re: This Picture says a lot about our "fans."

Also, it's not like we suck this year, we're still a top 25 program, and we'll go to a big bowl if we start firing up the team and cheering our asses off!

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Bottom line is, "my dollar = my choice" If I choose to Boo, I will BOO!!!!, if the product is Sooooo bad that I can't take it, I will leave.

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That is 100% inconsistent with the notion of being a fan.

What you have described is a pure merchant arrangement: you invest money and time in exchange for what you describe as "the product"; an amount of entertainment exactly equal to or exceeding the value of your investment. Just like you would at a movie, concert, or grocery store. If the only considerations are the monetary investment by you and the value of the entertainment you receive, then the relationship lacks the emotional element which is required to meet the definition of the word "fan".

In order to be a "fan" or "supporter" of something, one must have an emotional investment and/or commitment to that thing. I would walk out of a movie if it was not entertaining enough to me, but by the same token I would not consider myself a "fan" of the movies. To be a "fan" or "supporter", a person has to feel some emotional obligation to "do their part" or some similar sacrifice that goes beyond what they are rewarded in pure entertainment value. The fact that administrators, merchandisers, advertisers, etc., have exploited that emotion for profit does not change the fact that it is still present and still the basic prerequisite for a "fan" or "supporter".

If you feel like you are entitled to entertainment value equal to or exceeding your investment of time and money, that is certainly your perogative. But if you feel that entitlement validates booing the team, leaving early, or refusing to attend, it defies the very nature of being a "fan" and instead embraces the role of pure customer.

"Fans" and "supporters" feel the desire to be there even (if not especially) when things are not going well (i.e., when the entertainment value is low) because they can help support the team when the team most needs support. They feel this despite the investment of money and time because for them the relationship is more than simply customer and vendor. The notion of "getting their money's worth" does not dictate their behaviour because the emotional attachment and commitment to their role as "fans" factors in their decisionmaking.

And as for the "correct" way to "demonstrate your displeasure with the product on the field . . . ," if you are viewing the game as simply a "product" then the answer is obvious: stop buying it. If, on the other hand, you do feel that emotional attachment that defines a "fan," then the answer is in part equally obvious: booing and leaving are clearly not the best ways because that has the opposite effect of supporting the team. The best ways are the same as in most other relationships that are not traditional customer-vendor relationships: call the AD, write letters and emails to the coaches and administrators, hell even write your congressman. Better yet, if you can find the time and opportunity, show up at the AD and/or coaches offices to complain about the problems. It won't interrupt their work because serving you, the "fan," is their job. And the more "interruptions" they suffer as a result of the poor performances, the more motivation they have to fix the problems. I guarantee if Joe Alleva has 92,000 upset football fans show up at his office to complain, he will get the message.

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Unfortunately, most of our current "fans" weren't fans 10 years ago, therefore they behave like bandwagoners.

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This statement is VERY true. my tailgate had only 40-50 people there saturday. We had close to 200 for the bama game. I keep trying to explain to people that being fan means watching ALL the games, not just the big ones.

someone else put it best when they said LSU has two types of fans.... fans of LSU and fans of winning

:beatdeadhorse: :beatdeadhorse: :beatdeadhorse: the poor horse is dead!!!!!

You are going around and around fighting about this. Nothing is going to get accomplished. The majority of those griping weren't there in the first place. It's getting oldddddd. move on. Ole Miss is next.

I can see myself in that picture. In a glob. I love it.

I refuse to leave games because I love my Tigahs.

If you left, you DEFINE fairweather fan. Accept it. Excuses are like assholes....

Whether you want to admit it or not, we are a weakening fan base. I'm tired of getting texts from friends that went to other SEC schools making fun of LSU about our fans leaving early--whether it's during UGA or Troy. There's no response. It's a fact, our fan base has been on the decline for years.