19 August 2008

Fan Expectations

All American Jan Jorgensen has said "There are a lot of teams out there that would love to be 11-2. We've been good the last two seasons, and now, we're looking to be great. Anybody who wants to be great will never be satisfied with being 11-2". Jorgensen's outlook is completely reflective of Bronco's philosophy and expectations. Mendenhall believes strongly in accomplishing their personal best in fundamentals, focus, execution and simply performing at a higher level on or off the field. Otherwise there wouldn't be expectations for "The Quest". If Bronco has levels of expectations of his players then surely there must be expectations of us as fans. What is our role? Where do we fit in to be fully invested in supporting the team? There would be a few simple straight forward areas where we can be show others that we truly bleed blue. Those aspects that can be applied would be....

Wear Blue Picking out your clothing color should be a no brainer. Bronco has given us an expectation level. Recently at the Cougar Club kickoff he stated "We want to see a blue stadium every game. I'm not saying you should be mean to people, but if someone shows up and they're not wearing blue, it's ok to let them know what the expectations are". Could you imagine being on the team and showing up gametime wearing a purple jersey? Or forgetting your shoulder pads? There are expectations that should be easily understood and applied. If you are truly a raving fan the color blue is dominant in the wardrobe. When the bookstore is selling BLUE "The Quest" tshirts for $5 (that's even less than your $6 burger) there should be no excuse.
Minimum Attendance Arrive early! Don't just show up. Be on time and come prepared. Hit the concession stand or bathroom way before the game starts. The military often talks about boots on the ground. The same applies here with butts in the seats. Attendance is a prerequisite regardless of what class you are taking. Attend all home games, rally's, etc when possible. Know the team's schedule as well as your own in advance. Be on the lookout for possible personal scheduling conflicts ahead of time in order to make alternate plans to fit the Cougs in!
Where's Waldo When you vote don't you like to know who is representing you? This means knowing what position Waldo plays, where he's from, his jersey number, etc. Soak in the information from the media guide which is this years textbook. Learn the depth chart and know your players.
Stay The Course Even if the game is out of reach stay the full four quarters. It doesn't mean leave at halftime. Support your team. Don't bail early on the team. How would you feel if Max Hall loafed after halftime when there's still time to play? That applies to fans as well. A true blue fan will even listen hinging on every word from the players post game locker room interviews. Fully invested fans let their voices be heard in the stands and stay strong to the end.

2 comments:

Triz said...

Hey, just found your blog. Thanks for the link! (Cougar Crazies). I'll throw one up over on mine for you too. We non-sanctioned bloggers gotta stick together. :)

Adam said...

I couldn't agree more. Wear blue, gather info, come early, stay the whole time. All gold.

And all areas in which I happen to excel.

You've got a good looking blog here. Keep up the good work.