Lehigh Sports Forum Fan Interest

[Oracle]

Men's Baseball 99 topics 157 total posts
Women's Softball 155 338
Men's Basketball 394 2,585
Women's Basketball 209 543
Men's LAX 275 625
Football 673 8,423
TOTAL (6) 1,805 12,671

Wrestling 1,249 27,369

Stipulating this is an unscientific poll, but very indicative of where Lehigh fans' interests lie.

Dr. Joe Sterrett: open your eyes. Before you step off, designate Lehigh Wrestling the University's priority sport. After decades as AD, you should know what that means and how to make it happen.

[legger]

**** Agree 100%. Sterret has done little for wrestling.

[FloridaGuy]

>>>>>>> A significantly better gauge would be attendance

[Richb-3]

>>>>>>> A significantly better gauge would be attendance

The last 4 years most people have gone to the football games to watch the band (one year the band was under 70. others it was close to, if not over, 97.

[Justafan]

Men's Baseball 99 topics 157 total posts
Women's Softball 155 338
Men's Basketball 394 2,585
Women's Basketball 209 543
Men's LAX 275 625
Football 673 8,423
TOTAL (6) 1,805 12,671

Wrestling 1,249 27,369

Stipulating this is an unscientific poll, but very indicative of where Lehigh fans' interests lie.

Dr. Joe Sterrett: open your eyes. Before you step off, designate Lehigh Wrestling the University's priority sport. After decades as AD, you should know what that means and how to make it happen.

How many of those posts have come from perhaps 10-12 passionate individuals? I understand your zeal for the sport but I'm not so sure it makes your point.

[Richb-3]

Clearly the majority of
football and
m-baseball postings are done by fewer than a dozen fans

[martinsilvestri]

Here's the Happy Holidays video from Lehigh Athletics. Nice and all, but I was struck by the fact that wrestling gets literally about 1.5-2 seconds of an extensive clip montage. I don't know anything about Troyan the Assistant Athletic Director (or something along those lines) who speaks at the end, but she doesn't scream "wrestling fan" at first glance. Just one of those things.

https://fb.watch/p5ZTr65nXF/

[gimpeltf]

Here's the Happy Holidays video from Lehigh Athletics. Nice and all, but I was struck by the fact that wrestling gets literally about 1.5-2 seconds of an extensive clip montage. I don't know anything about Troyan the Assistant Athletic Director (or something along those lines) who speaks at the end, but she doesn't scream "wrestling fan" at first glance. Just one of those things.

https://fb.watch/p5ZTr65nXF/

She was the long time Women's BBall coach (and early in career softball coach until she and her husband Fran switched coaching positions)

[Sundayamqb]

I would think the alumni's interests are similar to the sign I recall being on the wrestling room wall when I was in school -- no matter what the sport:

"We want National Champions."

[ngineer]

I think the great bulk of Lehigh alumni are only casually interested in Lehigh athletics (and a decent percentage likely have zero interest). It parallels the greying of the alums. The culture of young students is no longer 'into' getting together and having a great time together at a ball game or match. They rather hangout in their dorms/apts and drink and a few might catch the game on ESPN+. The athletes no longer 'cross-pollinate' with the student body. They live among themselves. If you the non-athlete students have only minimal contact with the jocks (in class), their interest in how their "friends" are doing on the field is nil. While Lehigh does not have "Athletic Dorms" as many of the 'factories' do, it's close. Very few athletes go Greek where strong bonds are created living with others with differing interests. The time demands of the student/athletes is much greater than 30 years ago. Most alums I come across who graduated after 2003 or so, have very little interest in attending athletic events or even follow any of the teams. And, it's not just Lehigh. All the Patriot schools are similar. Heck, Lehigh still has just as many in attendance AT Andy Kerr football stadium at Colgate as the home team. We always have more attending football AT Bucknell than the Bison. Grace Hall might get sold out once a year...and its capacity has been reduced dramatically! I doubt the posting numbers mean much at all. Some people on these sports boards live on them all day...and likely, many retirees with a lot of free time to shoot the breeze. As the NCAA's relevance fades into oblivion, the future of collegiate athletics, which always carried the unique distinction of the last bastion of amateur athletics, is becoming more murky due to its slavish devotion to the Almighty dollar.