Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the problem!!

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Average UW fans think BA is doing a good job.

Do you have a point?

I was responding to Solo's incorrect characterization that UW hockey fans don't crossover and follow the other two major sports. There was a time that that was probably true.

That time is long gone.

[BuB]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Appreciate & agree with the anger. But, as I've said before, calls to Alvarez and King are a waste of time/effort. We know that Barry doesn't care, and isn't going to, and King basically reports to him. Anger/calls need to be directed to his superiors. Admittedly, I'm not 100% sure who to direct those complaints to (couldn't find exact org structure online), so - the board of regents/president is the way to go. Barry's superiors have to make him care (unlikely) or force a "retirement".

Barry's performance as AD, as reflected by the performance of all sports and what those sports have previously done, is not good. He's living off the success of Ryan/Basketball and Women's Hockey (both set up/coaches hired before he was AD). What's been good/better than "normal'? Maybe women's volleyball; but, I'd argue even that is only as good as it was at its peak under coach Waite, and I have doubts the program can remain top level after Carlini (a Waite recruit) graduates.

Barry may luck into being forced to retain Gard against his will. The powers that be really need to take a look and force Barry out before he brings the entire athletic department down/we end up being like Rutgers/finishing in the bottom half of the Big 10 in all sports.

I thought this was an interesting point: Who DOES Barry have to answer to? The fact that it is hard for us to determine this may explain that for all intents and purposes the answer is basically NO ONE. BA is the King of the Castle and can do/say/act however he chooses with very little regard for his customers thoughts and feelings. Short of a massive walkout (like they did at Liverpool in the EPL - sorry to mix sports), nothing is going to change. He has so much "Emotional Collateral" built up with FB and BB Badger fans that he can do whatever he wants to Hockey and a vast majority of overall Wisconsin Athletics fans will not care.

I would offer this. Almost all of my co-workers would consider themselves Badger fans. They follow FB and MBB closely. They make note of hockey simply because of MY interest. If Alvarez were to step down tomorrow as AD, they would feel his departure would be a great loss to Wisconsin Athletics. To non hockey Badger fans, as long as FB and MBB are very competitive, anything else that is doing good is "gravy". Do they want golf, CC, Track and Field, hockey, WBB, etc...to be good? Yes, of course - but it's not a priority. And Barry feels the same way.

I have always felt that great AD's at the HS or College level cannot be FB or BB ex-coaches. A fast majority of those people have too much focus on the big 2 sports and no idea how to have a well balanced and fully functional athletic apartment that can have; on some level; across the board competitiveness. Hire me an ex-coach of a "minor sport" and I will show you someone that understands that the value of a fully functional athletic department goes past the big 2 sports. They know what it is like to run that type of a program -but I stress this....They also understand that FB and MBB "pay the bills" and will devote time and resources to make that happen, WHILE STILL making sure the other sports have a stable future as well. I don't think that happens the other way around. It certainly isn't happening at UW right now.

Yes, Pat Richter played FB and BB, but he also played baseball (which he chose to painfully cut) and his son played hockey. He understood this.

[solovsfett]

Except that the women's game score was announced and received a nice cheer. The hoops result followed and got a HUGE cheer.

The days of an underground exclusive hockey crowd are long gone.

Most hockey fans like football and basketball. This board is not an accurate representative cross section of Badger hockey fans.


Of course it's true that many hoops and football fans don't follow hockey, but that's true of the entire US population.

I like you and we agree on a lot, but I find the hoping that our other programs falter to be a bad look for you.


Myself? I like the big 3 programs about the same. They're all Badgers to me even if hockey is my personal favorite sport.

You're right, I'm just so far beyond angry with notion an athletic director would essentially broadcast his apathy toward hockey.

There's a part of me that wants his pet sport to falter and face some adversity. Mainly because he shows no concern whatsoever for other sports yet that is his job.

It's hard to fathom he'd want to make statements like that but that's where are now

But in the end I want football and Chryst to succeed like I want Gard to succeed.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Yep. **** you, Barry.

He inherits an athletic department with three revenue sports, ignores (admittedly, the least profitable) one and later declares he doesn't give two ****s about it because he only cares about the other two.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Do you have a point?

I was responding to Solo's incorrect characterization that UW hockey fans don't crossover and follow the other two major sports. There was a time that that was probably true.

That time is long gone.

More important and relevant is how many badger fans share Barry's antipathy toward hockey.

It's certainly more than any of us dare to admit.

[Buck 'em]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

The ovation at the KC tonight when the hoops victory was announced would like a word...


I know far more people that follow all 3 major teams than just follow any one.

Exactly. No reason you can't be a fan of the entire program!

We actually watched the end of the basketball game at a bar (HopCat - check it out, 130 different beers and decent burgers), and hit the Kohl as the second period started.

EDIT: I think reasonable people can make the argument BA is a good AD. With the obvious exception of men's hockey, you can make a pretty good argument that the athletic department overall has been very successful over the last 10 years - look at volleyball, soccer, track, etc. I'm hoping he makes the right decision after this season to make a change (which I agree he should have done last year).

[WiscDC]

More important and relevant is how many badger fans share Barry's antipathy toward hockey.

It's certainly more than any of us dare to admit.

The huge ratio of students wearing lots of NHL stuff to students who are big UW hockey fans is telling in that area.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

More important and relevant is how many badger fans share Barry's antipathy toward hockey.

It's certainly more than any of us dare to admit.

Point being?

How many hockey fans give a rat's arse about cross country or track?

I know I'm pleased when I hear they're doing well and I applaud when their results are announced, but I'm not going to march on Barry's office for any perceived or actual slights leveled in their direction.


Most of us agree that Barry is a prime reason that the hockey program is where it is.

It's ridiculous to think that football fan is gonna come to it's rescue though or even that they should.


My guess is that the regents are quite pleased with his results. They probably have pools of money in the basement at the KC that they swim in and the Wisconsin brand has never been more prominent on the national sports scene.


Fwiw, I've disliked Barry from about 97 or 98 on. What an arrogant pos.


I wish he'd fall down in a hog pen...

[RedStripes]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Point being?

How many hockey fans give a rat's arse about cross country or track?

I know I'm pleased when I hear they're doing well and I applaud when their results are announced, but I'm not going to march on Barry's office for any perceived or actual slights leveled in their direction.


Most of us agree that Barry is a prime reason that the hockey program is where it is.

It's ridiculous to think that football fan is gonna come to it's rescue though or even that they should.


My guess is that the regents are quite pleased with his results. They probably have pools of money in the basement at the KC that they swim in and the Wisconsin brand has never been more prominent on the national sports scene.


Fwiw, I've disliked Barry from about 97 or 98 on. What an arrogant pos.


I wish he'd fall down in a hog pen...

I think this ties in to something I observed a long time ago and have been pondering. I used to attend the Badger Hockey Showdown every year at the Bradley Center. In its day, that was an amazing event with a great atmosphere. Then the football program rose to prominence and started locking in Late December/New Years Bowls. A lot of the boosters and alumni stopped coming and jetted off to watch football (even taking the band with them), eventually killing the tournament. I think this is a microcosm of the change at UW. Back then, lots of general UW fans would show up for hockey because everyone likes to be associated with winning. Now that the sports they are more familiar with are good, they are more likely to stay in their comfort zone. I don't know if it's really possible to get those types of fans back or not. But I do not it's not going to happen with a mediocre team.

[The Rube]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

So........bandwagon fans.

Just sayin'.

[RedStripes]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

So........bandwagon fans.

Just sayin'.

Most programs have a core following and another group that gravitates towards the winningest program in town.

[The Rube]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Most programs have a core following and another group that gravitates towards the winningest program in town.

This is true. But in these numbers? That's sad.

Don't get me wrong, as much as I hate WI, seeing this happen to a program is horrible. Just horrible.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

So........bandwagon fans.

Just sayin'.

Says the guy who went to Duluth but hopped on the Gopher wagon just as they were winning two titles?

Just sayin'.

[The Rube]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Says the guy who went to Duluth but hopped on the Gopher wagon just as they were winning two titles?

Just sayin'.

I wasn't into college hockey until about 2002 or so. Had no clue how good/bad teams were. Yeah, I know. However, no matter how bad MN gets, something about my cold dead hands?

[burd]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

It's the curse of the parrot.