sgm405

It's pretty simple folks...do something big, get big time coverage.

Who cares if he was at the game? I believe a few of his buddies play for OSU. And it's not like Lebron doesn't do anything for Akron...I believe I read a story awhile back that mentioned him calling recruits for basketball. If he wants to go to OSU games, or wear a Yankees hat, or do whatever...who cares..as long as we see more of what we saw from him last year in the future for the Cavs, I'll be happy!

I got the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia last year for Christmas...what a great book to have by the way.Anyways, they list the following as "distinguished alumni" from Akron:Dan Moldea, author; Jim Tressel, Ohio State football coach; George Wallace, comedian; Karen Ziemba, actress

Human nature, hate the change and hate to learn how to use new things and if it ain't broke, don't fix it etc...I was a little overwhlemed too, but I think that i will like it when i get used to it. I'm usually all about change and new things...but does everyone really need to know my every move? lol

What does everyone think? It's a little much to me...lol

What is it, how do I join? www.facebook.com to join facebookwww.myspace.com to join myspaceBoth are social networking websites...pretty cool. Makes it a lot easier to keep in touch with your friends too. Both are absolutely free as well.Once you join (if you do), you can check out both groups' sites:Myspace = http://www.myspace.com/zipsnation Facebook = http://uakron.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204843519

I really think that Zips Nation myspace is helping...I know a few people have joined that didn't know about it before. Speaking of...Anyone interested in helping me run that thing? I could give you the ID/password...basically you'd just have to go on here and there and accept the friend requests haha.

Sounds like most of the politicians during election season Well at least someone gets my point...now if only a few others can see the connection

You're simply not going to get those guys at this point in time if you're Akron. Chris Wells was considered by many to be the top senior prospect last year...he had his pick of ANY college basically. Now put your own personal ties to the side for a second. You are Chris Wells...you can go anywhere you want. You want to compete for a National Title and make it to the pros when you're done playing college ball. Are you going to go to Akron or OSU? Honestly? Someone posted a link to an article written about J.D. Brookhart that I really wish I could find right now. Basically JD said that OSU gets whoever they want, and then he gets the best of the rest. If JD Brookhart can understand how it works, why can't others? Until the Zips win multiple conference titles, get ranked, and become an elite team, they aren't going to touch recruits like Wells, Ginn, etc.

As I was just playing NCAA Football I continued to think more about the topic at hand. And I thought of a story that I'd share with everyone here...My buddy Jason is a very successful person. He's got a great big house, he accomplishes a lot of great things...every year, he seems to find a way to be very successful, and has been doing so for as long as I can remember. A lot of people who know Jason like the guy. He's the type of guy most people want to be like - well respected and very successful year in, year out. Because of this, Jason gets a lot of attention. He also has his pick of available girls...I mean, what girl wouldn't want to be with a guy like Jason? His younger brother Mark isn't quite at the level of Jason at this point in time. During his lifetime, he hasn't always received the most attention, although he has done some very good things from time to time. Still, many people tend to focus on the negatives in his past...although those close to him know that he can and will be just as successful as his brother in due time. He lives in an old, run down house, but has plans to build a great new one in just a few years. He gets a lot of girls, good ones too, even if their not in the same class as the ones Jason gets. Last year things didn't start off very well for him, but he worked hard and turned them around...and he ended up having his best year yet. This year, building off his success from the previous year, he's expected to do big things once again. And he's starting to get more attention from people. However, Jason is still getting even more, as he is expected to do more and more great things. Mark's in a unique situation. He has an up close and personal view of a very successful person. He knows that the success this person has is the type of success that he wants one day. He also knows that he is capable of one day fulfilling those dreams and being just as successful as Jason, if not moreso. There's two routes Mark can go here...A) Mark can keep focusing on what he needs to do to be successful. He can work hard and continue to get better and better. He can look at what Jason has done and learn from him, even his mistakes. He can be respectful of Jason, even if his long-term goal is to outshine him. People might not notice Mark now, but they will one day...once he gets his new house, once he starts having successful year after successful year, once he gets all the best girls...and they'll respect the path he took to get there. ORB) Mark can focus on trying to bring Jason down, rather than trying to bring himself up. He can badmouth Jason. He can ridicule the things he does and the accomplishments he has had. He can call the people who like and respect Jason idiots, and boast that if they support Jason, that they can't support him as well. He can complain about the attention Jason gets, and bitch about how all of the best girls go to Jason and not him. He can "wage war" on Jason, although Jason didn't really do anything wrong...unless working your way to the top is considered wrong these days. So I ask all of you...which actions would you take if you were Mark? Which actions do you think will best earn the respect of Mark's peers? Which actions will get Mark to be that guy that everyone likes and wants to be like? Really think about this...I just thought that maybe looking at the situation in a different way would help...we'll see I guess.

bobbyake -There's a difference between thinking I shouldn't cheer for OSU - as you do - and calling me out on my level of pride as a Zips fan, as well as on my manhood - like the newbie did. I am not a frontrunner...I have explained that, so that shouldn't even be brought up at this point. I do not work for the ABJ...I can't control the coverage they get. When I did work for a media source, I went out of my way to make sure Akron sports received attention. You say that you are telling people that they don't have to root for OSU, that it's ok to do so. Is this really the true message you've been trying to send? Isn't more that you're telling people that they are wrong if they root for OSU, and that it somehow makes them less of a Zips fans if they do? Just wanted to clear all of that up...Anyways...It's amusing to me that you guys don't even realize the most ironic part of this entire thing. It isn't me or anyone else that likes OSU that continually brings them up. Heck, I've never started a topic on OSU. This is the Zips board and I come here to discuss Zips athletics. It's funny...all of the people who are so against OSU and the attention they receive are the same ones who continually make OSU a central topic on these forums. Don't you realize that?And yes, I am a fan of OSU, so yes, I will defend them when someone takes a cheap shot at them or their fans. I've been a fan of theirs for over 20 years. I will defend them when people take cheap shots against them, just as I would if someone took shots at the Zips and their fans. Being proud of your school is about supporting your team. It's about going to the games, it's about wearing the gear, it's about spreading the message that your school is something special to people all over. It's also about showing class. You don't like OSU and their fans? That's cool. As you say, you definitely don't have to like them. But instead of sitting here badmouthing them, why not respect what they've done and help push Akron to one day match it or even top it. You want to stop OSU from receiving all of the attention? Here's a few simple steps to at least help your cause...1) Stop talking about them and bringing them up. Again...they would barely be mentioned on this board if the OSU haters didn't constantly bring them up. 2) Stop bashing people who cheer for them. I found it interesting that everyone seemed to jump on a guy wearing OSU stuff at Paninis. I wasn't there, so I don't know the whole story...but why did you guys rip on him? Maybe he used to go there? And if so, what's wrong with him cheering for them? Now if he didn't, then I guess you could call him a frontrunner...my point is that you don't really know either way, and that sometimes you guys are too quick to throw that label on someone. Sure, OSU has some frontrunners. So does Akron...do you really think all of those fans at the Motor City Bowl were around when things weren't so peachy? Also, if you really want someone to take notice of Akron and get them to start rooting for the Zips, the best way of doing that is not by attacking them. Think about it...if you were a fan of OSU and all of the Akron fans ripped into you for no reason, would that make you want to be a part of that group? Furthermore, as an "average fan" who could sway either way, would you want to be a part o the group that attacks and disrespects a fan of another team for no reason? If you really want people to jump aboard the Akron bandwagon, you really need to think about how you are perceived to others. 3) Stop worrying about things you can't control, and start focusing on things that you can control. The ABJ doesn't give the Zips much coverage. Neither do many of the other local papers. Unless someone hits the lottery and buys one of the newspapers, or becomes a writer for one of the papers, there's not much you can do. So why worry about it? Instead, focus on pushing across a POSITIVE message about why people should get involved in following the Zips. Talk about the football team's success last year, the great recruiting classes we'll be seeing, the outstanding outlook for this season. Talk about the soccer team being nationally ranked. Bring up the basketball team being an early favorite in the MAC, and how they have a good possibility of going dancing come March. Talk about the Track and Field team and their recent success. Discuss the growing student section and their increasing effectiveness at games. Mention how beautiful the campus is...how nice the new dorms are...how amazing the rec center and fieldhouse are. Let them know about the new stadium and how much it will mean to this school and this city. Talk about all of the positives of being a Zips fan...and all of the great things we have to look forward to. If that doesn't sell them on becoming a fan, then in all honesty, probably nothing will. But if you talk about all of that, shake their hand, and tell them that you hope to see them again next time at the bar/game/whatever...being cordial and treating them with respect, making them feel welcome...I'm telling you...it'd make anyone consider hopping aboard the Zips bandwagon. And if you decide to do the opposite and focus the talk on OSU...and badmouth the school, the teams, the fans...and maybe even badmouth or ridicule the people for liking OSU...well, then don't come bitching about it on here. Because YOU then are STILL the ones then that are giving OSU attention and constantly bringing them up when there is really no need to...And in the end...in a twisted kind of way...wouldn't that make you your own worst enemy? Think about it...really think about it. Go Zips...Can't Sucks...Goodnight(Don't forget to tell people about the Zips Nation myspace people!)

Oh I missed the Grady comment...sorry. When did I ever say I would get more girls than Grady, or get girls that Grady wanted? I said I'd only have a chance with any girls he didn't want. Good job trying to take what I said out of context though. As for your other comment:"Lets move on to bigger and better things. Say a national championship. MAC championships are good, but should now just be a bump in the road. It's all about progressing to another level, and Can't should no longer be on our level."I think everyone here would love for the Zips to compete for a National Title. I also think everyone agrees that we need to think positive and believe that we can reach that point. At the same time, I think everyone (well, except you) realizes that Akron is not yet at the level of competing for a National Title. They just won their first conference title last year! And although I believe we'll do it again this year, it's not going to be a walk in the park by any means. Northern Illinois, Toledo, Miami, Central Michigan, etc will all be tough. We need to establish ourselves as a consistent winner in the MAC before we can talk about National Title hopes. You can't overlook anyone in the MAC, even a team as bad as Can't. Ask the 2003 Zips team what happens when you do that.

Alright Crone. Since you're new here, I'm going to go easy on you at first. I want you to explain to me a few things...1) I have been to one OSU game, with a media pass, when they played Akron. I have one or two OSU shirts. I watch their games when they aren't on the same time as Akron, and root for them as long as they aren't playing Akron. Do you honestly believe that I'm helping them maintain their elite status? Aren't they maintaining that elite status by winning year after year? Trust me, I think it's more of that and less of one guy who owns a few shirts and watches the game on TV. 2) I didn't grow up near the Akron area. My uncle went to OSU, so when I started following college football I - not living near any university - cheered for my uncle's school...what other logic would I have to pick a favorite team other than the one school that I had some kind of tie to? I did cheer for them from the time I was 4 years old and have ever since (unless, as I said, they're playing Akron). Now...unless Akron and OSU are competing on the field, why does it matter if I support both, as long as I cheer for Akron if they play each other. If a person grew up in Akron as a Zips fan then went to Ohio State, would you be angry or call them out for cheering for the Zips as a #2?3) Please don't question my pride for the school, or tell me to "grow a pair". In my 6 years as an Akron student (I'm in grad school now), I've showed a great deal of pride in my school. I've been just just about every home football and basketball game in those 6 years. I've also gone to every Can't-Akron game in those 6 years but one when I couldn't get off of work. Every Saturday you can find me tailgating with friends at the Rubber Bowl, and I'm usually in the first few rows of the student sections at basketball games. I've been to every MAC tournament...I traveled to the MAC Title game...to the bowl game. Heck, I went and saw some soccer games and I don't even like soccer! When I used to DJ I always talked about Zips games...when I used to be on a sports talk show we always used to devote time to Zips athletics. I'm currently substitute teaching on the side for money while I'm going through grad school and some of the other teachers joke about how I seem like a recruiter at times, always talking so proudly about Akron, telling the kids to apply there when discussing their collegiate options. I've seen Akron put out some bad teams, I've seen Akron blow some big games, and never did I stop showing my support and being prideful in my Zips. Last year, when Domenik Hixon came down with that incredible pass from Luke Getsy, it was honestly one of the greatest moments of my life. So if you want to make the claim that I shouldn't cheer for OSU, that's fine. Bobbyake and a few others have said the same, and that's cool...I respect their opinions and I think although they disagree with me, that they respect mine. But don't you come in here with your first post in the forum and call me out for not being a true fan...I've been here awhile...if you're such a great fan, why are you only showing up just now? Oh, and Can't sucks.

Thanks!Keep inviting your Akron friends guys!!!

Kepp spreading the word guys!

I made the edit...spread the word guys, send the link to all of your Akron friends and tell em to add it!

Excellent point..I'll make the edit...and thanks!

I do understand the frustration. I guess my point is this...is a t-shirt like that really going to change anything? And isn't the real fight against bar owners and the media not giving the same amount of attention...not OSU fans? To get a bigger following, Zips fans need to draw attention...but only positive attention. If I saw someone wearing a t-shirt like the one described, I'd think they were a bitter, jealous fan. And if I didn't know what I know - that Akron has some amazing fans - I might stereotype that person as the average Zips fan...just like you did with the example of the kid on campus. We need POSITIVE attention. Large crowds at games, bars, etc that are not only loud and proud, but also respectful. Banners at tailgates, like the one RowdyZip talked about making. Facebook/Myspace groups that get the word out even more. Maybe Rasor could do a write up in the Buchtellite, or an ad in the paper...or maybe someone could go up to WZIP and find out what kind of promotions they could do through them. Heck, maybe someone could even find a way to get t-shirts made. As a casual fan that knew nothing about Zips Nation, I'd look at things like these and think, "Man...they have some great fans." Don't rip down other schools for no reason. Don't put down other teams fans, or wear t-shirts that say derogatory things...that's crap that Can't State does. Do you really want local media outlets to talk about Akron fans the way they did Can't after last year's MAC Tourney? Talking about how vulgar they were...talking about how disrespectful they were. Do you want that perception as well?Take pride in your team. Support them at games, bars, etc. Wear Zips gear when you go out. And be a respectful and classy fan...stop worrying about trying to rip down OSU and their fans, and start worrying about how to get Akron the positive attention that they so desperately need in moving forward to becoming a truly great university.

Thanks Spread the word folks!

bobby,send out a mass message to the members of the facebook group to join the myspace one as well

It won't let you make a group until you've had an account for 7 days...so I gotta wait. I'll make it in a week though

Why?

I created it today...let me know if you have any suggestions...now go add it!http://www.myspace.com/zipsnation

Speaking of Myspace, has anyone started a ZipsNation page? If not I'm sure I could whip one together...

If there were more Akron people at Panini's - especially at that ratio - then that was just a silly move by management. Maybe they planned an OSU party expecting more Buckeyes fans and were too stubborn to change it...?? Either way, bad move by them. Next week is a great opportunity to get people out. Most people don't get ESPN U, so they'll have to go somewhere to watch the game. And Ohio State-Texas is a night game...I definitely forgot about that. The facebook thing would be a great idea...those event invites are money...they really get people's attention.