Social Media, Rabid Fan Base and Egomaniacs

[The Big Red Lebowski]

Interesting conversation. I saw a post floating around somewhere (might have been another board) that had some quotes form Geno Auriemma, the singularly successful UConn women's shooty hoops coach.

If this was posted on here, I can't find it so if the poster wants to tag this, the credit is all yours. I found it to be a very informative.

Anyway, this was the quote/excerpt:

When watching game tape, Auriemma takes in the action the on the floor, but he also said he studies the body language of his players on the bench.

"So on our team we — me, my coaching staff — we put a huge premium on body language and if your body language is bad, you will never get in the game. Ever. I don’t care how good you are. Players who are not engaged and involved won’t play."

He said young players “who don’t even know which pivot to use” act “too cool” and are only happy for themselves and not their teammates. He said he and his staff don’t recruit players who act that way.

“I’d rather lose than watch the way some kids play the way they play. I’d rather lose,” he said “They’re allowed to get away with just whatever, and they’re always thinking about themselves. Me, me, me, me. I didn’t score so why should I be happy. I’m not getting enough minutes, why should I be happy. That’s the world we live in today. Unfortunately. Kids check the scoreboard sometimes because they’re going to get yelled at if they don’t score enough points. Don’t get me started.”

https://usatodayhss.com/2017/geno-auriemmas-advice-body-language-matters-on-court-and-on-bench

This could still be a Riley hangover, but I've seen quite a few kids on this team with bad body language. I'm not sure I've seen too many of them sit. It's often said that it's either coached or allowed, and Frost seems to be allowing some kids to mope.

And maybe we are recruiting too many players who "act that way" to quote Geno. Nebraska recruits nation-wide, and I think one issue might be that when I highly touted kid comes 2,000 miles to a fly-over State, he comes in a little more entitled and "me-first" than a kid who's more local. He's come a long way from his family, so he might feel owed playing time. Just a theory, but we've seen a lot 4-star kids come here and bail as soon it's clear they aren't at the top of the depth chart, so there might be something to it.

It could also be the reason why Wisconsin and to a lesser degree Iowa have separated themselves from Nebraska - they stick pretty local for recruiting so the kids are naturally not going to be as highly rated and might come in with a little less ego and a little more desire to work to earn playing time.

 

[wcbsas]

To me, one of the unfortunate problems is that every week is a referendum on the head coach, every assistant, the administration, and every player with increasing weight and angst. There was only a brief reset with the Frost hire, and that has now turned extremely ugly.

Fifteen plus years of cumulative angst and pressure doesn’t have the desired effect.

I wonder if this will wear on SF et al and cause him to reconsider coaching at UNL?

No one is coming very quickly for him ala Lincoln Riley but $5M/year for 3 or 4 years ... maybe he says screw it and moves on elsewhere - or takes time away - whatever.

True fans are nuts everywhere but trying to rebuild a program for 20 years of nothingness while dealing with an entitled fan base can really do wear on someone.

I know this ... IMO if SF is unable to succeed here at Nebraska I am not sure anyone can. Be careful fan base what you ask for ... you might exactly get it!

 

[Skerfan]

I have to agree with the celebrity without results that was stated earlier. I love Nebraska football and keep coming back but why. Why do 85.000 fans stay in their seats until the end even though we are getting manhandled on national TV. I think everyone has dropped their expectations and the games have become a social event, not a group of fans there to cheer on amazing effort and dominance as we once did. Does a team that has been 4-8 two years in a row with this year not going to end up much better deserve a sold out stadium? Well they are getting it anyway, whether they deserve it or not. I am not saying people should stop going I am just saying that normally support for a team is directly proportional to the results but that isnt necessarily the case here. Maybe what some people perceive to be our biggest strength is also our biggest weakness. I know most of you are every bit as frustrated as I am and this may be rambling but this has been going on for way to long and I am at a loss for what the actual problem is.

 

[BubbaGene]

We shall overcome!

 

[pitch]

Brace yourself...…...I haven't posted on the football board for a LONG time, but I had some thoughts knocking around in my head and thought I'd barf them up here for anyone who cares to endure my rant.
I want to preface this by saying I don't claim to have the answers as to why the Huskers are in this never-ending, prolonged funk. It's been almost 2 decades of watching a team that's underwhelming, overhyped and carrying the ghosts of Huskers past. There's been far more heartache than celebration. If we reset our trophy case around the turn of the century, it'd be a sobering reminder of the past 18 or so years. Instead, we have a museum, which is very impressive, but nothing current to hang our hats on.
So as I sat on my couch in the waning moments of the Minnesota game in that all-too-familiar numbing fog, I started to try to piece together what the hell went wrong......again. Well, there's the obvious. Our O and D lines are just terrible. Sure, you can blame recruiting, but can anyone really say that most of the teams we have faced so far recruited better? So is it player development? Coaching? All of the above? Then my mind went bonkers with all the other stuff. No downfield threat at WR. Play calling. Missed tackles (spearing, diving tackling instead of wrapping up), snaps from center, stupid penalties, on and on and on.
This is about the time I went down a road that I hadn't really thought about. Several have mentioned that this team lacks fire, motivation, heart and guts. I tend to agree, but WHY? We have seen a revolving door of coaches and nothing seems to have changed. There seems to be a reoccurring problem with the team and the culture. Another disclaimer: This theory may not be the problem, but it's a theory of mine, and maybe others, so I apologize if this has been discussed. I don't claim to be Yoda.
I firmly believe that our passion as fans may also be a detriment to our teams, especially since the advent of social media. We take great pride in our impressive numbers as a fan base. The sellout streak is now our biggest claim to fame and a huge recruiting tool. Ok, that's perfectly understandable, but we also have some of the largest following of recruits on social media.
Bear with me on this one.
When a recruit gets the kind of attention from a fan base like they do from Husker fans, does that take some of their motivation to win away? Do they hit campus as a rock star and have less motivation to win?
Think about it. The teams of the 90's didn't have this. Sure, they were recognized on recruiting visits and were awed by the numbers in and around the stadium on gameday, but they didn't have a massive "following" like these kids do this day and age. And I would say that the "following" they get from Nebraska fans is unmatched. Think the high school recruits don't notice this and eat it up? Most do and they use it as a tool. Ever see a recruit Tweet "Where's the love, Husker fans?" Instantly, they go from a few hundred followers to thousands of Huskers fans. I admire our passion as much as anyone, but now I am starting to think it's working against us.
I've seen players post game pictures of themselves in blowout losses, like they were proud of themselves. That seems to support my theory that a lot of players aren't here to win. A lot, not all, are here to make a name for themselves and that's it. In the 90's and long before, there weren't too many ways to get that instant recognition. Players were lucky to get their picture in the paper and most didn't care. Today, the competition isn't on the field, it's on social media. That's how they get their fame, gratification and recognition and no bigger stage than at Nebraska. No, it's not THEE problem, but it is A problem. With or without social media, a lot of these kids already have a bit of an ego. They'd almost have to and that's understandable. I think it comes with the territory of being a "star" and playing at a level worthy of a D-1 scholarship. But Nebraska fans feed that beast more than any other school and we are proud of it. My question to you is, are we stuffing these kids with attention giving them less to play for? So when we chastise them for lacking fire, are we partially to blame?

FIRE AWAY!!

The culture has definitely changed for the worse. Maybe it's deep inside the program, and it found it's way into the foundation. Because as you say, it's been multiple years and multiple coaches and multiple AD's.

 

[Skerfan]

Lets be honest here. For the people on this forum 40 years old and older. Do you turn in to watch husker football because of the kids we are putting on the field right now or do we make sure we are at the stadium or in front of a TV every single Saturday because of Grant Wistrom, Tommie Frazier, Ahman Green, Zach Weigert, Broderick Thomas, and all the other Nebraska legends that gave their heart and soul to this Team and could never have their effort and passion questioned.

 

[NUinID]

Interesting conversation. I saw a post floating around somewhere (might have been another board) that had some quotes form Geno Auriemma, the singularly successful UConn women's shooty hoops coach.

If this was posted on here, I can't find it so if the poster wants to tag this, the credit is all yours. I found it to be a very informative.

Anyway, this was the quote/excerpt:



This could still be a Riley hangover, but I've seen quite a few kids on this team with bad body language. I'm not sure I've seen too many of them sit. It's often said that it's either coached or allowed, and Frost seems to be allowing some kids to mope.

And maybe we are recruiting too many players who "act that way" to quote Geno. Nebraska recruits nation-wide, and I think one issue might be that when I highly touted kid comes 2,000 miles to a fly-over State, he comes in a little more entitled and "me-first" than a kid who's more local. He's come a long way from his family, so he might feel owed playing time. Just a theory, but we've seen a lot 4-star kids come here and bail as soon it's clear they aren't at the top of the depth chart, so there might be something to it.

It could also be the reason why Wisconsin and to a lesser degree Iowa have separated themselves from Nebraska - they stick pretty local for recruiting so the kids are naturally not going to be as highly rated and might come in with a little less ego and a little more desire to work to earn playing time.

I think their is some merit to what you are saying about the kid coming from far away and feeling a little entitled. I also think it is a culture thing. Wisconsin and Iowa get plenty of players from around the country though. I think we need football players first and then try and get the best athletic football players we can. I don't like to pick on guys, but Alex Davis is an athlete. Not a football player. I bet we have a few more on the team also.

 

[pitch]

I think their is some merit to what you are saying about the kid coming from far away and feeling a little entitled. I also think it is a culture thing. Wisconsin and Iowa get plenty of players from around the country though. I think we need football players first and then try and get the best athletic football players we can. I don't like to pick on guys, but Alex Davis is an athlete. Not a football player. I bet we have a few more on the team also.

Agreed. If you just recruit the best lineman in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa,,,,,,you are going to have a darn good football team.

 

[HuskerNash]

Is it true that Nebraska fans are more fanatical than other fan bases when it comes to following recruits on Twitter? If so, that bothers me.

I've never followed, Tweeted, re-Tweeted, liked, or any other possible Twitter interaction with high school recruits. To me, that's bottom of the barrel behavior by an adult fan.

That said, I'm not sure if this is (or isn't) creating a problem when these recruits become UNL student athletes.

You live in Texas and I live smack dab in the middle of SEC country. I believe we are not close to as fanatical as they are around here. I imagine the same could be said about Texas.

 

[The Big Red Lebowski]

I think their is some merit to what you are saying about the kid coming from far away and feeling a little entitled. I also think it is a culture thing. Wisconsin and Iowa get plenty of players from around the country though. I think we need football players first and then try and get the best athletic football players we can. I don't like to pick on guys, but Alex Davis is an athlete. Not a football player. I bet we have a few more on the team also.

Agreed regarding football players vs. athletes.

Nebraska's recruiting is significantly more national than Iowa and Wisconsin. Iowa's class has 15/22 kids from the Big Ten footprint (9 from Iowa and Illinois alone). Wisconsin currently has 12/17 kids from the Big Ten footprint (7 just from Wisconsin). Half of Nebraska's current class (7/14) is from the SEC footprint.

 

[Trojan Husker]

I wish I knew who the assistant was yawning on the sidelines, on national TV while we were getting our butt handed to us. Not a good look.

Did that really happen?? How late in the game?

 

[Pops]

You live in Texas and I live smack dab in the middle of SEC country. I believe we are not close to as fanatical as they are around here. I imagine the same could be said about Texas.

Katy High school Football stadium

 

[Deleted member 3889]

You live in Texas and I live smack dab in the middle of SEC country. I believe we are not close to as fanatical as they are around here. I imagine the same could be said about Texas.

Texas doesn't sell out their stadium unless their team has a shot at a National Championship.

 

[BigRedFox]

I wonder if this will wear on SF et al and cause him to reconsider coaching at UNL?

No one is coming very quickly for him ala Lincoln Riley but $5M/year for 3 or 4 years ... maybe he says screw it and moves on elsewhere - or takes time away - whatever.

True fans are nuts everywhere but trying to rebuild a program for 20 years of nothingness while dealing with an entitled fan base can really do wear on someone.

I know this ... IMO if SF is unable to succeed here at Nebraska I am not sure anyone can. Be careful fan base what you ask for ... you might exactly get it!

Entitled Fan Base?

 

[lincoln84]

Did that really happen?? How late in the game?

Yes! I could not believe it! It was late 3Q or 4Q. He was in a shot of SF on the sideline...he had a stocking cap on. Big yaaawwwnn.