I started following Bobcat basketball during my freshman year in 1969. What a year. We defeated 4 Big 10 teams, including Purdue with Rick Mount. There was no conference tournament back then, so the league championship came down to the final game of the season, in Athens, against Bowling Green during sibs weekend. Some say there may have been as many as 17,000 jammed into the convo to see the Bobcats win.

That was the high point. From then on, I've witnessed a slow, steady decline in our fortunes, much of it, maybe most of it from factors beyond our control. Yes, there, have been blips upward, sometimes by accident, others because we took chances. But for the most part it has been a gentle downward slope.

The nadir came last month, and it pretty much crystallized things for me. Jaaron Simmons, who our coach said was the leader, the "alpha dog" whose 3 words would be worth 100 from the coaches, bailed on the program. I don't blame the kid for reasons I'll go into, but when your leader bails, it really says a lot about your program. It also sends a frightening message to all who remain behind. My guess is that some on the team have been wondering for weeks now, well, if Jaaron thought it best to leave, what am I doing here?

And really, what am I as a fan doing here? When I started following the Bobcats, there may have been a dozen Division 1 leagues and the MAC was probably in the top 6 or eight. We could routinely schedule name brand teams into the convo. We played Ohio State every few years, sometimes in Athens. Now there are what, about 30 conferences now, and the MAC is an after thought, a Mid Major that only gets one bid into the NCAA tourney. No name brand team wants to play us in Athens because they've got little to gain and much to lose.

and MAC schools? None are anywhere near being the top programs in their state (does anyone really think there is an Ohio MAC school that can consistently challenge OSU, Dayton of Xavier?). The schools are often based in small towns, none get statewide coverage. The gyms, with a couple exceptions, are small and rarely more than half filled. Student support? More like non-support. It's easy to see why. When I was in school, you usually had the choice of watching 2 games on Saturday. It's more like 30 today. There might have been 1 other during the week. Now, when the Bobcats are playing, you could just stay home and watch Kentucky, Kansas or Duke, or maybe all 3.

And God help you if you are the best team in the MAC. Play just 1 bad half in the conference tourney, and no NCAA for you! I hate the conference tournament.

So the deck is stacked. You can't better yourself by playing the "big schools" because the big schools with the recognizable names won't play you. And since you can't better yourself, you can't get into the NCAA tournament. And since you can't get into the tournament you can't get the best players. You're stuck in a vicious circle and there's very few ways out. Maybe you get lucky, the stars align right, you develop a good team, the kids don't transfer or go pro and you make a tourney run. But can it be sustained? You have to continue to get lucky, or you start taking chances. But if you are a small school taking chances, the NCAA will take a very dim view of you.

I can't blame Simmons for leaving. Just like Keith Dambrot, he's seen the environment, and knows that better competition and a realistic shot at an NCAA tourney might be better for his post college career.

But where does that leave me? Rooting for a program with no realistic chance of being a consistent Top 50 team or winning an NCAA tournament once every 5 or 6 years (notice I didn't say compete for an NCAA championship, I'm not greedy) Rooting for a team where the best players aren't necessarily 100% committed. Rooting for a team that's never able to bring the best competition to its home court.

I've been rooting for that team for decades, and I'm just not getting that much enjoyment out of it any more. And from my reading of the tea leaves, I can't see the slow, gentle decline turning into an upward bounce anytime soon.

boo,hoo,hoo........Anyone who puts on the uniform for the Bobcats is giving it their all and I respect them. I enjoy following our team, win or lose. The few times I can get to Athens to watch a game is a wonderful experience, win or lose.

The conference tournaments are the 2nd best part of the season, second to March Madness. It's like a mini march madness to get the players ready for the real deal. This way the best TOURNAMENT team makes it to the NCAA tournament.

Brucecuth I hear you and I would hope everyone would respect your sentiments. I disagree with your wanting to get rid of the conference tournament, but I have sympathy for a lot of what you are saying. When people feel something is unfair, rigged or isn't what it once was in their estimation, they often cut back, whether it be a sports team, restaurant or even a band.

Professional sports thrives off gimmicks. Most major league baseball teams see their higher attendance games based on some sort of giveaway, musical performance etc. Gone are the days people just showed up for the game. Look at some of the former big time East Coast college basketball programs that have seen their attendance plummet. They feel their programs can't compete with some of the big boy programs and the fans just leave. Throw in high ticket prices, fights in the stands, profanity and drunkenness, especially in professional sports, and many spend their money elsewhere.

Anyone who lives near Columbus knows how ridiculous it is seeing all these various personal license plates that spell out Ohio State Buckeyes in some sort of fashion. I know a couple of folks, who even are Bobcat grads that sport such silliness on their vehicles. It is estimated that while 100,000 or so folks can fit into the Horseshoe, just as many tailgate outside. They might not be able to tell the difference between Woody Hayes and Woody Harrelson, but they are there in their scarlet and gray because it is the place to be. If Ohio State ever tanked in the Big Ten, that would all change in a heartbeat.

The college grad transfer rule is probably going to change, there are a plethora of stories from complaining coaches, I have linked to one (see below.) However, perhaps because of a myriad of other options, live sports in this country has jumped the shark. Think of your town/city's storied restaurant that one day just closes. It may have been sold, a new family member my have run it into the ground, but whatever the case, loyalty only lasts so long when you feel you are getting cheated or short changed, and so it is with certain sports as well.

I love going to Bobcat games (don't even mind the drive) but with all that is going on, I can see how some people might just say enough. It has been 30 years since I graduated and I still look forward to football and basketball season. However, we all have various responsibilities that probably keep us from going more than we would like (family, job, time etc.) Unfortunately, when you feel like you are being cheated, it makes it even harder to find the time.
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2015/04...

+1 however, I do agree that we need to schedule better.

I agree and have said as much on here recently. I get frustrated with the lack of competitive fairness of it all but instead of giving up on the Bobcats I've given up on the Power Conferences. I essentially now only watch midmajors and most of that is the MAC. Every MAC conference season is competitive and fun.

So in reading comments like this, along with the constant ridiculous banter on the football board about how if I don't expect a MAC championship than I'm wallowing in mediocrity, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm alone in my belief that athletics was just a small part of my experience at OU and I could care less how successful we are.

Don't get me wrong. I like winning and I like the exposure we get with winning. But during my time at OU from 1990-1995, I got just as much enjoyment watching Gary Trent dominate the MAC as I did watching Tom Dubs and company get their butts kicked at Peden Stadium. Some of my favorite times at OU were catching a buzz before a football game, spending 3 hours with 200 or so of my fellow students and enjoying an afternoon in the most beautiful setting in the USA. I also sat with dozens of people watching OU baseball and volleyball. Right now, I'm a die-hard Cleveland sports fan but I have just as much fun watching the Lake Erie Crushers Independent league team in Avon.

I get people wanting to win. I get people wanting a successful program. But there is something about enjoying the experience and enjoying Athens that made wins and losses less important to me. I will always support the Cats whether they are in the top 25 or having a winless year.

Funny you mention Danny Nee... Didn't he leave Ohio for Nebraska?

Same timeframe
Jim Snyder, Dale Bandy, Danny Nee
Tim O'Shea, John Groce, Jim Christian, Saul Phillips

3 coaches vs 4 coaches. Similar to player loyalty, I would love for our coaches to stick around. I hope Saul Phillips has a career similar to Jim Snyder who coached Ohio for 25 years, but if you give me the choice between Dale Bandy coaching Ohio for 6 years (5 losing seasons) and John Groce or Danny Nee who led Ohio to NCAA Tournament wins but left for bigger jobs, I'll take the NCAA wins.

Although I am pretty disappointed in "Saul ball" the first 3 years you just never know how quickly a great team can come together. Its not like professional sports teams taking years to build it can happen in one or two years. Case in point are the Gamecocks of South Carolina, hadn't even been to the NCAA tournament since 2004 and in a city that is a football city. All the pieces just fell in place with 2 outstanding senior guards, a junior, sophmore and freshman starting 5. If Saul ball is to work it starts with 2 really good guards like the Bobcats had in 11-12, my only concern is having a true big for defense and rebounding. If DT can turn into a rebounding/defensive beast we can be a really good team and great the following year..

No disrespect intended, but why are you "about" done? Why not just be done and put the frustration you are experiencing behind you? Instead of BA, find some good books? Instead of following the team(s), spend more time conversing with friends and family? If you examine the reasons you used "about," you may find some of the things that others have shared here. Love the game, love the 'Cats, what else is there to say?

I'm on the side of those disagreeing with brucecuth. We have never had the resources to be a consistent top 50 team. If that's the standard, it's gonna be a very disappointing experience for a fan.

Im reading Seth Davis' bio of John Wooden. It's interesting that the most intense criticism he ever received from alumni came after he had won a few national championships...people criticizing him for not winning by big enough margins, people saying he wasn't recruiting good enough, that he had dead weight on the bench. Fan psychology is very interesting.

This is a winning argument in my book. Don't most of us support Ohio Basketball even if they aren't a MAC Champion?

As an added example, I've been a Cincinnati hoops fan for about 18-20 years, longer than I've been a Bobcat. There were some REALLY lean years early on with Mick Cronin. My level of being a fan hasn't waned. I still try to get to a game or two when I'm not coming to Athens. I still enjoy it, and spending the day with family and friends. In all, I was in an arena all but about 3 weekends during hoops season last year. 2-3 I had no rooting interest. The rest I did. One of the best times was in Ann Arbor, and I didn't care who won.

At the end of the day, this is my entertainment. As I get older, I find myself trying to see it that way. Getting angry if they lose a game really means that I lose, because I'm not appreciating the fun I should have had all day while being in Athens, or Cincinnati, or any other town watching the game, having an adult soda, with good friends and family.

You can be a heel and say that's accepting losing, or mediocrity, or whatever. But the game result, and the team success isn't most important in MY life. Following the team and rooting them on towards success is my enjoyment, and part of my life.

Agree. I enjoy watching basketball at much lower levels than Ohio Bobcat basketball.

As for Jaaron Simmons, we lose players at best every four years anyway. He's essentially the college girlfriend who just told you that it's time to date other people. It stings because you weren't ready to break up but after a while you realize you weren't going to marry this girl anyway. Then you spot a pretty, new girl across the room at Mug and Margarita dipping a ladle into a bucket of Stroh's. Time to move on and root for the kids that want to be here.