Embarrassed to be a Shocker Fan...

[forevershockerfan]

Cold said----"That being said, I still enjoy posting here from time to time."


Just 1 more post Cold and you will have 1800. Being a man of few words myself---I comprehend your sentiments. You sort of underestimated yourself in a "stone cold humble" kind of way. Or not!
:D

[kcshocker11]

Oh great another thread about how awful the fans are!

[emcfizzle]

There is a difference between player bashing (Gal sucks/should go home or Durley should be kicked off the team) and constructive criticism (Gal should not go into the lane out of control in last possession situations or Durley should not be touching the ball/ i.e. be the one to get fouled at the end of a close game). One is OK in my book, the other is not.

[rrshock]

EMC, I challenge you to sit through every game at in St. Louis and then tell me that the others schools fans are all "angels". They are exactly the same way as any other fan in the country. 2 years ago, I sat in the middle of the Bradley fans, and they all got quite upset during our game with them. I have been to MSU, CU, DU, Ok St., St. Louis, Bramlage, and a couple of others that I am forgetting, but they are all the same, if not worse at times.

Let me ask you this... Would you rather have a crowd that stays quite and appears to not be paying attention to the game, or one that gets into it and lets everyone know how they feel when something doesn't go their teams way?

[ABC]

I attended the Tex AM game at K-State.

Their fans were so bad about whining every call that went against KSU that even my 13-year old daughter wondered "why the K-State fans are so annoying. "

They bitched about EVERY call, not just the marginal ones.

[boyshocker]

I am very proud of our fans, if this was manhattan, or many other places it would only be half full at tip off. Sure there is alot of yelling but this is a very b-ball educated fan base compared to what I have seen in other arenas.

When the wife quits yelling or she is not alone when you get home then the PASSION is gone. The Shock fans I know still have the passion.

[MikeShox]

Re: Embarrassed to be a Shocker Fan...

...and it's not because of the piling losses, the coaching decisions, or the way our team has played lately. It's the FANS. What a bunch of whiney fair weather fans this lot is. Maybe the success of two years ago was a bad thing?? Now we are stuck with a bunch of front runner fans who are looking to jump ship at the first sign of trouble. Good riddance to you!!

I've been going to Shocker games since I moved to Wichita, over 20 years ago. After some success, we had a bad stretch (the nineties). I was more proud to be a fan during this time than I am today. The 6,000-8,000 fans from that era had class- even while our team sucked. Now we have a fan base that at home boo's every call (and I mean EVERY call), regardless of whether it was the correct one. We have fans that criticize every move the coach makes, some even hoping he leaves after one year. We also have fans that attack players unmercifully; hoping players quit, transfer, or or are asked to leave. Constructive criticism is ok, but a lot of you posters are out of control.

Did we really have expectations that we were going to win the Valley this year? This is year one (1) with our new coach. For the most part these our not his players. He is still trying to implement his system. If we still suck in 3-4 years, I'll be the guy leading the charge for change (I'll even bring the sign ;-) ). Until then, I say we give the guy a chance.

As for you front runners, don't let the door hit you on the a$$ on your way out.

If I may ask, how did you come to be the judge of how to be a fan?

Let’s start with the stupidity of fans that boo and holler. Yes, it does seem that the fans who do the most hollering are the ones who show their ignorance the most. The guy behind me at the last game who was hollering at the ref because they gave our opponent two shots and the fan hollered that it should have been a one and one. The Shockers had 4 team fouls at the time and thus if the foul had not been judged a shooting foul, it would have been an in-bounds play, not a one and one.

If you pay attention, you will likely find that there are normally 3 – 4 people either beside or behind you that you really notice as being the ones who are booing every play and making the comments that make you shake your head. It is not everybody.

Also, I have to agree with others who say that Shocker fans are no worse then others. I have been to many games all over the country and even more baseball games and I never go to either type of game when there isn’t someone right behind me who considers himself a genius, but proves otherwise every time he opens his mouth.

As for the better fans back when there were 6,000 – 8,000. Bull! I was there too during those days and if you think they were different then, you either weren’t paying attention or have forgotten. They booed the calls just as badly then. They booed Shocker players far more then. I recall so many boos of John Smith and others. I recall times the team was booed as it left the court after a tough loss. This year, much has been made of the team receiving an ovation as they left the court after a tough loss.

Now, as for your other issue: If someone comes onto ShockerNet and vents after a tough loss, who are you to say that person is not a fan? The question is, will that same person be at the next game ready to stand, clap, cheer and go crazy in support of his team. Will he, if possible, have vacation days scheduled for the St. Louis trip in a couple weeks? Is he looking forward to next year and watching the new recruits learn and improve?

I know that it is easy to say something after an especially tough loss that you would not say a week later. It happens. I have done it and if you haven’t, well bully for you.

Personally, I have been going to the games for 28 years and listened to the games or watched on television for 20 years before that. I’ve been a fan since the days of Gene Wiley, Ron Heller and the rest. As we are driving home from St. Louis on March 9, my mind will be on signing day, the summer pick-up games, the start of practice and opening night next November. I will check the Eagle every morning, all summer for any news about the Shockers and I’ll be checking ShockerNet every day for news as well. Not a day passes during the year that I don’t think about the Shockers. I live and breathe the Shockers. If I am hopeful for some personnel upgrades going into next year in hopes that the team will be better, who are you to try to tell me that I am not a fan.

You do not have to agree with my assessment, but you have no idea how much passion I have for this team. My guess is that you share that passion.
Now, let me say that I had to learn. Even old dogs can learn new tricks. I sometimes would read what the more negative type personalities had to say on ShockerNet. (They will call themselves more realistic rather than negative). I would get upset with them and like you, question whether or not they were even fans. Well, some of those more negative types have been supporting the Shockers for many, many years. Maybe their glasses are always half empty (or worse), but they never quit going and cheering. I have learned that it is far better to avoid reading something if I suspect that it will cause me any frustration. Otherwise, I tend to simply realize that we are not all the same.

Very seldom does my glass become half empty. I am generally a very positive type. Once again though, if I say that I would like to come up with a replacement for J.T. Durley, it does not mean that I’m not a fan. It simply means that I do not see much hope for J.T. to be the kind of player the team needs. Now, if you see J.T. differently, that’s fine. I am not going to accuse you of not being a fan because you see more potential in a player than I.

Don’t make the mistake I used to make and take things personally when someone vents. Argue all you want about your opinions of the players, coaches or whatever, but don’t try to tell me that you are the judge of whether or not I’m a fan.

[WstateU]

Thanks Mike... you just saved me a lot of time. :good:

[MikeShox]

Thanks Mike... you just save me a lot of time. :good:

You're welcome.

[WstateU]

nm

[1972Shocker]

Very well stated MikeShox. I vote for that being the last word on this matter.

:good:

[Wheaties]

One of the best shocker fan related things I've ever read Mike. Thanks.

[ISASO]

Mike that was a fine display of word-smithing. Yes, just because you have a different opinion than someone else doesn't mean you know any more than them or are a "better fan" than them.

Having had season tickets for 12 years and a regular attender for 10 years before that, I can attest that the fan behavior hasn't changed much at all.

[ShockRef]

Fizzle,
I guess you've been aiming this little thread at yours truly, so here you go.
If you are content to wallow in mediocrity, then you should currently be in hog heaven. However, it doesn't get it with me or your head coach for that matter. He can't stand it and any true follower who wants this program to return to it's rightful status wants to see the impending changes. They are definitely coming so if the status quo is your cup of tea, get ready for a genuine turd in the punch bowl.
Changes are coming and you had better be prepared whether you agree or not. GM is a bad loser and the thought of a continuance to the current malady turns his stomach - thank Gawd. 8)

[Snapshot9]

tap, tap, tap, ShockerRef.