I'm Finding a New Team to Cheer For

[RockyMountainOySker]

Whenever I complain about anything relating to Nebraska football, I'm told over and over again that "if you don't like it, then you should just find a different team to cheer for" or the always classic, "then you're not a real fan". I've never really understood this mentality. Why can't I voice my concern/displeasure without other fans telling me I'm a bad fan or I should just take my fandom somewhere else? But something occurred to me this year and maybe I get it now. Honestly, if I don't like it, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not going to be able to change it and if I really don't like it that much, then my only real choice is to "take my business elsewhere".

 

I have found myself less and less on board with the direction of the Nebraska football program lately. I do not like Bo Pelini. I never have. He's nothing like what I've grown up knowing and loving about Nebraska as a state, a school or a football program. He showed this when he was Solich's D-Coordinator and he has continued to show it many, many times since. He's an embarrassment to Nebraska football...both as a coach and as the face of our once proud program. I was tolerant (at best) of him as our coach in the beginning but I just have a hard time getting behind pretty much everything regarding the football program under his tenure. I have found myself in increasing disagreement with so many things like player development, recruiting, coaching hires, playing time, dealings with the media/fan base, personnel choices, and on and on and on, and on and on and on. The guy is a disgrace and everyone outside of Nebraska knows it. Don't believe me? Go read other team's message boards or look at the commentary/coverage from just about every media source out there. He is running this program into the ground even more than Callahan. And at the end of the day it has taken the wind out of my sails as a fan over time.

 

The problem is, the general mentality of Husker nation is that he wins 9 games so you have to keep him around. I don't entirely disagree with this line of thinking as I think it is hard to justify firing a guy who wins 9 games. But most Nebraska fans have their heads buried in the sand so far that they can't or won't see that this is bigger than winning and losing. They can't get past the 9 win seasons and see the forest for the trees. They are so worried about the possibility of having a losing season that they don't realize the program is getting flushed down the toilet right under their noses. All things point toward much darker days ahead for Nebraska football. But until then, I'm just supposed to live with it until Bo starts losing enough games for people to realize it and he gets fired? Boy, that sounds like a great way to spend my time as a fan.

 

 

I've been a Nebraska fan pretty much all of my life. Nebraska is my alma mater and I was lucky enough to have attended school there during 2 of their National Championships and live in Omaha for another. Nebraska gave me 30 plus years of some great football memories and my fandom for NU grew stronger every year throughout their time in Big 8 and then most of the Big 12 and even after I left school and moved away after graduation...through Solich, through Pederson and through Callahan. So the thought of switching teams seemed crazy at first. It's just not in my makeup to even consider something like that. There are a lot of bandwagon fans out there who jump from team to team and never really get behind one program for very long. Well, I'm not one of them. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy so this really seemed like an impossibility at first glance. But the more I thought about it and the more I was told by "real" Nebraska fans that I wasn't a "real fan" for disagreeing with state of the program and "if I didn't like it then I should find another team to cheer for", the more I thought why not? I really have no other choice, right?

 

So, at the end of this season, for the first time ever as a Nebraska fan, I found myself at a crossroads. Given that I have no control over who Nebraska hires as a coach and he may not be going anywhere anytime soon if he just keeps beating the teams he is supposed to beat, I am left with really only two options. I can either live with my dissatisfaction or I can find a new team to cheer for.

 

For me, life's too short to just sit back and take it and I'm a college football fan to be happy, not miserable. So I've decided to find another team to support. I get it now. I'm not a real fan despite the thirty plus years and tens of thousands of dollars I've given to the program. That's fine with me. I really don't care anymore and I'd rather not be associated with a program as long as Bo Pelini is the coach. Best of luck to all of you and thanks for providing a nice place to discuss my former team. Good luck with Bo...you'll need it.

[kchusker_chris]

At what point in time did you become "less" excited? I dont understand what there wasnt to be excited about up unitl the Iowa game. Going to Michigan we were still in the hunt with only 2 losses, just had a big win at Penn St. Be honest folks, everything was sunshine and rainbows till the 2nd half kickoff @ Michigan.

 

Pretty much the whole season actually. It isn't that I thought we were not doing well. The so-so, but decent, mark of this season was not apparent until really the bowl game. At that point, a 10-win season with another Top 10 victory was still in our sights, so things could have gone either way. I was just not as tuned in as I usually am -- and again, I struggle to really put a finger on it.

 

I think this season had some downers. We were expecting AA play at all three levels of the defense. We never got started off on the right foot there, and it was an ongoing issue all season. I was not too pleased that we saw three straight QBs early that were more impressive signal callers than Taylor Martinez, even if they were not as fast - and these were all young guns. And that was before the Wisconsin game, so maybe I should say five straight.

 

The weirdness surrounding the Penn State game was an external factor that contributed to it. A proud day for the Huskers, and it's certainly not Bo's fault it was a weird day. It is what it is.

 

I think the Ohio State game was a high point. That was an awesome day, awesome comeback. Everything after that, even the Michigan State victory, felt like riding on a meandering up-and-down wave. You know, maybe it's the brand of football we play. The victories tend to be boring outside of a few "gotcha" moments our offense springs on the opposing D. This is fine if we have a D that is providing highlights left and right, but that wasn't the case this season.

 

Don't take this as a decisive commentary on Bo or anything, but I think the questions that have started to arise about Bo's ability to get his team up for every game, consistently, also figures in this. I didn't take any of that seriously until this year.

 

Talent-wise, I felt we were a lot better than we finished. But when you have no idea what kind of team to expect week-in, week-out...you are left not really knowing what to make of the season.

 

Well sir I pretty have to agree with a lot of what you said. I was just because I lost all my interest on the second half kickoff fumble @ Michigan. It was that moment the I realized this team was done. It just wasnt going to click yet. Made every home game except Washington to that point with high anticipation of each one but after the loss to NW seeing that disaster in person and then the Michiagan fiasco I had lost interest and was packing it in for the year, and hthen wife won tickets at work for the iowa game so we went anyway. but I hear you on the lack of excitement. I lost it after the NW loss for the most part, but before that I was still dialed in. It was just all the extra stuff with a new conference and then the Penn St. situation and the NW loss really took a lot out of us as a fan base.

I think i'm very much there with you....which might explain some of my attitude towards Bo and the team this year. We had VERY uninspiring non-con play, and it kind of set the tone for the entire season. Then watching guys like Klein at K-State (who just 2 years prior was a wide reciever himself) tear it up while Martinez stuggles was tough to watch. Each week we went into the game w/ inferior QB play...whether it was Fresno, Wisconsin or Washington, Northwestern, Ohio State, or Iowa...each week was the same story. Some of those very inexperienced QBs (which is how we excused Taylor's play so often) The highlights Taylor once provided to compensate for his mediocre play were gone.

 

And it certainly doesn't stop at QB play. Abdula had one of the best starts for any returner I've seen in years, but by the second half of the season he had disapeared. Turner was one of the most promising wide reciever's in the last 3-4 years, but by the middle of the season he was gone. Kinnie was suposed to be our rock on the O, he fell flat early and never got up. Drops everywhere from the WRs. 2-3 games featured some extremely bizzare playcalling. Then there were the blowouts.

 

Add to it, the one staple of this program - defense - was in shambles. Osborne and Smith, 2 guys I thought were improving quickly last season rarely saw the field. A DL that should have been absolutely dominant became a liability. Guys like Thorell, Blatchford, Fisher and Cassidy who likely wouldn't see the field for another BCS team became an intregal part of the game plan and were constantly embarassed. Guys like Green and Evans weren't developing early as expected. The DE spot opposite Cam never seemed to be settled, guys were rotated in there as much as they were for A-Rod on the OL.

 

Ultimately, it never all came together this season. in 09', you saw it come together. In 10', you saw it fall appart. This year, it was never really there.

[RockyMountainOySker]

Hilarious!

[Enhance]

A few things:

 

1) I hope Nebraska makes it to a national title game soon just to spite you.

 

2) It's a football team. If you truly think about it, football is so arbitrary and irrelevant to life that this entire circus is pathetic and unnecessary. If you don't want to be a fan, don't be a fan. If a coach and some online message board posters bother you this much, maybe you should spend some time away from football in order to discover what's important in your life.

 

3) If you're constantly being disagreed with, it's probably because you have poor delivery, don't formulate your arguments well and don't concede to other's arguments when they're more compelling than your own. There are several posters on here who are constantly disagreed with, and some of them end up complaining about it. And do you know why? It's because they don't know how to formulate an argument, or it's because their opinion is so poorly substantiated that it's easy to argue with it. That's your own fault - not the other members'.

 

Adios and I hope you find meaning in life again.

[Hunter94]

At what point in time did you become "less" excited? I dont understand what there wasnt to be excited about up unitl the Iowa game. Going to Michigan we were still in the hunt with only 2 losses, just had a big win at Penn St. Be honest folks, everything was sunshine and rainbows till the 2nd half kickoff @ Michigan.

 

Pretty much the whole season actually. It isn't that I thought we were not doing well. The so-so, but decent, mark of this season was not apparent until really the bowl game. At that point, a 10-win season with another Top 10 victory was still in our sights, so things could have gone either way. I was just not as tuned in as I usually am -- and again, I struggle to really put a finger on it.

 

I think this season had some downers. We were expecting AA play at all three levels of the defense. We never got started off on the right foot there, and it was an ongoing issue all season. I was not too pleased that we saw three straight QBs early that were more impressive signal callers than Taylor Martinez, even if they were not as fast - and these were all young guns. And that was before the Wisconsin game, so maybe I should say five straight.

 

The weirdness surrounding the Penn State game was an external factor that contributed to it. A proud day for the Huskers, and it's certainly not Bo's fault it was a weird day. It is what it is.

 

I think the Ohio State game was a high point. That was an awesome day, awesome comeback. Everything after that, even the Michigan State victory, felt like riding on a meandering up-and-down wave. You know, maybe it's the brand of football we play. The victories tend to be boring outside of a few "gotcha" moments our offense springs on the opposing D. This is fine if we have a D that is providing highlights left and right, but that wasn't the case this season.

 

Don't take this as a decisive commentary on Bo or anything, but I think the questions that have started to arise about Bo's ability to get his team up for every game, consistently, also figures in this. I didn't take any of that seriously until this year.

 

Talent-wise, I felt we were a lot better than we finished. But when you have no idea what kind of team to expect week-in, week-out...you are left not really knowing what to make of the season.

 

Well sir I pretty have to agree with a lot of what you said. I was just because I lost all my interest on the second half kickoff fumble @ Michigan. It was that moment the I realized this team was done. It just wasnt going to click yet. Made every home game except Washington to that point with high anticipation of each one but after the loss to NW seeing that disaster in person and then the Michiagan fiasco I had lost interest and was packing it in for the year, and hthen wife won tickets at work for the iowa game so we went anyway. but I hear you on the lack of excitement. I lost it after the NW loss for the most part, but before that I was still dialed in. It was just all the extra stuff with a new conference and then the Penn St. situation and the NW loss really took a lot out of us as a fan base.

I think i'm very much there with you....which might explain some of my attitude towards Bo and the team this year. We had VERY uninspiring non-con play, and it kind of set the tone for the entire season. Then watching guys like Klein at K-State (who just 2 years prior was a wide reciever himself) tear it up while Martinez stuggles was tough to watch. Each week we went into the game w/ inferior QB play...whether it was Fresno, Wisconsin or Washington, Northwestern, Ohio State, or Iowa...each week was the same story. Some of those very inexperienced QBs (which is how we excused Taylor's play so often) The highlights Taylor once provided to compensate for his mediocre play were gone.

 

And it certainly doesn't stop at QB play. Abdula had one of the best starts for any returner I've seen in years, but by the second half of the season he had disapeared. Turner was one of the most promising wide reciever's in the last 3-4 years, but by the middle of the season he was gone. Kinnie was suposed to be our rock on the O, he fell flat early and never got up. Drops everywhere from the WRs. 2-3 games featured some extremely bizzare playcalling. Then there were the blowouts.

 

Add to it, the one staple of this program - defense - was in shambles. Osborne and Smith, 2 guys I thought were improving quickly last season rarely saw the field. A DL that should have been absolutely dominant became a liability. Guys like Thorell, Blatchford, Fisher and Cassidy who likely wouldn't see the field for another BCS team became an intregal part of the game plan and were constantly embarassed. Guys like Green and Evans weren't developing early as expected. The DE spot opposite Cam never seemed to be settled, guys were rotated in there as much as they were for A-Rod on the OL.

 

Ultimately, it never all came together this season. in 09', you saw it come together. In 10', you saw it fall appart. This year, it was never really there.

 

 

pretty good post......in retrospect, it seemed like all the exciting players were riding the pine by mid season......with no wind, doesn't matter how big your sails are.

[808Husker in KCMO]

I watched the bowl game out of obligation, not for fun. It was less fun to be a Huskers fan this year than any I can remember in my life. I'd say that 30% of that was the play on the field. 50% of it was the move to the B1G. Living in Kansas City as a Huskers fan was amazing when we were in the Big 12. KU, MU and KSU fans all wanted to talk football. The games against those teams mattered because what matters in College football is regional rivalries. The days leading up to the MU games were full of predictions, bravado and anticipation. Now, there is nothing. There is one Iowa fan in my office. No one watches the B1G. Being a Nebraska fan is now irrelevant in the conversation around the water cooler.

 

The other 20% is coach Pelini. I would not have said that until Dennard got thrown out of that bowl game. I finally equated Pelini's temper and lack of composure to the way the players act and react on the field. Penalties, Punks and Punts. It is embarrassing to be a Cornhusker fan. Those that live in state are insulated from it. Those of us who live in the rest of the world are implicated by it.

[sd'sker]

A few things:

 

1) I hope Nebraska makes it to a national title game soon just to spite you.

 

2) It's a football team. If you truly think about it, football is so arbitrary and irrelevant to life that this entire circus is pathetic and unnecessary. If you don't want to be a fan, don't be a fan. If a coach and some online message board posters bother you this much, maybe you should spend some time away from football in order to discover what's important in your life.

 

3) If you're constantly being disagreed with, it's probably because you have poor delivery, don't formulate your arguments well and don't concede to other's arguments when they're more compelling than your own. There are several posters on here who are constantly disagreed with, and some of them end up complaining about it. And do you know why? It's because they don't know how to formulate an argument, or it's because their opinion is so poorly substantiated that it's easy to argue with it. That's your own fault - not the other members'.

 

Adios and I hope you find meaning in life again.

great post. regarding that 'football is arbitrary' part. so true. tons of reasons to love football. think about the Ohio fans who are probably more excited about their bowl game than we would with an MNC. you enjoy for all of it, the ups and the downs. also, the ups are not as sweet without the downs.

 

also, people disagree. it would be equally stupid for someone to leave a fan base because of all of the negativity. we all have different perspectives, and it should not be a surprise people are more aggressive and acerbic with their disagreements on a gd message board.

[zoogs]

Geographically, and nostalgia wise, I think I will always miss being in the Big 12. It is too bad it was such a raw deal to stay, and that the conference has been so unstable. Just the other teams, though, I miss them. Yes, even Oklahoma and Texas and Colorado. Especially those teams. Those were the days.

 

The B1G is good for us and has a bright future, but it will take some time getting used to.

[Excel]

Geographically, and nostalgia wise, I think I will always miss being in the Big 12. It is too bad it was such a raw deal to stay, and that the conference has been so unstable. Just the other teams, though, I miss them. Yes, even Oklahoma and Texas and Colorado. Especially those teams. Those were the days.

 

The B1G is good for us and has a bright future, but it will take some time getting used to.

If you don't like it so much how about you just leave Zoogies.

[Enhance]

great post. regarding that 'football is arbitrary' part. so true. tons of reasons to love football. think about the Ohio fans who are probably more excited about their bowl game than we would with an MNC. you enjoy for all of it, the ups and the downs. also, the ups are not as sweet without the downs.

 

also, people disagree. it would be equally stupid for someone to leave a fan base because of all of the negativity. we all have different perspectives, and it should not be a surprise people are more aggressive and acerbic with their disagreements on a gd message board.

Exactly my sentiments. For example, I never get semantically aggressive with another poster unless I find their argument uncompelling and they refuse to let it go. And if said poster is constantly being argued with in this fashion, I tend to think it's more their fault than my own.

 

And yes, there are tons of reasons to love football, but there are also tons of reasons to realize it's not something to get overly upset about. We watch football because we love the extreme highs it offers from great plays, fan relationships and big wins. People forget this every single year and would rather get upset (and in this case, 'leave' a fan base) rather than remember why they liked a team in the first place.

[ADS]

[fro daddy]

[Count 'Bility]

I watched the bowl game out of obligation, not for fun. It was less fun to be a Huskers fan this year than any I can remember in my life. I'd say that 30% of that was the play on the field. 50% of it was the move to the B1G. Living in Kansas City as a Huskers fan was amazing when we were in the Big 12. KU, MU and KSU fans all wanted to talk football. The games against those teams mattered because what matters in College football is regional rivalries. The days leading up to the MU games were full of predictions, bravado and anticipation. Now, there is nothing. There is one Iowa fan in my office. No one watches the B1G. Being a Nebraska fan is now irrelevant in the conversation around the water cooler.

 

The other 20% is coach Pelini. I would not have said that until Dennard got thrown out of that bowl game. I finally equated Pelini's temper and lack of composure to the way the players act and react on the field. Penalties, Punks and Punts. It is embarrassing to be a Cornhusker fan. Those that live in state are insulated from it. Those of us who live in the rest of the world are implicated by it.

 

Dennard was thrown out of the game and things were going south long before Peline lost his cool, which happend on the two back to back (missed) penalties.

 

Guess Osborne never had any of them kind of players. Hell, Peter's (whom many think outta be on our coaching staff all a sudden ) book even discloses that fact that when he played they had a pool to see who could hurt the other quarterback and whoever did won the money. Other than that I'm sorry you have to deal with being a Husker fan in another part of the world, or in your case an hour or so away. And it is still no where even close to being embarrassing to be a Husker, no matter where in the world you live. If you're embarrassed of our program with all the crap going on right now in college athletics as a whole because we jump offsides a couple time, our coach yells as a ref and reporter or two, and 1 measly player gets in a scuffle, you might need a refreshment of perspective.

 

*EDIT* I shouldnt've used Osborne's players and Peter's example in my argument. The two are not remotely related, but I think you should be able to get the point I'm trying to make.

[Omaha-Husker]

[sd'sker]

great post. regarding that 'football is arbitrary' part. so true. tons of reasons to love football. think about the Ohio fans who are probably more excited about their bowl game than we would with an MNC. you enjoy for all of it, the ups and the downs. also, the ups are not as sweet without the downs.

 

also, people disagree. it would be equally stupid for someone to leave a fan base because of all of the negativity. we all have different perspectives, and it should not be a surprise people are more aggressive and acerbic with their disagreements on a gd message board.

Exactly my sentiments. For example, I never get semantically aggressive with another poster unless I find their argument uncompelling and they refuse to let it go. And if said poster is constantly being argued with in this fashion, I tend to think it's more their fault than my own.

 

And yes, there are tons of reasons to love football, but there are also tons of reasons to realize it's not something to get overly upset about. We watch football because we love the extreme highs it offers from great plays, fan relationships and big wins. People forget this every single year and would rather get upset (and in this case, 'leave' a fan base) rather than remember why they liked a team in the first place.

i just think the down years are what make the good years so sweet. 2009 is still one of my favorite season, nothing in particularly spectacular about it, but the team over-performed and created a lot of excitement and hope.