The Observer Sucks - Pro Am Addition

49ers Basketball Forum 🏀
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[QUOTE=Normmm;331845]I get what you’re saying. But one could argue, what makes this ACC country? Perhaps when the Observer opts to mention a Clemson player over a Charlotte player plays a huge role in making this ACC country. If the Observer felt compelled to have the Charlotte player/team the top priority then maybe the ACC country factor wouldn’t be so dominate.[/QUOTE]

That’s the chicken and egg question Normmm…are we less known BECAUSE the media doesn’t acknowledge us or does the media not acknowledge us because we’re less known? I’d say it’s a little of both. If the papers gave us more pub because we’re the hometown school (rightly so) yes we would be a little more popular around town. Would that really stop the ACC bias though? If the ACC continues to put 5-6 teams in the tourney every year and we hardly make it in and fizzle out every year, will that stop the ACC bias even though the local paper gives us more coverage? I don’t think it will.

In addition, we can’t deny that our school is only 55 years old or so. ACC schools are much older. Chapel Hole is hundreds of years old. Generations upon generations of people have grown up fans and have been loyal to these schools (even the Wal-Mart fans, so it goes). So I can understand how the papers slant toward ACC because they THINK that’s what’s going to sell them papers; whether or not it’s true or not. There in lies the bias. They think it’s going to sell more papers.

My point is, if we’re good continually, we make runs in the tournament…we’ll become more popular (locally and nationally) and they’ll be MORE LIKELY to run us more pub and respect. They’ll think it’ll sell them more papers. I just don’t think coverage brings respect. I think winning does. Winning speaks for itself. If we got pub from the local paper and we play sorry ball I don’t see us benefiting from that at all…I don’t think we sell more tickets. It just tells everyone how sorry we are. If we put a better product on the floor…everything falls into place. The observer takes notice and naturally ACC homers notice as well.

I guess when it comes down to it, I’m asking…why do we care what the observer does again?

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I guess when it comes down to it, I'm asking.....why do we care what the observer does again?
Because like it or not, they have a heavy influence on what others think of us.

The one unanswered question is still: WHY WAS JIM UTTER NOT ASSIGNED TO DO THIS STORY, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS ALREADY AT SOME OF THE GAMES?

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I guess when it comes down to it, I'm asking.....why do we care what the observer does again?
If what the Observer 'does' is unimportant, why do they have an Opinion section? Newspapers aren't just in the business of informing, they are also in the business of persuasion. They can either do that subtley by picking and choosing what stories they cover (for instance, any ACC school over us) or actively through their often un-signed editorials.
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That's the chicken and egg question Normmm....are we less known BECAUSE the media doesn't acknowledge us or does the media not acknowledge us because we're less known? I'd say it's a little of both. If the papers gave us more pub because we're the hometown school (rightly so) yes we would be a little more popular around town. Would that really stop the ACC bias though? If the ACC continues to put 5-6 teams in the tourney every year and we hardly make it in and fizzle out every year, will that stop the ACC bias even though the local paper gives us more coverage? I don't think it will.

In addition, we can’t deny that our school is only 55 years old or so. ACC schools are much older. Chapel Hole is hundreds of years old. Generations upon generations of people have grown up fans and have been loyal to these schools (even the Wal-Mart fans, so it goes). So I can understand how the papers slant toward ACC because they THINK that’s what’s going to sell them papers; whether or not it’s true or not. There in lies the bias. They think it’s going to sell more papers.

My point is, if we’re good continually, we make runs in the tournament…we’ll become more popular (locally and nationally) and they’ll be MORE LIKELY to run us more pub and respect. They’ll think it’ll sell them more papers. I just don’t think coverage brings respect. I think winning does. Winning speaks for itself. If we got pub from the local paper and we play sorry ball I don’t see us benefiting from that at all…I don’t think we sell more tickets. It just tells everyone how sorry we are. If we put a better product on the floor…everything falls into place. The observer takes notice and naturally ACC homers notice as well.

I guess when it comes down to it, I’m asking…why do we care what the observer does again?

WE’RE 62 YEARS OLD!

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That's the chicken and egg question Normmm....are we less known BECAUSE the media doesn't acknowledge us or does the media not acknowledge us because we're less known? I'd say it's a little of both. If the papers gave us more pub because we're the hometown school (rightly so) yes we would be a little more popular around town. Would that really stop the ACC bias though? If the ACC continues to put 5-6 teams in the tourney every year and we hardly make it in and fizzle out every year, will that stop the ACC bias even though the local paper gives us more coverage? I don't think it will.

In addition, we can’t deny that our school is only 55 years old or so. ACC schools are much older. Chapel Hole is hundreds of years old. Generations upon generations of people have grown up fans and have been loyal to these schools (even the Wal-Mart fans, so it goes). So I can understand how the papers slant toward ACC because they THINK that’s what’s going to sell them papers; whether or not it’s true or not. There in lies the bias. They think it’s going to sell more papers.

My point is, if we’re good continually, we make runs in the tournament…we’ll become more popular (locally and nationally) and they’ll be MORE LIKELY to run us more pub and respect. They’ll think it’ll sell them more papers. I just don’t think coverage brings respect. I think winning does. Winning speaks for itself. If we got pub from the local paper and we play sorry ball I don’t see us benefiting from that at all…I don’t think we sell more tickets. It just tells everyone how sorry we are. If we put a better product on the floor…everything falls into place. The observer takes notice and naturally ACC homers notice as well.

I guess when it comes down to it, I’m asking…why do we care what the observer does again?

I constantly use the chicken and egg argument for this topic. But your opinion seems to fall on the anti-Charlotte side, say egg, where the chicken is the Charlotte side of the argument. You’re using the same arguments that a UNC-CH or NC State fan might use. And I’m not saying you’re a fan of either one of those schools, just seems your argument supports them.

I for one think that publicity absolutely helps the program. Does it make you win the national championship, of course not. But any advantage or assistance is better in my opinion than any disadvantage. Who knows if more coverage by the Observer would help sell out Halton more? But if it does, then selling out Halton could lead to more tv games, which can lead to a bigger recruiting base. Selling out Halton means more money, which means we could pay our assistance more. More coverage by the Observer might mean landing more local talent, which can lead to winning more. Etc, Etc. I have a hard time seeing why any Niner fan would be against these things.

“Just win more” is very basic to me. Only because doesn’t that logic apply to every team in the country? It just seems to be one of those things that goes without saying

I’m a little confused as to the last comment about why do we care about what the Observer does. Any Niner coverage is great to me. More Niner coverage is even better. You mean to say you wouldn’t or don’t enjoy going to the barber shop, and seeing a paper lying around, with the Niners on the cover, and then see the people in the barber shop talk about the Niners? Or got to a bar and see the paper sitting on the bar, with a picture of the Niners on the cover, then see a discussion about the Niners break out? To me, that’s a lot of what sports is all about.

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I for one think that publicity absolutely helps the program.
It definitely helps with local support, which we need for D1 football. Imagine what would have happened while in CUSA if we had picked up the local support we should have.
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[QUOTE=Over40NINER;331939]Because like it or not, they have a heavy influence on what others think of us.

The one unanswered question is still: [B]WHY WAS JIM UTTER NOT ASSIGNED TO DO THIS STORY, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS ALREADY AT SOME OF THE GAMES? [/B][/QUOTE]

maybe because Jim covers nascar too. this isn’t basketball season last i checked.

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[QUOTE=Normmm;331974]I constantly use the chicken and egg argument for this topic. But your opinion seems to fall on the anti-Charlotte side, say egg, where the chicken is the Charlotte side of the argument. You’re using the same arguments that a UNC-CH or NC State fan might use. And I’m not saying you’re a fan of either one of those schools, just seems your argument supports them.

I for one think that publicity absolutely helps the program. Does it make you win the national championship, of course not. But any advantage or assistance is better in my opinion than any disadvantage. Who knows if more coverage by the Observer would help sell out Halton more? But if it does, then selling out Halton could lead to more tv games, which can lead to a bigger recruiting base. Selling out Halton means more money, which means we could pay our assistance more. More coverage by the Observer might mean landing more local talent, which can lead to winning more. Etc, Etc. I have a hard time seeing why any Niner fan would be against these things.

“Just win more” is very basic to me. Only because doesn’t that logic apply to every team in the country? It just seems to be one of those things that goes without saying

I’m a little confused as to the last comment about why do we care about what the Observer does. Any Niner coverage is great to me. More Niner coverage is even better. You mean to say you wouldn’t or don’t enjoy going to the barber shop, and seeing a paper lying around, with the Niners on the cover, and then see the people in the barber shop talk about the Niners? Or got to a bar and see the paper sitting on the bar, with a picture of the Niners on the cover, then see a discussion about the Niners break out? To me, that’s a lot of what sports is all about.[/QUOTE]

I said publicity will help us too, but just a little. Do I WANT more publicity? Absolutely; but that’s not in question, it’s not what I was focused on. My whole purpose for posting was describing in my mind what the situation IS, good or bad, and what can change it. It’s not about what I want. The situation is, whether we like it or not, the Observer and many people around town have an ACC bias, period. What’s going to change that bias? Again, my opinion is that coverage from the newspaper is not going to change it. Winning and making a name for ourselves will. You’re right, it’s very simple but it’s also the answer. Would seeing more commercials for a product you know does not work make you buy that product? Neither will more paper coverage benefit a team that does not win.

My last comment was facetious. I know we care, some pub would help, it would be nice…but in my mind it’s just barking up the wrong tree.

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I said publicity will help us too, but just a little. Do I WANT more publicity? Absolutely; but that's not in question, it's not what I was focused on. My whole purpose for posting was describing in my mind what the situation IS, good or bad, and what can change it. It's not about what I want. The situation is, whether we like it or not, the Observer and many people around town have an ACC bias, period. What's going to change that bias? Again, my opinion is that coverage from the newspaper is not going to change it. Winning and making a name for ourselves will. You're right, it's very simple but it's also the answer. Would seeing more commercials for a product you know does not work make you buy that product? Neither will more paper coverage benefit a team that does not win.

My last comment was facetious. I know we care, some pub would help, it would be nice…but in my mind it’s just barking up the wrong tree.

The Charlotte basketball program is a product that doesn’t work, yet the ACC is - that’s what you’re saying, right?

And two Sweet 16s are what is needed for Charlotte to ‘work’ at a satisfactory level, right?

So how many times has an ACC team made it past the first weekend in the past couple years? Chapel Hill and … that’s it. How many ACC teams just made it to the freakin’ tournament itself more than once over the past 3 years? Chapel Hill, Duke, Boston College and … that’s it. So about 75% of the ACC is really, really broken. But you still have a high opinion of them … so I would say the publicity matters.

Say the Niners won their second round games in '98 & '99 (an OT loss and a loss to a #13 seed). Walk me through how things would be different today. I still think coverage would blow. Heck shortly afterward, Conference USA was ranked slightly higher than the ACC in conference strength (got more bids, too) and the Observer never ‘stood up and noticed’, as you would expect.

I don’t necessarily think that publicity - even in down years - can be a bad thing, either. Did it hurt the Atlanta Braves to be on TBS for all those sh***y years? People still went to the games to talk about Dale Murphy and to argue about how lame the team was. And when the Braves started winning, it made it that much more enjoyable to be a fan of the team. To suggest that Charlotte should accept a lack of coverage in a Charlotte newspaper due to too many unsatisfactory 20-win, 1st weekend NCAA appearances or less seasons is kind of nuts. How many 20k public universities can you think of that have those type of standards for their local newspaper?

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[QUOTE=survivor45;332211]I don’t necessarily think that publicity - even in down years - can be a bad thing, either. Did it hurt the Atlanta Braves to be on TBS for all those sh***y years? People still went to the games to talk about Dale Murphy and to argue about how lame the team was. And when the Braves started winning, it made it that much more enjoyable to be a fan of the team. To suggest that Charlotte should accept a lack of coverage in a Charlotte newspaper due to too many unsatisfactory 20-win, 1st weekend NCAA appearances or less seasons is kind of nuts. How many 20k public universities can you think of that have those type of standards for their local newspaper?[/QUOTE]
Thank you survivor.

Today’s Observer/McClatchy stock watch… $4.09 (down $0.11, -2.62%), 52-week range: $3.99 - $26.00

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[QUOTE=survivor45;332211]The Charlotte basketball program is a product that doesn’t work, yet the ACC is - that’s what you’re saying, right? [/QUOTE]

No. That’s NOT what I’m saying. I’m saying there is a BIAS for ACC schools. Whether or not they DESERVE the recognition, they get it. That is just how it is, that’s what bias is. It’s not fair but it’s there. I’m not defending the ACC. Forget the ACC, I don’t care about the ACC. I want my school to be noticed IN CONTRAST to the ACC. How are they going to do it… win. That’s all I’m saying.

And survivor, I can’t buy the TBS/Braves comparison. In Atlanta, (the home of time warner) the Braves were the only MLB team in the city. What other team were they going to cover? They also covered the Atlanta Hawks pretty good during that time and they stank too. But, if there were several pro teams in Atlanta, who do you think they would have covered more? The team that won the most, the better team, etc. We’re in a different situation here. We’re in a forest full of college Bball teams. How do we stand out in the Carolinas? By more articles about us?

And again, one more time…I agree publicity isn’t a bad thing, and it will help some…but it’s NOT going to make a big difference in perception IMO unless success goes with it.

Ok, I’m officially ready for the season to start.

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Um, there is no other D1 school in Charlotte.

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No. That's NOT what I'm saying. I'm saying there is a BIAS for ACC schools. Whether or not they DESERVE the recognition, they get it. That is just how it is, that's what bias is. It's not fair but it's there. I'm not defending the ACC. Forget the ACC, I don't care about the ACC. I want my school to be noticed IN CONTRAST to the ACC. How are they going to do it... win. That's all I'm saying.

And survivor, I can’t buy the TBS/Braves comparison. In Atlanta, (the home of time warner) the Braves were the only MLB team in the city. What other team were they going to cover? They also covered the Atlanta Hawks pretty good during that time and they stank too. But, if there were several pro teams in Atlanta, who do you think they would have covered more? The team that won the most, the better team, etc. We’re in a different situation here. We’re in a forest full of college Bball teams. How do we stand out in the Carolinas? By more articles about us?

And again, one more time…I agree publicity isn’t a bad thing, and it will help some…but it’s NOT going to make a big difference in perception IMO unless success goes with it.

Ok, I’m officially ready for the season to start.

I think he was referring more to Braves fans across the country and not just in Atlanta. There are Braves fans in California, in part because of TBS.

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And survivor, I can't buy the TBS/Braves comparison. In Atlanta, (the home of time warner) the Braves were the only MLB team in the city. What other team were they going to cover? They also covered the Atlanta Hawks pretty good during that time and they stank too. But, if there were several pro teams in Atlanta, who do you think they would have covered more? The team that won the most, the better team, etc. We're in a different situation here.

They could have covered St. Louis, Baltimore, Houston, or another playoff team rather than a last place team. TBS covered a much larger region than just the Atlanta area. But that would be as ridiculous as a newspaper worshiping a D1 basketball program located 2 hours away.

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maybe because Jim covers nascar too. this isn't basketball season last i checked.
Correct, but................ Jim was already at some of the games and I'm pretty sure he did a blog or 2 on them. WHY was he assiigned to do a blog on the Niners while they sent another reporter in to do a printed article on the acc schools?

Like I’ve said, we’re gonna need the same support from the Observer that other papers give their hometown teams if we are to obtain local hometown football support. Period!!!

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Looks like we are going to be getting much more NC State coverage. Yippie!!!

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[QUOTE=survivor45;332211]So how many times has an ACC team made it past the first weekend in the past couple years? Chapel Hill and … that’s it. How many ACC teams just made it to the freakin’ tournament itself more than once over the past 3 years? Chapel Hill, Duke, Boston College and … that’s it. So about 75% of the ACC is really, really broken. But you still have a high opinion of them … so I would say the publicity matters.

I don’t necessarily think that publicity - even in down years - can be a bad thing, either. Did it hurt the Atlanta Braves to be on TBS for all those sh***y years? People still went to the games to talk about Dale Murphy and to argue about how lame the team was. And when the Braves started winning, it made it that much more enjoyable to be a fan of the team. To suggest that Charlotte should accept a lack of coverage in a Charlotte newspaper due to too many unsatisfactory 20-win, 1st weekend NCAA appearances or less seasons is kind of nuts. How many 20k public universities can you think of that have those type of standards for their local newspaper?[/QUOTE]winner.