Should this board exist?

[CatManTrue]

Why do we have a free basketball board?

There is barely any traffic here - which makes sense given our “history”. The insights are minimal. And, frankly, why should I click over here when there’s barely any - if at all - interesting discussion compared to what @CoralSpringsCat shares on The Rock?

 

[Sec.112]

If someone is going to kill the board, do it already and quit yapping about it.

But let's stop pretending this is only the culmination of the bad NU history. NU has been down many times in the past during this board's run, and there was always the direction of some reasonable conversation with MANY more active users. Well, "many" in the relative sense of this board.

But now we have the little campaign to kill this board. I can understand the attempt to bring in more subscriber dollars. But how it was done obviously turned people off after years of not lifting a finger for this board. The quality of the board took a dive during the Carmody transition and was addressed much more by the users than the influencers who supposedly are so concerned now. And now we're going to divide what's left of the scraps during a down time in the program because of supposed concerns about the quality? So be it if that's how they to play with their ball.

Hopefully, the two or three of you who actually care about killing a dying board will soon understand that you've been talking about this for months, and there hasn't been anything close to great support or a sudden surge in original hoops chat on the paid board from multiple users. So you might want to rethink how you grow this segment of your traffic.

Instead of killing conversation, at one time, I would have loved to talk about how to improve the content to build this thing up. But that chat was NEVER brought up and that time has passed for me.

So if you're going to delete the board, do it already, and I'll see five or six of you on Reddit. But do it, and be done with it.

And if you don't have enough of whatever is needed to get it done to kill the board, then drop it already.

 

[CappyNU]

Why would you expect there to be traffic on this board right now? We're about to enter football season, it's not basketball preview season, the recruiting front is pretty quiet, and the team has been crappy for the last few years with little reason at this point for optimism. Who cares if there's no discussion right now?

 

[CatWithoutAParty]

Well, all I know is last January for FREE Wrassler told us Hunter Johnson would be NU's starting QB. That tip made me $20K on a bet dropped with "Eddie" my bookie, he was the guy on the blanket just down from Jim's Charbroil. Thanks Wrassler...hehe.

Juxtapose against: in that very same thread, Coral Springs Cat's single contribution was to state, "This thread sucks." Today, as us mere mortals can stand in awe of Wrasslerdomus's FREE gifts to us, Coral springs Cat has made no crow-eating-like comment.

Sorry pal, but such things don't inspire me at all to abandon FREE and remunerate a pay board with a penny of my $20K windfall.

CatWithoutAParty

 

[NUCat320]

I do think the moderators’ active efforts to kill both this board and the football free board are strange, if somewhat understandable.

 

[FeralFelidae]

There has always been traffic during basketball season.

There isn't much to talk about right now. I don't think the full basketball schedule has even been released yet.

 

[Alvious]

Should any of us exist?

 

[CatManTrue]

Why would you expect there to be traffic on this board right now? We're about to enter football season, it's not basketball preview season, the recruiting front is pretty quiet, and the team has been crappy for the last few years with little reason at this point for optimism. Who cares if there's no discussion right now?

Because we’re Chicago’s college basketball team. Or we’re supposed to be if you believe the catchy slogan. Shouldn’t arguably the greatest basketball city in the world be buzzing about us nonstop?

 

[CatManTrue]

Well, all I know is last January for FREE Wrassler told us Hunter Johnson would be NU's starting QB. That tip made me $20K on a bet dropped with "Eddie" my bookie, he was the guy on the blanket just down from Jim's Charbroil. Thanks Wrassler...hehe.

Juxtapose against: in that very same thread, Coral Springs Cat's single contribution was to state, "This thread sucks." Today, as us mere mortals can stand in awe of Wrasslerdomus's FREE gifts to us, Coral springs Cat has made no crow-eating-like comment.

Sorry pal, but such things don't inspire me at all to abandon FREE and remunerate a pay board with a penny of my $20K windfall.

CatWithoutAParty

Somewhere, somehow, @Hungry Jack is being triggered…

 

[hdhntr1]

Why do we have a free basketball board?

There is barely any traffic here - which makes sense given our “history”. The insights are minimal. And, frankly, why should I click over here when there’s barely any - if at all - interesting discussion compared to what @CoralSpringsCat shares on The Rock?

It is farther away from the season right now than FB. There is not a whole lot to =talk about. Get closer to season or some other even and there will be more talk

 

[Titanium999]

Why do we have a free basketball board?

There is barely any traffic here - which makes sense given our “history”. The insights are minimal. And, frankly, why should I click over here when there’s barely any - if at all - interesting discussion compared to what @CoralSpringsCat shares on The Rock?

Down time of the season! The party 🥳🎉😍starts in December

 

[CatManTrue]

Should any of us exist?

 

[ohiovalleycat]

You want Clint Eastwood to sanction the basketball board?

 

[Sec.112]

To some extent, there's ALWAYS something to talk about if you want to be creative and dig for some info.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

Why do we have a free basketball board?

There is barely any traffic here - which makes sense given our “history”. The insights are minimal. And, frankly, why should I click over here when there’s barely any - if at all - interesting discussion compared to what @CoralSpringsCat shares on The Rock?

“Give. Me. Attention!”

 

[FeralFelidae]

To some extent, there's ALWAYS something to talk about if you want to be creative and dig for some info.

Some of those things get deleted by the mods, though. CatManTrue recently had such a thread removed.

 

[CatManTrue]

You want Clint Eastwood to sanction the basketball board?

I want him to be running more than that. But I’ll settle for him as a WR mod, I guess.

 

[CatManTrue]

Some of those things get deleted by the mods, though. CatManTrue recently had such a thread removed.

I did? Did it turn political? It was gone by the time I checked the board after a pool party. But I figured I got too much sun.

 

[CatManTrue]

“Give. Me. Attention!”

I’ll ask you the same question I asked a little while ago: if I wanted attention, why would I come here? Please answer.

While some posters want attention, others of us are on the indefatigable path towards the TRUTH. And a little black book once told me that the truth shall set me free.

 

[CaliforniaCat]

I’ll ask you the same question I asked a little while ago: if I wanted attention, why would I come here? Please answer.

Probably because you are so desperate for attention that you'll try anything and hope that the people here who don't have much to say about basketball right now won't ignore you. Although that seems to be more and more the case recently.

 

[CatManTrue]

Probably because you are so desperate for attention that you'll try anything and hope that the people here who don't have much to say about basketball right now won't ignore you. Although that seems to be more and more the case recently.

Hey brother, if you don’t like what I have to say then the @IGNORE2 button is only a click away. I don’t currently ignore any other posters, but perhaps I have thicker skin than your average WR poster. Or maybe my brain isn’t afraid of fresh ideas.

Now, kindly excuse me while I go drive my gas-guzzling SUV to hurl a few seagulls at a windmill for fun.

 

[FeralFelidae]

I did? Did it turn political? It was gone by the time I checked the board after a pool party. But I figured I got too much sun.

I think it was deleted before it had a chance. The mods aren't messing around.

 

[CatManTrue]

I think it was deleted before it had a chance. The mods aren't messing around.

Fair enough. You know who would make a great mod when he retires from basketball?

Vic Law. AKA “I fought the law and the law won”. Incredible name for a moderator. He doesn’t even have to make up a handle! Nobody’s going to mess with that hombre on this or any board.

BTW If he can’t make it in the NBA, I’d also like to see him coaching on our staff.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Usually the paid boards are the home of groupthink.
I'd be afraid to go over there.

 

[HawkCat]

Usually the paid boards are the home of groupthink.

What is your basis for saying this? There is plenty of disagreement on the Rock. The quality of the debate is just a lot better. My experience is that trolls are less likely to pay for the opportunity to troll, which elevates the level of the discussion behind the paywall.

 

[NUera]

But let's stop pretending this is only the culmination of the bad NU history. NU has been down many times in the past during this board's run, and there was always the direction of some reasonable conversation with MANY more active users. Well, "many" in the relative sense of this board.

It’s not *only* recent performance, although that doesn’t help. I’d also add the overall level of toxicity here is reaching the end of the BC era levels, and the tolerance for obnoxious hijinks like idiot double-posters doesn’t help. But to me the biggest thing that no one wants to admit is that younger fans are posting on Reddit. Why go out of your way to find and create an account here (much less pay) when you can sh*tpost from an app you already have?

 

[Sec.112]

It’s not *only* recent performance, although that doesn’t help. I’d also add the overall level of toxicity here is reaching the end of the BC era levels, and the tolerance for obnoxious hijinks like idiot double-posters doesn’t help. But to me the biggest thing that no one wants to admit is that younger fans are posting on Reddit. Why go out of your way to find and create an account here (much less pay) when you can sh*tpost from an app you already have?

Are you saying the board recently is reaching levels similar to the end of BC? If so, I don't know if I'd agree with that simply because there aren't enough posts to reach anything near that level of BC crazy. But on the other hand, I also have no problem blowing off some of the repetitive silliness that seems to bother others.

In the end, I believe I agree with your conclusion, and I've said it for a long time. We would avoid a lot of this direction and the trolls that are up everybody's panties in the last year (despite the Ignore function) if the penalty box was used even minimally.

As for Reddit, I hope that doesn't have to be my next stop. But it seems this site has had a hard time drawing new grads for a long, longtime. How many of the regular hoops posters have been out here for 10+ years ... minimum.

I barely watch the football board, so maybe it's different over there.

 

[PlowKing2]

The paid board will die if the free boards die. I'd guess Lou and Rivals understand they need the free boards as a funnel of potential subscribers. (Regardless, this board is on a ventilator these days, and I suspect only on-court success this fall will save it.)

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

What is your basis for saying this? There is plenty of disagreement on the Rock. The quality of the debate is just a lot better. My experience is that trolls are less likely to pay for the opportunity to troll, which elevates the level of the discussion behind the paywall.

Paid boards are the internet's version of country clubs (as opposed to public golf courses).
Certainly the behavior of the players is different.
People who want things a particular way will gravitate to the situation that excludes the undesirables.

But there is downside to that.

 

[Alan Smithee]

Because we’re Chicago’s college basketball team. Or we’re supposed to be if you believe the catchy slogan. Shouldn’t arguably the greatest basketball city in the world be buzzing about us nonstop?

They’ve never claimed to be Chicago’s basketball team. They have used the slogan “Chicago’s Big Ten Team” - that’s a distinction with a difference, and even that was aspirational.

 

[EagerFan]

I'll be sad if/when this board goes away, but I can't see paying a subscription to read/discuss hoops for the few months a year it's on my mind, so I'm probably not the target market for such a board. otoh, I look forward seeing the cats live and in person in a few months if that's a thing that happens this year.

 

[CatManTrue]

They’ve never claimed to be Chicago’s basketball team. They have used the slogan “Chicago’s Big Ten Team” - that’s a distinction with a difference, and even that was aspirational.

Sorry. Chicago’s college basketball team. Obviously we can’t supplant da Bulls. But can’t we give becoming more popular than DePaul, Loyola, and Illannoy a shot?

Because true fans? We wanna know. Hey hey, ho ho. Triple-C has gotta go!

 

[GatoLouco]

In the grand scheme of things I am one of the most recent “regular” posters on this board. I might actually be the most recent. And it has been two years. That’s a problem.

On top of that, I’d risk saying the average poster graduated 25+ years ago. 17 for me. That’s a problem.

There’s just not enough of a fan base at NU basketball. This board is what it is. Attempts to kill it are silly with such small interest. I personally believe there’s nothing anyone can do other than hoping the coaches and players figure out how to win.

We are less than 100 days from tip off. The board is, and it’s not a new thing, hibernating. See you all in the fall.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Sorry. Chicago’s college basketball team. Obviously we can’t supplant da Bulls. But can’t we give becoming more popular than DePaul, Loyola, and Illannoy a shot?

Because true fans? We wanna know. Hey hey, ho ho. Triple-C has gotta go!

DePaul and Loyola? Eh, maybe. Illinois? Zero chance. However, the slogan was never meant to claim to be the team with the most fans in Chicago; it’s simply drawing attention to the fact that while there might be way more Illini fans - or even Michigan or Wisconsin fans - than NU fans in the area, those schools are located hours away. NU is the only major college sports team that a casual (i.e., currently unaffiliated) Chicago sports fan can go watch on a whim.

 

[thewildcat2011]

If this board dies, we will have to pay more for the premium basketball board. I don't want that.

 

[CatManTrue]

If this board dies, we will have to pay more for the premium basketball board. I don't want that.

You’ll pay what the market dictates you’ll pay. Neither a penny more nor a penny less!

 

[GatoLouco]

DePaul and Loyola? Eh, maybe. Illinois? Zero chance. However, the slogan was never meant to claim to be the team with the most fans in Chicago; it’s simply drawing attention to the fact that while there might be way more Illini fans - or even Michigan or Wisconsin fans - than NU fans in the area, those schools are located hours away. NU is the only major college sports team that a casual (i.e., currently unaffiliated) Chicago sports fan can go watch on a whim.

The only reason that slogan is so hyped is because it pisses off Illinois fans. Other than that, it did jack squat to raise interest in the program.

 

[CatManTrue]

The only reason that slogan is so hyped is because it pisses off Illinois fans. Other than that, it did jack squat to raise interest in the program.

According to some it was evidence that Polisky was AD material…

 

[EvanstonCat]

Well, all I know is last January for FREE Wrassler told us Hunter Johnson would be NU's starting QB. That tip made me $20K on a bet dropped with "Eddie" my bookie, he was the guy on the blanket just down from Jim's Charbroil. Thanks Wrassler...hehe.

Juxtapose against: in that very same thread, Coral Springs Cat's single contribution was to state, "This thread sucks." Today, as us mere mortals can stand in awe of Wrasslerdomus's FREE gifts to us, Coral springs Cat has made no crow-eating-like comment.

Sorry pal, but such things don't inspire me at all to abandon FREE and remunerate a pay board with a penny of my $20K windfall.

CatWithoutAParty

Bingo. At the same time as Wrassler was prophesizing the coming of our future QB starter, we had the so-called-experts on the paid boards forcefully asserting that Hilinski was all but a lock to start and that there was not a chance that Hunter would even have a shot at the starting QB role and that anyone who thought otherwise didn't know football.

Let's just say that you don't always get what you pay for. And that some people who think they know football, don't know nearly as much as they think they do. Or at least as much as the Wrassler.

As a paid subscriber, let me just say "LONG LIVE THE FREE BOARDS!"

 

[CatManTrue]

Bingo. At the same time as Wrassler was prophesizing the coming of our future QB starter, we had the so-called-experts on the paid boards forcefully asserting that Hilinski was all but a lock to start and that there was not a chance that Hunter would even have a shot at the starting QB role and that anyone who thought otherwise didn't know football.

Let's just say that you don't always get what you pay for. And that some people who think they know football, don't know nearly as much as they think they do. Or at least as much as the Wrassler.

As a paid subscriber, let me just say "LONG LIVE THE FREE BOARDS!"

About that starting QB situation…