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Ohio Basketball

Topic: My Two Cents

Topic: My Two Cents

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Message

BobcatWarrior
General User

Member Since: 11/4/2010
Post Count: 37

Status: Offline

My Two Cents

Posted: 1/29/2011 9:16:17 PM

Fellow Bobcats,

I hope you will allow me to get something off my chest that has been brewing for quite some time. I have refrained from posting on here for a long time (pre-crash). Yet, I wanted to share the reason that I choose to remain in the shadows rather than post.

Since I left arrived in Athens in 1992, I have been a loyal Bobcat supporter. When I first arrived in Athens, the Marching 110 and athletic events were my "release". I learned very quickly how great Bobcat athletics were. At the same time, I also learned that MAC sports (and Bobcat athetics) could leave your frustrated. Yet, I had been bitten by the "Bobcat Bug". I didn't miss a home football game in five years and traveled to numerous away games. I didn't miss a home basketball game (men's or women's) for four years. I went to baseball, volleyball (before it was "cool"), track and field, cross-country, etc. When I left school, I continued to follow and go to games as various Bobcat teams came to my neck of the woods. I never stopped and will never stop being a "Bobcat".

All of us share different reasons for why we love Ohio University. Yet, regardless of our various stages of life, backgrounds, and experiences, we are all Bobcats. We have different reasons for being here....but the fact that we are here tells us we all share the bond of Ohio University athletics.

When I first discovered the message board a few years ago, I was thrilled. For the first time, I felt I had a place to go to find other loyal Bobcats and to get more information than what I could find on the university website or through minimal coverage on the sports media outlets. I was excited to find a place so that I would be able to find "real" information. I sought out recruiting, game, and personnel scoop. I found myself checking the message board every day to get my "Bobcat fix". It has gotten to the point that my wife refers to Bobcatattack as my girlfriend.

Yet, what has come to disappoint me so much over the post few years is the level of hate, vitriol, and cynicism. I do understand that we may get frustrated over a lost game, a bad coaching decision, a player making a dumb decision on/off the field, a lost recruit, etc. We are all entitled to our opinion and that is part of the fun of a message board. Yet, why do I feel as if so many on this board use this place to simply air personal vendettas, individual attacks, and anger. It is disappointing to me as a Bobcat fan that many don't see the harm in all of this.

It is beyond belief that people "call each other out" on an allegedly "civil discussion forum". It is appalling that I find out that posters are threatening others and even their children (no less a model student-athlete) via private messages. It is disgusting to hear of these types of things.

I am proud of my two degrees from Ohio University. I was proud to be in the 110. I am a teacher and when my kids tell me I am doing a great job I try to deflect all credit to Ohio in hopes that some of them will matriculate to Athens. Yet, the behavior on here is just as embarassing as having to explain to non-Bobcats about party school reputations, daylight savings/Palmer riots, school of engineering "issues", etc. I have a hard time defending those things and the lack of civility on this forum is also defenseless.

Before I get the inevitable, "You don't have to read posts and our come here.", let me offer this rebuttal. The ones who need to not come here are the ones who don't have the best interest of Ohio University and Bobcat athletics at heart. The words that we say on here will have little to no bearing on the lives and/or outcomes of Bobcat athletics/athletes. Yet, the negativity that is being bred on this message board is draining the enjoyment of Ohio University athletics from at least one fan!

RSBobcat
General User

Member Since: 8/22/2010
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 4,437

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/29/2011 9:26:33 PM

Great post.

RS Bobcat

Doc Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 4,283

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/29/2011 9:40:52 PM

Maybe I have selective memory, but it does seem like post crash comments have contained more individual attacks than normal with posters attacking each other ad nauseum.

Hopefully it's just winter blah cabin fever induced vitriol.

You also need to know who you can have a civilized conversation with and who you can't. I've seen worse forums than this one in that regard.

Nice post by the way.....stick around......hopefully the next few months will bring more positive attack free posts.

Last Edited: 1/29/2011 9:43:38 PM by Doc Bobcat

Attack U
General User

Member Since: 11/15/2010
Location: Canfield, OH
Post Count: 33

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/29/2011 10:09:45 PM

Agree with Warrior 100%.

74 Cat
General User

Member Since: 2/23/2005
Post Count: 114

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/30/2011 9:46:21 AM

As an infrequent poster as well, I belong to the same group as does BobcatWarrior and agree with his statements. I thank him for putting down what I believe many of the peripheral readers of this forum must feel. I am not here to read personal attacks and slams. That this forum may not sink to the levels of other forums is not important to me. Without resorting to censorship, we need to set the standard where civility is valued and diversity of sports opinions is cherished.

I am reminded of the words of Theodore Roosevelt from his April 23, 1910 speech, “The Man in the Arena.”

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; because there is no effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strives to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows in the end triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Go Ohio!

Andrew Ruck
General User

Member Since: 12/22/2004
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 5,233

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/30/2011 2:30:07 PM

I agree with a lot of your thoughts, but I'd qualify by saying this board even still is one of the best. I used to participate in Cubs & Packers boards and just couldn't handle it. This is the only one I can handle. We're pretty civilized, and as bad as we are after a tough loss, it is 10 times worse on the average fan message board.

A lot of the trends you are seeing here is true of a lot of the boards out there of late. Fans are caring less and less about the actual game and players and more and more about the exposure and respect that their team gets. Somewhere along the line, sports stopped being about passing time with a entertaining game and more about supporting a team that makes you look good as a fan, and boy are the fans angry when that doesn't happen.

Off topic sidebar rant...But I think this is a big reason why the most popular sport has shifted from baseball (where the focus is on the nuances of each game and enjoyment of each game) to football (where the focus is on stimulation, the standings, cheerleaders, gambling, and tons of other off the field stuff).

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

intrpdtrvlr
General User

Member Since: 7/8/2010
Post Count: 177

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/31/2011 6:28:00 AM

Good post. I post infrequently for some of the same reasons.

At the same time, Andrew Ruck is right. In the grand scheme, this board isn't that bad. However, my attitude has always been that this isn't an NFL fan board or even an OSU board. It's Ohio University and that entails a smaller, more personal alumni/student community. For that reason, we need to push things towards the conversations and tone we'd have face-to-face. Bobcat Attack should have fewer bitter, hostile posts and less tolerance for them. Obviously, you're not going to hit that as an ideal but it's a goal.

And I would take it a place where BW stops short: I think this board, however small, does have some resonance outside cyberspace. This is one of the main faces of Ohio U athletics if you poke around the internet. That's how I found it. You never know when a prospective student, recruit, community member, family member, etc., is reading. It's something to keep in the back of one's mind when you post. How precisely do you want to represent your university?

I'm not expecting roses and candy hearts but it's always good to try and do a little better as a community.

Last Edited: 1/31/2011 6:28:50 AM by intrpdtrvlr

BA - Michigan State '03, MA - Ohio '05, PhD - Ohio '15

Doc Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 4,283

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/31/2011 8:04:11 AM

intrpdtrvlr wrote:

Good post. I post infrequently for some of the same reasons.

At the same time, Andrew Ruck is right. In the grand scheme, this board isn't that bad. However, my attitude has always been that this isn't an NFL fan board or even an OSU board. It's Ohio University and that entails a smaller, more personal alumni/student community. For that reason, we need to push things towards the conversations and tone we'd have face-to-face. Bobcat Attack should have fewer bitter, hostile posts and less tolerance for them. Obviously, you're not going to hit that as an ideal but it's a goal.

And I would take it a place where BW stops short: I think this board, however small, does have some resonance outside cyberspace. This is one of the main faces of Ohio U athletics if you poke around the internet. That's how I found it. You never know when a prospective student, recruit, community member, family member, etc., is reading. It's something to keep in the back of one's mind when you post. How precisely do you want to represent your university?

I'm not expecting roses and candy hearts but it's always good to try and do a little better as a community.

The thing about the face-to-face thing is that if you get involved with the social part of Ohio athletics then you will some day meet face-to-face.

I've said nothing to people on here that I wouldn't say to their face. Some have said a few things to me that if they said it to my face they would find quickly that I would be pissed. I think the word would be AWKWARD.

I've been a regular of a few forums for the past eleven years. Some I no longer peruse because of a plethora of idiots. We have a few here, but even they have moments of sanity.

I can tell you with conviction that is the best forum on the net.

Monroe Slavin
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Oxnard, CA
Post Count: 9,121

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/31/2011 10:13:02 AM

Doc Bobcat wrote:

intrpdtrvlr wrote:

Good post. I post infrequently for some of the same reasons.

At the same time, Andrew Ruck is right. In the grand scheme, this board isn't that bad. However, my attitude has always been that this isn't an NFL fan board or even an OSU board. It's Ohio University and that entails a smaller, more personal alumni/student community. For that reason, we need to push things towards the conversations and tone we'd have face-to-face. Bobcat Attack should have fewer bitter, hostile posts and less tolerance for them. Obviously, you're not going to hit that as an ideal but it's a goal.

And I would take it a place where BW stops short: I think this board, however small, does have some resonance outside cyberspace. This is one of the main faces of Ohio U athletics if you poke around the internet. That's how I found it. You never know when a prospective student, recruit, community member, family member, etc., is reading. It's something to keep in the back of one's mind when you post. How precisely do you want to represent your university?

I'm not expecting roses and candy hearts but it's always good to try and do a little better as a community.

The Doc sets a good standard.

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sargentfan
General User

Member Since: 3/16/2005
Post Count: 917

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/31/2011 10:44:44 AM

LOL I just find posts like this funny, we tend to get a couple of these every year. Yes people sometimes take things too far on here and yes you do get people who find others on the board who they can't stand (just like real life). But hey we really aren't that bad, if you were looking for the most civil discussions in the world you came to the wrong place. I mean you figure there is a bit more civility here because most of us will eventually meet each other at one time or another at the BobcatAttack tailgate, unlike larger boards where everyone's anonymity is much larger.

Doc Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 4,283

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/31/2011 10:58:38 AM

sargentfan wrote:

Very true.

TheGreenFever
General User

Member Since: 1/18/2011
Post Count: 188

Status: Offline

RE: My Two Cents

Posted: 1/31/2011 2:50:21 PM

I agree Warrior. I know a guy who got on here post crash and all he wanted to do was talk OU sports and got immediately attacked because he was a fan of a former OU player. He got tired of defending himself and left. He told me about this board and so far, it's been cool. I am trying to get him to come back because it seems to be turning around. Let's face it folks, we are not as big as "OSU Nation" so we need to get along the best we can and if you disagree with a statement, voice your opinion in a civil manner and move on. Don't attack someone if they have a different view than you do. I mean, isn't that what America is all about, freedom of speech. Let's rally together and support this team to another MAC regular season and tourney championship. I already got my tickets and hotel room for Cleveland. Shoot, even got my bags practically packed. LET'S GO CATS!!

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