Make Them Jealous

[Jake]

If UA wants to continue its success and increase enrollment and build a successful athletic program, it needs to make changes and additions that makes other universities jealous. Jealousy is an excellent marketing tool and UA needs to use it. One of the best ways to capitalize on the jealousy factor is to build a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose basketball arena on the actual UA campus near the stadium and not in downtown Akron. UA is here to build up the region and not the mayor's fat-ass ego.

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

[ksu sucks]

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

I can actually see where you are coming from. It could be interpreted as an admission of jealousy. Fortunately, that isn't the case. I mean it wholeheartedly. Everything about Can't sucks. Their students, president, campus, and most all, their football team. Your point is still taken.

On the flip side, Can't's indifference has less to with superiority than it does pure apathy. Their most popular majors are fashion design and other artsy fartsy BS. The students at Can't State will never care about football. It just isn't in their culture. That's why there isn't a Can't-Rowdies. That's why there is no "flushnation.org", just some crappy site hosted(and paid for) by the NCAAbbs people.

With the fan base we have already(a good number of people followed to watch the zips in the 2005 MC Bowl) then imagine how the culture will grow as the on campus community grows. On campus housing has doubled since 2000. In that time frame we have seen the emergence of devoted student(and alumni) support that's never been witnessed before in Akron. Someone tell me how the MAC basketball championship would have looked ten years ago? Akron wouldn't be there and you can bet that if they somehow made it to Saturday then you would see half the support you saw this winter.

Most of the flush fans on NCAAbbs dismiss Akron as a commuter school with no residential culture. That just isn't true. Proenza has expressed plans to build room for as much as 4000-5000 students on campus. This would put Akron on par with just about anyone in the MAC. it would also make us the largest school in the MAC by a long shot(when you combine that with the non-residential pop, obviously).

I'm excited for the future, and the rest of zips nation should be as well. Let's win some games, support the team and the 'marketing' will work itself out.

[akzipper]

You know I actually agree with Jake for once. We need to stop acting like our only focus is Can't State. We are better than them in every aspect and we need to start acting like it. Does Ohio State run around saying "Can't State Sucks", no because they could care less. It's just like how we could care less about Youngstown State. They are also crap and when someone comes around trying to talk trash we just laugh because it's just the YSU. Yes we are a MAC team, but we are better than the rest of the MAC. Our school is better, our fans are better, and we dominate most sports, and the others will come around. Can't sucks and they always will.

[Jake]

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

I can actually see where you are coming from. It could be interpreted as an admission of jealousy. Fortunately, that isn't the case. I mean it wholeheartedly. Everything about Can't sucks. Their students, president, campus, and most all, their football team. Your point is still taken.

On the flip side, Can't's indifference has less to with superiority than it does pure apathy. Their most popular majors are fashion design and other artsy fartsy BS. The students at Can't State will never care about football. It just isn't in their culture. That's why there isn't a Can't-Rowdies. That's why there is no "flushnation.org", just some crappy site hosted(and paid for) by the NCAAbbs people.

With the fan base we have already(a good number of people followed to watch the zips in the 2005 MC Bowl) then imagine how the culture will grow as the on campus community grows. On campus housing has doubled since 2000. In that time frame we have seen the emergence of devoted student(and alumni) support that's never been witnessed before in Akron. Someone tell me how the MAC basketball championship would have looked ten years ago? Akron wouldn't be there and you can bet that if they somehow made it to Saturday then you would see half the support you saw this winter.

Most of the flush fans on NCAAbbs dismiss Akron as a commuter school with no residential culture. That just isn't true. Proenza has expressed plans to build room for as much as 4000-5000 students on campus. This would put Akron on par with just about anyone in the MAC. it would also make us the largest school in the MAC by a long shot(when you combine that with the non-residential pop, obviously).

I'm excited for the future, and the rest of zips nation should be as well. Let's win some games, support the team and the 'marketing' will work itself out.

I hear your excitment. It's contagious as it should be. You make some very good points especially the one about Can't's school of fashion design. That's too funny. I totally agree with your comment about more on-campus living. I for one also count students who live just off campus in non-UA housing but still in the neighborhood. No way should they be considered commuters. I truly believe that when we see more on campus student residents, the more students we will see at the games.

[K92]

If UA wants to continue its success and increase enrollment and build a successful athletic program, it needs to make changes and additions that makes other universities jealous. Jealousy is an excellent marketing tool and UA needs to use it. One of the best ways to capitalize on the jealousy factor is to build a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose basketball arena on the actual UA campus near the stadium and not in downtown Akron. UA is here to build up the region and not the mayor's fat-ass ego.

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

Can't is our rival. I will always hate them. They will always suck. I will never have one ounce of respect for them. I will never refrain from expressing my opinion of them. Ask anyone from Alabama, Michigan, Texas, USC, Toledo, or Miami if indifference is the best insult in regard to Auburn, Ohio State, Oklahoma, UCLA, BGSU, and Ohio. And vice-versa.

You just don't get it. I see the "crAcKRON" and "Screw the Roo" t-shirts and comments made by them. I have experienced their air of superiority. Believe me, that is more insulting to me than if they were indifferent. Indifference could only weaken the rivalry. The cracks they make about Akron don't have a backfire effect on them. We get no boost from the derision they pile on us.

I believe we are extremely lucky to have a rival. Some programs do not and try their damnedest to cultivate one. NIU doesn't have a rival and some of their fans have been trying to goad Toledo into being their rivals.

Toledo fans aren't interested. They know who they hate.

So do I.

[Jake]

If UA wants to continue its success and increase enrollment and build a successful athletic program, it needs to make changes and additions that makes other universities jealous. Jealousy is an excellent marketing tool and UA needs to use it. One of the best ways to capitalize on the jealousy factor is to build a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose basketball arena on the actual UA campus near the stadium and not in downtown Akron. UA is here to build up the region and not the mayor's fat-ass ego.

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

Can't is our rival. I will always hate them. They will always suck. I will never have one ounce of respect for them. I will never refrain from expressing my opinion of them. Ask anyone from Alabama, Michigan, Texas, USC, Toledo, or Miami if indifference is the best insult in regard to Auburn, Ohio State, Oklahoma, UCLA, BGSU, and Ohio. And vice-versa.

You just don't get it. I see the "crAcKRON" and "Screw the Roo" t-shirts and comments made by them. I have experienced their air of superiority. Believe me, that is more insulting to me than if they were indifferent. Indifference could only weaken the rivalry. The cracks they make about Akron don't have a backfire effect on them. We get no boost from the derision they pile on us.

I believe we are extremely lucky to have a rival. Some programs do not and try their damnedest to cultivate one. NIU doesn't have a rival and some of their fans have been trying to goad Toledo into being their rivals.

Toledo fans aren't interested. They know who they hate.

So do I.

They got you!

[Spin]

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

Ya cuz that rivalry philosophy is absolutely KILLING tOSU...

[K92]

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

Ya cuz that rivalry philosophy is absolutely KILLING tOSU...

Only a fool would suggest that rivalries have a backfire effect. Indifference equals irrelevance. Hmmm. Let me see. Should I put any credence in Jake's philosophy or should I stick with the Woody Hayes/Bo Schembechler attitude?

<snippet>Unlike his predecessor John Cooper, Tressel put a special emphasis on the rivalry. In his introductory speech at halftime of a January basketball game, against Michigan, he said "I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people, in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the football field."

Tressel gets it.

On the other hand we have Rich Rodriquez who agrees with Jake.

[skip-zip]

Also, let go of the "Can't sucks" mentality. It has a backfire effect. We should have the attitude that we couldn't care less about Can't. If I were to see "Univ of Akron Sucks" signs from Can't State, I would think that we have arrived. Indifference is the best insult. Can't Sucks is promoting Can't even if he doesn't realize it.

I can actually see where you are coming from. It could be interpreted as an admission of jealousy. Fortunately, that isn't the case. I mean it wholeheartedly. Everything about Can't sucks. Their students, president, campus, and most all, their football team. Your point is still taken.

On the flip side, Can't's indifference has less to with superiority than it does pure apathy. Their most popular majors are fashion design and other artsy fartsy BS. The students at Can't State will never care about football. It just isn't in their culture. That's why there isn't a Can't-Rowdies. That's why there is no "flushnation.org", just some crappy site hosted(and paid for) by the NCAAbbs people.

With the fan base we have already(a good number of people followed to watch the zips in the 2005 MC Bowl) then imagine how the culture will grow as the on campus community grows. On campus housing has doubled since 2000. In that time frame we have seen the emergence of devoted student(and alumni) support that's never been witnessed before in Akron. Someone tell me how the MAC basketball championship would have looked ten years ago? Akron wouldn't be there and you can bet that if they somehow made it to Saturday then you would see half the support you saw this winter.

Most of the flush fans on NCAAbbs dismiss Akron as a commuter school with no residential culture. That just isn't true. Proenza has expressed plans to build room for as much as 4000-5000 students on campus. This would put Akron on par with just about anyone in the MAC. it would also make us the largest school in the MAC by a long shot(when you combine that with the non-residential pop, obviously).

I'm excited for the future, and the rest of zips nation should be as well. Let's win some games, support the team and the 'marketing' will work itself out.

Please tell us where you see this unprecedented upswing in fan support? Did I miss something this past year? We had just as much, or more fan interest in basketball 20-25 years ago than we have now. And if we had made it to a MAC basketball title game 10 years ago, many of the same people would have been at that game as well. To think that half of the people would have been at a MAC title game 10 years ago is just ridiculous, in my opinion.

But...I sure hope that the increased campus involvement will eventually flow over to our athletic venues as well.