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Topic:  Dayton vs MAC Fan Support

Topic:  Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
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cbus cat fan
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  Message Not Read  Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/22/2019 3:58:24 PM 
I went to the Bobcat game vs Purdue and was impressed with the amount of local town and alumni support. However, the students were gone and there were no cheerleaders and or pep band. Some friends I grew up with who went to UD, were at the Dayton vs Colorado game yesterday at the United Center. They along with about 10-15,000 thousand Flyer fans made the trek to Chicago. A few thousand were Chicago alumni, but according to my friends about 10,000 Dayton fans, flew or drove to the game, which included cheerleaders and the pep band. I watched the game on TV and if one didn't know better, they would have thought the game was in Dayton, from the support the Flyers received.

I have been to a number of Flyer games in my life and I am always impressed with their support. Obviously, they have a lot more local population from which to draw. However, their students have always been behind them as well as their alumni. We are the pride of the MAC with our crowd support, even though we have the most rural location from anyone in which to draw. If I am in the Bobcat athletic and alumni office, I would hope they have studied what the Flyers do and see if we can learn a thing or two. This is especially the case, if I am at another MAC school like Toledo, Buffalo, Miami or Northern Illinois, where they have far more population from which to draw 50 miles from their campus compared to us. Something needs to be done.

Last Edited: 12/22/2019 4:02:32 PM by cbus cat fan
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ou1982
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/22/2019 6:13:51 PM 
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.
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Pataskala
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/22/2019 10:00:17 PM 
Jim Boeheim ripped the Syracuse fans the other night for lack of support. It's not just an Ohio thing.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.
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RSBobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/22/2019 11:27:28 PM 
ou1982 wrote:
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.


I grew up just west of Dayton, and have been to many Flyers game over the years (first one was in the late 60's). There is a lot of corporate support as well - Dayton has been called many things from the Armpit of Detroit to Biggest Little City in the country. The upgrades at UD Arena have been incredible - It really is a First Class NCAA venue. Lot of old $ there, and a lot of current healthy businesses in the metro area - And there is significant Military populations and $ as well (the Huge WPAFB and many local business that support from tech to services) - and well, they are the Flyers..... I think the Parochial School, and local Catholic High Schools part is pretty significant also - Alter, Chaminade, Carroll,....

RS Bobcat

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cbus cat fan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 10:04:25 AM 
RSBobcat wrote:
ou1982 wrote:
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.


I grew up just west of Dayton, and have been to many Flyers game over the years (first one was in the late 60's). There is a lot of corporate support as well - Dayton has been called many things from the Armpit of Detroit to Biggest Little City in the country. The upgrades at UD Arena have been incredible - It really is a First Class NCAA venue. Lot of old $ there, and a lot of current healthy businesses in the metro area - And there is significant Military populations and $ as well (the Huge WPAFB and many local business that support from tech to services) - and well, they are the Flyers..... I think the Parochial School, and local Catholic High Schools part is pretty significant also - Alter, Chaminade, Carroll,....


Both OU1982 and RS Bobcat makes some good points. Having gone to a Catholic high school myself and seeing the support they generally receive from their fans at games, I think that is an important point. I always thought that the Bobcats have that same communal spirit, which was even used in a recent television commercial promoting our beloved Alma mater.

I do believe we are still the pride of the MAC with out support, but we certainly have room to improve. Seeing the large crowd support from the Dayton alums in the Chicago area and the thousands who flew or drove from Ohio is something we should strive to do. I mean our pep band and cheerleaders weren't in Athens for a clash with a Big Ten opponent Purdue, but somehow Dayton's cheerleaders and pep band made it to Chicago the weekend before Christmas.

Again that type of support is something to which we should strive. We are the most rural school in the MAC and we lead the conference in fan support. Why on earth is Toledo, Buffalo, Miami and Northern Illinois with their metro area built in advantages not taking advantage of that, I do not know? A quick trip to Dayton to study what they are doing might be a good start.

Last Edited: 12/23/2019 10:06:04 AM by cbus cat fan
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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 10:29:59 AM 
cbus cat fan wrote:
RSBobcat wrote:
ou1982 wrote:
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.


I grew up just west of Dayton, and have been to many Flyers game over the years (first one was in the late 60's). There is a lot of corporate support as well - Dayton has been called many things from the Armpit of Detroit to Biggest Little City in the country. The upgrades at UD Arena have been incredible - It really is a First Class NCAA venue. Lot of old $ there, and a lot of current healthy businesses in the metro area - And there is significant Military populations and $ as well (the Huge WPAFB and many local business that support from tech to services) - and well, they are the Flyers..... I think the Parochial School, and local Catholic High Schools part is pretty significant also - Alter, Chaminade, Carroll,....


Both OU1982 and RS Bobcat makes some good points. Having gone to a Catholic high school myself and seeing the support they generally receive from their fans at games, I think that is an important point. I always thought that the Bobcats have that same communal spirit, which was even used in a recent television commercial promoting our beloved Alma mater.

I do believe we are still the pride of the MAC with out support, but we certainly have room to improve. Seeing the large crowd support from the Dayton alums in the Chicago area and the thousands who flew or drove from Ohio is something we should strive to do. I mean our pep band and cheerleaders weren't in Athens for a clash with a Big Ten opponent Purdue, but somehow Dayton's cheerleaders and pep band made it to Chicago the weekend before Christmas.

Again that type of support is something to which we should strive. We are the most rural school in the MAC and we lead the conference in fan support. Why on earth is Toledo, Buffalo, Miami and Northern Illinois with their metro area built in advantages not taking advantage of that, I do not know? A quick trip to Dayton to study what they are doing might be a good start.


The semester is over. Our band is suspended.
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TWT
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 10:58:54 AM 
I can remember a couple of years ago when Memphis was down struggling to get 5,000 to watch them play. As we know they play in an NBA arena located uptown next to Beale Street. They have a million people in their widely distributed middle of nowhere metro which is about the same as the greater SEO area with a lot of poverty mixed in. The emotional attachment to men's hoops win or lose is just there with a public institution in the same way it is with those catholic basketball schools. Georgetown too has struggled but the community thinks of them more as an elite private school than a catholic university and many people go there who are not catholic. Dayton has a different level of loyalty because of its religion like BYU or ND.

Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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OU_Country
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 11:04:45 AM 
ou1982 wrote:
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.


I'll offer another reason Dayton gets fan support: People in the area actually care, very much, about college basketball. SW Ohio and the tristate area is one of THE college basketball hotbeds in America. Within a couple hours of Cincy/Dayton are half a dozen big college hoops programs that all get significant support: UD, UC, XU, IU, UK, U of L.

Conversely, Ohio, and OUr students come from a ton of areas where college basketball is far less ingrained. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a majority share of OU's undergrad population comes from places that prioritize supporting the Suckeye Pro Football team over all else: Central Ohio and Cleveland. When you're raised on that, that makes a difference.

And the difference from now, to 10, 15, 20+ years ago for OU students engaging in being at sporting events is simple: There are more choices of things to do now than ever before. In 1995-96, when I started at Ohio, on a Saturday afternoon, you didn't have the massive number of entertainment options that exist now - in my opinion. And whoever in another thread said something about current day students feeling like OU/MAC hoops isn't big enough, or significant enough because it's not on ESPN/CBS/ABC, etc., you're probably on to something.
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cbus cat fan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 11:08:28 AM 
Uncle Wes wrote:
I can remember a couple of years ago when Memphis was down struggling to get 5,000 to watch them play. As we know they play in an NBA arena located uptown next to Beale Street. They have a million people in their widely distributed middle of nowhere metro which is about the same as the greater SEO area with a lot of poverty mixed in. The emotional attachment to men's hoops win or lose is just there with a public institution in the same way it is with those catholic basketball schools. Georgetown too has struggled but the community thinks of them more as an elite private school than a catholic university and many people go there who are not catholic. Dayton has a different level of loyalty because of its religion like BYU or ND.


Very astute points Uncle Wes. With regard to campuses in larger metro areas, Buffalo has had a run and so has Akron, but unless Toledo and Northern gets on one, I honestly don't know what they can do to generate any excitement that would cause fans to come out. Dayton has both a communal and religious attachment, we have a communal feel to our campus and as the university's promotional TV commercial so wisely says, it transcends to alums of all ages. I just don't think you can say the same for many other MAC schools.
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cbus cat fan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 11:22:42 AM 
OU_Country wrote:
ou1982 wrote:
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.


I'll offer another reason Dayton gets fan support: People in the area actually care, very much, about college basketball. SW Ohio and the tristate area is one of THE college basketball hotbeds in America. Within a couple hours of Cincy/Dayton are half a dozen big college hoops programs that all get significant support: UD, UC, XU, IU, UK, U of L.

Conversely, Ohio, and OUr students come from a ton of areas where college basketball is far less ingrained. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a majority share of OU's undergrad population comes from places that prioritize supporting the Suckeye Pro Football team over all else: Central Ohio and Cleveland. When you're raised on that, that makes a difference.

And the difference from now, to 10, 15, 20+ years ago for OU students engaging in being at sporting events is simple: There are more choices of things to do now than ever before. In 1995-96, when I started at Ohio, on a Saturday afternoon, you didn't have the massive number of entertainment options that exist now - in my opinion. And whoever in another thread said something about current day students feeling like OU/MAC hoops isn't big enough, or significant enough because it's not on ESPN/CBS/ABC, etc., you're probably on to something.


OU Country, just saw your post and you also make some astute points about basketball history and tradition in southwest Ohio. You made mention of my discussion in a previous thread with some students in Athens before the Bobcat Purdue game. Obviously even though they were casual sports fans as they put it, they weren't immersed in a sports tradition that extended beyond just supporting a team that was winning. Without the ties that bind i.e. religion and communal atmosphere with regard to Dayton, and our communal ties, it is going to be hard for the Toledo's and Northern Illinois' of the world to put it together. Toledo certainly has an interesting basketball history, but outside of a few guys drinking a beer and sharing old Harvey Knuckles and Bobby Nichols stories at Tony Packo's, who among the young people are going to hear or understand it?

Last Edited: 12/23/2019 11:24:08 AM by cbus cat fan
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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 3:00:59 PM 
UD Arena has hosted more NCAA Tournament games than any other building, the history and support of the region is something OHIO University simply does not have.
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Bobcat110alum
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 3:38:40 PM 
Alan Swank wrote:
cbus cat fan wrote:
RSBobcat wrote:
ou1982 wrote:
Lived close to Dayton for 35 years and went to several Flyer basketball games through the years. I believe there are several reasons the Flyers get the support they get. The area is devoid of professional sports teams,except for the Dragons which is a relative new phenomenon. Years ago they had a minor league hockey team - the Gems, and they were fun to watch. Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

The area has a significant Catholic population base. It was the only major college team in Dayton for years before Wright State started in the late 70s i believe. There are a lot of families who have been generational Flyer supporters and take great pride in the Flyers.

I think they have a unique situation. The students are a very small percentage of the fan base there. It was always a big deal around Southwest Ohio how the Flyers did. Kind of an area pride thing i think.

In Athens, we used to have a VERY active student base - much bigger than UD, but the students just don't seem to care much anymore from what i'm seeing. even when i was in school i would try to get kids in the dorm to go to games and a lot of them just didn't care.

I think we still had a lot of students at the games. i was at the largest crowd ever against Bowling Green and the DePaul game. Nothing better than those two games as far as fan support.

UD games are an event for folks in Southwest Ohio. not sure there is a ton to learn from Dayton to bring to Ohio. winning is going to help, but even the two NCAA trips didn't blow things up for us just a few years ago.

It's still a way better experience than any of the other MAC schools i've been to games at. EMU, BALLS, Western, Fiami, Blowing Green. What we have is special, too bad students don't get that.


I grew up just west of Dayton, and have been to many Flyers game over the years (first one was in the late 60's). There is a lot of corporate support as well - Dayton has been called many things from the Armpit of Detroit to Biggest Little City in the country. The upgrades at UD Arena have been incredible - It really is a First Class NCAA venue. Lot of old $ there, and a lot of current healthy businesses in the metro area - And there is significant Military populations and $ as well (the Huge WPAFB and many local business that support from tech to services) - and well, they are the Flyers..... I think the Parochial School, and local Catholic High Schools part is pretty significant also - Alter, Chaminade, Carroll,....


Both OU1982 and RS Bobcat makes some good points. Having gone to a Catholic high school myself and seeing the support they generally receive from their fans at games, I think that is an important point. I always thought that the Bobcats have that same communal spirit, which was even used in a recent television commercial promoting our beloved Alma mater.

I do believe we are still the pride of the MAC with out support, but we certainly have room to improve. Seeing the large crowd support from the Dayton alums in the Chicago area and the thousands who flew or drove from Ohio is something we should strive to do. I mean our pep band and cheerleaders weren't in Athens for a clash with a Big Ten opponent Purdue, but somehow Dayton's cheerleaders and pep band made it to Chicago the weekend before Christmas.

Again that type of support is something to which we should strive. We are the most rural school in the MAC and we lead the conference in fan support. Why on earth is Toledo, Buffalo, Miami and Northern Illinois with their metro area built in advantages not taking advantage of that, I do not know? A quick trip to Dayton to study what they are doing might be a good start.


The semester is over. Our band is suspended.



I was about to say that Bball band is a separate class and shouldn't be affected by the suspension, but then I realized that the out of conference slate of home games weren't covered by the class--it only affected games in winter quarter/spring semester. Have to think the suspension killed any opportunity to organize and bring band students back to campus for this one.

B.S. Journalism, 2012.

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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/23/2019 8:37:27 PM 
Here's my two cents worth having worked in public and private schools since 1977. High schools that have great school spirit generally have a large number of parents who went to that school. On the Catholic school level, not only did many of those parents attend a Catholic school but they have committed thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to the Catholic schools system since their children were in kindergarten. The same can not be said for public school parents.

A prime example of the school spirit continum is right here in Athens County. All four of the "county schools" have a greater sense of identity with the high school than the city school simply because a large number of the parents of students at Athens High did not attend Athens City Schools. That's not the case with Alexander, Nelsonville-York, Federal Hocking and Trimble.

As America continues to be a more mobile society, what someone called "fly over country" will be continue to be the greatest concentration of school spirit.
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Jeff McKinney
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/24/2019 12:19:44 AM 
Dayton has one of the best fan bases in college basketball. I salute them. The MAC will never hold a candle to them. Dayton has everything I wish Ohio had but never will.
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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/24/2019 12:32:34 AM 
Jeff McKinney wrote:
Dayton has one of the best fan bases in college basketball. I salute them. The MAC will never hold a candle to them. Dayton has everything I wish Ohio had but never will.


Jeff Drops 🎤 and walks on.......My comment is “what he said”
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TWT
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/24/2019 11:14:26 AM 
Fan support growth for OU is going to have to start and end with winning. It also has to be the right coach for sustained winning and I don't mean Larry ball 19 win seasons but something like the 2010-14 period with multiple NCAA runs while averaging 24-25 wins a year. A guy in the right phase of his career and we might have that in Boals. Facilities make a difference in recruiting but in of itself as shown with the Memphis/NBA example are not enough of a reason for fans to automatically show up.

Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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GraffZ06
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/25/2019 3:37:30 PM 
Living in Dayton I can tell you the average "Flyer fan" is about 45 years old. Sure they get "good" support from their students too - but MOST of their fan support is from people with jobs and families who live in the metro area.

TONS of alumni who still live and work in the area and continue to support their alma mater (something OU doesn't have due to SE Ohio).

TONS of businesses and business professionals (Wright-Patterson AFB, Miami Valley Hospital etc.) all support UD via buying box seats and single game tickets they distribute to employees, not to mention the number of employees who see UD as "the" sporting event/social event/thing to do in Dayton and thus many middle-aged professionals who are making good $ - many of them become season ticket holders.

Then throw in the catholic school and tradition aspect with Alter/CJ....

And then add the fact that while the A10 may not be P5, it's generally just outside that range, and generally gets much more national media attention/respect than the MAC. I mean think of this - in recent years:

1) Davidson made a deep tourney run with Steph Curry (albeit from the CAA at that time)
2) UD is currently ranked and had two tourney runs in the last handful of years
3) George Mason made a Final 4 in 2006
4) Rhode Island was nationally ranked with Lamar Odom in the 90s
5) St. Joeseph's was nationally ranked when they had NBA guys Jameer Nelson and Delonte West
6) UMass went to the Final 4 in 1996 with Marcus Camby
7) VCU with Shaka Smart had multiple good tourney runs

They may be arrogant (read: they are) but ask any UD fan and they'll tell you the A10 is the "best mid-major in basketball" and they aren't probably wrong. Also ask them about the MAC and they'll likely chuckle and say "oh yeah, those party schools - they're cute - and once a decade they might actually have a good team too". Guess what? That's the general feeling among Johnny Fan and Joe College Kid as well.

Oh and guess what else? They don't try to play D-1 football. Just sayin.
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Andrew Ruck
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/26/2019 9:27:11 AM 
Montgomery County Population = 550,000
Athens County Population = 67,000

Dayton to either Cincy or Columbus - About 50 miles
Athens to Columbus and no other big city = About 80 miles

Fans who follow Dayton due to religion to some extent = Some
Fans who follow Ohio due to religion to some extent = Zero

That's all without considering anything competitive, but to add to it:

Dayton NCAA Appearances in last 6 years - 4
Ohio NCAA Appearances in last 6 years - 0

A-10 NCAA Appearances in last 6 years - 20
MAC NCAA Appearances in last 6 years - 6

This is not a fair comparison.

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

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JSF
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 2:09:34 AM 
Pataskala wrote:
Jim Boeheim ripped the Syracuse fans the other night for lack of support. It's not just an Ohio thing.


I love it when old, whiny millionaires get all entitled.

"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

My blog about depression and mental illness: https://bit.ly/3buGXH8

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SouthernCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 10:06:53 AM 
GraffZ06 wrote:
Living in Dayton I can tell you the average "Flyer fan" is about 45 years old. Sure they get "good" support from their students too - but MOST of their fan support is from people with jobs and families who live in the metro area.

TONS of alumni who still live and work in the area and continue to support their alma mater (something OU doesn't have due to SE Ohio).

TONS of businesses and business professionals (Wright-Patterson AFB, Miami Valley Hospital etc.) all support UD via buying box seats and single game tickets they distribute to employees, not to mention the number of employees who see UD as "the" sporting event/social event/thing to do in Dayton and thus many middle-aged professionals who are making good $ - many of them become season ticket holders.

Then throw in the catholic school and tradition aspect with Alter/CJ....

And then add the fact that while the A10 may not be P5, it's generally just outside that range, and generally gets much more national media attention/respect than the MAC. I mean think of this - in recent years:

1) Davidson made a deep tourney run with Steph Curry (albeit from the CAA at that time)
2) UD is currently ranked and had two tourney runs in the last handful of years
3) George Mason made a Final 4 in 2006
4) Rhode Island was nationally ranked with Lamar Odom in the 90s
5) St. Joeseph's was nationally ranked when they had NBA guys Jameer Nelson and Delonte West
6) UMass went to the Final 4 in 1996 with Marcus Camby
7) VCU with Shaka Smart had multiple good tourney runs

They may be arrogant (read: they are) but ask any UD fan and they'll tell you the A10 is the "best mid-major in basketball" and they aren't probably wrong. Also ask them about the MAC and they'll likely chuckle and say "oh yeah, those party schools - they're cute - and once a decade they might actually have a good team too". Guess what? That's the general feeling among Johnny Fan and Joe College Kid as well.

Oh and guess what else? They don't try to play D-1 football. Just sayin.



Davidson was in the SoCon, George Mason was in the CAA during the final 4 run.
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GraffZ06
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 1:39:39 PM 
SouthernCat wrote:
GraffZ06 wrote:
Living in Dayton I can tell you the average "Flyer fan" is about 45 years old. Sure they get "good" support from their students too - but MOST of their fan support is from people with jobs and families who live in the metro area.

TONS of alumni who still live and work in the area and continue to support their alma mater (something OU doesn't have due to SE Ohio).

TONS of businesses and business professionals (Wright-Patterson AFB, Miami Valley Hospital etc.) all support UD via buying box seats and single game tickets they distribute to employees, not to mention the number of employees who see UD as "the" sporting event/social event/thing to do in Dayton and thus many middle-aged professionals who are making good $ - many of them become season ticket holders.

Then throw in the catholic school and tradition aspect with Alter/CJ....

And then add the fact that while the A10 may not be P5, it's generally just outside that range, and generally gets much more national media attention/respect than the MAC. I mean think of this - in recent years:

1) Davidson made a deep tourney run with Steph Curry (albeit from the CAA at that time)
2) UD is currently ranked and had two tourney runs in the last handful of years
3) George Mason made a Final 4 in 2006
4) Rhode Island was nationally ranked with Lamar Odom in the 90s
5) St. Joeseph's was nationally ranked when they had NBA guys Jameer Nelson and Delonte West
6) UMass went to the Final 4 in 1996 with Marcus Camby
7) VCU with Shaka Smart had multiple good tourney runs

They may be arrogant (read: they are) but ask any UD fan and they'll tell you the A10 is the "best mid-major in basketball" and they aren't probably wrong. Also ask them about the MAC and they'll likely chuckle and say "oh yeah, those party schools - they're cute - and once a decade they might actually have a good team too". Guess what? That's the general feeling among Johnny Fan and Joe College Kid as well.

Oh and guess what else? They don't try to play D-1 football. Just sayin.



Davidson was in the SoCon, George Mason was in the CAA during the final 4 run.


Yep you're right Davidson was SoCon not Colonial. Mixed that up in my memory bank.

The point remains, that many current A10 members have had lots of NBA players, nationally ranked teams and multiple deep NCAA tournament runs - all of which contribute to them being viewed nationally (rightfully so) as better teams and a better conference than the MAC. That means Johnny Fan knows the teams/players better and has a better general interest in attending a random game.

Back in the 90s OU schedules included: Kentucky, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Xavier, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Virginia etc. Those are teams people "know" and, even if they aren't diehard OU fans like we are, will come out to watch play.

Also back in the day, the MAC had multiple NBA players who were "must see" guys, and guys who Johnny Fan heard about on SportsCenter and read about in Sports Illustrated. Guys like: Gary Trent, Bonzi Wells, Wally Szczerbiak, Antonio Daniels, Brandon Hunter (to a lesser extent), Earl Boykins, Ira Newble, Chris Kaman, Dan Majerle, Ron Harper, Dave Jamerson. These were guys you wanted to go see just to say you saw them play.

There is still good talent in the MAC, but nowhere near like it was. But I don't think this is a MAC problem. This is an NCAA problem. The 1-and-done rule means all the top teams are recruiting a full 5+ guys EVERY year instead of a normal 2-3 man class. Means less talent is falling to the teams below.

Bottom line is - OU doesn't have the population, the local $, or the local alumni base like UD has to support that amount of adult season ticket holders. We have to rely on bringing out casual fans or, more importantly, bringing out the STUDENTS. The students and the band make the atmosphere in the Convo special anyway. Students today, nationwide, care less about sports than ever before. Just more options/important things to do.

How do you get them here?
1) Beer
2) Free stuff - though this only helps so much
3) Play "name" teams (A10 has advantage here)
4) Promote/showcase "name" NBA talent players (have to get them to the MAC first - A10 has advantage here)
5) Win consistently, especially in March when Johnny Fan actually watches (and by this I mean a run of 4 out of 5, or 8 out of 10 years with 24+ wins and NCAA tourney appearances and a couple NCAA wins sprinkled in). One or two years won't cut it. They'll come for that year but it won't become a habit/tradition to STAY.
6) Make it a more social activity. Going to sports used to be the "cool" thing to do. It's not anymore. You've got to find a way to make it the "cool" thing to do on a Wednesday night again. Where people actively WANT to come instead of being dragged in. (Easier said than done - but something UD has figured out).

Last Edited: 12/27/2019 1:43:59 PM by GraffZ06
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CatsUp
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 2:06:22 PM 
Last year the MAC finished the year ranked 9th out of 32 conferences and the A10 was 11th. This year, so far, the A10 is 8th and the MAC is 12th. Sounds more like peer conferences the last couple of years to me. With all due respect, and while I do acknowledge Dayton has a better program than anyone in the MAC, I’m not sure why Dayton fans should think they are entitled to chuckle about the “cute little MAC”.
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GraffZ06
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 2:20:17 PM 
CatsUp wrote:
Last year the MAC finished the year ranked 9th out of 32 conferences and the A10 was 11th. This year, so far, the A10 is 8th and the MAC is 12th. Sounds more like peer conferences the last couple of years to me. With all due respect, and while I do acknowledge Dayton has a better program than anyone in the MAC, I’m not sure why Dayton fans should think they are entitled to chuckle about the “cute little MAC”.


To be fair, MAC was buoyed last year by Buffalo. Take them out and we're quite below the A10 again. It honestly fits the UD fan narrative I've heard of "you guys have a good team every decade or so". Last year it was UB, but on the normal - the A10 is usually anywhere from 2-6 spots above the MAC. And, over the last 20 years, that divide has gotten wider IMO.

Also have to consider UD's closest MAC point of reference is Miami, and then to a lesser extent Balls. Neither team could get out of the A10 basement.
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Ohio69
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 5:28:50 PM 
Andrew Ruck wrote:
Montgomery County Population = 550,000
Athens County Population = 67,000


This is the biggest factor. I’d put conference affiliation next. Then all the things everyone says about other options for 15-25 year olds....

Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

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OU_Country
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Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
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  Message Not Read  RE: Dayton vs MAC Fan Support
   Posted: 12/27/2019 6:03:28 PM 
https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/dayton-flyers-sell...
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