Our basketball teams has not been good for sometime now. Our football teams have been down and there's not much to look forward to next season. You can count me as +1 for those with apathy setting in
As others have discussed there are a lot of factors at play but your second sentence overall isn't wrong. A lot of attendance stuff has been written about ad nausem and is the similar to other programs, upgraded tvs, increased costs, and increased amount of games plagues every school. Article below discusses a lot of issues that aren't unique to UF. With all that being said I think there are genuine issues keeping the fanbase going to games and I don't think the administration helps. Two night minimums are a killer of 24+ attendance, once you run out of people you know living in Gainesville what exactly are you supposed to do? Lets just say it's 2 hours from Tampa, Orlando, Jax, thats a miserable up and back in 1 day and if not that where do you stay that's reasonable? https://www.si.com/college/2020/01/10/college-football-attendance-decline-ncaa
I think you are correct. The carousel of coaches (football) has just made it hard to latch onto anything that feels consistent or predictable. I felt excited when CBN started last season and then we had another bad season and the Vandy game was the head scratcher of the season with nobody seemingly ready from players to coaches. Made me truly wonder, is this a just hiccup for a first year coach or is this whats to come. Im looking forward to the new season as I like watching the Gators play...am I excited? I just dont know what there is to be excited about as I see another 6 win season on the horizon. Im disappointed that AR was such a letdown of a player but Im supposed to be excited for him as he enters the draft? Why? He is not an Alum and I dont see any accomplishments to reminisce about. I mean I can point to Will Greir beating UTk as a fun memory and youtube video to go to. Franks...the same. AR? Dont think so. Hopefully, some exciting news comes out of spring practice and OB game.
Back in the day our opponents feared us, expected to loose and if they beat us it was a big deal. Now, they no longer fear us, think they can beat us and if they win it is no different than beating someone like South Carolina. Makes me sad.
We are not championship competitive in major sports right now except baseball. Napier has addressed deficiencies so I have no doubt that our football program will be 3-4 wins better this year. But basketball is another story. When the majority of the influx of the next class comes from the portal, we are getting refurbished goods. Many of the habits, practices, attitudes, and flaws that caused them to transfer from one program we inherit. This was seen in the inconsistency of play at point guard this year. We should not be relying on 4 to 5 players who were not satisfied with their previous programs and now have to make adjustments (as freshmen do) to a new environment while maintaining or improving on their metrics from their previous year. It places unnecessary stress on players and the program. White and now Golden rely TOO HEAVILY on transfer players. It underscores an inability to convince top HS talent to come to Florida. Kugel and Reeves were great commitments, but Reeves has been relegated to the bench in favor of transfers who did not even give Florida a thought when make their college decision (or were not recruited by Florida [save Castleton and Fudge]). White was actually decent at HS recruiting but horrible at development. If HS talent and support structure see our transfer first policy, we will dip further and further down in the rankings for HS talent. This trend needs to be reversed if we are going to right the ship.
Didn’t two or three teams tear down their goal posts after beating us last year? You think it was no different than beating someone else?
There was a time when I would tune into College GameDay every Sat and then roll into watching games all day. Really liked watching those 10pm west coast games. Now I only watch the UF game, my only interest, don’t even tune into parts of other games anymore. Can’t remember the last time I even watched the SECCG or the NCG. For me a big part of it is I just don’t believe the quality of football is all the good now. There was one really good team last season, a few good teams and a bunch of just okay teams. Yes, the athletes might be more athletic now, but the teams aren’t, imho. Multitude of reasons. Less practice time, players moving around, poor chemistry, less commitment, me first selfishness, NIL, etc-etc-etc. I also see less coaching innovation now, a lot of cookie cutter stuff. I just don’t believe the coaches are as good, not that many must have guys out there now. What will another middling season of Gator football do for your apathy?
Frankly, the walk into the stadium, loudspeakers cranking "Gator Country" by Molly Hatchett at Yon Hall, always gave me goosebumps. A collection of the most beautiful women on planet earth, dressing to be able to stand a Gainesville afternoon for 3.5 hours. Hit Burrito Brothers, sample some Micanopy leaf and head to Great Southern Music Hall to catch an endless variety of top shelf artists for the capper at night. And if your really on a role, go study from 2:00am to 6:00am with a GDI or Sorority babe. Yes, indeed, it's not just all about a football scoreboad.
hope by Page 7 this has been broached - but any post that asks about "fan apathy" necessarily serves as a barometer we have apathy because we have to ask about it, apathy is present when it is identified
Fans get excited when their team is winning and competing for championships. With the resources and recruiting base that THE University of Florida has, there is no reason we shouldn't be regularly competing for titles in all sports. When it doesn't happen apathy sets in. On top of that the UAA keeps raising prices on tickets and concessions so that normal people are getting priced out. When it becomes all about $$$, apathy sets in. They want excitement, hire winning coaches who can recruit and produce with top level talent and make it affordable for regular people to go see the games. Otherwise, apathy becomes the norm.
I LOVE UF and am impressed with many aspects of coach Napiers philosophy and planning. Having said that I am EXTREMELY CONCERNED about next season. I don't claim to be an off-season expert, but my reading of the tea leaves leaves me apprehensive about next season. Losing the two kids on the offensive line to USC HURT. AR leaving for the NFL hurt. We have a roster turnover of 30+. We have a QB room that many are questioning. New D Coordinator, new Tight End Coach. We have many questioning the speed and ability of our wide recievers. Many fans are probably placing expectations too high for the incoming class, especially on defense. Signals coming out of the preseason fan and magazine set suggest UF will be at or near the bottom of the SEC East. We all want improvement over 6 - 7 but right now the odds seem stacked against improving the record. Frankly I think UF will go into 2023 with LOWER expectations than what we went into 2022 with. In 2022 Gator nation thought AR would be Tebow part 2. That did not happen. But barring something completely catastrophic, as in 3 - 4 wins, I will still be a supporter of coach Napier. I personally am not expecting much this next year but am optimistic CBN will pull in a class between 5 - 9 and of course the worm will turn in 24.
Pose the question again in August and there may be a shift in some of the responses. After 8 months of no football, some enthusiasm will come back. That said we just finished a stinking turd of a season, that will kill fan mojo for sure.
I think for many, the excitement directly correlates to the won/loss record, the "just win, baby!" approach, but for many others, including myself, the bewilderment and uncertainty I have over the Portal and NIL contributes far more. In the early 1970s, major league baseball established free agency, where players no longer are tied to the teams. The kid in me complained that players have no loyalty to their teams, which of course, was absurd, as the teams had no loyalty to the players, but in the first few years, several richer teams (especially the Yankees) went on a flurry of free agent signings, and because they were the best at doing this, they became known as "the best team money could buy." Clubhouse cohesion was reduced, but the bottom line, as ever, was winning. After a few years, however, the free agency settled down and was sorted out. Another thing that killed me was the institution of the salary cap in football. Favorite players would be unceremoniously released because their salaries were too high, and it rocked the existing structure of the NFL. I don't think the Dolphins ever recovered from that. There are many CFB teams that will probably not recover from the Portal and NIL, either, as the top players will understandably gravitate towards the teams that offer them the most $$$. Yes, it is capitalism at work, and I am nothing if not a capitalist, but for many teams, they will inevitably become left out. Fortunately, Florida has financial resources and recruiting to compete, but to what degree?
Well Sierra, I get so pumped up in August I always think we are headed to the Playoffs! Then reality sets in!! Ah well, the life of a UF football fan.
Tragically, it's true. Since 2010, Florida's winning percentage is .612. Many Gators thought Zook was the worst head coach going down to Pop Warner league, and he finished with a .622 winning percentage, which was an insult not to Zook, but to Spurrier, who many thought that would be the perpetual normal, when Spurrier was the extraordinary exception, the reason why he is a legend. We are not an elite program anymore, but we're not alone. Ask Nebraska, Miami, and Texas fans how it feels to have a winning percentage barely over .600. It's all about expectations...
