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Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:17 pm to TexasAg13
What does it matter if you graduated from the university you're a fan of? I didn't graduate from LSU but I did attend for 2 years and transferred to a university that had a degree program that LSU didn't. That doesn't make me less worthy of being a fan than someone who did graduate from LSU.
This post was edited on 5/1/14 at 12:19 pm
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:19 pm to bgator85
quote:
Honestly, UF is probably number 1 simply because of being the flagship school in the 3rd/4th most populous state. Although there are around 380K living alumni.
Total number yes but as a percentage of your fan base you are probably lower than Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU etc. UF competes with Miami and FSU (not counting the directional schools) in state for fandom.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:21 pm to StopRobot
quote:
Even if I said all 200,000 living Auburn alums lived in the state of Alabama you are still looking at 668,960 AU fans living in the state so even the most generous number would put the alumni percent of the fan base at 30%. Nowhere close to a majority and not in the ballpark of vast majority.
Which isn't my claim, but the "myth" as you call it is apparently something separate from what I'm claiming.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:22 pm to RB10
quote:
What does it matter if you graduated from the university you're a fan of? I didn't graduate from LSU but I did attend for 2 years and transferred to a university that had a degree program that LSU didn't. That doesn't make me less worthy of being a fan than someone who did graduate from LSU.
I agree. That was why I was trying to point out that every school's fan base is mostly sidewalk alums and it isn't close. I would bet even Vandy fans are mostly sidewalk.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:23 pm to TexasAg13
quote:
Every single person that lives in the state of Arkansas is a razorback fan. Alabama has a little competition with Auburn in recruiting fans.
However, the state of Alabama has 2.5 times the population of Arkansas. Not to rat out the Alabama fanbase, but we do have a large percentage of sidewalks.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:27 pm to RB10
quote:
What does it matter if you graduated from the university you're a fan of? I didn't graduate from LSU but I did attend for 2 years and transferred to a university that had a degree program that LSU didn't. That doesn't make me less worthy of being a fan than someone who did graduate from LSU.
I think nationally connection (not just graduation or attendance) is a decent barometer of loyalty, likelihood of giving, etc. In the south that may be less true, especially with regard to Alabama and a few others.
What fan bases generally wish to avoid is a large contingent of the fan base that takes pride in results without contribution, or that expresses a loyalty without any understanding of the school beyond the outcome of football.
See - Dallas Cowboys.
The concern is overblown, but it does make sense on a number of levels. If you didn't go there, experience it, become indoctrinated to the non trash talk aspects of being a Alabama/Auburn/UGA person, I may or may not be keen on you representing us.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:27 pm to Pettifogger
quote:
Which isn't my claim, but the "myth" as you call it is apparently something separate from what I'm claiming.
You mentioned people connected to AU but not alumni. I love doing stats but there just isnt a way to do that one. Plus we have all agreed that sidewalk means the closest you got to going to the school is walking by on the sidewalk so even someone who grew up their whole life in Lee County and has worked making lemonade at Toomer's Drugs for 20 years but didn't attend AU is still sidewalk. The "myth" is all to often repeated on this board that AUs fan base is mostly alumni, if not a large percentage.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:27 pm to StopRobot
quote:
Total number yes but as a percentage of your fan base you are probably lower than Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU etc. UF competes with Miami and FSU (not counting the directional schools) in state for fandom.
I don't know, there are nearly 400K living alumni but there are 20 million people living in Florida. If only 25% of the state liked UF, it would still be more than the populations of Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, etc.
This post was edited on 5/1/14 at 12:31 pm
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:28 pm to CapstoneGrad06
quote:
However, the state of Alabama has 2.5 times the population of Arkansas. Not to rat out the Alabama fanbase, but we do have a large percentage of sidewalks.
Absolutely. The vast majority of Bama fans, like every SEC school, are sidewalks. That is my point.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:28 pm to bgator85
Then you don't know how many people live in Alabama or Louisiana.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:29 pm to Pettifogger
quote:
The concern is overblown, but it does make sense on a number of levels. If you didn't go there, experience it, become indoctrinated to the non trash talk aspects of being a Alabama/Auburn/UGA person, I may or may not be keen on you representing us.
This guy gets it.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:30 pm to StopRobot
quote:
You mentioned people connected to AU but not alumni. I love doing stats but there just isnt a way to do that one. Plus we have all agreed that sidewalk means the closest you got to going to the school is walking by on the sidewalk so even someone who grew up their whole life in Lee County and has worked making lemonade at Toomer's Drugs for 20 years but didn't attend AU is still sidewalk. The "myth" is all to often repeated on this board that AUs fan base is mostly alumni, if not a large percentage.
I understand. But tying in to my response to the LSU guy above, I think there are different levels of sidewalk when it comes to accurately representing the school as the school would like to be represented.
Clearly the pseudo-alum folks who are very connected without attendance or degrees probably carry out that representation in a manner closer to what the alums hope for.
Of course I'm not saying all alums are great and all sidewalk fans tend to be terrible, but I do think you're more likely to pick up things through attendance, familial connections, etc. that aren't conveyed through simply following a team and bantering with your buddies about them.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:30 pm to bgator85
quote:
I don't know, there are nearly 400K living alumni but there are 20 million people living in Florida. If only 25% of the state liked UF, it would still be more than the total populations of Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, etc.
Yes, but again, you are talking total numbers and I am talking percentage. I guarantee you that LSU, Ark, Tenn, etc top 30% of their respective states fandom.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:30 pm to CapstoneGrad06
quote:
Then you don't know how many people live in Alabama or Louisiana.
Quick wikipedia search says about 4.8 million for both AL and LA, 25% of 20 million is 5 million.
quote:
Yes, but again, you are talking total numbers and I am talking percentage. I guarantee you that LSU, Ark, Tenn, etc top 30% of their respective states fandom.
Right, but the larger numbers likely mean they make a larger percentage of the fanbase. There are about 100K more alumni for UF than other SEC schools, but potentially millions more non-alumni fans.
I think it was the Orlando Sentinel that once conducted a statewide poll and found that 35% of Floridians identify as Gator fans. That is just under 7 million people in Florida alone.
This post was edited on 5/1/14 at 12:44 pm
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:31 pm to StopRobot
I know a ton of Auburn fans from growing up in Alabama but I only know a few that attended Auburn. One of those was best friend and he remained a die hard Bama fan during and after graduation.
And UGA is getting pass in here for some reason. There is no way that all of those pickup truck owners with G tags and houses with painted bulldog statuettes ever attended there.
And UGA is getting pass in here for some reason. There is no way that all of those pickup truck owners with G tags and houses with painted bulldog statuettes ever attended there.
This post was edited on 5/1/14 at 12:35 pm
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:31 pm to StopRobot
Sidewalk fans are generally due to success of the program and number of programs in the state compared to population that cares about football. Bama, Florida, and LSU have many young fans nationwide because people grew up watching them win multiple national championships. I think Bama's the clear number 1, followed by Florida and Georgia (no one is a Tech fan). LSU is most likely number 4 and then Tennessee and Auburn follow closely after that. Basketball is Kentucky, and that is not even close. They have more sidewalk basketball fans than Bama does football fans.
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:33 pm to WestCoastAg
quote:
WestCoastAg
What are you laughing at?
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:40 pm to NYCAuburn
We were an all military school into the 60's. We had like 6,000-7,000 students I believe. I'm trying to find a year by year enrollment and can't but the rapid growth has really occurred in the past 15-20 years. We have a large alumni base but it's small compared to our current enrollment
This post was edited on 5/1/14 at 12:41 pm
Posted on 5/1/14 at 12:42 pm to ShaneTheLegLechler
quote:
We were an all military school into the 60's. We had like 6,000-7,000 students I believe.
You had 8000 in 60, thats considered a big school then.
quote:You quickly moved up to 25k in 70, thats a very large school at that point as well. in comparison Alabama just got there.
can't but the rapid growth has really occurred in the past 15-20 years
Like I said A&M has been a much larger school for quite some time
This post was edited on 5/1/14 at 12:43 pm
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