Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Ship

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

In talking with some sources at the State Journal, it sounds like they aren't even going to fill Baggot's spot at all on the hockey beat. Which means very minimal coverage next season. What a shame.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

In talking with some sources at the State Journal, it sounds like they aren't even going to fill Baggot's spot at all on the hockey beat. Which means very minimal coverage next season. What a shame.

That outright pizzes me off. I'll just boycott their site and paper then, what's the loss anyway. I guess it just shows how the average Joe thinks of UW hockey. How depressing.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

That outright pizzes me off. I'll just boycott their site and paper then, what's the loss anyway. I guess it just shows how the average Joe thinks of UW hockey. How depressing.

This may be a dangerous game to play, but it makes you wonder if the program falling so far from grace over during the longevity of the Eaves era indirectly cost Baggot his job. I'm not sure there has ever been less interest in the program during the modern era of Badgers hockey and that's directly tied to the results on the ice. That in turn has affected page views, TV ratings, subscriptions, etc. Those are for profit businesses and they can't sustain the status quo if they are losing money. Eventually tough decisions need to be made in terms of coverage. We already saw it on the TV side with FS Wisconsin basically ending its relationship with UW hockey the past few years. The Cap Times was forced to reassign Milewski and now the Baggot news. And the worst part is the lack of coverage is only going to accelerate the problem where less and less people will be interested in going to games and following the team. It sucks, it really does. Regardless of the problems between Bags and myself, he still did a pretty good job most of the time. Outside of maybe a handful of beat writers, there wasn't anyone that had more inside info or was better at covering a college program on a day-to-day basis. It's a sad time for Wisconsin hockey overall. I almost (I said almost) regret stepping down from the blog when I did. If I had the ability to sell advertising to make it worthwhile I'd start my own privately but there's little chance I could make enough money to make it worthwhile.

 

[WiscTJK]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

baggot is a big loss for news on the hockey badgers.

I think the general decrease in newspaper subscriptions has cost him his job. Honestly sports was the reason I got the paper in the end, but the continued push of a political view from so called journalists finally pushed me away and I will never go back. Its too bad, but they push an agenda and they don't get my money anymore.

with both Andy's and Milewski out of badger hockey journalism, there is a huge void..... that may never get filled.

I do agree this will hurt badger attendance even more.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

baggot is a big loss for news on the hockey badgers.

I think the general decrease in newspaper subscriptions has cost him his job. Honestly sports was the reason I got the paper in the end, but the continued push of a political view from so called journalists finally pushed me away and I will never go back. Its too bad, but they push an agenda and they don't get my money anymore.

I was in the same boat, buying it for the UW sports coverage, specifically hockey. Then I found this site and my need for the paper was gone. Then I found the 5th Q and it was lights out superior to the paper. In the end I think there's so much competition on the news broadcasting front, so many sources, that papers in general have been in trouble for a long time. I never dreamed UW hockey would be covered to an extent of UW rowing or golf. It's just a sad pathetic deal.

From a writer's view, there's SO many interesting stories to be written in the next 9 months or so, so many tales to tell, so many metaphors to hear. The most interesting period of UW hockey in just about 10 years will go unreported and perhaps unnoticed.

 

[Gandalf the Red]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

It certainly will be interesting to see what is written on fridays about the upcoming series. I can't imagine that will go away, but it will probably be rather minimal. All the information in between will likely be lost for the newspaper fan (or who reads madison.com), and if they don't frequent this message board I can't imagine knowing what is going on with the team besides the basic information. I mean there is Buckyville, but you only go there if you want to get dumber.

 

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

George Gwoz has resigned from the Lightning.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

George Gwoz has resigned from the Lightning.

Timing is everything and the timing sucks only in that had they fired Eaves they maybe could have made a run @ Gwoz and he may have considered it since he was half out the door anyway. Oh well, I like the assistants he hired, let's hope it works out great. On a kinda related note, I saw a picture of Oz hoisting the Stanley Cup...pretty cool though I greatly dislike the hawks.

 

[WiscTJK]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Timing is everything and the timing sucks only in that had they fired Eaves they maybe could have made a run @ Gwoz and he may have considered it since he was half out the door anyway. Oh well, I like the assistants he hired, let's hope it works out great. On a kinda related note, I saw a picture of Oz hoisting the Stanley Cup...pretty cool though I greatly dislike the hawks.

Yep timing sucks. Yep Eaves should have been fired. Agree on all your points including the blackhawks.

 

[Innova]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

So this Friday will be my first BGHC (and first event a LaBahn). Is lot 91 the best place to park? Anyone else sign up their kids for the "youth tunnel"?

 

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Here are some thoughts, some of which involve ideas that I know aren't new to any of you. Anyway...

In spectator sports, coverage and fan interest go hand in have and, and it leads to a chicken-and-the-egg situation. When casual fans some idea of what's going on, they'll be more into it. When casual fans (and potential fans) simlly see that there is a lot of coverage, they'll see the team as a bigger deal - they don't even have to read it. It improves the team's brand equity in their mind's. I fear that Wisconsin Hockey's equity is shifting from "big-time college sports" to just another sport, similar to the Red Card sports. Fans who are "in" on the whole Badger Hockey thing tend to be like me - they make a little bit more of an effort to support the team than they normally would, knowing that we're all supporting the team in spite of limited exposure and coverage. I always see hockey jerseys at football and basketball games. I heard a SIEVE chant during the men's basketball championship. (Go to a volleyball match, and you'll hear it a lot, especially for the opposing libero.) The drummer DROPS THE PUCK at basketball games.

Unfortunately, the companies in charge of most sports coverage aren't going to just decide to sacrifice a bit of money for the sake of building up the Wisconsin Badgers.

We all (fans and athletic department) want Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey to be a big-time college sporting event that fills the arena and draws eyeballs on TV. It's proving tough to achieve that, and the lack of local coverage makes it even tougher. (Never mind coverage in the eastern and southeastern part of the state...It's weird that a guy from Virginia, albiet in an NHL market, introduces Wisconsinites to Wisconsin hockey.)

It's tough to have a really strong fan base when fans have to go way out of their way to sites like this to follow the team.

Heck, almost all of the recruiting coverage recently came from an SBNation blog. (Then again, it may be a similar case for football and basketball.)

BTN is helping a little bit. Games on other networks are more difficult to find, especially for those who aren't the crazy die-hards who are thinking all these thoughts I've thrown into this post.

2013-14 was a humangous big missed opportunity, as Ilya Bryzgolov would say. I had to remind one of my friends that that team entered the NCAA tournament ranked 4th nationally. This is a guy who watches every men's and women's game. I can't imagine the casual fans remembered it very well.

I hope our guys can overperform and the freshmen can get up to speed next year.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

So this Friday will be my first BGHC (and first event a LaBahn). Is lot 91 the best place to park? Anyone else sign up their kids for the "youth tunnel"?

I always park in the lot directly behind Labahn (off of Regent) and take the walk underpass to the rink.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

This may be a dangerous game to play, but it makes you wonder if the program falling so far from grace over during the longevity of the Eaves era indirectly cost Baggot his job. I'm not sure there has ever been less interest in the program during the modern era of Badgers hockey and that's directly tied to the results on the ice. That in turn has affected page views, TV ratings, subscriptions, etc. Those are for profit businesses and they can't sustain the status quo if they are losing money. Eventually tough decisions need to be made in terms of coverage. We already saw it on the TV side with FS Wisconsin basically ending its relationship with UW hockey the past few years.

Well, the TV side has been in decline for quite some time and I'm certain it predates the loss of interest in the program, as I seem to recall seeing fewer games on TV as a trend going back to at least 08 or so. If not earlier.

Still, these are sad times. The GB Press-Gazette picking up Baggot's stories was one of the few ways we got Badger coverage in Green Bay. If it hasn't happened already, I'd say we'll be downgrading hockey from "revenue sport" to "subsidized by football" before you know it. Short of some brilliant marketing (with no media presence still), we might even see 4,000 fans a night before we see averages in the 13000s again.

 

[icebadger]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Well, the TV side has been in decline for quite some time and I'm certain it predates the loss of interest in the program, as I seem to recall seeing fewer games on TV as a trend going back to at least 08 or so. If not earlier.

I specifically got cable TV for the first time to watch Badger hockey back in '03. Today, that decision would be a no-brainer. It wouldn't be worth the few games that are on TV. Ironically, I have missed a bunch of games the last couple of years because Uverse doesn't offer The Wisconsin Channel.

 

[WiscDC]

Well, the TV side has been in decline for quite some time and I'm certain it predates the loss of interest in the program, as I seem to recall seeing fewer games on TV as a trend going back to at least 08 or so. If not earlier.

That has to have contributed. By how much, I don't know, but there's no way it wasn't a cause.

Regular TV broadcasts and viewership is a big marker of the difference between a big college sport and a red card sport that's just another event that's an option on the weekends. (Also see major pro sports vs minor pro sports.)

 

[WiscTJK]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

So this Friday will be my first BGHC (and first event a LaBahn). Is lot 91 the best place to park? Anyone else sign up their kids for the "youth tunnel"?

I park at the francis / lake street city ramp and walk over the 3 blocks to the Kohl or Labahn. Nice if you are getting something to eat on or near state street.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I did email the WSJ about who will be covering UW men's and women's hockey for them since Baggot is gone. They have not replied yet.

 

[gwhinwi]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I did email the WSJ about who will be covering UW men's and women's hockey for them since Baggot is gone. They have not replied yet.

If I had to guess, the lack of an answer is probably the answer to that question. My bet would be that they don't have anyone or will be doing nothing more than an AP type synopsis for the events before or after they happen.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I did email the WSJ about who will be covering UW men's and women's hockey for them since Baggot is gone. They have not replied yet.

I was told there hasn't even been an internal announcement that the layoffs have happened yet.

 

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Well, the TV side has been in decline for quite some time

I get where your coming from and I get my experience doesn't really impact the local market because I'm 1600 miles away, but I believe I watched about 26 or 27 games this year from Florida. It's hard for me personally to complain too much about that.