everything we asked for when RV left.

635816405884695170-Tony-Benford.jpg?widt

I don't blame any fan for waiting until the end of the night to sit down and fully evaluate what they needed to do going forward.

I suspect that a lot of people just took an appropriate amount of time to fully review the weather situation, and decided at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday that the time was right to show up at Apogee.

Philip Ferguson · October 15, 2018

I was there and by game time everything was great in terms of weather. But, to be fair, the time leading up to the game was pretty bad. I live in Celina and we had severe thunderstorm warnings and heavy, heavy rain. It would have been easy to just decide not to go. And, judging by the condition of the the Alumni Pavilion, the rain must have been very heavy in Denton, too. Plus, the lighting delay. I think it's understandable folks not showing given all these issues. But, a better effort could have been made at game time advising people of the current weather conditions and that it was Ok to come to the stadium (social media, email blast, etc.). The student section was a sad sight to see, so perhaps getting word to the students via whatever apps the school uses to communicate would have done some good, too. Lessons learned, but I expect the last two home games to be a big crowd. GMG

MeanGreenDan · October 15, 2018

2 hours ago, wardly said:

Easy to say in a rainstorm when you are high and dry in a stadium box.I doubt that anyone from the athletic department got their feet very wet.

I take it you don't make it to the games? Since Wren is literally on the sidelines almost all game every game, and is not hard to see if you're there.

meangreenlax · October 15, 2018

I understand why WB is frustrated, but I don't blame people for sitting this one out. As "nice" as it was at kickoff, people make decisions based on conditions leading up to the game. Much of DFW was experiencing monsoon like conditions, flooding, thunder/lightning. This kind of thing happens.

ADLER · October 15, 2018

Monsoon games happen, and even if it didn't happen yesterday it was certainly forecast as a monsoon game and even had a lightning delay. I cannot blame fans and students for not attending. I was there with my family, prepared as best for the elements, and had been hoping while driving to Denton that the day would not be an an endless series of weather delays.

meangreenJW · October 15, 2018

52 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

But it is. People meltdown in this kind of stuff. I personally have no issue with what WB said, could care less quite frankly. It just comes off as a bit hypocritical given his in game situation vs the average fan's in game situation. I was there. My wife was there. Brought 2 first timers with us, regrettably. But weather matters to people. Even the chance of it.

Do you read the other posts Ben? Or are you too busy admiring your own. Several posters verified he stands on the sideline every game. He’s right in front of my seat for the most part. Criticize for the tweet if you’d like but saying the point isn’t fair because he’s in some kind of an ivory tower is ridiculous and untrue. Maybe you can go back to firing all our defensive coaches you hated so much last year. Never mind, it’s the offensive coaches this year.

wardly · October 15, 2018

47 minutes ago, MeanGreenDan said:

I take it you don't make it to the games? Since Wren is literally on the sidelines almost all game every game, and is not hard to see if you're there.

Have tried to make it to most home games and a few away since 1961, so your assumption is wrong, as was mine about Baker. I assumed WB was in his suite smoozing donors, and have never looked for him on the sidelines. So is he coaching or what?

Talon90 · October 15, 2018

gmg147 · October 15, 2018

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

With technology what it is today, people have a radar in their hand via the cell phone, and if they would use that technology, they would have seen that the weather was going to clear. I understand what you are saying, but people have the ability to stay up to date with the weather.

But people most people are going to make plans ahead of time. I know the day before the national weather service was predicting 100% chance of thunderstorms all the way through to about 6 or 7 pm.

I am one of those people that did not attend. At kickoff, I was kicking myself for not going.

meangreenJW · October 15, 2018

1 hour ago, Talon90 said:

Very true. What WB said wasn’t even negative really.

But there’s certainly a divide among fans on if the crowd should be criticized or not. My guess is it may be somewhat generational. Anyone 45+ is probably fine. Fans 25-40 maybe more sensitive because they came from a time when criticsm was often withheld and everyone got a blue ribbon. In my book, it’s okay to give honest feedback and (gasp) criticsm if it’s deserved. And before anyone cries foul, research has shown employers have a hard time finding employees that can taken criticsm in today’s generation.

Regardless, we need all fans. So how about we all show up for homecoming and take the rain shaming frustrations out on Rice.

Green Mean · October 15, 2018

We've had reason to gripe about NT athletics, teams, fans, administration etc for various things over the years and for many decades but yesterday was not the one that needed to be called out. We've had really solid attendance and I don't expect anything different for Rice in a couple of weeks and it may very well be the first true sellout in Apogee's history.

MeanMag · October 15, 2018

2 hours ago, gmg147 said:

But people most people are going to make plans ahead of time. I know the day before the national weather service was predicting 100% chance of thunderstorms all the way through to about 6 or 7 pm.

I am one of those people that did not attend. At kickoff, I was kicking myself for not going.

I felt bad after, as well.

I was questionable from the start with family stuff that had me out and about in the downpour up until noon. The delay kept me away because it had just been wave after wave of rain. I thought it would just continue and did not want my 1 yo and 4 yo out in that weather. A delayed kick of 2-3 hours would have been perfect.

It's no wonder people stayed home.

Most people probably do not want to hear this, but the AD is at fault for this too. He can't remain blameless and just tweet at fans in frustration when part of his job is to get people out to the game. His line should have been, "We are looking at ways to get more people out to the game in those situations. We have to do better."