For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Saturday incident brings rift between school, football followers to forefront
NEWARK -- Matt Delaney never wanted himself and his trumpet to become central figures in the growing rift between the University of Delaware and some football fans.
When he was tooting his horn in Section J at Delaware Stadium -- or at NCAA title games in Chattanooga, Tenn., or Frisco, Texas -- it was about bringing attention to the Blue Hens.
"I did everything I could to try to get our section and the stands excited for the ballgame and to support our ballclub," he said.
But when Delaney, 31 and a 2003 Delaware graduate, did that Saturday night, it set off a chain of events that riled Blue Hens rooters and led to a commotion involving fans and UD police. The incident, some fans say, exemplifies how UD football games in recent years have become less appealing as administrators have made the experience more expensive and less fun...
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:45 am
by ODUalum11
its all because UD's fan base is a bunch of geriatrics
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:50 am
by 89Hen
ODUalum11 wrote:its all because UD's fan base is a bunch of geriatrics
OK Razor.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:53 am
by ODUalum11
89Hen wrote:
ODUalum11 wrote:its all because UD's fan base is a bunch of geriatrics
OK Razor.
it was a joke.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:53 am
by 93henfan
ODUalum11 wrote:its all because UD's fan base is a bunch of geriatrics
Yeah, look at all those old bastards in the picture.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:55 am
by ODUalum11
93henfan wrote:
ODUalum11 wrote:its all because UD's fan base is a bunch of geriatrics
Yeah, look at all those old bastards in the picture.
yeah, I wonder if they have their AARP cards.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:55 am
by DSUrocks07
#LiberateTheTub
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:58 am
by bluehenbillk
If it's no fun for some fans - ask UMass how bad it was for them at about 7:00pm Saturday.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:00 am
by andy7171
What was he playing on the trumpet the CHARGE! song? I wouldn't have a problem with that, unless I was right in front of him.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:04 am
by 93henfan
andy7171 wrote:What was he playing on the trumpet the CHARGE! song? I wouldn't have a problem with that, unless I was right in front of him.
The guy plays "Charge" and "The UD Fight Song" after touchdowns and such. Not during the plays, and they say he keeps it to maybe three or four times a game.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:08 am
by bluehenbillk
ODUalum11 wrote:its all because UD's fan base is a bunch of geriatrics
Actually the one positive that has resulted in the year of some smaller crowds is the shifting demographics at UD games. There are fewer old people (maybe they died/aren't physically able anymore/or complain about new fees & fixed incomes) at games now & more and more families and younger people.
Maybe the athletic department can claim/think they're starting over with a new generation but the crowds definitely have skewed younger recently.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:10 am
by andy7171
93henfan wrote:
andy7171 wrote:What was he playing on the trumpet the CHARGE! song? I wouldn't have a problem with that, unless I was right in front of him.
The guy plays "Charge" and "The UD Fight Song" after touchdowns and such. Not during the plays, and they say he keeps it to maybe three or four times a game.
Don't you have a band for that though?
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:16 am
by bluehenbillk
andy7171 wrote:
93henfan wrote:
The guy plays "Charge" and "The UD Fight Song" after touchdowns and such. Not during the plays, and they say he keeps it to maybe three or four times a game.
Don't you have a band for that though?
Well they play from their seats for 2 qtr's a game (1st & 4th). 2nd quarter they leave to prepare for halftime, 3rd quarter the trumpets, trombones & tubas run up & down the aisles playing while the drums do their thing under the stands.
It's not like they play the Sportscenter song 42 times a game & the Fox Sports diddy 36 times....
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:18 am
by andy7171
bluehenbillk wrote:
andy7171 wrote:
Don't you have a band for that though?
Well they play from their seats for 2 qtr's a game (1st & 4th). 2nd quarter they leave to prepare for halftime, 3rd quarter the trumpets, trombones & tubas run up & down the aisles playing while the drums do their thing under the stands.
It's not like they play the Sportscenter song 42 times a game & the Fox Sports diddy 36 times....
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:20 am
by 93henfan
Tresolini just followed up his article with a blog entry that I feel touched on more valid points regarding our current dwindling fanbase than the trumpet article did:
Hopefully some good comes out of all of this and the public relations disaster for UD's AD forces them to make some smart changes going forward.
In the short term, looking forward to the sellout this Saturday at The Tub. 22K+ strong is the way it should be every week.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:20 am
by andy7171
I've noticed Seven Nation Army is being worked in to heavy rotation with SportsCenter lately.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:22 am
by 93henfan
andy7171 wrote:I've noticed Seven Nation Army is being worked in to heavy rotation with SportsCenter lately.
Our student section does Seven Nation Army spontaneously, as well as Zombie Nation. No band or PA prompting needed. It's actually pretty impressive, especially for a small group of late.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:31 am
by andy7171
93henfan wrote:
andy7171 wrote:I've noticed Seven Nation Army is being worked in to heavy rotation with SportsCenter lately.
Our student section does Seven Nation Army spontaneously, as well as Zombie Nation. No band or PA prompting needed. It's actually pretty impressive, especially for a small group of late.
Yeah it might start in the student section and then the drums kick in support.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:14 am
by UAalum72
ODUalum11 wrote:
93henfan wrote:
Yeah, look at all those old bastards in the picture.
yeah, I wonder if they have their AARP cards.
Did you notice that it was a 60-year-old who was arrested while supporting him? (or should I thank you for not considering 60s geriatric?)
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:38 am
by State Line Liquors
I'm wondering if there is a way that UD fans could really blow the cover off this thing, and present it in a way that gathers national disinterest and further irrelevance and earns us a spot in some kind of late night Top 10 list of things everyone else doesn't really give a shit about.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:59 am
by bluehenbillk
Lost in this story is the fact that the overwhelming majority of UD fans are Philadelphia sports fans & we may never get over how the Phillies season ended & with the Eagles "Dream Team" flop we're an extremely bitter group right now with short fuses and bad attitudes.
God help the UMass kid that ala Brandon London from a few years ago decides to flip off the fans yelling behind him this Saturday. Gotta feeling the Tub, even though it's Parent's Day may be an electric place on Saturday.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:05 am
by andy7171
bluehenbillk wrote:Lost in this story is the fact that the overwhelming majority of UD fans are Philadelphia sports fans & we may never get over how the Phillies season ended & with the Eagles "Dream Team" flop we're an extremely bitter group right now with short fuses and bad attitudes.
God help the UMass kid that ala Brandon London from a few years ago decides to flip off the fans yelling behind him this Saturday. Gotta feeling the Tub, even though it's Parent's Day may be an electric place on Saturday.
bluehenbillk wrote:Lost in this story is the fact that the overwhelming majority of UD fans are Philadelphia sports fans & we may never get over how the Phillies season ended & with the Eagles "Dream Team" flop we're an extremely bitter group right now with short fuses and bad attitudes.
God help the UMass kid that ala Brandon London from a few years ago decides to flip off the fans yelling behind him this Saturday. Gotta feeling the Tub, even though it's Parent's Day may be an electric place on Saturday.
That would be incorrect - the Flyers fans booed rival players such as Sidney Crosby who, despite no longer being able to walk in a straight line, is high on the Public Enemy list. Figures the article was written by a hack who is a "lifelong New Jersey Devils fan". The guy writes a blog & probably wasn't even there & got a text from a buddy who was - lazy journalism. I may look the guy up on whitepages.com and egg his house. Again, we're bitter right now - think of your house every 4 weeks Andy - you don't wanna be around us right now.
That would be incorrect - the Flyers fans booed rival players such as Sidney Crosby who, despite no longer being able to walk in a straight line, is high on the Public Enemy list. Figures the article was written by a hack who is a "lifelong New Jersey Devils fan". The guy writes a blog & probably wasn't even there & got a text from a buddy who was - lazy journalism. I may look the guy up on whitepages.com and egg his house. Again, we're bitter right now - think of your house every 4 weeks Andy - you don't wanna be around us right now.
I just thought of this Andy. What if your women (once they're all old enough) get on a rotation. You could be experiencing that fun every week. Congrats!
As for the thread topic, I'm at least interested in it because I'm a fan and I think the guy got a raw deal getting booted from the game over something he's done for 15 years! I don't think it's an indictment of UD as much as it is the overzealous security people. And props to Tressolini for calling out the administration on the noisemakers issue, too.
Re: For UD fans, games now a no-fun zone
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:49 am
by 93henfan
mcveyrl wrote:As for the thread topic, I'm at least interested in it because I'm a fan and I think the guy got a raw deal getting booted from the game over something he's done for 15 years! I don't think it's an indictment of UD as much as it is the overzealous security people. And props to Tressolini for calling out the administration on the noisemakers issue, too.
Trumpetman is just another episode in a general stewing of the pot of the UD fanbase for about three years now. People are getting to this phase now, including several politicians who happen to be season ticket holders:
Again, we're bitter right now - think of your house every 4 weeks Andy - you don't wanna be around us right now. 
I don't think it's an indictment of UD as much as it is the overzealous security people. And props to Tressolini for calling out the administration on the noisemakers issue, too.