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College sports is basically on the same level of viewership as pro sports, so to say that people that call themselves fans that didn't attend the college or have a direct connection is absurd! Having lived my whole life (except this past year) in WV, I was raised a WVU fan. Neither my Dad or Mom graduated from WVU, but yet we have held season tickets and been donors for over 15 years or so. In fact We have traveled all over the country to watch WVU sports and have been as far west as Arizona to watch WVU football. I have personally been to 9 bowl games in my life including 2 BCS games. People like my family root for college teams because they represent states/regions/towns and they contribute to the local economy. People in my state support our team because when they play the represent the state as a whole. kind of like an Olympic team representing a country.
Exactly. I would much prefer to watch college football than, say, the NFL. No doubt, the NFL offers a completely different level of play. But college is a lot more fun.
The whole concept of "amateur athletes" that the NCAA tries to promote is a joke, but more often than not, I prefer college level sports because it seems to me like there's a lot fewer primadonnas at the college level than at the professional level. I tend to gravitate toward players who appreciate the fact that they've been given a golden opportunity to pursue an education for practically free (something 99% of us who went to college never had) and make the most of their time at school getting an education while playing college ball. God knows it ain't easy to balance the two...
And I'm loyal to my alma mater (Northern Arizona) despite it's historically terrible football and basketball programs, but in a small town like Flagstaff, there's not a whole lot else to do. As much as I enjoy going to Lumberjack football games, if there's an Ohio State game on TV at the same time NAU's playing, the Buckeyes are always going to take precedence.
I have no idea why Notre Dame has so many fans. Must be Knute Rockne.
But I think it is fading slowly. The internet makes it easier to follow distant teams. A team that generates excitement could earn fans from all over. Or enemies.
With the exception of Notre Dame, the students and alumni are the fan base. I don't think there are that many fans of a college team that did not attend that school. They may watch some teams on TV regularly, as I do, but they don't buy season tickets and certainly don't travel to the bowl games.
I see you've never been to the Deep South, lol.
Or Texas for that matter. A lot of UT fans didn't go there.
Or Texas for that matter. A lot of UT fans didn't go there.
Exactly... I am from Knox, Tenn. everyone who is a fan of the Vols is a fan regardless if they attended the school or not. Hell some didn't even graduate high school but have season tix to the Vols. I went to college in the state of SC and people there were the same about the Gamecocks. And I have lived in Atlanta since graduating college and people here are the same with UGA.
Honestly I know very few alumni of these schools in comparison to fans of the programs who did not attend. Most are fanatics because that's the local team. It's the culture down here... College football programs are for everyone in the region, not just alumni.
Or Texas for that matter. A lot of UT fans didn't go there.
Good Point. The only colleges that match the fanaticism for football that exists in the south would be Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and possibly Wisconsin and Michigan State.
My primary BCS team that I follow is the Iowa Hawkeyes (and to a lessor degree Nebraska). Iowa has a pretty big following, but every year they have games that aren't sold out. Almost unheard of at my listed northern colleges and at a very large number of the universities in the south.
3. SECONDARY/REGIONAL STATE UNIVERSITIES: Do "directional schools" get support from their region: for example, do people in western Michigan support WMU or, if they are not connected as students and alum's, tend to disregard it and focus on U-M or MSU. Is Miami well supported in the Cincinnati market? Where does W&M get fans and do the fans in Virginia ignore it in favor of the big boys at UVa and VT?Where do the regional state universities get their draw?
I'm a graduate of a "directional" school in Michigan and I can say regional support is minimal. I love my school, I'm a big supporter and like to visit for games etc, but generally regional support is low. At my campus you saw a lot of Michigan State and Michigan T-Shirts, not always my school. Don't get me wrong, the actual towns are behind the University, but as far as the Region no.
I have no idea why Notre Dame has so many fans. Must be Knute Rockne.
But I think it is fading slowly. The internet makes it easier to follow distant teams. A team that generates excitement could earn fans from all over. Or enemies.
It may be losing its nationwide glow (some of which it got back during this last "Cinderella" season) but Notre Dame has a deep and strong following in the Chicago area that won't be fading away soon.
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