Fan of the Program

[waterhead]

There are many ways to support a program. Going to games, donating, cheering, watching games on TV, participating in forums, etc. Living in Florida I don't get to physically be there and buy tickets so I appreciate everyone on this forum who goes to the games whether it's season tickets or not. Since we are on a fan forum website the point of this thread is simply to dicuss how best to support the program (voice your opinions) in a way that doesn't end up potentially hurting the program we are all here to support.

First off...I don't think being critical of a coach or player is wrong. HOW you do this is THE most important thing. If you feel the best thing for the program is a new coach...that IS being a Fan of the Program 100%...and so is thinking your current coach is the best thing for our future. So far so good.

However, being overly critical, as we have seen with other fan forum sites can and sometimes does affect recruiting which in turn can affect fan turnout when we don't get those recruits and have better seasons and that can lead to a domino affect. It may be a small impact but since we are all here to support the program we need to do our part in being tactful in how we voice our opinions (especially the critical ones).

There is a tactful way to say a player sucks without completely humiliating their name or their past accomplishments. Instead of saying so and so is barely capable of chewing gum and dribbling at the same time...we can simply say they aren't producing at a good enough level to see minutes on the court right now. When discussing a coaches worth...instead of saying he is barely capable of coaching a girls HS BB team...we can be critical in a different way. When being critical we can list what he does well and what he doesn't do so well and then simply weigh the pros and cons and tactfully reach your conclusion something like this. "He is obviously a very good coach or he wouldn't be here but now that we have seen 8 years I personally don't think he is right for our program or where we want it to go". If you really feel strongly about it the best way to make an impact is probably not here but at a UCATS meeting or letters to the AD or some other type of forum.

Fans of the Program should do things differently than trolls or those who don't give two shakes about what affect their comments may have. If you are a FOP then your comments (and mine) on this site or any site should demonstrate it. If you are humiliating our players or coaches in this forum I question if you are a true Fan of the Program. I have probably said some things about players in the past that I would like to take back. I only recently learned that the university contacted BCN about how these sites can affect recruiting. Now that I know...it's my job to make sure I keep that in mind when posting as a FOP.

[bearcat jeff]

Good post

[L-T]

Originally Posted by bearcat jeff

Good post

WH, that was a good post. I'm nowhere near the anti-Mick Cronin voice that I'm constantly accused of being. I did meltdown a little after New Mexico and X. I wear my heart on my sleeve and those losses were so disappointing that a lot of emotions came bubbling over.. Since I'm squarely on the fence with him, I'll run hot and cold depending on how the team is performing. That being said, I always try to support what I say with stats and facts about our program and coaches, as well as other coaches and programs and I try to do it respectfully without insulting other posters.

Lastly, I'm not buying for a second that recruiting is affected by fan sites discussing the coach. That goes on on every fan site in the world. Now, if posters are insulting players, talking about their IQ, making claims about pot-smoking, or other vices ect. then I might agree. But, I highly doubt recruits are basing their decisions on Ralph, L-T, anbuc, bearcatmick, Bearcat NTS, AC, or anyone else in here arguing about the coach. If they are, then they probably don't have what it takes anyway to make it at UC. Again, nice post WH.

[waterhead]

Originally Posted by L-T

WH, that was a good post. I'm nowhere near the anti-Mick Cronin voice that I'm constantly accused of being. I did meltdown a little after New Mexico and X. I wear my heart on my sleeve and those losses were so disappointing that a lot of emotions came bubbling over.. Since I'm squarely on the fence with him, I'll run hot and cold depending on how the team is performing. That being said, I always try to support what I say with stats and facts about our program and coaches, as well as other coaches and programs and I try to do it respectfully without insulting other posters.

Lastly, I'm not buying for a second that recruiting is affected by fan sites discussing the coach. That goes on on every fan site in the world. Now, if posters are insulting players, talking about their IQ, making claims about pot-smoking, or other vices ect. then I might agree. But, I highly doubt recruits are basing their decisions on Ralph, L-T, anbuc, bearcatmick, Bearcat NTS, AC, or anyone else in here arguing about the coach. If they are, then they probably don't have what it takes anyway to make it at UC. Again, nice post WH.

L-T I do know you are a big FOP. You do back up your opinions with facts.

Where I would disagree is that Cincinnati is a much more "fickle" fan base town so the amount of negativity at the first sign of weakness comes out faster and more furious than on most fan boards IMO. That IMO can be a difference maker in situations where we are 50-50 with another team on a recruit. When we talk about losing one or two 4 or 5 star guys to other programs...that is a HUGE difference maker between sweet 16 or final 4.

[anbuc88]

Originally Posted by L-T

WH, that was a good post. I'm nowhere near the anti-Mick Cronin voice that I'm constantly accused of being. I did meltdown a little after New Mexico and X. I wear my heart on my sleeve and those losses were so disappointing that a lot of emotions came bubbling over.. Since I'm squarely on the fence with him, I'll run hot and cold depending on how the team is performing. That being said, I always try to support what I say with stats and facts about our program and coaches, as well as other coaches and programs and I try to do it respectfully without insulting other posters.

Lastly, I'm not buying for a second that recruiting is affected by fan sites discussing the coach. That goes on on every fan site in the world. Now, if posters are insulting players, talking about their IQ, making claims about pot-smoking, or other vices ect. then I might agree. But, I highly doubt recruits are basing their decisions on Ralph, L-T, anbuc, bearcatmick, Bearcat NTS, AC, or anyone else in here arguing about the coach. If they are, then they probably don't have what it takes anyway to make it at UC. Again, nice post WH.

Nice post. Despite our differences, I know we both root for the Cats. But IMO part of rooting for the Cats is supporting the coach. The decision of whether he stays in his job will not be made on these sites, but by those much smarter than those who post here. BUT, what any fan of the program can do is make places of conversation such as this a positive experience. So often people on here expect perfection, and are so quick to criticize. They don't hold themselves to these same standards with things in their own lives or in their own families. Any loss means that the coach was out coached, or the players failed to show up, or their IQ is substandard. Well, there is an opposing team trying as hard as they can to win too. It is nice sometimes to give your opponent credit. It puts things in perspective.

As far as whether you buy into constant negativity on sites such as this affecting recruiting, it is a fact that the UC AD's office contacted Bearcatnews about how mean spirited the dialogue on Bearcatnews had become. Marquis Teague may not have come here regardless, but what was happening at Bearcatnews at that time made it a lot more difficult for the staff. That is a FACT. Recruits and their families still come on these sites, and negativity about the program from the fan base IS used for recruiting advantage by opposing staffs. That is also INDISPUTABLE. So why give them more ammunition.

[L-T]

Originally Posted by anbuc88

Nice post. Despite our differences, I know we both root for the Cats. But IMO part of rooting for the Cats is supporting the coach. The decision of whether he stays in his job will not be made on these sites, but by those much smarter than those who post here. BUT, what any fan of the program can do is make places of conversation such as this a positive experience. So often people on here expect perfection, and are so quick to criticize. They don't hold themselves to these same standards with things in their own lives or in their own families. Any loss means that the coach was out coached, or the players failed to show up, or their IQ is substandard. Well, there is an opposing team trying as hard as they can to win too. It is nice sometimes to give your opponent credit. It puts things in perspective.

As far as whether you buy into constant negativity on sites such as this affecting recruiting, it is a fact that the UC AD's office contacted Bearcatnews about how mean spirited the dialogue on Bearcatnews had become. Marquis Teague may not have come here regardless, but what was happening at Bearcatnews at that time made it a lot more difficult for the staff. That is a FACT. Recruits and their families still come on these sites, and negativity about the program from the fan base IS used for recruiting advantage by opposing staffs. That is also INDISPUTABLE. So why give them more ammunition.

Arguing about the coach is harnless. Nobody will convince me differently. Where I agree about the Bearcatnews days is there was a lot of hatred that spilled out because nobody wanted to just debate the facts about the coach and leave it at that. There was a lot of name-calling and it just got ugly. That didn't have to happen, but it did. Obviously, these sites are filled with primarily those who are excited about the program, so you're going to get a mostly one-sided presentation. Whatever the reason is that our arena is now half empty, that group that is upset probably doesn't bother coming to these sites to complain. The few that do post are obviously treated pretty bad.

Neither of us knows what percentage of the fanbase is pro or con towards Mick. Until someone does a poll on the subject, it's all conjecture. One thing for sure is that wins like today will start to galvanize this fanbase and that's what we all want. I just want the program to be the best it can be, and to me that means league championships, high rankings, high seeds, and some March Madness success, plus graduating and producing quality student athletes. If the recent success is an indicator of things to come, then Mick will have no bigger fan than me. The coach will never deter me from buying season tickets and being a fan, but he certainly can upset me from time to time and I feel much better about complaing about him than I do about the players. Today, I love the coach!

[anbuc88]

Originally Posted by L-T

Arguing about the coach is harnless. Nobody will convince me differently. Where I agree about the Bearcatnews days is there was a lot of hatred that spilled out because nobody wanted to just debate the facts about the coach and leave it at that. There was a lot of name-calling and it just got ugly. That didn't have to happen, but it did. Obviously, these sites are filled with primarily those who are excited about the program, so you're going to get a mostly one-sided presentation. Whatever the reason is that our arena is now half empty, that group that is upset probably doesn't bother coming to these sites to complain. The few that do post are obviously treated pretty bad.

Neither of us knows what percentage of the fanbase is pro or con towards Mick. Until someone does a poll on the subject, it's all conjecture. One thing for sure is that wins like today will start to galvanize this fanbase and that's what we all want. I just want the program to be the best it can be, and to me that means league championships, high rankings, high seeds, and some March Madness success, plus graduating and producing quality student athletes. If the recent success is an indicator of things to come, then Mick will have no bigger fan than me. The coach will never deter me from buying season tickets and being a fan, but he certainly can upset me from time to time and I feel much better about complaing about him than I do about the players. Today, I love the coach!

Arguing about the coach is harmless, but making it personal as you, Billy don, and Doss did during those days was not. Regardless of what you feel, you were directly responsible for the UC AD's office contacting Bearcatnews and politely asking them to police their site. That is a FACT.

I also agree that no one truly knows what percentage of the fan base is pro or anti Cronin. But if you feel this way, why post that the majority of the fan base despises him, as you did earlier? Do you think that you have a pulse on the fan base, over others on this site? People who take the time out of their daily lives to post on here are all passionate about UC, whether pro or con. I would argue that these sites are a valid representation of the fan base. If there was a large portion that disliked the couch, they would have found an outlet to voice their opinions. But where are they?

Finally, sites such as this should be filled with UC supporters. If you are not excited about the program, then why come on here. There are other sites that someone who is not excited about the program can post on. A Xavier site would fit that bill. But these sites are for those who LOVE UC. And thats the way it should be.

[Amberlycolonel]

Originally Posted by anbuc88

Arguing about the coach is harmless, but making it personal as you, Billy don, and Doss did during those days was not. Regardless of what you feel, you were directly responsible for the UC AD's office contacting Bearcatnews and politely asking them to police their site. That is a FACT.

I also agree that no one truly knows what percentage of the fan base is pro or anti Cronin. But if you feel this way, why post that the majority of the fan base despises him, as you did earlier? Do you think that you have a pulse on the fan base, over others on this site? People who take the time out of their daily lives to post on here are all passionate about UC, whether pro or con. I would argue that these sites are a valid representation of the fan base. If there was a large portion that disliked the couch, they would have found an outlet to voice their opinions. But where are they?

Finally, sites such as this should be filled with UC supporters. If you are not excited about the program, then why come on here. There are other sites that someone who is not excited about the program can post on. A Xavier site would fit that bill. But these sites are for those who LOVE UC. And thats the way it should be.

And questioning someone's intelligence is not personal? You are such a hypocrite.

[anbuc88]

Originally Posted by Amberlycolonel

And questioning someone's intelligence is not personal? You are such a hypocrite.

Way to add some more cognitive excellence to this thread. Isn't your precious time better spent stalking someone else. Or stewing about why Cronin went to Louisville?

Anyone want to know what someone who is NOT a fan the program sounds like. Exhibit #1.

[Amberlycolonel]

You are nothing more than a troll and I am not wasting any more of my time with you.