The rest of the country is sending a message...

[Cue Card]

I love the direction UofL college sports across the board is headed. As it's been pointed out, we (UofL fans) enjoy a wide area of success in several different college sports while getting to watch top notch quality competition. It simply does not get any better than it is right now for UofL college athletics. I love the ACC and all the perks the conference gives. We (UofL) have finally found a permanent home and I am thrilled about it.

With that stated, I still enjoy watching UofL play UofK in basketball. I don't consider myself stuck in the past for enjoying that. Why label people like that??

 

[kyjeff1]

Yep, easy enough to discount a rivalry especially if you're not holding up your end of the bargain. Duke and UNC are the best rivalry right now because when they play there is usually the ACC title on the line or who gets to play closer to home. Bragging rights in NC are short lived because who loses one time wins the next time and so on. Our rivalry has been one sided in BB but just the opposite in football

Best post in this thread.

 

[rockfly]

Let the networks decide. If they wanna put you in a primetime slot, play whoever they want you to play. Right now, they're moving this game right off the schedule--it obviously has little or no national appeal.

And if there isn't a replacement, schedule another home game every other year. This arena needs the money, and U of L wont turn it down. That's why directional schools are already on the schedule...

Sports is entertainment. Why not let the fans decide. I would be more concerned with what the consumer wants, not the networks. The games will be on tv regardless. Might as well air the game people want to see. People want to see UL vs UK. You're on an island zipp

 

[rockfly]

I'm posting about it because ESPN has mostly thrown this series in the dumpster, and that decision has just been announced.

It matters greatly to LPT fans and to U of L fans stuck in the past who can't get beyond King Basketball. And there really isn't much to a rivalry with LPT beyond basketball. You guys don't care about other sports.

"Elite program", my a$$...

I'm posting about it because ESPN has mostly thrown this series in the dumpster, and that decision has just been announced.

It matters greatly to LPT fans and to U of L fans stuck in the past who can't get beyond King Basketball. And there really isn't much to a rivalry with LPT beyond basketball. You guys don't care about other sports.

"Elite program", my a$$...

you're wrong on all accounts. You're over reacting regarding ESPN moving the game but it fits your agenda so that's convenient for you. You're wrong about UK fans not caring about other sports. We fill a stadium to watch a crappy football team better than anybody. We care.

 

[nccardfan]

Zipp just pretends that he doesn't care about losing to UK in basketball and then foams at the
mouth about U of L beating UK in every other sport. Talking about hypocritical. Sure it is a distraction to the coaches but it should be what they want, not coward down about. Most schools even with their one rival don't have the fan interest that U of L and UK brings, not just students and alumni, the whole frigging state. Over 4000 fans at a baseball game cheering every pitch is what it's all about. The college experience. Same for football. It would still be the same for basketball if we could win a game or two. Doesn't lessen the fact that I will be hoping for a win this year and next year and every year after. By not playing only makes you wonder what if?

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

Right now, they're moving this game right off the schedule--it obviously has little or no national appeal.

.

They've moved it to the same place Duke/UNC is shown during the week.

You're acting as if they've moved the game to ESPN U or ESPN3. That's not what they've done. If they did that, you'd be spot on.

There are only a couple posters around here that get wood for the game anyway. More than likely over half of those posters are parody accounts with the sole purpose of making UofL fans look bad.

 

[zipp]

Zipp just pretends that he doesn't care about losing to UK in basketball and then foams at the mouth about U of L beating UK in every other sport. Talking about hypocritical...

Like I said. I'm good with cancelling the football and baseball games too. How does that square with your theory?

...Sure it is a distraction to the coaches but it should be what they want, not coward down (sic) about...

"Should" doesn't matter. You're living in an alternate reality opining what your coaches "should want". They want championships first and foremost, and everything else not pointed in that direction is a distraction and irrelevant. And these are some of the nation's best coaches.

...Most schools even with their one rival don't have the fan interest that U of L and UK brings, not just students and alumni, the whole frigging state. Over 4000 fans at a baseball game cheering every pitch is what it's all about. The college experience. Same for football...

We sell tickets just fine whether LPT is on the schedule or not. That's why we moved to the ACC, so there would be more of those games. Now, you have to put that game in its right perspective. It matters only to people in this state who still look at things in a smaller, retrospective way.

...It would still be the same for basketball if we could win a game or two. Doesn't lessen the fact that I will be hoping for a win this year and next year and every year after. By not playing only makes you wonder what if?

Obsessing about that game is your latent little brother mindset. Again, you don't see me whining about the outcome...

 

[zipp]

...I still enjoy watching UofL play UofK in basketball. I don't consider myself stuck in the past for enjoying that. Why label people like that??

Actually it's more complicated than just wanting to see the game played. It ALSO includes obsessing on the outcome as if the game has tremendous importance. Nothing wrong with playing any game with LPT. It's whining afterward why we didn't beat them when that happens. And that's how the coaches see the game and the result.

Quite simply, a section of our fanbase still has the little brother mindset...

 

[zipp]

...You're wrong about UK fans not caring about other sports. We fill a stadium to watch a crappy football team better than anybody. We care.

Sure you do...

 

[zipp]

Best post in this thread.

Even if the premise is wrong...

 

[zipp]

They've moved it to the same place Duke/UNC is shown during the week.

You're acting as if they've moved the game to ESPN U or ESPN3. That's not what they've done. If they did that, you'd be spot on...

This isn't the first year that this game has been demoted in the ESPN line-up. It's been on ESPN2 in the recent past. According to the CJ, part of the issue this year is working around the U of L-Indiana game. That sounds to me like they're prioritizing the IU game over LPT.

Duke-UNC is a conference game in the heart of basketball season. There are no December basketball games of consequence that aren't tournaments or made-for-TV. Half of our fans don't show up for a typical December home basketball game

And we all get sick of the promos leading up to UNC-Duke. Let's see if that happens for this game...

...There are only a couple posters around here that get wood for the game anyway. More than likely over half of those posters are parody accounts with the sole purpose of making UofL fans look bad.

You could be right about this. We've all wondered about nccardfan...

 

[rockfly]

Sure you do...

Not our finest moment. But that's the exception, not the rule. Nice job cherry picking though

 

[Knucklehank1]

Actually it's more complicated than just wanting to see the game played. It ALSO includes obsessing on the outcome as if the game has tremendous importance. Nothing wrong with playing any game with LPT. It's whining afterward why we didn't beat them when that happens. And that's how the coaches see the game and the result.

Quite simply, a section of our fanbase still has the little brother mindset...

I seem to remember fans "whining" after every loss in every season. That's why they are called fans. Yes, the rivalry has no bearing on conference standing and not a huge impact on NCAA seeding. But if that is the litmus test then get rid of Army-Navy, St. X vs Trinity, and any other non-conference, non-playoff game. It's great that you are above the rivalry, but most current students, most alums and most donors are not.

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

I seem to remember fans "whining" after every loss in every season.

Spot on Hank.

 

[JohnKBA]

This isn't the first year that this game has been demoted in the ESPN line-up. It's been on ESPN2 in the recent past. According to the CJ, part of the issue this year is working around the U of L-Indiana game. That sounds to me like they're prioritizing the IU game over LPT.

Duke-UNC is a conference game in the heart of basketball season. There are no December basketball games of consequence that aren't tournaments or made-for-TV. Half of our fans don't show up for a typical December home basketball game

And we all get sick of the promos leading up to UNC-Duke. Let's see if that happens for this game...

You could be right about this. We've all wondered about nccardfan...

The truth is, nobody on a national scale cares about any of these games. Fans of UK and U of L will watch the game regardless of when it is played and what network it is on, and non fans of those schools will watch something else regardless of the same. I watch UNC/Duke every year, but I'm addicted to sports. Your average Joe in New York or California or Colorado or any of 40 or so other states isn't watching that game either.

 

[nccardfan]

This isn't the first year that this game has been demoted in the ESPN line-up. It's been on ESPN2 in the recent past. According to the CJ, part of the issue this year is working around the U of L-Indiana game. That sounds to me like they're prioritizing the IU game over LPT.

Duke-UNC is a conference game in the heart of basketball season. There are no December basketball games of consequence that aren't tournaments or made-for-TV. Half of our fans don't show up for a typical December home basketball game

And we all get sick of the promos leading up to UNC-Duke. Let's see if that happens for this game...

You could be right about this. We've all wondered about nccardfan...

I love it when you mention my name... I think more U of L fans want to see the game played than not, whereas some kitties agree with you that the game is no longer important to them. What's wrong with that picture?

 

[rockfly]

Zipp, back to your previous point......why not let the networks decide........fine, let them. If you let the TV networks decide who UL should play in the non conference you know who they would pick? It would be UK. Our rivalry is the second biggest in CBB. We aren't talking about belarmine vs western here.

 

[zipp]

...some kitties agree with you that the game is no longer important to them. What's wrong with that picture?

Find me an LPT fan who wants to end the basketball series. There must be one...

 

[zipp]

Zipp, back to your previous point......why not let the networks decide........fine, let them. If you let the TV networks decide who UL should play in the non conference you know who they would pick? It would be UK. Our rivalry is the second biggest in CBB. We aren't talking about belarmine vs western here.

No one gives an ish about this game anymore but LPT fans and a handful of U of L fans. And the TV networks know that...

 

[zipp]

I seem to remember fans "whining" after every loss in every season. That's why they are called fans...

To a degree that's true. But prior to this past season, our record against UNC and Duke combined was about the same as against LPT since Pitino Lite's arrival.

But no one here was wailing and whining about losing games to Tobacco Road schools. At least nowhere to the degree as the LPT game. That's little brother-itis and an LPT fixation for some of our fanbase.

If you're obsessed with the outcome of ANY game with LPT, you're increasingly in the minority. No one else places that importance on the rivalry, at least not anymore. And if you can't handle losing the LPT game, the game isn't worth playing. The advantages to playing it aren't there...

 

[zipp]

Not our finest moment. But that's the exception, not the rule. Nice job cherry picking though

Find me another well-supported football program REDUCING the capacity of its stadium...

 

[nccardfan]

Find me an LPT fan who wants to end the basketball series. There must be one...

If you think long and hard, may be difficult for you, JohnKBA agreed with you about the importance of the game. Last I checked, he's not a L1C4 and neither are you.

 

[zipp]

If you think long and hard, may be difficult for you, JohnKBA agreed with you about the importance of the game. Last I checked, he's not a L1C4 and neither are you.

John is a UK fan, not an LPT fan. He has a brain. Find me one of the common variety. You don't know what L1C4 means...

 

[moe#8]

Find me an LPT fan who wants to end the basketball series. There must be one...

here and I am dead serious

 

[rockfly]

No one gives an ish about this game anymore but LPT fans and a handful of U of L fans. And the TV networks know that...

Only a handful of your fans care about the Kentucky game? That's delusional.

 

[rockfly]

John is a UK fan, not an LPT fan. He has a brain. Find me one of the common variety. You don't know what L1C4 means...

This is the very first time I have ever seen you say "UK fan". I'd be lying if I said I wasn't smiling.

 

[JohnKBA]

This is the very first time I have ever seen you say "UK fan". I'd be lying if I said I wasn't smiling.

I feel honored.

 

[Knucklehank1]

No one gives an ish about this game anymore but LPT fans and a handful of U of L fans. And the TV networks know that...

Good old Zipp and his ever evolving arguments.

Anyways, your main (original) point was that no one cares about the game especially TV networks, so why play it? Well the data suggest otherwise. Two years ago the game was on ESPN 2 and was the 3rd most watched game on the ESPN family of networks that season and also garnered the highest college basketball ratings ever on ESPN2.

So then you argued that only a handful of crazies actually give an "ish' about the game. If that is true, then those handful of crazies drive the secondary market up like crazy for tickets. The UofL vs UK game is always the top average price for college basketball on the secondary market aside from Duke-UNC in Cameron (which has about 1/3 the total number of tickets).

Then lastly, you made some point about fans not being able to handle losing, etc, etc and if you cannot then don't play the game. Really not sure what your argument was other than it looks like a weak straw man argument, which was nothing more than your unsubstantiated opinion.

Were there any other arguments I missed? Come on,zipp, I know its the off-season but you got to step up your game.

 

[Mike'sMarbles]

Why is moving a game to a weekday a bad thing?

More people watch TV on the weekdays than the weekends. That's why The Big Bang Theory airs during the week rather than on the weekend.

It's true that in the Olde Days of the 1970s and 1980s, before cable TV caught on, sports were relegated to weekends except for MNF. If you wanted to get on national television you had to schedule your big games on Saturdays. College football and college basketball were on TV on Saturdays, and NFL/NBA was Sunday.

Today all of these sports have footholds in the weekday calendar.

You could make an argument that ESPN moved the game to a weekday to try to get a bigger audience.

 

[zipp]

Good old Zipp and his ever evolving arguments...

I think you'll find that my position on playing LPT in any sport has been pretty consistent, unless you can show otherwise.

...Anyways, your main (original) point was that no one cares about the game especially TV networks, so why play it? Well the data suggest otherwise. Two years ago the game was on ESPN 2 and was the 3rd most watched game on the ESPN family of networks that season and also garnered the highest college basketball ratings ever on ESPN2...

Then, why was it on ESPN2? You also don't get much credit for being the biggest goldfish in the mayonnaise jar.

...So then you argued that only a handful of crazies actually give an "ish' about the game. If that is true, then those handful of crazies drive the secondary market up like crazy for tickets. The UofL vs UK game is always the top average price for college basketball on the secondary market aside from Duke-UNC in Cameron (which has about 1/3 the total number of tickets)...

Ticket prices are a LOCAL dynamic. And LPT fans will drive that disproportionately since they crave the game. Look around at all the blue in the lower bowl if you want confirmation of that. Do you go to any of the games?

...Then lastly, you made some point about fans not being able to handle losing, etc, etc and if you cannot then don't play the game. Really not sure what your argument was other than it looks like a weak straw man argument, which was nothing more than your unsubstantiated opinion...

You mean it's my opinion that some U of L fans come into this space complaining about not winning enough LPT basketball games? You're kidding, right? The game's not going to be staged--if it continues--any differently in the future than it is today. So, if you're unhappy, you're going to remain unhappy. Unless there's unquestionable value, I like to see things end that make U of L fans unhappy.

...Were there any other arguments I missed? Come on,zipp, I know its the off-season but you got to step up your game.

Hank, you're a little late to the game. There have been multiple threads on this subject for a year or more. Hang around, and you'll get plenty of opportunities to further educate yourself...

 

[zipp]

This is the very first time I have ever seen you say "UK fan"...

That's because I'm usually addressing slapd!cks.

...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't smiling.

And in serious need of validation...

 

[zipp]

Why is moving a game to a weekday a bad thing?

More people watch TV on the weekdays than the weekends. That's why The Big Bang Theory airs during the week rather than on the weekend.

It's true that in the Olde Days of the 1970s and 1980s, before cable TV caught on, sports were relegated to weekends except for MNF. If you wanted to get on national television you had to schedule your big games on Saturdays. College football and college basketball were on TV on Saturdays, and NFL/NBA was Sunday.

Today all of these sports have footholds in the weekday calendar.

You could make an argument that ESPN moved the game to a weekday to try to get a bigger audience.

I wouldn't disagree if it was being moved for some kind of strategic value. Maybe as the showcase game during an ESPN Rivalry Week. Anyone heard something like that? I haven't.

In the news account, it sounds like the game was being relocated in part to work around the ESPN telecast of U of L and IU. Think about that... How much tradition do we have playing Indiana? Does IU rise to the level of a BIGGER rival than LPT? Doesn't sound like the networks see things the way some of the fans do.

I don't wanna debate the significance of the game if you're a fan who doesn't much care about the outcome, at least not any more than another game. Play it anytime--it doesn't matter. If this game really gets under your skin, you're in a declining part of the fanbase and, evidently, the viewing audience...

 

[Knucklehank1]

"Then, why was it on ESPN2? You also don't much credit for being the biggest goldfish in the mayonnaise jar."

Seems to even further refute your argument. The suits at ESPN apparently misjudged the appeal of the game as well. They put in the "mayonnaise jar" of ESPN2 and yet the viewing public still made it the 3rd most watched game of the season and 2nd most watched matchup.

 

[zipp]

It's a very minimal reduction of seats in order to modernize the stadium. Why don't we talk about increasing your capacity in a stadium that rarely filled up to begin with.

IIRC you decreased capacity by around 10,000 seats.

"Minimal"?

It would also help us fill PJCS if LPT came close to selling its allotment of football tix every other year.

LPT Football: Why would we pay to watch that?

 

[zipp]

...The suits at ESPN apparently misjudged the appeal of the game as well. They put in the "mayonnaise jar" of ESPN2 and yet the viewing public still made it the 3rd most watched game of the season and 2nd most watched matchup.

So the "suits" are doubling down by putting it on a December weeknite. Those guys are idiots!



You need to apply for one of those ESPN jobs since you've got a handle on the situation.

The local ratings for the game you're talking about were DOWN year over year. You probably just overlooked that. (LINK) There is no mention of national stats as you're implying...

 

[Cue Card]

The local ratings for the game you're talking about were DOWN year over year.

UK-U of L hoops rating down, but still tops ESPN telecasts for the year in Louisville.

Also it's worth noting ratings are down across the board for the game of college basketball. Not just in the Louisville market. People are falling out of love with college basketball. The game is in trouble. Here's an older article (about a year old) that has an opinion as to why.

http://time.com/3744860/march-madness-selection-sunday-college-basketball/

 

[Knucklehank1]

So the "suits" are doubling down by putting it on a December weeknite. Those guys are idiots!


The local ratings for the game you're talking about were DOWN year over year. You probably just overlooked that. (LINK) There is no mention of national stats as you're implying...

Here you go buddy....

"In addition to being the season’s third most-viewed game, ESPN2’s 3,495,000 viewers for Kentucky at Louisville on December 27 is also the network’s most-viewed men’s college hoops game ever."

And by the way, the most watched game occurred on a weeknight.

 

[rockfly]

You win some, you lose some Zipp

 

[zipp]

UK-U of L hoops rating down, but still tops ESPN telecasts for the year in Louisville...

ESPN isn't broadcasting a game because of its viewership in Louisville. This market is mostly irrelevant nationally...

 

[zipp]

Here you go buddy....

"In addition to being the season’s third most-viewed game, ESPN2’s 3,495,000 viewers for Kentucky at Louisville on December 27 is also the network’s most-viewed men’s college hoops game ever."

And by the way, the most watched game occurred on a weeknight.

If the rest of us can provide a link, you can too...