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The O Zone

Topic: Supporting Other sports

Topic: Supporting Other sports

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BobcatAlum95
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Member Since: 4/8/2014
Post Count: 5

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Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/23/2014 11:09:19 AM

I have yet to see any Ozone participation at sports besides basketball and football. As the best fans in the land The O Zone should be supporting EVERY team.

I was talking to a baseball alumni the other day and he said back when he played that a group of 10-15 guys would sit behind the opposing team at the Wren and heckle every guy that was up to bat. WHY DON'T WE HAVE THAT? Where has our school spirit gone. Just because basketball and football is out of season doesn't mean 10-15 people should be at every game or sporting event.

Ohio Baseball plays this weekend at the Wren. Please share this information at your meeting Thursday and be in attendance. Friday they play at 6, Saturday at 3pm, and Sunday at 1pm. Feel free to also share these on your twitter or even send out a mass e-mail like football and basketball get.

JSF
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Member Since: 1/29/2005
Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/23/2014 6:05:34 PM

Good luck with that.

"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

shabamon
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Member Since: 11/17/2006
Location: Cincinnati
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/24/2014 12:50:49 PM

Wasn't there a great deal of arguing on here about heckling at Ohio baseball games around 2006 or 2007? If I remember correctly, it was a bunch of football players coming over from spring practices. I went to a game to see what the fuss was about, and I distinctly remember Josh Febus zinging one-liners right into the opposing team dugout.

The Optimist
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Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/24/2014 10:36:02 PM

shabamon wrote:

If I could count on Febus being there doing that I would have made more baseball games in Athens.

The O Zone has been pretty solid in volleyball in addition to football and Men's hoops. You cannot make force kids to be interested in every random sport though... For a very long time, it was hard enough getting a lot of people excited for football and hoops.

Unless there is a particular person who loves baseball and is willing to build a student fanbase it'll be tough to get any great support going.

It doesn't help that the stadium is placed where it is, our baseball hasn't been great recently and we are now on semesters and this weekend is the final week before finals... I hope they do though.

Last Edited: 4/24/2014 10:38:00 PM by The Optimist

I've seen crazier things happen.

BobcatAlum95
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Member Since: 4/8/2014
Post Count: 5

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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/25/2014 8:48:40 AM

Students have no excuse not to go because of finals. If they can make it to the bars/fests...you can come to a game for a few innings. It's just sad.

shabamon
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Location: Cincinnati
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/25/2014 11:30:46 AM

Have you ever considered the possibility that students might not have fun at Ohio baseball games? I'm a diehard Ohio fan, but even I don't enjoy myself at our baseball games. Maybe that would change if the games were treated the same way Copperheads games are, minus the beer.

Conversely, the fests are fun for the majority of Ohio students. I don't particularly like the smartphone culture, but it is a reality that will not change. College students want to be where they can have the most fun, and with the way social media works now, they are aware of how to find those outlets.

JSF has made this point numerous times on this board, and I agree: it is not a student's obligation to attend sporting events. There are tons of students on this campus who don't give a damn about college sports in general. Just like I didn't make it a point to go to theater events. Would it be reasonable for a theater supporter to yell at me?

The Optimist
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Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/25/2014 4:23:25 PM

Bingo.

I stated that the semester doesnt do baseball any favors on weekends like this one but that isn't the big problem...

The big problem is students today are not that interested in baseball any more. No matter how well baseball is dressed up with promotions at Wren, I don't see that changing. That is the unfortunate reality.

I've seen crazier things happen.

JSF
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Member Since: 1/29/2005
Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/27/2014 11:32:00 PM

shabamon wrote:

Wasn't there a great deal of arguing on here about heckling at Ohio baseball games around 2006 or 2007? If I remember correctly, it was a bunch of football players coming over from spring practices. I went to a game to see what the fuss was about, and I distinctly remember JOSH FEBUS zinging one-liners right into the opposing team dugout.

HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?!?

bigtillyoopsupsideurhead
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Member Since: 12/1/2006
Location: Cincinnati
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/28/2014 3:02:06 PM

For a few years we were doing one or two baseball events a season. We would get hotdogs and burgers and have a free O Zone cookout. It was a good way to give back to O Zone members using left over O Zone funds before the athletic department could get a hold of it at the end of the year. We even did O Zone elections at a baseball game one year I believe.

JSF
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Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 4/28/2014 7:33:16 PM

Speaking out of experience, getting students out for sports other than football and men's basketball is incredibly hard. It took years to get even a small crowd of regulars for volleyball.

OhioStunter
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Member Since: 2/18/2005
Location: Chicago
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/2/2014 12:34:02 AM

BobcatAlum95 wrote:

I have yet to see any Ozone participation at sports besides basketball and football. As the best fans in the land The O Zone should be supporting EVERY team.

Then why list only the baseball games? Why not the softball games vs. WMU and NIU or the women's track team hosting a meet at the track?

RPKirtland
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Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Post Count: 233

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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/4/2014 7:31:25 PM

BobcatAlum95 wrote:

Students have no excuse not to go because of finals. If they can make it to the bars/fests...you can come to a game for a few innings. It's just sad.

Yeah, so, I'm going to ignore the fact that you assume we all go to bars/fests instead of studying for exams and try to have a decent discussion.

My name is R.P. Kirtland, and I am the new O Zone president for the 14-15 school year. If you or anyone else has a problem with the O Zone, come to me. Email is rk481111@ohio.edu, and I will answer any email I get.

Let me first talk about my plans and we'll see what your thoughts are. This year, we look to have a presence at Basketball, Football, Women's Soccer, Field Hockey, Softball, and Baseball. Those sports are listed in projected order of probability of students coming. I am all about showing all Ohio sports love, but, let's be honest, Swimming/Diving, Golf, and Track are kind of awkward to attend as a student section, and should be a project for further down the road. Apologies if I am missing a sport, I'm still lacking sleep from exams. It is a bit narrow-minded and a bit of a jerk move to suggest that we should support other sports and only talk about one.

So, with that being stated, I'd love to address why we don't current have a baseball presence:

1.) Good god almighty, we're awful. As much as I love this school, watching a well below average team when I could be studying is hard to justify. If I feel that way, then many many other students probably do.

2.) It's fest season. As much disdain as I have for festing (not a big drinker, I'd rather have fun other ways), it is something that much of our student body loves to do, and to each their own. Basketball was even affected in the CIT games.

3.) There's almost no excitement surrounding the team, as comparative to other sports.

4.) Baseball is not an audience friendly sport. It is very slow paced, takes a shade under forever to get through an inning, and, honestly, I only know of one other student on campus who declares themselves a baseball fan. This age group doesn't really want to watch baseball.

5.) The fields are a hike. If you live on deep south, you're going to be walking somewhere close to a half-an-hour to get to the field. This isn't that big of an issue, but when coupled with the point above, it creates no incentive to go to a game.

6.) Weather is typically cruddy until late, late in the year when many people need to panic study.

I do not mean to disrespect anyone through the comments I made, and would gladly love to have a conversation about improved attendance with anyone. My ears are always open. Have a nice night.

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

JSF
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Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/4/2014 7:40:55 PM

RPKirtland wrote:

4.) Baseball is not an audience friendly sport. It is very slow paced, takes a shade under forever to get through an inning, and, honestly, I only know of one other student on campus who declares themselves a baseball fan. This age group doesn't really want to watch baseball.

Are you talking about college baseball or baseball in general? Because the latter statement would be just silly.

RPKirtland
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Member Since: 10/14/2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Post Count: 233

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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/4/2014 7:47:27 PM

JSF wrote:

RPKirtland wrote:

Are you talking about college baseball or baseball in general? Because the latter statement would be just silly.

Sorry about that. I meant college baseball. When the Indians and Reds play a 324+ game schedule, why would you go watch some really, really bad baseball? Most students, if they do watch it, only seem to tune in around CWS time.

EDIT: That's a flawed argument. Let's leave the issue at this. With the current state of the team and semesters, it would take nothing short of a small miracle performed by a tribe of pygmy goats to establish a constant baseball presence. This isn't to say that we won't try, though. We will.

Last Edited: 5/4/2014 7:51:28 PM by RPKirtland

Went a little too far west, let's go SJ Earthquakes!

oldkatz
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Member Since: 12/22/2004
Post Count: 1,431

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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/5/2014 8:31:00 AM

Quote:

EDIT: That's a flawed argument. Let's leave the issue at this. With the current state of the team and semesters, it would take nothing short of a small miracle performed by a tribe of pygmy goats to establish a constant baseball presence. This isn't to say that we won't try, though. We will.

2.) It's fest season. As much disdain as I have for festing (not a big drinker, I'd rather have fun other ways), it is something that much of our student body loves to do, and to each their own. Basketball was even affected in the CIT games.

Ahhh, RP, we have found the connection in those two statements. Coincidence?? I don't think so.

And, in defense of the Ozoners, gotta say that you can find them at soccer games, volleyball games, etc.

"All my inside sources tell me I have no inside sources." Salvatore "money bucks" Mafiosiano.

TheBobcatBandit
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Member Since: 8/25/2013
Post Count: 618

Status: Offline

RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/6/2014 7:08:42 PM

Our generation really doesn't like baseball compared to generations past. Look at the Indians attendance this year. Just below 14000. That's awful and there's a reason for it. I'm not saying all people aren't interested in baseball but compared to other sports where interest is on the rise. Baseball is no doubt on the decline.

RSBobcat
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Location: Columbus, OH
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/6/2014 11:09:46 PM

TheBobcatBandit wrote:

Indians? Bad team - Bad example.

MLB, NFL, and the NBA ALL have attendance decline trends. So they are "all on the decline"? And that means?????

So what is the rationale for not supporting OUr team/s?

RS Bobcat

TheBobcatBandit
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Member Since: 8/25/2013
Post Count: 618

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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/7/2014 12:03:17 AM

RSBobcat wrote:

TheBobcatBandit wrote:

Fare enough but not nearly at the rate baseball has. and compare the TV numbers of baseball compared to other sports. Football and basketball fans lose in game attendance like baseball but gain it back in TV ratings. for baseball this isn't the case.

The world series is so far down this list it's laughable.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/01/2012-numbers-game.../

The Olympics NBA NFL NCAAFB NCAABB all have better rating than PRO baseball. So if Athens had a Pro baseball team. People would watch the OU football and basketball team more. and that's pro baseball so the fact that college baseball doesn't get many people isn't a surprise.

All that being said though it is a shame that we can't get more kids to the game. But it isn't surprising and will be difficult to change. It doesn't help either that our team hasn't been good for awhile. If volleyball wasn't as good as they're and have the tradition they do they would be in the same boat as baseball. The fact of the matter is unless you win it's going to be hard to get people in the seats. The Ozone can help this by advertising and have a give away but few students are going to want to walk all the way to the baseball field for free food or whatever we offer. and if we do I doubt we have the budget to get them there regularly. Maybe for a game or two. but to CONSISTANLY get students there we need to win.

JSF
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Location: Houston, TX
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/7/2014 12:38:56 AM

MLB TV ratings may not be good, but attendance is great: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/2/10/5390172/major-...

The Optimist
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Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/7/2014 9:38:08 PM

Moving forward, baseball attendance isn't going to get any easier. The millennials and youngers just do not like baseball as much as past generations. I don't know how anyone could argue that.

And newsflash, we haven't been good in baseball lately either...

I've seen crazier things happen.

RSBobcat
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Member Since: 8/22/2010
Location: Columbus, OH
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/7/2014 10:44:58 PM

The Optimist wrote:

And newsflash, we haven't been good in baseball lately either...

That certainly is an issue..........

RS Bobcat

Brufus
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Member Since: 12/13/2011
Location: Wherever Miami and Michigan suck
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/8/2014 4:05:29 PM

RSBobcat wrote:

The Optimist wrote:

And newsflash, we haven't been good in baseball lately either...

That certainly is an issue..........

Softball on the other hand, not an issue. They consistently field good teams, and the weather cooperates when Ohio State comes to Athens.

catfan28
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Member Since: 6/11/2011
Location: Athens, OH
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/9/2014 11:53:55 AM

Brufus wrote:

Softball on the other hand, not an issue. They consistently field good teams, and the weather cooperates when Ohio State comes to Athens.

Our softball games are 10x more entertaining and fun than baseball. It is a lively atmosphere, fast-paced and fun to watch. I've started going to more and more over the last few years.

IMO, it also seems as though the athletic department supports softball quite a bit more than baseball. At least right now, while baseball is in the tank. There seems to be a much larger emphasis on the sport and significant growth in attendance, support, budget, etc.

JSF
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Location: Houston, TX
Post Count: 6,444

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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/9/2014 12:23:42 PM

I think softball in general is seeing a surge in popularity. I see more and more girls in an AAU-like circuit.

ts1227
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Location: Tallmadge, OH
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RE: Supporting Other sports

Posted: 5/16/2014 8:44:14 PM

The Optimist wrote:

And newsflash, we haven't been good in baseball lately either...

"Lately" is being generous too, which makes it even worse. Arguably, current freshmen were just starting kindegarten the last time they weren't considered average or terrible. Compound that mediocrity with the former coach basically operating in a vacuum (thus there being zero incentive for anyone to ever care about the team), and you get where we are now.

Has the new coach done anything to try to draw students ala Groce? I'm not saying that's the answer (not sucking would be a good start), but the combination of Groce actively trying to draw students while winning helped the basketball O Zone crowds to grow pretty well from O'Shea days, and those crowds were pretty solid to begin with.

Football is kind of its own beast ("it's football" is it's main source of interest), but the sustained success obviously has helped a ton compared to the past.

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