In light of the discussion this week about the awful turnout for last Saturday's spring game, I thought I'd chime in here hoping to steer the discussion in a broader direction.
if you look at videos and photos of games at Kenan through the Mack Brown era, attendance was good on a bad day and great on many days. But the apathy that followed with the Torbush and Bunting eras (9 seasons) followed by the utter disappointment of Butch and the problems have nearly destroyed what was once a solid fan base. It's going to take a lot of rebuilding, as the Illinois game proved last season, and it will take a lot of winning and time.
If Fedora's roots are firm enough and he sees this thing through, it's possible he could change things. But it's not going to happen over night. This is a jaded fan base, one that hasn't come close to getting the return on its investment for nearly two decades now.
Furthermore, when coaches have brought the program to a very high level - Dooley and later Mack - they bolted instead of staying around and fully awakening the so-called sleeping giant.
I believe it's possible but the hysteria about football at UNC will never be mistaken for about 15-20 schools we all know about around the nation, but it can be among the best of the rest in time.
if you look at videos and photos of games at Kenan through the Mack Brown era, attendance was good on a bad day and great on many days. But the apathy that followed with the Torbush and Bunting eras (9 seasons) followed by the utter disappointment of Butch and the problems have nearly destroyed what was once a solid fan base. It's going to take a lot of rebuilding, as the Illinois game proved last season, and it will take a lot of winning and time.
If Fedora's roots are firm enough and he sees this thing through, it's possible he could change things. But it's not going to happen over night. This is a jaded fan base, one that hasn't come close to getting the return on its investment for nearly two decades now.
Furthermore, when coaches have brought the program to a very high level - Dooley and later Mack - they bolted instead of staying around and fully awakening the so-called sleeping giant.
I believe it's possible but the hysteria about football at UNC will never be mistaken for about 15-20 schools we all know about around the nation, but it can be among the best of the rest in time.
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