The Anti-Fan is Poisoning Sports Fan-bases

[jkstock04]

The best thing I've had a Razorback coach tell me since my son joined the team came from Sam Pittman back when my son was a true freshman.  He asked if I looked at message boards.  When I told him yes he just laughed. He told me, "don't take anything personally someone may say about your kid.  None of that matters to us.  We would only care what people were saying if they were right and they haven't been yet."

That's sums up college football message boards.   

Last year most pre season predictions turned out to be correct. Most everyone here had us winning 6 or 7 games. But overall this is true...take whatever the majority on here say will happen and ya most of the time it's the opposite that happens. General consensus seems more split up this year.

But it can change on a dime as well. At one point Rob Smith was considered one of the most genius DC's in the country. Now at the present he is one of the worst with no clue how to run a defense. So a lot of the times, mantras go along with whatever the university puts out. It's not just message board made up spin.

So you mention Sam Pittman...according to Hogville he was once an ace recruiter and great O-line coach...but then gave up on recruiting and coaching when his buddy wasn't the OC anymore and left. That's the general consensus there. Wonder if he would agree?

[justmakeit2thebcs]

Did they leave off realist?

Being a realist implies we have enough information to make an educated assessment.  The fact is, unless you are inside the program, you don't.  So most of us gravitate towards the negative because we think we know more than those in charge.  Most of the haters here, think they could do a better job than their boss, CEO, their favorite teams coach.  If just given the chance, they could be the next Nick Saban 

[NotSoFastMyFriend]

Then Lanny must be a rich man.  Or it's Doug.   

Lanny and Doug aren't paying people to dissent on here - it's coming from deep pockets associated with other SEC teams. It's a sort of psychological operation/misinformation campaign. It's been happening for years.

[Cinco de Hogo]

Being a realist implies we have enough information to make an educated assessment.  The fact is, unless you are inside the program, you don't.  So most of us gravitate towards the negative because we think we know more than those in charge.  Most of the haters here, think they could do a better job than their boss, CEO, their favorite teams coach.  If just given the chance, they could be the next Nick Saban

Has nothing to do with thinking we could do a better job, nobody thinks that.  It has everything to do with paying someone 4+ mil to produce wins.  Every single person has a personal threshold and don't say you don't.  Zero wins would not float anybody's boat for very long.  Either you have expectations or you don't but you still want wins.  Whatever a persons threshold is that person would be more than happy with any Coach that reached that threshold as long as they weren't a criminal of flaunted NCAA rules.  Now the media and some big time boasters have different things they want but those things have absolutely nothing to do with the average fan.

[hogsanity]

What has really soured many fans is that talk radio and message boards have lead them to believe their opinion really matters. The only thing a fan has that matters to a team is their $$$$. In the case of the Hogs, for the average fan, even that does not matter because if you quit buying your season tickets, there will be someone else there to buy it.

Sure, you can post that you want a coach fired and eventually it will probably happen, but you or the message board or the radio show had NOTHING to do with it.

[Cinco de Hogo]

What has really soured many fans is that talk radio and message boards have lead them to believe their opinion really matters. The only thing a fan has that matters to a team is their $$$$. In the case of the Hogs, for the average fan, even that does not matter because if you quit buying your season tickets, there will be someone else there to buy it.

Sure, you can post that you want a coach fired and eventually it will probably happen, but you or the message board or the radio show had NOTHING to do with it.

Oh I think there is a point were TPTB know they are responsible for answering to fanhood.  This is big money, there is always a component of customer satisfaction.  I sure somewhere in the recesses of their brains they keep a eye on the pulse of the feedback they receive.  What part of college football would be an island by itself?  Does the average fan think he has any input into the decision making, no he doesn't but he does know that he is part of the main body and that body does control the TV sets and the $$$$ form the tv contracts.  The rich will never be willing to foot the bill by themselves.

[hogsanity]

Oh I think there is a point were TPTB know they are responsible for answering to fanhood.  This is big money, there is always a component of customer satisfaction.  I sure somewhere in the recesses of their brains they keep a eye on the pulse of the feedback they receive.  What part of college football would be an island by itself?  Does the average fan think he has any input into the decision making, no he doesn't but he does know that he is part of the main body and that body does control the TV sets and the $$$$ form the tv contracts.  The rich will never be willing to foot the bill by themselves.

If the fans acted en mass yes, but as we have seen here, people complain but when it comes up that they should speak with their wallet they say " no way am I giving up my season tickets, had them for X years and no way I am giving them up " so they have forfeited the only real power they have.

[gchamblee]

Lanny and Doug aren't paying people to dissent on here - it's coming from deep pockets associated with other SEC teams. It's a sort of psychological operation/misinformation campaign. It's been happening for years.

So you're saying rich fans of other teams are paying good money for fake fans to come here and rile up the people who have no influence on the direction of the university at a time when our football team isn't really a threat to any of the upper powers in the conference? Seems legit.

[gchamblee]

Oh I think there is a point were TPTB know they are responsible for answering to fanhood.  This is big money, there is always a component of customer satisfaction.  I sure somewhere in the recesses of their brains they keep a eye on the pulse of the feedback they receive.  What part of college football would be an island by itself?  Does the average fan think he has any input into the decision making, no he doesn't but he does know that he is part of the main body and that body does control the TV sets and the $$$$ form the tv contracts.  The rich will never be willing to foot the bill by themselves.

Well, as a disgruntled fan that doesn't have the willpower to refrain from going to message boards, I assume you lack the willpower to watch the games as well. So you are protesting, just not in any way that has any meaning lol. To effectively protest, stop watching the games. Stop being an audience for advertisers. Stop supporting the school by spectating their product. I would suggest a good place to start is to stop going to and participating on message boards. Preferably hogville.

[WilsonHog]

Being a realist implies we have enough information to make an educated assessment.  The fact is, unless you are inside the program, you don't.  So most of us gravitate towards the negative because we think we know more than those in charge.  Most of the haters here, think they could do a better job than their boss, CEO, their favorite teams coach.  If just given the chance, they could be the next Nick Saban

Unfortunately, for too many that kind of attitude comes with being a "fan." One of the worst cussings I ever took in my life came from a few our our own "fans" when I was coaching in a state championship game a few years ago. Hadn't been to a single practice all year, hadn't been in one coaches' meeting, hadn't broken down a single piece of game film, but suddenly they knew exactly what we should be doing.

I have zero problem with coaches being critical of other coaches; they're working from knowledge and experience on which an intelligent opinion can be based. You can tell me you played high school football, you can tell me that you've watched 1,000 football games in your lifetime. Doesn't matter. 

[12247]

Fans come in all sizes, level of knowledge and sexes.  As a fan, I do realize and fully believe that I don't have the background, knowledge, or abililty to know what is necessary to coach the game.  Realizing going in that my limits are very low, it amazes me when for example, I could pretty much call, say Houston Nutt's next play on offense even before he decided and certainly before we got a delay of game penalty as he often did.  Oh, I didn't know the fancy name for the play  but I knew where the ball was going and I was right about 80 percent of the time.  Stupid as I am, I can often see where the Defense is going to attack us with their offense 5 seconds before the ball is snapped.

Now if a dumb fan like myself can see these things, why cannot a highly paid, all knowing, right on top of the situation coach not see it.  It has never crossed my mind that I knew much of anything, but it has crossed my mind that very often, the coaches don't either.  So it isn't a matter of me being as good as they are, its more of are they as dumb as I am.  Thats scary.

[ChitownHawg]

Lanny and Doug aren't paying people to dissent on here - it's coming from deep pockets associated with other SEC teams. It's a sort of psychological operation/misinformation campaign. It's been happening for years.

Ok if you say so. Not sure how a rich Auburn alum paying someone to post on HV is going to affect the way Jeff Long deals with the coaches. Or how the coaches deal with the team.

Or how it changes the outcome of a game. Why spend the money? What is the end result? The ROI?

[ricepig]

Fans come in all sizes, level of knowledge and sexes.  As a fan, I do realize and fully believe that I don't have the background, knowledge, or abililty to know what is necessary to coach the game.  Realizing going in that my limits are very low, it amazes me when for example, I could pretty much call, say Houston Nutt's next play on offense even before he decided and certainly before we got a delay of game penalty as he often did.  Oh, I didn't know the fancy name for the play  but I knew where the ball was going and I was right about 80 percent of the time.  Stupid as I am, I can often see where the Defense is going to attack us with their offense 5 seconds before the ball is snapped.

Now if a dumb fan like myself can see these things, why cannot a highly paid, all knowing, right on top of the situation coach not see it.  It has never crossed my mind that I knew much of anything, but it has crossed my mind that very often, the coaches don't either.  So it isn't a matter of me being as good as they are, its more of are they as dumb as I am.  Thats scary.

Bless you heart......

[NotSoFastMyFriend]

Ok if you say so. Not sure how a rich Auburn alum paying someone to post on HV is going to affect the way Jeff Long deals with the coaches. Or how the coaches deal with the team.

Or how it changes the outcome of a game. Why spend the money? What is the end result? The ROI?

Most of it is being done over social media. Fake fan will befriend a recruit and then give him fake news about the program like, "Hey, I hate to do this but I gotta tell you what's going on behind the scenes. Your future position coach is not happy with the program and is looking for a way out" or "An a investigation is already going on about a, b and c" etc.

[ChitownHawg]

Most of it is being done over social media. Fake fan will befriend a recruit and then give him fake news about the program like, "Hey, I hate to do this but I gotta tell you what's going on behind the scenes. Your future position coach is not happy with the program and is looking for a way out" or "An a investigation is already going on about a, b and c" etc.

Still doesn't answer why rich people would waste their money on something that doesn't help their team win.

[factchecker]

Still doesn't answer why rich people would waste their money on something that doesn't help their team win.

I don't get it either.  Rich or poor..... why waste the time.

I don't understand why we have fans of other teams who post here acting like there hog fans.  Focus on your own team.

[FANONTHEHILL]

So you mention Sam Pittman...according to Hogville he was once an ace recruiter and great O-line coach...but then gave up on recruiting and coaching when his buddy wasn't the OC anymore and left. That's the general consensus there. Wonder if he would agree?

Pretty sure he wouldn't. He's a good coach and a very good recruiter.  (As far as X's and O's, Anderson is a huge upgrade) He didn't seem unhappy with his situation in 2015 here and according to my son his demeanor in Oline meetings never changed.  That's why they were so shocked when he left. I don't think he gave up on recruiting at Arkansas, but I would imagine he did find it harder at Arkansas than other schools.  He and Chaney are friends, but Pittman has lots of friends in coaching. Coach Pittman and his wife Jamie are great people, but they are nomads.  They're never anywhere for more than 4-5 years.  They never had children, so they've never been tied down.  They like changes of scenery.  People jumped to all of these conclusion when Pittman left, but they really don't know that much about him.  The kids on the team were shocked when he left, but if you look at his resume', it wasn't a surprise that he moved on.  But people on message boards often jump to conclusions without facts or data. That's what Coach Pittman meant when he told me about people on message boards and I think he was right for the most part.  Here's his bio.  If you thought he would be the Oline coach here for 10 yrs, you were fooling yourself.  3 and gone was not a surprise.  Great coach and great recruiter, but no gossip about stopping recruiting and not coaching is accurate. He left because that's what Coach Pittman does, he moves on.

[DeltaBoy]

Best of luck to Coach Pittman cause he devoted his life to coaching.

[NaturalStateReb]

The anti-fan has been terrible for sports, but is largely the fuel upon which sports message boards run.

[FANONTHEHILL]

Best of luck to Coach Pittman cause he devoted his life to coaching.

Our family hated to see him go.  He's a good man and Jamie is a great lady..  We feel very blessed that our son has had Sam Pittman and Kurt Anderson as his position coaches.

[nchogg]

All message boards have both good and bad. Some think their opinion is the only opinion and attack just to prove they are right when most times it's their ego. It's not just on HV it's everywhere. It's really bad to see what older adults say and do on social media which most would not do face to face before social media. This is the world we live in and if you don't have thick skin it's best not to be involved. And yes some need to be called out.

[Biggus Piggus]

As huge as the money has become in sports, why would fan expectations be unaffected? Many people are offended by the idea of athletes making tens of millions (or more) for losing.

[Cinco de Hogo]

I'm not an anti-fan of The Razorbacks but I am an anti-fan of a few poster on message boards.  I think people get that confused.   If you think you are one of those you are probably right and I don't give a rats behind and I doubt you do either.  We are both gonna be who we are til we die.