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On a 1 thru 10 scale. What’s your interest level in UK basketball now, compared to 5/10/15/20 years ago?

I’d rate myself at 1. It’s been a steady decline since 2008, for whatever reason. College basketball changed, and I did not (cannot? Will not?) change with it. A couple of years ago, I all but stopped watching mid-week conference games. This year? I had no clue were playing (hell, playing Kansas!) until about an hour before the game. Did not watch, did not dial in screaming Leach, did not check the score.

For context, I used to be one of those idiots that had to have new UK gear to start the season. Tee shirt, polo, hoody... UK/Nike ended that with the new UK (it’s not a K). I’d echo many in this thread who for years would schedule my social calendar around Cats games. I lived and breathed it. Not just hoops, but football, baseball, and (if they were playing UL) soccer, women’s bball... whatever, I was all in. I feel a long way removed from those days.
 
2.5 I don’t know any of em. I have no idea what our schedule is this year. I have a new grandson and he gets all my attention. Things that I used to think were important now fall by the wayside. Life to me is about being kind to others and living by the Golden Rule. Any sport pales in comparison.
Change your name to grandson is my hero. Lol. I have two new ones and they are so much fun. Life has changed drastically and I only watch golf and tennis anymore. Agree with your points.
 
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When I was younger I would get physicaly sick if UK lost......wouldn't miss a game for nothing......when we lived in NC, I would drive 20 mile so I could catch WHAS/Caywood game.....only place I found down there to get the radio signals......now I record the games.......haven't watched a whole game in several years.......it isn't Cal and the boys it is college basketball in general........schools cheat, reffs are either superbly bad or cheating.........my wife says I fanally grew up and out of basketball..........
My wife has made the same comments. She is a native Kentuckian and could not understand my passion for UK basketball. Especially since I am not a Kentuckian. But I did graduate from UK.

In the past 5 years she has seen a vast change in me and I probably lost 1 point in passion each year. I have even lost some passion since the OP started this thread. I see that I am not alone in my discontent.
 
Right now, compared to years ago, my level of "fandom" is around a 4 or 5. It's nowhere near what it was back when I was a student there and for so many reasons that I've covered before on these forums. It's never been a 10 for me, but at one time, I would say an 8 or 9 would describ

Regarding sports, baseball always has and always will hold the top spot for me.
 
Still interested in Kentucky football and basketball as a fan, however, not as invested in wins or losses as much as in the past. This is perhaps a function of age as much as anything as I have so many other responsibilities that require my time and attention - time that might have been spent watching games. The basketball program represents more of a pre NBA farm league than a heralded college standard of excellence, which is happening everywhere, not just at UK. The college sport of the past is gone. Colleges are now big businesses that serve as feeder programs for professional leagues - baseball, soccer, football, etc.

To be honest, I have had to adjust my thinking about UK basketball as a result. National championships are still the goal, but in the long run, I don’t see future coaches being able to change this aspect due to the amount of money now being invested in quality coaches and athletes. Money drives the prerogatives and it seems to me that a NC is now considered a luxury versus an objective to be attained in the final analysis of measuring success. Getting players to the leagues is the measuring stick that programs are now aspiring to, which for better or worse, is not due to change anytime soon.
 
I've been an avid fan since the mid 60's when I saw Rupp's Runts in Memorial Coliseum in person with my dad driving in a foot of snow from Cynthiana to Lexington standing in line for standing room only tickets. It was a 10+ for years after. It remained relatively high in the early Cal era through 2015, but the way Cal puts NBA above all else it has fallen to a 2/3 at best. Sad to say, but I miss the 3-4 year players and Senior Day, but those days are long gone. But I am almost 68 now so I have witnessed some great basketball over these years and still hope the team continues to win.
 
Probably level 6 or 7 - losses don’t hurt as much - just can’t stand Calapari anymore he’s so full of crap I hate listening to his BS - regurgitates the same crap -
On the Coaching part his roster management is poor - unwilling to change defenses - and his offense is antiquated
 
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I remember the Great Alaskan Shootout and I remember laying in bed with my radio listening to Coach Hall's postgame show. It must have been 4 or 5 am. I was off the chart in interest. 10+. I lived in Florida and had the Lex Herald mailed to me and also the Cats Pause. The one and done has killed that. Now I am 1 or 2 at the most

I can relate to every word you typed
Yes sir! Truth! My brother and I were raised by a UK dad. We would sit at the kitchen table with Cawood calling the game and it would be complete silence, except for Cawood. My dad hung on every word Cawood said. We only talked during timeout.

Now, fast forward 60 years and if I’m at home I will watch the game, if my wife wants us to go somewhere I’m ready to go. The one and done makes it not the same. To me, there is no sense of unity or family. So I guess my interest now is about a 2.
 
If COVID-19 had never came along & there were no restrictions on attendance at sporting events. I bet it would be shocking at the number of empty seats that there would be at the UK games in Rupp Arena this season.
This is a very good point and one which I agree is most likely true. If we think back to even last season there were thousands of empty seats at Rupp. Students have been dropping off for years. If not for COVID I think that trend will continue. We even reduce the capacity in Rupp and can not sell it out. That is unheard of in Rupp Arena history.

Our family has had season tickets since 1960 and I am trying to get someone in the family to take up the torch. No one wants to pay the $5,000 for the two seats. I have had a buyer who lives in Eastern Kentucky but who knows how long he will still want them when he can pick up a ticket off of the street for pennies on the dollar. A UK basketball ticket is no longer hard to get.
 
This is the first year I do not even know who the players are without looking at the roster. Also I no longer feel bad after a loss. I would say my interest rate has fallen from a nine to a four. I actually had season tickets since Rupp opened but gave them up two years ago because the game times and dates made it impossible for me to attend more than a third of the games . I am not a fan of the NBA and will not watch a game so I really do not follow our players in the NBA .
 
Level of excitement is 10 just like it was 40 years ago. If you don’t get excited to watch your favorite team play a sport then you should question your loyalty to to that team or you could be a bandwagon fan. I stick with my team through thick and thin. I have to laugh at the ones putting up polls about your interest in basketball three games into the season. Yes I get upset when they lose but then I’m ready for the next game

As with most fans, we have a large amount of vocal, fair-weather fans.
 
I almost posted a similar poll yesterday.

I’m about a 1, or 2, right now.


I was pretty excited in 2015, and the Wisconsin cheating fiasco was the beginning of the end for me.

The game has been slipping for some time. The officials are corrupt, and seem to be getting worse/more blatant. The media is horrible.

The social/political events of the last year have basically done me in.

I no longer like the coach and I have no interest in the players
 
3’s and 4’s coming from those posting on a die hard forum... 🤦🏼‍♂️


Most likely, it highlights that people are in the habit of coming to this board, but are no longer as interested in the basketball team as they used to be.

Maybe people are curious to see what others are saying about the team.

A thread like this will draw interest from most, including those of us who haven’t watched a game this season.
 
The Wisconsin loss took the win out of me, not because of the heart break.. but because it became apparent to me.. that after several years of bad calls and suspect seeding.. the NCAA was gonna do what it could to stop us. 2015 showed that, loud and clear.

This sport is the most fixed thing outside of Wrestling.
Very unfortunately I agree with u. I not a conspiracy nut . However , for a number of reasons it is very very obvious the NCAA is crooked as hell and favor both Duke and UNC . It’s apparently. All about money and relationships .
I think ESPN under their UNC President for years was a major factor in this as well as Emmertts dislike of us . He should burn in hell for what he did in the Enes Kantor case . Kid was a minor when all of that happened and he destroyed his college career over nothing just to get even with UK for stealing him from his old school .
 
IT was 10 years ago and still is a 10. I'm 75 and still going strong. I can out fight out work most of the youngs ones. :) Just kidding about fighting but i am blessed with good health and will enjoy watching UK until God calls me home. God bless all of you UK fans.
 
For all of my life it was a 10. The last 3 or 4 years it’s been about a 2 (and that seems to be the sentiment among most fans I talk to). People don’t know the players name’s and faces, and the team is garbage until March when they make an exit in the sweet 16 or elite 8. Heck, even Matt Jones said before the season he wouldn’t recognize most of the players if they walked up to him. That’s a problem. I mean if they were winning championships maybe it would be different, but they’re not. At least before they had some elite talent, now they seem to be middle of the pack in talent but they’re still leaving early. Paul Finebaum put it best—college basketball is a one month sport.
 
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People that are STILL on this board saying they are at a 2 are just flat-lying. You do not come to a forum every day (this being a random Thursday with no game scheduled) and say my interest is at a 2, I call bull.
That said saying my interest is lower from a 10 to maybe an 8 is understandable, but the extremist trying to pass it off because they want the next best thing is just dumb. New's flash there is not a better coach out there. Just let him get this squad right and another chance to hang the nets.
 
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People should understand, calling others “fair weather” fans does nothing to validate your fanhood.

If you still love Kentucky basketball, good for you. Enjoy every moment of it.

But anyone who thinks the interest level decline is purely about team performance, etc, is blind to the reality of what is going on here.

I guarantee you that there are a lot of people who watched or listened to virtually every minute of Sutton’s last team and Pitino’s first team, who have comparatively nominal interest today.

There are a lot of factors driving this. Many have been building since the mid 1990s, but there have definitely been accelerants added during the past year.

But again, if you love and/or support product as much as ever - great.

But criticizing others for not liking it as much as you do is a sign of insecurity.
 
EXCELLENT THREAD! I was thinking on this exact topic after the Richmond game (which I did not watch). I've been a diehard fan since the earliest I can remember (1978 10 years old and watching Kyle Macy tugging his socks). If UK lost the night before, my day ahead had a dark cloud hanging over it. The night of the 92 game I was driving to SIU Carbondale for a fraternity party. As I hit the Wickliffe we began to lose radio signal. I pulled over just in time to hear Cawood announce the last few historic minutes. I can still feel the nausea when he described Laettner's shot. When I moved to TN and then Arkansas, the worst part was not being able to watch every single game. My dad would send me VHS tapes of the games so I wouldn't miss a minute.

The last two years have worn me down and I no longer look forward to the next game. I'm not laying any blame on anyone or anything. I'll just leave it at that.
 
Change your name to grandson is my hero. Lol. I have two new ones and they are so much fun. Life has changed drastically and I only watch golf and tennis anymore. Agree with your points.
How can I change my name I’ve been trying to do it for awhile
 
So many stories I relate to here.

Starting in late 60's listened to Cawood, and caught live games when they were on (rarely) , and watched Channel 3 in Louisville for the 11 30 replay on a school night or Saturday night....never knowing the result.

Went to UK 77-82 and camped out in FREEZING weather to get Section 31 seats. Moved to NC after graduation and went to 2-3 games a year in Lex and whenever we played in NC. or SC...So I would say a 15 out of 10...then

Now....between getting older (sigh).......after the continung years of the one and done new team every year and now the social justice messaging that has taken over all sports.......I don't care. I mean I want them to win, but when UK loses in football or basketball, it just doesn't matter like it once did.

Rarely watch any game live........Hit the delete button after all losses

Cal's continued love affair with the NBA draft over winning championships at UK is also a major factor. Hey Cal, at least pretend to care about winning.
 
I’ll always love the CATS no matter what. I’m old enough to have seen great heights and horrific lows with the team over the years. That said, golf and other things have consumed a lot of my time so I find I don’t watch as much as I did. I really stay away early in the year because they’re so young and it takes time to develop.

what I have seen this year is a lot of talent, I’m going to see what happens. Not a Cal nut hugger but the game has changed so much it’s almost unrecognizable to me. Anyway, peace and GBB! Always.
 
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A 10 twenty years ago, a 10 ten years ago, a 10 yesterday, a 10 tomorrow and a 10 next year. I fully believe Cal will right the ship and still have a great year. Go Cats!
 
A 10 twenty years ago, a 10 ten years ago, a 10 yesterday, a 10 tomorrow and a 10 next year. I fully believe Cal will right the ship and still have a great year. Go Cats!
I hope so, i’m at a 8/9 currently. Need that spark to reignite the fan base (final four)
 
I can remember when Pitino came in and he had that full court press and the 3 point shot

I would be so hyped up after a game I'd have to go jog to burn off energy. Heck I moved back to the Kentucky area because I was living in the middle of SEC football country, and (prior to DTV) you could only watch UK basketball on CBS televised games.

I wasn't quite as excited with Cal, but that was due more to age than anything. I ate it up and towed the Calipari company line about recruiting and setting aside tradition to usher in the one and done. I attended 3 Final Fours - New Orleans, Dallas and Indianapolis.

Now I think we've sold the soul of Kentucky basketball and I"m not certain we'll ever get it back. I never envisioned one and done would go so far that we'd start an entire team of players that didn't even wear a UK uniform the year before.

How can anyone believe that's the way to run a college basketball program.
 
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Winning will change things, all these 2s will be 7 or 8 if we go on a 15 game winning streak.

I will agree the 1 and done thing is pretty old, I keep praying the NBA will at least change things to 2 years. or 20 years old to play in the NBA.
 
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My fiance died 24 years ago and I immediately went from a 1000 to a 0. When Gillespie got here dad had just died so that took any rebuilt shine off that excitement. Sports just aren't nearly as important as I used to think. You couldn't have kept me away from a game to save my own life but now I can change the channel for a moment and forget I was even watching the game. (Did that Sunday)
 
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this is a great thread, I never post but enjoy reading, I'm 60 years old been a huge fan all my life, the highlights of my fandom was to attend UK /LSU game when the unforgetables beat Shaq and crew, and getting to sit next to Joe B Hall for a game during the 96 season, he told me "we're going to win it all this year" and he was right. Now I'll watch if there's nothing better to do. Never thought I would go so cold on what I used to love.
 
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2000 - 1 I was 10, I watched sometimes with my dad
2005 - 10 these are the years I was obsessed and would get mad if we lost.
2010 - 10 still obsessed
2015 - 10 before the heartbreak, dropped to a 6 after Wisconsin
2020 - 4 I fell asleep at halftime of the KU game and have zero clue who or when we play next

^^^^
THIS
 
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