Landomatic
New member
Whenever I complain about anything relating to Nebraska football, I'm told over and over again that "if you don't like it, then you should just find a different team to cheer for" or the always classic, "then you're not a real fan". I've never really understood this mentality. Why can't I voice my concern/displeasure without other fans telling me I'm a bad fan or I should just take my fandom somewhere else? But something occurred to me this year and maybe I get it now. Honestly, if I don't like it, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not going to be able to change it and if I really don't like it that much, then my only real choice is to "take my business elsewhere".
I have found myself less and less on board with the direction of the Nebraska football program lately. I do not like Bo Pelini. I never have. He's nothing like what I've grown up knowing and loving about Nebraska as a state, a school or a football program. He showed this when he was Solich's D-Coordinator and he has continued to show it many, many times since. He's an embarrassment to Nebraska football...both as a coach and as the face of our once proud program. I was tolerant (at best) of him as our coach in the beginning but I just have a hard time getting behind pretty much everything regarding the football program under his tenure. I have found myself in increasing disagreement with so many things like player development, recruiting, coaching hires, playing time, dealings with the media/fan base, personnel choices, and on and on and on, and on and on and on. The guy is a disgrace and everyone outside of Nebraska knows it. Don't believe me? Go read other team's message boards or look at the commentary/coverage from just about every media source out there. He is running this program into the ground even more than Callahan. And at the end of the day it has taken the wind out of my sails as a fan over time.
The problem is, the general mentality of Husker nation is that he wins 9 games so you have to keep him around. I don't entirely disagree with this line of thinking as I think it is hard to justify firing a guy who wins 9 games. But most Nebraska fans have their heads buried in the sand so far that they can't or won't see that this is bigger than winning and losing. They can't get past the 9 win seasons and see the forest for the trees. They are so worried about the possibility of having a losing season that they don't realize the program is getting flushed down the toilet right under their noses. All things point toward much darker days ahead for Nebraska football. But until then, I'm just supposed to live with it until Bo starts losing enough games for people to realize it and he gets fired? Boy, that sounds like a great way to spend my time as a fan.
I've been a Nebraska fan pretty much all of my life. Nebraska is my alma mater and I was lucky enough to have attended school there during 2 of their National Championships and live in Omaha for another. Nebraska gave me 30 plus years of some great football memories and my fandom for NU grew stronger every year throughout their time in Big 8 and then most of the Big 12 and even after I left school and moved away after graduation...through Solich, through Pederson and through Callahan. So the thought of switching teams seemed crazy at first. It's just not in my makeup to even consider something like that. There are a lot of bandwagon fans out there who jump from team to team and never really get behind one program for very long. Well, I'm not one of them. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy so this really seemed like an impossibility at first glance. But the more I thought about it and the more I was told by "real" Nebraska fans that I wasn't a "real fan" for disagreeing with state of the program and "if I didn't like it then I should find another team to cheer for", the more I thought why not? I really have no other choice, right?
So, at the end of this season, for the first time ever as a Nebraska fan, I found myself at a crossroads. Given that I have no control over who Nebraska hires as a coach and he may not be going anywhere anytime soon if he just keeps beating the teams he is supposed to beat, I am left with really only two options. I can either live with my dissatisfaction or I can find a new team to cheer for.
For me, life's too short to just sit back and take it and I'm a college football fan to be happy, not miserable. So I've decided to find another team to support. I get it now. I'm not a real fan despite the thirty plus years and tens of thousands of dollars I've given to the program. That's fine with me. I really don't care anymore and I'd rather not be associated with a program as long as Bo Pelini is the coach. Best of luck to all of you and thanks for providing a nice place to discuss my former team. Good luck with Bo...you'll need it.
I have found myself less and less on board with the direction of the Nebraska football program lately. I do not like Bo Pelini. I never have. He's nothing like what I've grown up knowing and loving about Nebraska as a state, a school or a football program. He showed this when he was Solich's D-Coordinator and he has continued to show it many, many times since. He's an embarrassment to Nebraska football...both as a coach and as the face of our once proud program. I was tolerant (at best) of him as our coach in the beginning but I just have a hard time getting behind pretty much everything regarding the football program under his tenure. I have found myself in increasing disagreement with so many things like player development, recruiting, coaching hires, playing time, dealings with the media/fan base, personnel choices, and on and on and on, and on and on and on. The guy is a disgrace and everyone outside of Nebraska knows it. Don't believe me? Go read other team's message boards or look at the commentary/coverage from just about every media source out there. He is running this program into the ground even more than Callahan. And at the end of the day it has taken the wind out of my sails as a fan over time.
The problem is, the general mentality of Husker nation is that he wins 9 games so you have to keep him around. I don't entirely disagree with this line of thinking as I think it is hard to justify firing a guy who wins 9 games. But most Nebraska fans have their heads buried in the sand so far that they can't or won't see that this is bigger than winning and losing. They can't get past the 9 win seasons and see the forest for the trees. They are so worried about the possibility of having a losing season that they don't realize the program is getting flushed down the toilet right under their noses. All things point toward much darker days ahead for Nebraska football. But until then, I'm just supposed to live with it until Bo starts losing enough games for people to realize it and he gets fired? Boy, that sounds like a great way to spend my time as a fan.
I've been a Nebraska fan pretty much all of my life. Nebraska is my alma mater and I was lucky enough to have attended school there during 2 of their National Championships and live in Omaha for another. Nebraska gave me 30 plus years of some great football memories and my fandom for NU grew stronger every year throughout their time in Big 8 and then most of the Big 12 and even after I left school and moved away after graduation...through Solich, through Pederson and through Callahan. So the thought of switching teams seemed crazy at first. It's just not in my makeup to even consider something like that. There are a lot of bandwagon fans out there who jump from team to team and never really get behind one program for very long. Well, I'm not one of them. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy so this really seemed like an impossibility at first glance. But the more I thought about it and the more I was told by "real" Nebraska fans that I wasn't a "real fan" for disagreeing with state of the program and "if I didn't like it then I should find another team to cheer for", the more I thought why not? I really have no other choice, right?
So, at the end of this season, for the first time ever as a Nebraska fan, I found myself at a crossroads. Given that I have no control over who Nebraska hires as a coach and he may not be going anywhere anytime soon if he just keeps beating the teams he is supposed to beat, I am left with really only two options. I can either live with my dissatisfaction or I can find a new team to cheer for.
For me, life's too short to just sit back and take it and I'm a college football fan to be happy, not miserable. So I've decided to find another team to support. I get it now. I'm not a real fan despite the thirty plus years and tens of thousands of dollars I've given to the program. That's fine with me. I really don't care anymore and I'd rather not be associated with a program as long as Bo Pelini is the coach. Best of luck to all of you and thanks for providing a nice place to discuss my former team. Good luck with Bo...you'll need it.
