Do husker fans today have lower expectations?

[zoogs]

My expectations are low and high. Regarding character of the program they're as high or higher than ever. The current administration and coach are checking these boxes in a way hard to imagine just a few years ago.

As to whether we'll ever have another all-time-great run, that's unlikely. That's okay. I'm really happy with where the program's at right now, on and off the field.

 

[Scratchtown]

What always baffles me is people who were/are simply happy with 'how many wins' Nebraska has versus the quality of those wins and for that matter the quality or lack thereof of the losses too.

That's where it's at for me. Who are we actually beating or getting beaten by???

This is the one that makes me upset when I see local tv reporters go to a mall and ask about their thoughts on the year and blah blah blah....the answers are always so terrible from a football smarts point of view.

I'm with you. When you hang your hats on winning games vs bottom tier schools 31-23...that's a problem.

If you lose a game by more than 28, I'm probably gunna lose a lot of interest in you the rest of the season. Whether it's my team or someone else. It's not fair weather, its just enjoying high level football.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

HS football participation is down (at least in the areas where I coach and the schools in the area.) but I don't know how much of it has to to with head injuries as much as it has to do with how freaking long football has become. It is brutally long and some coaches really have a hard time "getting" it.

Example: 9th-12th graders where I coach at are expected to meet 4 days a week in the summer. 1 hour of on the field conditioning and plays...1 hour in the weight room.

That is all summer with the exception of two days off for the 4th and one week off before real practice starts. Then real practice is 5 days a week with games on Friday, so a 6 day commitment. Season ends...two weeks off (sort of) and back in the weight room 4 days a week and more conditioning.

It is brutal.

We've done this to almost all sports. Hockey, volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball even dance. And it's sad, but that is what it takes for those who want to compete at the highest levels. When I was a kid and into high school, a person could participate in multiple sports. i.e. Football, basketball or wrestling, track then baseball. I don't see very many kids doing that anymore. If they don't focus and specialize on one sport they won't make their HS varsity team or the club team they want. I'm not sure exactly what has caused this. My guess is its the culmination of parents living vicariously through their children. Both of my kids could've continued with 2 or 3 sports but they were forced through circumstance to really focus on only one and treat another as a sideline. Granted neither had/has D1 talent but it's sad that they could not participate in all the sports they would've liked to. If you don't commit to a sport year round, chances are you won't be playing that sport for very long.

Yep!

Once coaches realized how much money they could rip from parents...well, things changed.

Now, with that said you can still be varsity in different sports but the time commitment is brutal and there are a lot of coaches (especially if you get into club/select) that don't want "their kids" playing other sports.

 

[Dagerow]

Of course they do (have lower expectations). Part of it is trying to provide justification that Bo's termination was a good call.

 

[Pedro Guerrero]

My expectations are the same but my reaction to losses is different.

This is probably a better way to say what I was saying.

My expectations are the same but my reaction to losses is different.

This is probably a better way to say what I was saying.

you may not see it ,but you have in essence answered the posted question with a yes

Incorrect

 

[SuperBigFan69]

Of course they do (have lower expectations). Part of it is trying to provide justification that Bo's termination was a good call.

There is some of that.

 

[zoogs]

To think of "keep our coach interminably, we're not ranked but at least we're close!" as high standards is just funny to me now.

Glad we're far past those days.

 

[Hayseed]

Don't know where you got 7-8 wins and 3rd in the west??? I don't know anyone who thinks that. Pretty much explains the rest of what you wrote.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

Nobody can really know for sure what most Husker fans truly 'expect' from this year's team and season without a very carefully designed and conducted survey of maybe ten thousand season ticket holders I suppose. But, a distinction can be drawn between what do we expect (as in predict) for the team's success or lack thereof in terms of win loss record and overall performance and what the longer term expectation (preference or desire) for the program and the future in those same ways. Those are two different things and can be quite different in both categories. Some may be more optimistic about this fall but be very pessimistic about the long haul while others may see things just the opposite and some may be optimistic on both or negative on both.

Overall, I think most fans who've been fans for 30 plus years are realistic as they do know football and have watched and studied the game long enough to have the big picture perspective and the 'been there and done that' advantage. Younger fans (who've been watching the team for the past 15 years or so) may see things differently but it would be more difficult for them to put the historical perspective into the equation.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

I guess for about the last 5-7 years my expectations have been to have fun during the games. Hang out with friends, drink, relax, cheer, stress, freak out, yell and relax again.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

What always baffles me is people who were/are simply happy with 'how many wins' Nebraska has versus the quality of those wins and for that matter the quality or lack thereof of the losses too.

That's where it's at for me. Who are we actually beating or getting beaten by???

Who are those people?

Some posters on here get angry at all the Husker fans who have accepted mediocrity, don't cringe at big game meltdowns and aim for little more than 9 numeric wins a season.

But I haven't met a single Husker fan who feels that way.

 

[Enhance]

Marking 20 years from our last national championship (hard to believe), have husker fans finally settled for mediocrity?

I don't like this narrative because we (the fans) hold almost no power. Sure, we could stop going to the games and buying apparel, but many Husker fans enjoy supporting the team. That's why we keep going despite winning an average of 8-9 games per season.

I'm certainly more apathetic, though. I'm interested in seeing them win and I cheer hard come game day, but I also realize we're not a great program. We've spent such a long time being average to above average that my fandom has sunk to that level.

It is NOT up to the fans to keep a program sustainable - it's up to the people running the program and the players. Success breeds support and money. An imperfect analogy - it's the same thing with movies. You hear Hollywood directors and producers saying Rotten Tomatoes "kills" revenue and generates bad publicity. No, bad movies do that. Don't make a crap movie and it won't be a problem.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

HS football participation is down (at least in the areas where I coach and the schools in the area.) but I don't know how much of it has to to with head injuries as much as it has to do with how freaking long football has become. It is brutally long and some coaches really have a hard time "getting" it.

Example: 9th-12th graders where I coach at are expected to meet 4 days a week in the summer. 1 hour of on the field conditioning and plays...1 hour in the weight room.

That is all summer with the exception of two days off for the 4th and one week off before real practice starts. Then real practice is 5 days a week with games on Friday, so a 6 day commitment. Season ends...two weeks off (sort of) and back in the weight room 4 days a week and more conditioning.

It is brutal.

We've done this to almost all sports. Hockey, volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball even dance. And it's sad, but that is what it takes for those who want to compete at the highest levels. When I was a kid and into high school, a person could participate in multiple sports. i.e. Football, basketball or wrestling, track then baseball. I don't see very many kids doing that anymore. If they don't focus and specialize on one sport they won't make their HS varsity team or the club team they want. I'm not sure exactly what has caused this. My guess is its the culmination of parents living vicariously through their children. Both of my kids could've continued with 2 or 3 sports but they were forced through circumstance to really focus on only one and treat another as a sideline. Granted neither had/has D1 talent but it's sad that they could not participate in all the sports they would've liked to. If you don't commit to a sport year round, chances are you won't be playing that sport for very long.

As a Class A head coach, I will honestly tell you that the problem isn't that you have to commit to one sport. Its that too many coaches are telling people exactly what you are saying and people started to believe it. All the AAU people tell kids they won't make Varsity if they don't play all year. Football coaches are constantly telling athletes they have to focus on football if they want to make it. The problem all started when everyone starting thinking they could play college sports and that their children are college athletes. The vast majority of them aren't good enough to play high school, but non-school people are telling them they are stars to suck money out of their families.

It should be illegal, really.

 

[JJ Husker]

HS football participation is down (at least in the areas where I coach and the schools in the area.) but I don't know how much of it has to to with head injuries as much as it has to do with how freaking long football has become. It is brutally long and some coaches really have a hard time "getting" it.

Example: 9th-12th graders where I coach at are expected to meet 4 days a week in the summer. 1 hour of on the field conditioning and plays...1 hour in the weight room.

That is all summer with the exception of two days off for the 4th and one week off before real practice starts. Then real practice is 5 days a week with games on Friday, so a 6 day commitment. Season ends...two weeks off (sort of) and back in the weight room 4 days a week and more conditioning.

It is brutal.

We've done this to almost all sports. Hockey, volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball even dance. And it's sad, but that is what it takes for those who want to compete at the highest levels. When I was a kid and into high school, a person could participate in multiple sports. i.e. Football, basketball or wrestling, track then baseball. I don't see very many kids doing that anymore. If they don't focus and specialize on one sport they won't make their HS varsity team or the club team they want. I'm not sure exactly what has caused this. My guess is its the culmination of parents living vicariously through their children. Both of my kids could've continued with 2 or 3 sports but they were forced through circumstance to really focus on only one and treat another as a sideline. Granted neither had/has D1 talent but it's sad that they could not participate in all the sports they would've liked to. If you don't commit to a sport year round, chances are you won't be playing that sport for very long.

As a Class A head coach, I will honestly tell you that the problem isn't that you have to commit to one sport. Its that too many coaches are telling people exactly what you are saying and people started to believe it. All the AAU people tell kids they won't make Varsity if they don't play all year. Football coaches are constantly telling athletes they have to focus on football if they want to make it. The problem all started when everyone starting thinking they could play college sports and that their children are college athletes. The vast majority of them aren't good enough to play high school, but non-school people are telling them they are stars to suck money out of their families.
It should be illegal, really.

Yes, this is true. After thinking about it a little more, there are very few cases I can think of where a player didn't make varsity because they weren't playing year round club. I've seen it help kids become better players but, if I'm being honest, most kids who don't make varsity probably just weren't good enough and it's questionable if club ball would've really been in their best interest.

I'd never really looked at this way but it makes sense to follow the money. There is basically no money involved in HS sports but there certainly are HS coaches who coach club ball and even who run whole clubs themselves. They tell kids these things because it makes them money and makes their club go. It does help the players become better in many cases but I doubt in most cases it's the difference between making varsity or not (except in the situations where the varsity coach punishes players for not participating in their club- I've seen a bunch of that).

 

[NUinID]

HS football participation is down (at least in the areas where I coach and the schools in the area.) but I don't know how much of it has to to with head injuries as much as it has to do with how freaking long football has become. It is brutally long and some coaches really have a hard time "getting" it.

Example: 9th-12th graders where I coach at are expected to meet 4 days a week in the summer. 1 hour of on the field conditioning and plays...1 hour in the weight room.

That is all summer with the exception of two days off for the 4th and one week off before real practice starts. Then real practice is 5 days a week with games on Friday, so a 6 day commitment. Season ends...two weeks off (sort of) and back in the weight room 4 days a week and more conditioning.

It is brutal.

We've done this to almost all sports. Hockey, volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball even dance. And it's sad, but that is what it takes for those who want to compete at the highest levels. When I was a kid and into high school, a person could participate in multiple sports. i.e. Football, basketball or wrestling, track then baseball. I don't see very many kids doing that anymore. If they don't focus and specialize on one sport they won't make their HS varsity team or the club team they want. I'm not sure exactly what has caused this. My guess is its the culmination of parents living vicariously through their children. Both of my kids could've continued with 2 or 3 sports but they were forced through circumstance to really focus on only one and treat another as a sideline. Granted neither had/has D1 talent but it's sad that they could not participate in all the sports they would've liked to. If you don't commit to a sport year round, chances are you won't be playing that sport for very long.

As a Class A head coach, I will honestly tell you that the problem isn't that you have to commit to one sport. Its that too many coaches are telling people exactly what you are saying and people started to believe it. All the AAU people tell kids they won't make Varsity if they don't play all year. Football coaches are constantly telling athletes they have to focus on football if they want to make it. The problem all started when everyone starting thinking they could play college sports and that their children are college athletes. The vast majority of them aren't good enough to play high school, but non-school people are telling them they are stars to suck money out of their families.

It should be illegal, really.

Very true In the Deed, too many people think their children are going to excell and play some sport in college when they just aren't. Play the sport for the fun of it. I coached class A freshman football for 15 years. Throughout that time frame the commitment that coaches wanted from kids during the summer in all sports BBall and football being the most prevelent increased every year.

I don't know about most FB coaches, but our HC never wanted kids to only play one sport, he always wanted them to play/do other things. Two of his sons were 3 sport athletes he wanted them to have fun. Personally I see the 1 sport specialization stuff a lot more from BBall coaches in general.

Right now I live in a town in Idaho with about 80 kid a class and my youngest son is going to be in 8th grade next year. He likes FB and BBall, but he is not sure he wants to put all that time into it in the summer in a year. He is a decent athlete that would get a chance to play, but he doesn't want to spend all that time on any sport. It is not that important to him that he wants to make that kind of commitment.

As far as the OP goes my expectations are always the same, I want the team I love to do well. I got over being mad about losing football games a long time ago.

College football has changed so much since 1997. Things that NU did that gave them a little advantage in Wt training, nutrition, and conditioning are no longer there. NU built football players, now everyone does. TO isn't the head coach anymore either. It is only after he is gone that many realize how great he really was.

Can Nebraska be great again? Sure they can, but it is not going to be done like TO did it.