What's up with our crowd?

[AxnJxn]

16 minutes ago, rico said:

You don't seem to understand.  Even students from this state aren't used to IU being a power house.  They have never seen it.  

This is a fair point. I was having a convo with a friend this weekend about how the IU fanbase from the salad days is aging and, because of the lack of significant success in the last 2-3 decades, it's also dwindling due to less and less younger fans following the team, especially those that don't attend the school. We didn't come to any conclusions, it was more just a spitballing sort of chat, but it certainly seems to be a possibility. 

[cohete15]

1 hour ago, FW_Hoosier said:

I think people are romanticizing the crowd support we’ve had in the recent past.  I can’t really speak to earlier times, but when I was a freshman in Crean’s third year, tickets to an IU basketball game weren’t a hot commodity.  Student interest in the basketball team obviously skyrocketed after we beat UK in 2011 and then were ranked #1 the following year, but there have been the same complaints about the “lack of fan support” every single season since then.  As far as I can tell, fan support right now is the same as it’s been for a while now... When the team is good, fans pack the house and get loud for every game.  When the team is bad, fans only pack the house for the big games against ranked teams.  And it’s impossible for a crowd to get into a big game when the team gets dominated for the first 5-10 minutes and then has to play catch-up for the rest of the game (see our last 4 home games).

As for how the “new generation” of IU fans looks at the team, I can confidently say that doing things “The Indiana Way” means nothing... Winning is the only thing that matters.  Like it or not, that’s college basketball in 2019.

This is pretty much spot on

Even when the team is good...don't expect the balcony to fill (I wouldn't sit there, nor drive 30/60/90 minutes to sit there). Don't expect the seats up in the top corner of student section to fill. 2019 is a different world than 1992 was. People can watch the game on a $500 65" 4K LED TV with surround sound on DVR while playing on their phone and drinking their own booze.

[Steubenhoosier]

3 minutes ago, cohete15 said:

This is pretty much spot on

Even when the team is good...don't expect the balcony to fill (I wouldn't sit there, nor drive 30/60/90 minutes to sit there). Don't expect the seats up in the top corner of student section to fill. 2019 is a different world than 1992 was. People can watch the game on a $500 65" 4K LED TV with surround sound on DVR while playing on their phone and drinking their own booze.

So sad. 

[FW_Hoosier]

1 hour ago, Steubenhoosier said:

Agree completely.

We should take down the 5 banners. Get rid of the candy stripes. No more William Tell at the 8 minute time out. While we’re at it, remove any trophies in AH that were earned by IUMBB in the past. After all, those representations of “the Indiana Way” mean nothing.

IMO, college basketball fandom in 2019 is looking up from your phone long enough to notice what’s going on on the court.

Like it or not 

I think you misunderstood my point... The “new generation” of fans absolutely cares about the banners and trophies because those things are evidence of a WINNING program.  We also love the candy stripes and The Greatest Time-Out In College Basketball because those are cool aspects of the IU culture that make the program unique.

What I meant by “The Indiana Way” is the view that the program should be made up of “humble,” “scrappy” three-star recruits who all play for four years and have “integrity, win or lose.”  We couldn’t care less if the players want to jump straight to the NBA as soon as possible, take money under the table, or do drugs in their free time... As long as they win.  That’s how most of the elite programs in college basketball operate right now, and we want to be elite. Win at a high level by any means necessary, and I promise you the “phones” won’t be an issue.