Basketball vs Early Season Baseball

[MSUDC11-2.0]

So I’m sitting in The Pavilion on Saturday and I checked Twitter at halftime to see what people were saying about our basketball game. It was at that point I realized that a good 75-80% of MSU related Twitter accounts I follow were almost exclusively talking about a baseball game against VMI and had been all afternoon.

Maybe it’s because until this year, men’s basketball hasn’t gotten people to care in over a decade. And I get that our fans love college baseball and always have. I just get the sense for many that basketball is just the thing they watch to pass time in between football and baseball. As someone who’s been really into the basketball season, I was kinda frustrated by what I saw on Saturday. But I also understand others may see it differently.

I dunno, I guess I am curious to hear how some of you guys view the balancing of basketball with February and March baseball. For me personally, I feel that I am reverting to the late 90’s/early 2000’s mentality where I have a hard time getting into baseball before the start of SEC play, and I prefer to pay closer attention to hoops right now. I mean I’ll watch baseball if I have time like I did yesterday afternoon, but I don’t invest much time or energy into it. Do you find yourself in the same boat? Or are you more of a baseball guy that will start to tune out basketball now? Or do you feel like you can balance the two pretty well?

 

[RockyDog]

We seem to have a good number of fans that only associate success in sports with the number of butts in seats. So obviously they are going to flock to a sport in which we can not only compete but claim the mark over most teams.

we will never set attendance records in football or hoops but it doesn’t mean we can’t be competitive nationally in either sport. I’d rather have bragging rights by winning in the revenue sports.

Claiming superiority in a club sport that 95% of the country doesn’t pay attention to doesn’t move the needle like winning in football or hoops.

 

[kired]

I honestly don't too wrapped up in college baseball till April. Yeah - I watch and listen, but just can't get too high or low based on what happens in the first 5-6 weeks. It's all comes down to how we're playing second half of the season (and hopefully June).

If we've still got a chance to make the tournament in basketball - it's got most of my sporting attention till we're out.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Basketball should take priority but it doesn’t.

 

[trob115]

I was at the baseball game Saturday, but thankfully had the basketball game on to distract us. I was definitely paying more attention to basketball because we could ill afford a loss. But the OP is right, seems like most prioritize baseball over basketball. I enjoy going to basketball more than baseball and our basketball team deserves all of our support until the end of the season. I don't really fault the media folks, one game is actually on our campus, while the other is out of town. It's easier to cover the local game than travel.

 

[curseddawgs]

I was at the baseball game Saturday, but thankfully had the basketball game on to distract us. I was definitely paying more attention to basketball because we could ill afford a loss. But the OP is right, seems like most prioritize baseball over basketball. I enjoy going to basketball more than baseball and our basketball team deserves all of our support until the end of the season. I don't really fault the media folks, one game is actually on our campus, while the other is out of town. It's easier to cover the local game than travel.

I agree with this logic about road basketball vs home baseball. However, Saturday basketball needs to be the focus of the fan bases attention and energy.

 

[Ranchdawg]

So I’m sitting in The Pavilion on Saturday and I checked Twitter at halftime to see what people were saying about our basketball game. It was at that point I realized that a good 75-80% of MSU related Twitter accounts I follow were almost exclusively talking about a baseball game against VMI and had been all afternoon.

Maybe it’s because until this year, men’s basketball hasn’t gotten people to care in over a decade. And I get that our fans love college baseball and always have. I just get the sense for many that basketball is just the thing they watch to pass time in between football and baseball. As someone who’s been really into the basketball season, I was kinda frustrated by what I saw on Saturday. But I also understand others may see it differently.

I dunno, I guess I am curious to hear how some of you guys view the balancing of basketball with February and March baseball. For me personally, I feel that I am reverting to the late 90’s/early 2000’s mentality where I have a hard time getting into baseball before the start of SEC play, and I prefer to pay closer attention to hoops right now. I mean I’ll watch baseball if I have time like I did yesterday afternoon, but I don’t invest much time or energy into it. Do you find yourself in the same boat? Or are you more of a baseball guy that will start to tune out basketball now? Or do you feel like you can balance the two pretty well?

I think that opening weekend had a lot to do with that. Everyone wants to get the bitter taste of last season our of our mouths!

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

Saturday could be an interesting litmus test with basketball at 2:30 and baseball at 5. I feel more confident in us having a big baseball crowd than a big basketball crowd, even though the basketball game on Saturday is SIGNIFICANTLY more important.

Me personally, I hope people go to both, but if you have to pick one, go to The Hump.

 

[MStateDawg]

Saturday could be an interesting litmus test with basketball at 2:30 and baseball at 5. I feel more confident in us having a big baseball crowd than a big basketball crowd, even though the basketball game on Saturday is SIGNIFICANTLY more important.

Me personally, I hope people go to both, but if you have to pick one, go to The Hump.

Baseball will out draw basketball. We averaged over 10k per home game last year.

This past weekend we averaged over 11k which is more than the Hump can even hold:

Last weekend’s baseball attendance:
Friday: 10,652
Saturday: 12,213
Sunday: 11,005
Avg: 11,290

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

Never interested in going to Oxford. but I can tell you I'd have just as soon been sticking bamboo under my nails on the Square on Saturday, than sitting through that egregious display of little league baseball at the Dude.
That was some uglyschit!
That basketball game would have had me mad as a hornet too --- at least until the end of OT.

 

[onewoof]

So I’m sitting in The Pavilion on Saturday and I checked Twitter at halftime to see what people were saying about our basketball game. It was at that point I realized that a good 75-80% of MSU related Twitter accounts I follow were almost exclusively talking about a baseball game against VMI and had been all afternoon.

Even when we suck, getting out to the Dude is a great time. Some go and never even watch the game, its a totally great vibe there. Plus we are ranked last in the West, and we have some new players, so last weekend was ripe for "lets see and talk about what we got this year".

Basketball attendance is in my opinion, feast or famine. The last few years we been starvin. We had some butts in the seats for Bama and Kentucky but it really did not push us to victory either time. I love both and will watch both.

The internet drivel is going to almost always be a negative vent, especially at the first of the season. But if you are asking if we had to pick between the two last Saturday, baseball is going to win that right now, yes even with a rivalry game going on in basketball. That being said, the internet is not a good measure of reality, it always distorts the amplitude of any given topic. I would bet that the more general sports fans watched the basketball game and what you saw on the internet was the very vocal hyperfans of our college baseball team, which then gets amplified more because of social media connections and viral nature of social media.

But if I had to simply it down to your question

Baseball: Love Mississippi State > Love Baseball > Love Winning in Baseball

Basketball: Love Mississippi State > Love Winning in Basketball

the average State fan does not love Basketball

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

I think that opening weekend had a lot to do with that. Everyone wants to get the bitter taste of last season our of our mouths!

And then we walked 15 batters.

 

[FlotownDawg]

I understand people caring more about baseball than basketball because we’ve pretty much been in the basketball wilderness since Stans was fired. Even Howland’s teams didn’t move the needle because they were boring and never seemed to win any big games. But this year is different. We’ve got a legit chance to make the tournament with a bunch of guys who aren’t as talented but play their butts off. The kind of guys State fans love. Saturday is a huge home game, perhaps even bigger than the Kentucky game. No excuse for anything less than a huge, loud crowd.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

For me it’s football then basketball and last is baseball. Everyone has their sport but to me baseball is just flat boring. Never cared for it but was still very happy we finally won a natty and I did watch the series at Omaha but that’s it. It’s just a downright shame that we finally win a natty in something and then the very next year the baseball team falls off the cliff and has one of the worst seasons in my recent memory. Typical for Ms State and the very reason I don’t get too invested in our sports overall like I used to.

 

[pseudonym]

I personally prefer baseball over basketball, but in February, basketball should be #1. Basketball is trying to make the NCAA tournament.

Just look across the state if you don’t know that being on the NCAA bubble in February is better than an opening weekend series vs. a Colonial Athletic Conference team being the biggest thing happening on campus.

 

[The Peeper]

Not this thread again.........this is the #1 Dead Horse Beating thread we have on this forum. MEN'S basketball attendance threads start in December, EVERY December, and continue throughout the year, EVERY year.

Why is it so hard for some of you to comprehend that there are MANY people that don't care anything about basketball, any basketball, HS college or Pro? Why, just because someone attended MSU should it be some kind of implied requirement that they attend men's basketball games as some of you think? Do those of you complaining go to all of the other sports on campus, soccer, softball, track (our track teams has been good especially javelin) women's golf rated 6th in country? What, you don't go watch them? Why not? You graduated from MSU, apparently you should go support all sports it seems or you're not "True Maroon".

I was, as I will be every home baseball game Lord permitting (and many close road games), watching baseball in the LFL this past weekend for all 3 games. It's what I do, its my hobby. I spent about 12 hours out there this weekend matter of fact. It will be there about the same amount of time this weekend too, that's more time than most of you have been in the Hump this year total so don't be trying to tell my I'm not an MSU fan as you try to imply in these threads. Our lounge is in the middle of 3 lounges and we have all been friends for years. Not once on Saturday did I hear ANY of the 20 or more people in those 3 boxes mention the basketball game. Why? Because we simply don't care about the game of basketball. Its nothing against MSU basketball at all, we don't care for the game itself. So why make yourself do something you don't like to do? I for one haven't watched ANY March Madness games since we played in '96. I heard them announce Saturdays final men's score from Oxford and a mild cheer went up in the Dude but otherwise there was no mention of it all day in the stadium. We have a big radio turned up so all 3 boxes can hear the baseball game and not once did anyone walking by ask if we had heard a basketball score.

Like it or not, this is just not a basketball school, especially lately after the teams we have fielded since a couple years before Stan's left. Matter of fact take out the '96 run and a few Stans teams we haven't done much of anything since the late 50's, that's over 60 years of mostly irrelevance. Those of you thinking that just moving some students around in The Hump (IF they do that) and "putting some lipstick on the pigs lips" is going to make fans flock in there, you are going to be badly disappointed. The new will wear off of it and if the program doesn't upgrade, well, look at The Pavilion attendance now. Its by all of your accounts a much better facility than we will have after the upgrade, that's what will happen here. I'm not bashing MSU Basketball, just telling the truth. Flame away.........

 

[OG Goat Holder]

It’s one of my favorite times of the year. I like them both.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

We've been a basketball school since the late 50's - when were were more than just competitive. Baseball didn't come along for us until the early 70s for year and then again in the 80s.
We've won a Natty in baseball along with lots of regionals and conference championships.
In basketball we've won a lot of conference championships and made one final four.
Our NCAA tournament experience has been unimpressive since that Final Four run. Did Stans ever get us to a sweet 16 even?
As long as we are winning, I think we can easily be both.
What we 'ain't' is a football school. And that's a cold hard fact.

 

[Mjoelner]

My MSU fandom:
Baseball: Diehard
Football: Diehard
Basketball: Bandwagon

If we were playing UK on a 39 degree late February night in the Hump, I'd still be next door shivering at the baseball game against a DII school. Just how it is.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

For me, I prefer a "Balanced Attack" that involves chewing gum and walking at the same time.