Lamar Cardinal Fan resentment?

[Guest Adams]

What is your opinion on this subject? Does resentment toward the program still exist due to Lamar ditching Football so many years ago?

Excitement was everywhere when Lamar started back up and it was a packed house but it certainly has dwindled.

 

Is it because of a team who hasn't learned to win yet? Or do fans still hold a grudge for abandoning them?

 

I'd have to admit, I was pretty bitter toward Lamar U for ditching Football. Regardless of why they did it.

[BigRed98]

The people I'm around are just glad football is back. I believe attendance has dwindled because fans want to see wins, and they have been getting huge losses instead. The new hires should help, though it may take a while. I'm just glad the coach took some initiative and brought in some new guys to coach.

[Guest CardAmbassador]

I don't think the dwindling numbers are due to resentment, the numbers only dwindle after these huge losses. No team no matter how new can afford to lose multiple games by 50+ points and expect to have good attendance. I suspect that if we are competitive this year we will see decent attendance, maybe somewhere in the 14k range for the average.

[lu cards]

been to all 3 spring games and last nights was by far the most attended.i think the interest is still there.

[Guest Crawfish]

Build it and they will come. (Build the program) So far, it has not happened.

 

Look at what happened at UL Lafayette last season, they averaged over 11000 more per game than the previous season; 18K VS 29K. (rounded off numbers)

 

That is what happens when you win.

 

It should be easier for Lamar, playing in FCS. I personnally am not yet sold on the coach. IMHO,this season there should be some positive signs or else they should start to evaluate his position. It seems like they regressed a bit in 2011.

[Guest Adams]

Thanks for the responses guys. I just always felt personally that the reason I never really "fell in love" with Lamar was directly related to the fact that they got rid of football around the same time I started showing serious interest in it. Broke my little heart back then.

[puddin tane]

nobody wants to touch this..but---race is a factor

 

90% of the crowd is white, 90% of the starting lineup is black...I've heard this from alot people..

 

Me? i got my tickets!!!

[Guest CardAmbassador]

nobody wants to touch this..but---race is a factor

 

90% of the crowd is white, 90% of the starting lineup is black...I've heard this from alot people..

 

Me? i got my tickets!!!

 

Well yes race is a factor, but in what way? I agree with you that 10% of the crowd is black and that just doesn't make sense because Lamar has many black alumni. I feel like the black community could support the school better in alot of ways, but IMO the school could be supported better by most of it's alumni so no one group is at fault.

 

As for 90% of the starting line up being black, that's a bit of an exageration it's probably 70/30, but what do you expect? That's how it is on every college and NFL football team.

[geezer]

Just win. Only a history of winning produces full stadiums, ask the Astros? Six years ago Minute Maid was full almost every night. Now you can practically sit where ever you want. The CUBS are the exception to the rule.

[TBonesLU]

nobody wants to touch this..but---race is a factor

 

90% of the crowd is white, 90% of the starting lineup is black...I've heard this from alot people..

 

Me? i got my tickets!!!

 

Well yes race is a factor, but in what way? I agree with you that 10% of the crowd is black and that just doesn't make sense because Lamar has many black alumni. I feel like the black community could support the school better in alot of ways, but IMO the school could be supported better by most of it's alumni so no one group is at fault.

 

As for 90% of the starting line up being black, that's a bit of an exageration it's probably 70/30, but what do you expect? That's how it is on every college and NFL football team.

 

I think what he meant is that there are several close-minded individuals in the area that would use this as a reason to avoid going to the games. While I will contend that this could be a factor, I think we would all agree that we don't want that type of ignorant person in the stands anyway. The fans Lamar needs to target is the "on the fence" fans that attend zero or one game per year. The tailgating is second to none (even one of the SHSU folks said something along those lines), the atmosphere is great, and people are really friendly. I also think we need to be true fans of the team even when we're losing. That's when it will really take off: when fans go to the games because they want to go, not because of the team's record or whatnot. I think teams have problems with fair-weather fans, and it does not make it any easier to put a good product on the field. The more money we give to the university (ticket sales, donations, etc.), the more money we have to spend on the athletics programs for recruiting and things that make the teams better.

 

So, leave the fair-weather (and racist) fans at home. We don't need them.

[coachacola]

nobody wants to touch this..but---race is a factor

 

90% of the crowd is white, 90% of the starting lineup is black...I've heard this from alot people..

 

Me? i got my tickets!!!

Are you saying people have told you that they don't go to the games because there's too many black players on the team?

[Mike]

nobody wants to touch this..but---race is a factor

 

90% of the crowd is white, 90% of the starting lineup is black...I've heard this from alot people..

 

Me? i got my tickets!!!

 

 

I'd bet nearly every university in the nation has the same ratio of black//white athletes on their football teams and attendance isn't an issue at most, even in the deep southern schools. The problem is nothing further than building a winning program. If Lamar had a season like SHSU had last year tickets to Provost Umphrey would be in high demand. If the basketball team wins 20+ games a year and is competing for SLC championships the Montagne Center attendance will jump dramatically. Hell, if the baseball team competes for the SLC attendance at Vincent Beck will go up. This area's fans have always been front runners and the skin color of the players on the teams have nothing to do with that.

[puddin tane]

yup

[coachacola]

yup

Lamar doesn't need those kinds of fans or their money IHMO.

[LUAthletics]

nobody wants to touch this..but---race is a factor

 

90% of the crowd is white, 90% of the starting lineup is black...I've heard this from alot people..

 

Me? i got my tickets!!!

 

 

I'd bet nearly every university in the nation has the same ratio of black//white athletes on their football teams and attendance isn't an issue at most, even in the deep southern schools. The problem is nothing further than building a winning program. If Lamar had a season like SHSU had last year tickets to Provost Umphrey would be in high demand. If the basketball team wins 20+ games a year and is competing for SLC championships the Montagne Center attendance will jump dramatically. Hell, if the baseball team competes for the SLC attendance at Vincent Beck will go up. This area's fans have always been front runners and the skin color of the players on the teams have nothing to do with that.

 

This is right on the money. I use to work at Lamar and when Roc was winning people were coming out and as soon as he started losing attendance numbers dropped. Also even if you are winning you have to beat good teams not NAIA schools like basketball and football has done in the past.

[Guest CardAmbassador]

Mike, I agree with everything you have said except for one thing, the notion that Lamar fans are more fair weather than other places.

 

In my experience there are very few exceptions to the rule that winning fills seats, you have some franchises and schools that can draw decent crowds regardless of a teams record, but for the most part the only way to get fans is to win consistently.

 

For how bad some of Lamar's sports programs have been in the past decade Lamar has managed to lead the league in attendance, that doesn't sound like fair weather fans to me.

 

Being competitive with DI competition is all it takes for people to come out to games. For far too long we haven't done that. Basketball should start to turn around and crowds will grow, the jury is still out on football but I'm going to be optimistic for the time being.