So, was the blue out a success?

[sackman]

The reasons he dislikes them are all the more incentive to make an effort to mitigate the risk. What better place than to dispel the rumors than at the source. To me, it seems like an effective and efficient way to get the message out.

That's because you're thinking logically and coherently. The CU AD has never operated that way. I was hopeful that the bunker mentality up there would change with Mike Bohn, but it seems to still be there in full force. The whole concept of "customers" is completely foreign to them. They really don't view what they're doing as providing a product for consumption. In reality, they're not doing anything different than running a retail store. The product on the shelf has to be something that people want to buy, and the service has to be something people want to deal with. They fall flat on both counts. They have an overpriced product and surly sales associates.

 

[Buffarino]

Plati, for all the good things he does up there, seems very much to be an 'us against them' kind of guy. And since he's the one who really crafts the message to the public, it does not surprise me one bit that the bunker mentality still exists.

 

[SINKRATZ]

Plati, for all the good things he does up there, seems very much to be an 'us against them' kind of guy. And since he's the one who really crafts the message to the public, it does not surprise me one bit that the bunker mentality still exists.

True, but since he has access to the media outlets he's going to win the PR battle over blue out.

When he, or anyone else from the AD is asked about blue out, he basically has two choices:

1. Acknowledge there was a large number of upset fans in the crowd that wore blue in protest of the teams poor performance.

or

2. Downplay blue out and minimize its impact or importance.

Plati has access to the mainstream local media that the organizers of blue out do not, so my guess is that Plati decided that squashing any unrest that the fans who didn't dress in blue might have had outweighed the risk of pissing off those who did come in blue.

Most buff fans aren't on AllBuffs and won't see the reaction the AD's comments are getting here - they're going to pick up the paper or read the quotes online that it was a flop or whatever and think it's not a big deal. I could be wrong, I just think they're using the PR machine to their advantage.

Having said that, Hawk's "real fans" comment was pretty stupid.

 

[96 Buff]

Plati is also very passionate about the Buffs, and very personally and emotionally involved -- just like most of us. In my opinion, that explains why he sometimes reacts more like a fan than an objective SID.

 

[BuffMania]

I'm still waiting for Chomp to grow some balls and explain his comments in this thread.

 

[Duke]

Mixed bag.

Cons
- The CUAD is in damage control mode, pooh-poohing the numbers of participants.
- The local press use terms like 'fizzle' and are reframing the event with player quotes that indicate the gesture was targeted at the players.
- It was divisive, breaking the Buff faithful into a majority BnG faction and a rogue CU Blues faction.

Pros
- The Buffs won! The players and coaches played with emotion.
- The Blue Out provided cover, stealing attention from Darrell Scott's departure.
- It was a benign event that didn't turn out to be a major embarassment. The Blue Out was not the embarassment or recruiting black eye that the opponents made it out to be. Winning with a breakout game by Simas, and fans rushing the field after the game was the bigger story.
- It was a catalyst for fans, players, and the CUAD to engage in a dialog about the Buff's past, present and future.

Question. What will Buffs do to steal attention away from the ass whippin at Jack Trice?

 

[Johnny Juzang]

Maybe they tracked down 87 and put him in a dungeon. Haven't seen him since the weekend.

 

[Darth Snow]

Question. What will Buffs do to steal attention away from the ass whippin at Jack Trice?

well after CU goes up by 45 points in the 2d quarter, the cyclone fans will leave and then the story will be about lack of support for the ISU program sucks cause it ****ing sucks, always has sucked, and always will suck. :smile2:

 

[dply]

Maybe they tracked down 87 and put him in a dungeon. Haven't seen him since the weekend.

:lol:

 

[The Guest]

Question. What will Buffs do to steal attention away from the ass whippin at Jack Trice?

Question.

What's your angle? You're clearly not hear for "reasonable dialogue". So what kind of response are you soliciting?

Duke said: Why in the world would you come on AllBuffs and try to have a reasonable dialogue???

 

[Darth Snow]

Maybe they tracked down 87 and put him in a dungeon. Haven't seen him since the weekend.

I never liked that douchebag anyways

 

[Duke]

Question.

What's your angle? You're clearly not hear for "reasonable dialogue". So what kind of response are you soliciting?

I like to see who the biggest loooser is who has nothing better to do then troll message boards. YOU WIN!

 

[Highflyer]

I like to see who the biggest loooser is who has nothing better to do then troll message boards. YOU WIN!

 

[Duke]

You have the title though.

 

[The Guest]

I like to see who the biggest loooser is who has nothing better to do then troll message boards. YOU WIN!

Pithy.:huh:

 

[96 Buff]

****ty.:huh:

Fixed.

 

[Deleted member 807]

Question. What will Buffs do to steal attention away from the ass whippin at Jack Trice?

The elusive existance of Three Million Dollars in a down economy.

I'm sure that we fans are responsible for the program's woes.

That's the old reliable card that always gets played.

Should CU lose, it's your fault, Duke.

 

[77buff]

Plati hates message boards and equivocates message boards to the blue out thing. I wish he would, instead, embrace message boards, or, as they should be called, FAN sites. I don't think he wants to believe or concede that fan sites have any kind of influence.

I can absolutely guarantee you that the athletic department is constantly checking fan sites. Dah, it only gives them an accurate barometer of fan support. Like who needs stinking fans? I can also guarantee you that some supportive posts of Hawkins have been made on fan sites by employees of the athletic dept.
When Snyder first took over at KSU, he had a coaches call in show. Fan support was so bad back then that the coaching staff got their wives to call in so there would be somebody to talk with.
Plati is a frozen liar. It's probably one of the first things one of his assistant's do everyday.

 

[leftybuff]

I can absolutely guarantee you that the athletic department is constantly checking fan sites. ...It's probably one of the first things one of his assistant's do everyday.

Of course they check them, they'd be foolish not to. Fan boards are a barometer of what is going on. Even though they are the minority of fans, and therefore skewed, they are also the fan group most likely to keep buying seats, gear and be involved even when the on field peformance is weak. When you lose them, you've likely lost casual fan and joe alumni.

Foolishly, the AD seems intent on attacking those hardcore fans who choose to use their time conversing about their team, (wait is it our team, or is it the AD's sandbox and we just get invited from time to time?), rather than recognizing the forum is going to give them some frame of reference for marketing to a portion of the fanbase.

From a marketing/pr standpoint, fan boards are a wealth of information about the likes, dislikes and disposition of a goodly portion of your fanbase. Our AD seems to think it is something to be despised, called names and, if possible, squlech. It makes me wonder if they understand folks on here are part of the ticket buying public they need to fill the stadium....

 

[Chomp]

Sorry for the delayed response, not visiting as often as I would like.............
Simply put, after being a hard core Buffs fan for over 50 years, I remember both the good old days, and the bad old days......like when Fairbanks was here - like it was yesterday, and I vividly remember how much that sucked. I am a black & gold guy.
I remember the teal blue. It shocked me when they introduced that change.
That being said, I was not a fan of the blue for A&M. I probably look at it more from a player's perspective. I didn't know if it was a protest of the staff, the players, or the program as a whole. I personally thought it was hypocritical for the kids to rush the field in blue. If they we protesting the players, I felt that was hypocritical. Just my humble opinion.
That being said, I certainly understand that the whole "Buff nation" is preturbed by the current state of the program, and that in the end, we all value success. Once tasted, it's hard to accept mediocrity. I was thrilled for the victory, but as I left the stadium, and turned and looked at the field, and saw all the blue, it made me more sad than anything. I suppose it was intended to get a "rise" out of the program, but I felt it was unnecessary. Hell, everybody is upset at the way this season has gone. We were all excited at the start, and we all want success. Winning will solve everything. Blue was overstating the obvious. Everybody knows the status quo isn't enough, and the program needs to be better. I am not involved with the program other than being a "true-blue" (pun intended) fan. I probably ally more with DBT and Chilly. I hope for the best going forward as we all do. Go Buffs!

 

[Chilly]

Sorry for the delayed response, not visiting as often as I would like.............
Simply put, after being a hard core Buffs fan for over 50 years, I remember both the good old days, and the bad old days......like when Fairbanks was here - like it was yesterday, and I vividly remember how much that sucked. I am a black & gold guy.
I remember the teal blue. It shocked me when they introduced that change.
That being said, I was not a fan of the blue for A&M. I probably look at it more from a player's perspective. I didn't know if it was a protest of the staff, the players, or the program as a whole. I personally thought it was hypocritical for the kids to rush the field in blue. If they we protesting the players, I felt that was hypocritical. Just my humble opinion.
That being said, I certainly understand that the whole "Buff nation" is preturbed by the current state of the program, and that in the end, we all value success. Once tasted, it's hard to accept mediocrity. I was thrilled for the victory, but as I left the stadium, and turned and looked at the field, and saw all the blue, it made me more sad than anything. I suppose it was intended to get a "rise" out of the program, but I felt it was unnecessary. Hell, everybody is upset at the way this season has gone. We were all excited at the start, and we all want success. Winning will solve everything. Blue was overstating the obvious. Everybody knows the status quo isn't enough, and the program needs to be better. I am not involved with the program other than being a "true-blue" (pun intended) fan. I probably ally more with DBT and Chilly. I hope for the best going forward as we all do. Go Buffs!

Run for the hills. I am surprised you said that out loud. Good luck!

 

[Darth Snow]

Run for the hills. I am surprised you said that out loud. Good luck!

I like you guys. I mean, you are dead wrong, but I like you guys :smile2:

Dickwads!

 

[White_Rabbit]

I like you guys. I mean, you are dead wrong, but I like you guys :smile2:

Dickwads!

Same. I don't get why you guys are so defensive, you have an opinion that happens to be in the extreme minority and you defend it. I don't think any less of either of you for having opinions, I just disagree with them! :smile:

 

[Darth Snow]

Same. I don't get why you guys are so defensive, you have an opinion that happens to be in the extreme minority and you defend it. I don't think any less of either of you for having opinions, I just disagree with them! :smile:

to be fair they are defensive because they get called stupid a lot.

 

[Junction]

Sorry for the delayed response, not visiting as often as I would like.............
Simply put, after being a hard core Buffs fan for over 50 years, I remember both the good old days, and the bad old days......like when Fairbanks was here - like it was yesterday, and I vividly remember how much that sucked. I am a black & gold guy.
I remember the teal blue. It shocked me when they introduced that change.
That being said, I was not a fan of the blue for A&M. I probably look at it more from a player's perspective. I didn't know if it was a protest of the staff, the players, or the program as a whole. I personally thought it was hypocritical for the kids to rush the field in blue. If they we protesting the players, I felt that was hypocritical. Just my humble opinion.

Just curious, how hard did you have to work to completely miss all the discussions of what was and was not the point of the protest, both here and in the media??

 

[Deleted member 807]

Well thought out response by Chomp. I'm not a big fan of rushing the field. Although I'd much rather see CU fans in blue than CSU fans out there on the turf of Folsom.

Things that would make Chomp's resonse better are:
- Recognizing that fans who sold their tickets on Stub Hub to A&M fans is worse
- Recognizing that empty seats poses a bigger threat to the program than fans in blue
- Offering an alternative vehicle for loyal, yet frustrated fans to publically demostrate and express displeasure at witnessing the program plunge into the cellar of Division I football while still being there in the stands, providing cheers for the players and funds for the CUAD?

Are the only real buffs those who have the patience of Job?

 

[Chomp]

Just curious, how hard did you have to work to completely miss all the discussions of what was and was not the point of the protest, both here and in the media??

Ok, so I'm real slow. Can you succinctly explain it to me? Everybody is pissed, so what's the point?

 

[The Guest]

Just curious, how hard did you have to work to completely miss all the discussions of what was and was not the point of the protest, both here and in the media??

Ok, so I'm real slow. Can you succinctly explain it to me? Everybody is pissed, so what's the point?

Succinctly, the point was to protest the state of the program. To show the AD that while the fans have heard the repeated message of "patience" that message no longer resonates.

However, the blue crowd additionally recognized that it was counter-productive to vacate seats, and as devoted Buff fans wanted to cheer on their team. The message was aimed directly at the athletic administration. It was clear from the outset that the intent was to support our student athletes.

 

[AlferdJasper]

Not to be objective or anything, but I had my 12-year-old nephew with me at the game. Took some photos and (after cropping out the people in front), you can see the stands for yourself.

First, it's hard to decipher exactly what is "blue" and what is maybe sweatshirt gray, but the south stands were not bathed in blue by any means.

and the west stands, across from me, were not blue at all.

I assume the south/east student section might have been bluer, but not that I could see. Is is possible that even if Plati is wrong, he isn't THAT wrong?

Not stirring the pot, just looking at my pics from the game.

South stands (I tried to mark the blue shirts)

And the West side (no noticeable blue - maybe one or two mixed in):

Does someone have a photo of the east side that we can compare?
Because it just wasn't as dominant as the discussion would indicate.

 

[AlferdJasper]

It was clear from the outset that the intent was to support our student athletes.

It may have been clear to you and me and those on the boards with reading comprehension, but I believe that the coaching staff presented it to the team as a slam against the program, and poor play, as well as coaching.

Not everyone reads the fine print.