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Something I just realized... (MBB related)

Demonbeck

Demonbeck

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My youngest son was born in the Fall of 2010. He's never watched a Wake Basketball game with me.

It's not like we had a large fanbase to begin with. How many years will it take to get us back to where we were before Wellman's ego tanked the University's signature sports program?
 
As you say, we have lost an entire generation (if not two) of fans due to this self-imposed death penalty.


My youngest kid, who is now 14, has no memory of Wake men's basketball ever being good, or even relevant. He loves to go to Thunderbirds hockey games (we are going tonight) because it is a fun atmosphere and they are good. He has not the slightest interest whatsoever in every going to a Wake men's B-ball game. Honestly, why should he?
 
Weird. I was just thinking about this the other day. My first was born in summer 2010 and while he may have seen me watch a Wake basketball game here or there and he knows I am a Wake fan, he doesn't know me as a season ticket holder for several years that I was years ago. We've never been to a Wake BB game because I can't see spending money on a shit show. And I wonder how long it will take us to get back to at least being respectable.

Football is a different story. We've watched many football games, been to a couple, and have met Cade Carney. My son has a signed football and a picture of them together in his room. At least we have football!
 
WakeTheNation said:
Weird. I was just thinking about this the other day. My first was born in summer 2010 and while he may have seen me watch a Wake basketball game here or there and he knows I am a Wake fan, he doesn't know me as a season ticket holder for several years that I was years ago. We've never been to a Wake BB game because I can't see spending money on a shit show. And I wonder how long it will take us to get back to at least being respectable.

Football is a different story. We've watched many football games, been to a couple, and have met Cade Carney. My son has a signed football and a picture of them together in his room. At least we have football!
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We've watched Wake football and soccer games together. (Wake Football is easy to find most every weekend - even in south Georgia - because our team is relevant. Soccer requires much more dedication, but we put the effort in to find it.) It pains me too much to watch this shit show, and, as a result, he's never watched a game. It just sucks.
 
It is a full generation. My son is 18 and has no memory of Wake being anything but trash in basketball.
 
Demonbeck said:
My youngest son was born in the Fall of 2010. He's never watched a Wake Basketball game with me.

It's not like we had a large fanbase to begin with. How many years will it take to get us back to where we were before Wellman's ego tanked the University's signature sports program?
Click to expand...

This applies to me as well, except substitute the word "oldest" for "youngest."

Kids can detect your excitement and enthusiasm or, in this case, the absence of any.

If we don't get the hire right after Manning, my son will probably never end up caring about Wake basketball. By the time he gets to mid-teens, it's too late.
 
I know. My daughter is 16 and I've got a picture of when when she was about a year old wearing a Wake basketball jersey jumper outfit and it's been almost that long since we've been relevant. Very sad!!!
 
WakeTheNation said:
Weird. I was just thinking about this the other day. My first was born in summer 2010 and while he may have seen me watch a Wake basketball game here or there and he knows I am a Wake fan, he doesn't know me as a season ticket holder for several years that I was years ago. We've never been to a Wake BB game because I can't see spending money on a shit show. And I wonder how long it will take us to get back to at least being respectable.

Football is a different story. We've watched many football games, been to a couple, and have met Cade Carney. My son has a signed football and a picture of them together in his room. At least we have football!
Click to expand...

Similar for me even though I don't live in the area. My oldest was born in Summer 2009. They vaguely know Wake basketball and we went to the exhibition game over our reunion weekend for a half. He's been to four Wake football games and will watch a football game with me somewhat.
 
My kids are both in middle school and have been to one Wake basketball game.
 
Wake Forest is down an average of 5700 attendees per game compared to 2000-2010 avg attendance. It's down 3200 from even the Bzz and early Manning times. That's a sizable amount of money that WF is willingly giving up. Not to mention the aforementioned loss of a decades worth of student/alumni interest.
 
BiffTannen said:
My kids are both in middle school and have been to one Wake basketball game.
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We go to one game a year. They have never been to a game that was remotely exciting. Maybe the first half of the Xavier game several years ago
 
The last game I went to was the 2016 Clemson game. That was the best year Manning had but it was so infuriating to watch Wake dominate the game and hold a 10 point lead with 5 minutes to go only to see Collins iced out while guards were jacking 3's and no one played D. Predictably Wake lost going away.

Wellman was an idiot to give Manning an extension during that season. Even while winning, it was painfully obvious that Manning had no clue at all what he was doing and I decided I would never put myself through that experience again.
 
I went to Stetson and the Duke game back when Giles stomped around about owning the town. 2018?
 
Think of this also....

TWO full ( and well into THREE ) 4-year cycles of students have come and gone in the combined Buzz/Manning disaster !!!!
 
Wake basketball is not coming back. Things have changed. The college basketball world has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Ron Wellman destroyed Wake basketball.
 
Welp, at least they had football.

Football with all losing seasons under Groh back in my day at MSD when Tacy was taking us deep into the NCAAT.
 
HONDO2 said:
Think of this also....

TWO full ( and well into THREE ) 4-year cycles of students have come and gone in the combined Buzz/Manning disaster !!!!
Click to expand...

It's crazy to think about. My freshman year was the year we got Cleveland steamered, so the class after me is the last one to experience an actual NCAAT appearance. Unless the next coach turns things around quick, we'll hit three full four-year cycles of students who have passed through Wake without experiencing and actual NCAAT bid with the class of 2022.
 
PM Putin said:
Wake basketball is not coming back. Things have changed. The college basketball world has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Ron Wellman destroyed Wake basketball.
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Yet Dayton and SDSU are two of the best teams this year. The landscape has changed but it’s more democratized. If we hire a good coach we can make the tournament. It would be very hard to stay in the postseason for a decade plus but not hard to get back.
 
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