Chicago ND Fan - SEC Book Idea

[magoo]

Hey All,

My name's Jim March. I'm a teacher from Chicago and I intend on touring the SEC this fall (14 weeks, 14 home games) and writing a book on the football culture of die-hard fans.  As a die-hard Notre Dame fan (you can take shots, I don't hurt easily ), I understand the live-and-die mentality of college football fans.

I only know cliff notes on Arkansas football (I watch about 1 SEC game a week normally), but I'd love to know what it's like being a Razorback fan and get your guys overall views on the state of your program, etc.

Thanks in advance and I'm lookin forward to getting to know y'all.

Jim

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

They're using the term "y'all" in Chicago now?

[Big Papa Satan]

Hey All,

My name's Jim March. I'm a teacher from Chicago and I intend on touring the SEC this fall (14 weeks, 14 home games) and writing a book on the football culture of die-hard fans.  As a die-hard Notre Dame fan (you can take shots, I don't hurt easily ), I understand the live-and-die mentality of college football fans.

I only know cliff notes on Arkansas football (I watch about 1 SEC game a week normally), but I'd love to know what it's like being a Razorback fan and get your guys overall views on the state of your program, etc.

Thanks in advance and I'm lookin forward to getting to know y'all.

Jim

The first thing to know about the SEC is that there is a portion of every fanbase in it that is completely, utterly insane.

Being a Razorback fan is a bit like being a Cubs fan, in the sense of any championships won were a long time ago (obviously much longer for the Cubs) and the times they've gotten close, strange, heartbreaking things have happened.  As a result, Arkansas' football program could be described as snake bit.

[Break & Run]

The first thing to know about the SEC is that there is a portion of every fanbase in it that is completely, utterly insane.

Being a Razorback fan is a bit like being a Cubs fan, in the sense of any championships won were a long time ago (obviously much longer for the Cubs) and the times they've gotten close, strange, heartbreaking things have happened.  As a result, Arkansas' football program could be described as snake bit.

[RazorWild]

Every fan base has crazies, but Arkansas has something special with the Hogs.  Perhaps only Nebraska can compare.  I didn't understand how strange it is till moving out of state, but EVERYONE in Arkansas pulls for the Hogs.  Even people from out of state that move in acquire a soft spot for them.  I attended Southern Arkansas and when I look at pics from that time, my friends and I have Hog gear on while at another campus.  I have people ask me if there are other colleges in Arkansas because all they see when they drive through is Razorback apparel, flags, license plates.  It's all we have and it means the world to us all no matter if we attended the school or just grew up in the state.  It's a pride that will never leave me.

[CallThemHawgs!]

The first thing to know about the SEC is that there is a portion of every fanbase in it that is completely, utterly insane.

Being a Razorback fan is a bit like being a Cubs fan, in the sense of any championships won were a long time ago (obviously much longer for the Cubs) and the times they've gotten close, strange, heartbreaking things have happened.  As a result, Arkansas' football program could be described as snake bit.

This is about all that needs to be said.

[Nipsey Mussle]

Hey All,

My name's Jim March. I'm a teacher from Chicago and I intend on touring the SEC this fall (14 weeks, 14 home games) and writing a book on the football culture of die-hard fans.  As a die-hard Notre Dame fan (you can take shots, I don't hurt easily ), I understand the live-and-die mentality of college football fans.

I only know cliff notes on Arkansas football (I watch about 1 SEC game a week normally), but I'd love to know what it's like being a Razorback fan and get your guys overall views on the state of your program, etc.

Thanks in advance and I'm lookin forward to getting to know y'all.

Jim

Do you know Robert Shields?

[CallThemHawgs!]

Do you know Robert Shields?

They co-authored a paper together in high school called "Irrelevance".

They received a C-

[HoginIllinois]

Hey Jim,

Just come on over to  Oswego and I'll give you the run down. You won't have any trouble figuring out which house is mine.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

My dad had a job opportunity in South Bend, when I was young, and moved the family North. My wife is from South Bend and ALL my in-laws are ND fans.
I escaped back to Gods Country, the Great State of Arkansas.

To your point, Chicago ND Fan : Just imagine the fan base that resides in South Bend and expand it to the borders of the State. Add an attitude of " We don't give a da** about any other team or their fanbase " (including other college/university teams in the state as there are no other college/university teams in Arkansas), mix in a little " We can speak good, bad and any other way we like about The Hogs and Coaches but you just need to shut the he!! up if you don't like us ", top it off with " Good or bad we're going to our grave A Hog Fan" and you'll get to a starting point of the passion felt in The State of Arkansas for the Hogs.
Woooo-Pig- Sooie........Razorbacks

" GO HOGS "

Edit : When you visit LSU just remember ;
1. 69% of Louisiana is swamp
2. Swampland is the #1 cause of naturally occurring methane
3. Breathing methane causes brain damage and emotional disturbances
    Quote from effects of methane : If you are exposed to too much carbon monoxide from methane, you may end up with permanent brain damage and emotional disturbances.
4. LSU fans breath deeply and drink LOTS of alcohol.
5. The out of control you see at Death Valley is out of their control.
THE ABOVE ARE FACTS THAT CAN BE CONFIRMED !

" GO HOGS "

[Fatty McGee]

Point the ND gentleman to this, which is an accurate summary of SEC fandom:

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/4/18/2957332/sec-sanity-rankings

[ldfergu]

" GO HOGS "

Edit : When you visit LSU just remember ;
1. 69% of Louisiana is swamp
2. Swampland is the #1 cause of naturally occurring methane
3. Breathing methane causes brain damage and emotional disturbances
    Quote from effects of methane : If you are exposed to too much carbon monoxide from methane, you may end up with permanent brain damage and emotional disturbances.
4. LSU fans breath deeply and drink LOTS of alcohol.
5. The out of control you see at Death Valley is out of their control.
THE ABOVE ARE FACTS THAT CAN BE CONFIRMED !

" GO HOGS "

That made me laugh, +1

[ldfergu]

Not that I'll ever be a writer by any stretch of the imagination but I hope to be in a position to be able to do this one day.  Tailgate week to week to some of the best college football towns in the nation and live some of the historic rivalries would be a blast and something you'd never forget.  I'm a good 20 years from being able to do this but I think it would be atop my bucket list.

[Vantage 8 dude]

They're using the term "y'all" in Chicago now?

It's clearly a "step up the level of culture thing". LOL 

[Dr. Starcs]

How does a teacher have the $ to do this kind of thing?  I'm jealous.

[Inhogswetrust]

How does a teacher have the $ to do this kind of thing?  I'm jealous.

Maybe he must teach at Northwestern where they don't have to pay the players..................yet. He wants to do this before his research travel budget gets cut and given to the athletic department employees.

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

Not that I'll ever be a writer by any stretch of the imagination but I hope to be in a position to be able to do this one day.  Tailgate week to week to some of the best college football towns in the nation and live some of the historic rivalries would be a blast and something you'd never forget.  I'm a good 20 years from being able to do this but I think it would be atop my bucket list.

Speaking of "not being a writer by any stretch of the imagination",  who the heck is Robert Shields?

[ChitownHawg]

Hey Jim,

Just come on over to  Oswego and I'll give you the run down. You won't have any trouble figuring out which house is mine.

Yep it is dark blue with a washing machine on the front porch and a broken down 57 Ford pickup on blocks in the front yard! 

Just razzin ya. 

[HoginIllinois]

Yep it is dark blue with a washing machine on the front porch and a broken down 57 Ford pickup on blocks in the front yard! 

Just razzin ya. 

Hey!!!! It's a Chevy not a Ford.

[ChitownHawg]

Hey!!!! It's a Chevy not a Ford.

I stand corrected and apologize for the blasphemous remark about your pickup. 

[lumphog]

My dad had a job opportunity in South Bend, when I was young, and moved the family North. My wife is from South Bend and ALL my in-laws are ND fans.
I escaped back to Gods Country, the Great State of Arkansas.

To your point, Chicago ND Fan : Just imagine the fan base that resides in South Bend and expand it to the borders of the State. Add an attitude of " We don't give a da** about any other team or their fanbase " (including other college/university teams in the state as there are no other college/university teams in Arkansas), mix in a little " We can speak good, bad and any other way we like about The Hogs and Coaches but you just need to shut the he!! up if you don't like us ", top it off with " Good or bad we're going to our grave A Hog Fan" and you'll get to a starting point of the passion felt in The State of Arkansas for the Hogs.
Woooo-Pig- Sooie........Razorbacks

" GO HOGS "

Edit : When you visit LSU just remember ;
1. 69% of Louisiana is swamp
2. Swampland is the #1 cause of naturally occurring methane
3. Breathing methane causes brain damage and emotional disturbances
    Quote from effects of methane : If you are exposed to too much carbon monoxide from methane, you may end up with permanent brain damage and emotional disturbances.
4. LSU fans breath deeply and drink LOTS of alcohol.
5. The out of control you see at Death Valley is out of their control.
THE ABOVE ARE FACTS THAT CAN BE CONFIRMED !

" GO HOGS "

+1 Thank God I'm a HOG!!!

[Sow Lancelot]

Hey!!!! It's a Chevy not a Ford.

Actually, it's a Trans-camaro.

http://www.drbukk.com/content/23-the-trailer-park

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

Welcome - Hog fans are very kind and welcoming.

[Jeff "hogfanintx" Anderson]

Hog fans come in a wife variety. Those like me that people call unrealistic because I think they should win.

Others that embrace losing.

[Dr. Starcs]

Or others that use "wife" instead of "wide". Lol

Or others (like me) that notice those types of spelling errors. Lol

[ChitownHawg]

Or others that use "wife" instead of "wide". Lol

Or others (like me) that notice those types of spelling errors. Lol

Or others who use mobile devices and understand the aggregation aggravation of auto-correct. 

[HogFanatic]

I am surprised nobody has called this guy a carpetbagger yet.

To the question; I know that personally my first words were woo pig sooie. Same goes for my children. And that is how it is for most of the state.

Good luck with your book. You will enjoy 75,000 calling the Hogs.

[chitwnhog]

As a poster above said and many concurred...we are much like the cubs. With the hogs like the cubs its always "wait till next year."

[IrishShenanigans69]

As a fan of both, the best comparison I can make is this.  The punch in the gut ND felt when we lost to the Bush Push in '05 is par for the course for Razorbacks.  Being a Hog fan makes you a glutton for punishment.

WOO PIG [CENSORED] SOOIE!

[magoo]

Absolutely love the feedback guys. I think the comparison to the Cubs is super interesting. I've had to take a couple steps back after '03 and '08. Bartman (who I don't blame, if you get the 2003 reference) went to my high school.

I think the idea of a snakebitten fanbase is so interesting where it's like 'hey, we're invested win or lose no matter what' that's what growing up an irish fan was like for me in the davie/willingham/weis era, after seeing them be nationally competitive as a little kid.

I've decided that I'm going to do this. I got out of my lease as of May 1st and will be moving in with my Dad for 4 months to save up for the trip. (I'm sure 'hey, I'm 28 and live with my dad' will help in the dating department, ha)

I've mapped out the trip and I'm planning to be in Fayetteville on Sept 20th for the NIU game and hopefully a couple days early to check out campus, meet fans, see some of you for the tailgate, etc.  I'll also be in Arlington for the TAMU game the next week.

I'll keep posting over the next weeks to get to know you guys better, but I love the warm welcome. Really appreciate it.

Jim

PS Does anyone else find those tiny letters you have to type to post something really hard to read?

[magoo]

As a fan of both, the best comparison I can make is this.  The punch in the gut ND felt when we lost to the Bush Push in '05 is par for the course for Razorbacks.  Being a Hog fan makes you a glutton for punishment.

WOO PIG [CENSORED] SOOIE!

Uggh, I still know exactly where I was at that moment. Remember it like it was yesterday.

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

Houston Nutt(who I do blame) was our "Bartman".  Everything was lined up for a run at a NC, including the greatest Razorback player of our lifetime - Darren McFadden.

[magoo]

How does a teacher have the $ to do this kind of thing?  I'm jealous.

Sheer stupidity, and meager savings over 3 years of teaching.

[magoo]

Houston Nutt was our "Bartman".  Everything was lined up for a run at a NC, including the greatest Razorback player of our lifetime - Darren McFadden.

I'm actually happy you mentioned that. I remember really being enamored with that team with him and Felix Jones. Weren't they both averaging over 8 ypc the whole season or something obscene?  How did Nutt screw it up? (this is just my ignorance of the details of Arkansas football)

[magoo]

I am surprised nobody has called this guy a carpetbagger yet.

To the question; I know that personally my first words were woo pig sooie. Same goes for my children. And that is how it is for most of the state.

Good luck with your book. You will enjoy 75,000 calling the Hogs.

I've been called much worse lol.

I think that a lot of people have an inheritance of their sports allegiances. I suspect this may be even stronger in southern states without professional teams with regard to their college teams.  Is this the case for a lot of you? Is is something you learn at a young age and grow up with or is it something you can/do pick up later in life?

[josh_sec33]

I'm actually happy you mentioned that. I remember really being enamored with that team with him and Felix Jones. Weren't they both averaging over 8 ypc the whole season or something obscene?  How did Nutt screw it up? (this is just my ignorance of the details of Arkansas football)

the fact that I could call the plays before they were run by looking at who came in, what our yardage was, and that no defensive consistency or nuances were ever taught (DAMN IT CORNERBACK... TURN YOUR HEAD) and the fact that other teams defenses basically said as much in post games would be a start.

I'm not getting into the rest of the cluster-fiasco that occurred OFF field. There''s already books and a half of a documentary on that.

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

I'm actually happy you mentioned that. I remember really being enamored with that team with him and Felix Jones. Weren't they both averaging over 8 ypc the whole season or something obscene?  How did Nutt screw it up? (this is just my ignorance of the details of Arkansas football)

He probably also kept McFadden from winning the Heisman.

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this subject.  It split our fan base almost down the middle.

IMO, the most accurate stuff written on the subject is anything written by Mike Irwin, as well as an article by Wally Hall - I'm trying to find it online, I found it before but can't seem to right now.

[Big Papa Satan]

I think the idea of a snakebitten fanbase is so interesting where it's like 'hey, we're invested win or lose no matter what' that's what growing up an irish fan was like for me in the davie/willingham/weis era, after seeing them be nationally competitive as a little kid.

Snakebit in meaning the ways things can go south to the point where you're yelling, "My God, what else can go wrong?!" 

And something inevitably does, whether it be the refusal to kick a field goal that would've won you a national championship and finding a way to lose that game, to having a career assistant and proof of the Peter Principle as your head coach when joining a tough new league, a fumble when you're undefeated and you have #1 on the ropes, or a coach tanking a national championship spot because he, as a grown man around fifty, can't fathom a few eighteen year olds having no respect for him, setting off a civil war in the fanbase, to passing over coach after coach who went on to either play for or win national titles, or even coming off an eleven win season, your married coach gets in a motorcycle wreck in freaking April with his girlfriend on board, lies about it, gets fired because of no other option and you hire an intelligent chimp as a stop gap to fill his seat for the upcoming season.

As I said, snakebit.

[3kgthog]

How does a teacher have the $ to do this kind of thing?  I'm jealous.

You might be surprised what a specialized National Board Certified teacher pulls in. Some schools and states kick in decent sized annual bonuses for that certification. Arkansas is one of them, if you were wondering.

[Jeff "hogfanintx" Anderson]

Or others that use "wife" instead of "wide". Lol

Or others (like me) that notice those types of spelling errors. Lol

Sure did didn't I.  Oh well 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

He probably also kept McFadden from winning the Heisman.  He came in 2nd that year to Tebow.

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this subject.  It split our fan base almost down the middle.

IMO, the most accurate stuff written on the subject is anything written by Mike Irwin, as well as an article by Wally Hall - I'm trying to find it online, I found it before but can't seem to right now.

HDN's pride kept him from totally turning over the offense to Malzahn and had he done so, I have no doubt that DMac would have won the Heisman over Tebow, though the national press machine was pushing and promoting Tebow at the time.

DMac and Felix would have both had more yards if HDN had simply stepped aside and allowed Gus to do his job. But he lived in fear of the positive press that his OC might have received from this so like the classic ego maniac, he felt compelled to take credit for everything and limit what Gus could do. The man was convinced that Gus would have his job. And yes, you are right, Mike Irwin has more of the inside scoop on all of this more than anyone else (except those that were on staff at the time) at this point.

[Fatty McGee]

For all your SEC background, Magoo, read old www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com posts.  Really has the SEC down. 

[Dr. Starcs]

3kgthog, each district can give bonuses to national board teachers, not a state thing yet.

[HogFanatic]

I've been called much worse lol.

I think that a lot of people have an inheritance of their sports allegiances. I suspect this may be even stronger in southern states without professional teams with regard to their college teams.  Is this the case for a lot of you? Is is something you learn at a young age and grow up with or is it something you can/do pick up later in life?

The carpetbagger thing was meant as a bit of an inside joke.
You see, we have a vocal segment of our fan base who like to call our AD a carpetbagger basically because they are butt hurt that he fired Petrino. These people are grade-a morons though. They don't recognize Long's successes and ride down his faults. Maybe this is the norm with sports fans, but from where I sit, this particular brand of hypocratic vitriol seems unique. Perhaps that could be a point of research for your book when you focus on the Razorbacks. It may seem negative, but most of us won't mind. We realize our fan base is insane.

Anyways, as to your question, I think most people in-state were born into their fandom, but as noted above, even outsiders tend to grow a soft spot for the hogs once they have seen the passion hog fans have for their team.

I was stationed overseas for a while and still to this day I get occasional emails from converted hog fans from places as far-flung as Southern California and Michigan.

The Hogs are fun to cheer for, because as we ARE snake bitten, it only makes the victories that much more sweet. And as much as you are gonna hear people ride down Houston Nutt, I will say this; he was the best in recent memory when it came to taking a snakebit team and having them knock off a top opponent. Those victories Nutt occasionally gave this program were AWESOME. Don't get me wrong though - I am glad he is gone. Dude was an idiot.

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

Anyone have a link to the Wally Hall article?

It should be required reading for Hog fans.  It deals only with facts.

[DZ]

Anyone have a link to the Wally Hall article?

It should be required reading for Hog fans.  It deals only with facts.

I have this book marked,  not sure if its what you are referring to but I think its all here  http://www.realhognews.blogspot.com/

[DZ]

well it appears the links are no longer working in that.. sorry

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

well it appears the links are no longer working in that.. sorry

Yeah - I read it again like a month ago when I shared it with someone on here who was curious about it.

I'm amazed at how many people don't believe or are unaware of what really happened.  I know it's almost too unbelievable, but the facts are all there.

I've moved on as have most fans, but it has to be a part of the conversation when we discuss being "snakebit" or why we haven't been more successful over the years.

[DZ]

Yeah - I read it again like a month ago when I shared it with someone on here who was curious about it.

I'm amazed at how many people don't believe or are unaware of what really happened.  I know it's almost too unbelievable, but the facts are all there.

I've moved on as have most fans, but it has to be a part of the conversation when we discuss being "snakebit" or why we haven't been more successful over the years.

yeah its definately a good read , I'd be interested in reading again if anyone has it..

[JONAS]

In 2006, Troy Smith won the Heisman not Tebow.  Tebow won it in 2007.  Hogs were 8-4, 4-4 that year.  The reason we did not play for the national title was because Peyton Hillis got hurt against Tennessee which caused us to lose to LSU.  Then, Reggie Fish muffed the punt against Florida.