I’m not an average fan, so I don’t really fall under that umbrella. My parents are though, they come to one game a year, and watch the rest on tv. They have been for years, since I was a kid. I don’t think the portal, has effected them in any way.
Before the portal, kids still didn’t start their freshman years, typically. It would take them 2 to 3 years for them to even get on the field, and since my parents aren’t hardcore fans, they didn’t know the names of the backups players anyway. They would just find out about them once they started actually getting playing time. It has always been rooting for players for 1 or two years, IMO. Rarely did you get to watch them play for 3 to 4 years. I just don’t think average fans care much about player development from the kids that aren’t playing. I feel like that’s more for “hardcore” fans. (My parents also no longer live in Mississippi, maybe the casual fans that live in Oxford are more familiar with the roster.
With the portal, it seems basically the same. Some players, you get for 1 year just like you would pre-portal, some you get for more than one year after the portal (Dart, Watkins, Bentley, etc.) just like you would pre-portal as far as playing time goes.
So I don’t think the loyalty thing of selecting ole miss, and transferring to ole miss will matter as much to casual fans.
Maybe I’m wrong, because I’m not a casual fan, but I would be interested to hear others opinions of casual fans that they know, if they think their opinions would change at all because of this.
Also, one thing I don’t know is how they will react to players (that actually played) leaving like Igbinosun. My parents don’t even know he’s gone yet, they basically just ask me about the roster before week 1 and ask me a couple names, to see if they’re still playing for us. Maybe the fact that he was a starter and chose to leave will have more of an effect on them. I’m not sure, but it is a very interesting discussion.
Again, I don’t know, and I’m not mad about it. It’s just my opinion, and want to see what others think. And I think there’s plenty of things effecting “casual” fan support, I just don’t really think that is one of them.
What do y’all think?
Before the portal, kids still didn’t start their freshman years, typically. It would take them 2 to 3 years for them to even get on the field, and since my parents aren’t hardcore fans, they didn’t know the names of the backups players anyway. They would just find out about them once they started actually getting playing time. It has always been rooting for players for 1 or two years, IMO. Rarely did you get to watch them play for 3 to 4 years. I just don’t think average fans care much about player development from the kids that aren’t playing. I feel like that’s more for “hardcore” fans. (My parents also no longer live in Mississippi, maybe the casual fans that live in Oxford are more familiar with the roster.
With the portal, it seems basically the same. Some players, you get for 1 year just like you would pre-portal, some you get for more than one year after the portal (Dart, Watkins, Bentley, etc.) just like you would pre-portal as far as playing time goes.
So I don’t think the loyalty thing of selecting ole miss, and transferring to ole miss will matter as much to casual fans.
Maybe I’m wrong, because I’m not a casual fan, but I would be interested to hear others opinions of casual fans that they know, if they think their opinions would change at all because of this.
Also, one thing I don’t know is how they will react to players (that actually played) leaving like Igbinosun. My parents don’t even know he’s gone yet, they basically just ask me about the roster before week 1 and ask me a couple names, to see if they’re still playing for us. Maybe the fact that he was a starter and chose to leave will have more of an effect on them. I’m not sure, but it is a very interesting discussion.
Again, I don’t know, and I’m not mad about it. It’s just my opinion, and want to see what others think. And I think there’s plenty of things effecting “casual” fan support, I just don’t really think that is one of them.
What do y’all think?
