Kennel Club Material
When our son was attending and playing in the pep band, my wife and I were fortunate to attend a few games. Almost all fans but the students sucked. When we jumped up and cheered the team, I actually heard a more mature lady fan say "Few don't like it when we yell." Go figure. Shouldn't all be on the students heads. Most of the rest of the crowd sucks.
Zag for Life
I would assume it is a matter of priorities....
Zag for Life
When the school decides to reduce the student ticket allotment on a permanent basis (due to dwindling student attendance) there will be no one to blame but the students.
I doubt there will be any issue filling those seats with paying customers.
Kennel Club Alum
Few needs to call the students out on this crap much like Nick Saban did or BAMA.
Zag for Life
KREM's Brenna Greene addressed the student attendance issue this evening:
https://www.krem.com/article/sports/...6-b3818bd1da0d
Student attendance in The Kennel has been talked about constantly over the past few years, so this is not a new phenomenon. But I will also point out that we are zeroing in on finals week at GU, so this time of year is even more stressful. If students were either studying or giving themselves a mental break last night, I've got one thing to say: Good for them.
I want to make one other point. Ironically, due to the exposure and, let's be frank, money, Gonzaga basketball has brought into the school over the years, the university has been able to grow in ways outside of basketball. Gonzaga is attracting students with more diverse interests than just sports, which means that those students won't prioritize going to a game as much. It makes sense that 20 years after that initial run, this is starting to become more and more obvious. Barely any of the kids at the school now were alive when Gus Johnson shouted, "The slipper still fits!"
Professional Zag Fan
I have had GU season tickets for 23 years. The old kennel had a great, rowdy, non-PC collection of jeering, cheering, chanting, loud kids in a small section of the gym. The new Kennel ushered in a much larger, more organized, and more politically collect student section. Both brought great energy in their own way. The older crowd has always fed off the kids. I’m sorry to say the phone posers, the early departures and most recently the no-shows are not simply explained by “the week before finals.” This recent game merely magnified the new reality. There remains a hearty bunch of students who will be there and cheer, and the rest are coming to socialize and be seen.
The season ticket holders need to step up and be part of the fun since the students seem only interested in the top 20 match ups and the potential for Instagram postings.
I attended a Jesuit college and any opportunity to yell for two hours was a great stress outlet before and during exams. If kids can’t manage their preparation with a two hour break to support their team and school, then all the studying in the world isn’t going to prepare them for the demands of real jobs and real life.
Kennel Club
The students pay plenty.Originally Posted by RenoZag
Zag for Life
Ok Boomer...
Bleeds GU Blue
Gonzaga has played garbage teams at home so far. Absolute garbage. People have better things to do than go to those games. Simple as that. Public tickets for TX Southern were available until late afternoon for purchase too.
Zag for Life
Yes they do. And they're voting with their feet.
Zag for Life
Well said and I completely agree.
Bleeds Bulldog Blue
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you got 'till its gone...
You have to love the Gonzaga fan. Not satisfied to be affronted merely by common hosings at the hands of ragtag referees, he plows all avenues of discontent. - John Blanchette
Gonzaga University...Home of the Zags...The Bulldogs. If you pronounce it "Gone Zaw Ga," they'll know you're not from here and they may charge you more for your coffee. - Garrison Keillor
Kennel Club
It's been a trend the last few seasons actually. There have even been tickets available to conference games with anyone not named St. Marys or BYU. Used to be, the only time tickets were available was over semester break. I get what some are saying about the opponents, however we have always played mostly cupcakes in the OOC. Definitely not the home court advantage enjoyed in the past. Doubt that we come close to the experience at GCU, SDSU, or USU nowadays ! Agree with Angelo on this one.
Zag for Life
When Angelo Roncalli talks, people listen.
This will go over the head of quite a few people.
Zag for Life
Just an aside, Reno...the ROTC Cadet Battalion has actually dropped (significantly in statistical terms) while the undergrad enrollment has tripled over the past two decades. It's still a quality unit, judging by the awards they've earned, but I still find the drop puzzling. When we were there, we had about 100 cadets, now it's down to 70. Maybe we're losing potential cadets to other schools like TCU, where ROTC scholarship students receive an additional scholarship that pays for their room and board. As Dan Brajcich would say, "that's a helluva deal."
Kennel Club Alum
Students choose to go to GCU to be a havoc.
I always thought the same of the Gonzaga student section. Disappointing to hear that this is dwindling.
It's the main show in town, it's only a 2 hour game as opposed to college football which is twice as long, there are way less seats to fill than football, and there are only 18 days the entire school year to circle on the calendar.
The idea that the Zags are "too good" to draw interest is ridiculous. It should be a party in the stands when the Zags blow out teams with an entertaining, high-flying offense.
Zag for Life
There's a dichotomy in the TZF household: my kids and grandson (soon to be grandchildren) have never known a season where the Zags weren't in the Big Dance, while they have never known a Dallas Cowboys team to appear in the NFC Championship game.
Big D was nearly in tears when he went to bed last night, his Cowboys were letting him down again. I consoled him by reminding him that he has the Zags to keep his spirits high, and the Mavericks are becoming relevant again.
He was just fine on our walk to school this morning.
IMO, it's only natural that a sense of complacency has set in with a growing portion of Zag fandom. Still, your missive should be heeded across the board. Season ticket holders deserve a bigger bang for their buck on scheduling. Is Few inattentive in that regard? The WCC hasn't been much help over the past 15+ years, not when GU & SMC appear in the WCC title game nearly every year.
Zag for Life
From yesterday's Gonzaga Bulletin:
https://www.gonzagabulletin.com/opin...74050717d.html
Next thing you know, they'll be blaming the mess boys for stealing strawberries from the ward room icebox. . .
And then there's this:
https://www.gonzagabulletin.com/spor...10e5e65e9.htmlI know most of the necessary hand motions and cheers to do in the student section, so I’m camouflaged as someone who holds general basketball knowledge. If you asked me what any of them meant, I would not be able answer. I follow the masses with cheers such as “That way! That way!” and I’ve never been one to start one, nor will I be in the future. Not to flex, but I do know what the chant “Defense, Bulldogs, defense!” means.
I never know when to form the number 3 with my fingers, insinuating a potential 3-pointer. But as always, I act like I know exactly what I’m doing, often adding a guttural, spirited yell to solidify the act of being an educated sports fan.
Before I graduate, my goal is to know enough about basketball to yell things unprompted at the players such as “C’mon ref, that was clearly a flop, he did not get fouled, man!”
Zag for Life
Just dated yourself, friend...probably half the folks under 40 have never heard of your reference.
Zag for Life
So it sound like (from the author in the article) the students are not going to the games because it is too difficult to get tickets since the ticket office took over distribution-- not so much the idea that students are too busy studying or avoiding the blowout games.
Hopefully they can get it figured out and it fixes the situation.
Bulldog Fan
Not gonna lie that Clueless Fan Commentary was well-written. I chuckled quite a few times.
Zag for Life
Don't care.
Last edited by RenoZag; 12-06-2019 at 01:39 PM.
Kennel Club Material
I am over 40 and I don't get that reference lol
The clueless fan article is actually quite sad in my opinion.
Bulldog Fan
I'm pretty sure that article was satire
Zag for Life
Completely agree. By comparison, when Big D was about 4 YO, we were watching the Zags, and Pangos hit a 3 pointer. The sound was turned down, prompting this question from my grandson: “Opa, was that Pangos with the threeball?”
Wouldn’t surprise me if he starts playing fantasy football next year. He won’t be an easy Mark, having heard about some of the lopsided trades offered by his uncles. LOL
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