Who pays attention to Tiger football?

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

Adam Douglas

 

I, like everyone else that goes to The University of Memphis, got an email on Wednesday on behalf of Tigers football head coach Larry Porter asking for everyone to please come out and help support Tigers football this weekend as they take on East Carolina. But there are three things wrong with that email.

One: Will anyone really pay any attention to that email and actually show up?

Two: With the Tigers having a 1-5 record on the season, why are you just now asking for students and fans to come out to the game?

Three: Since today is the start of basketball, will and should people in this city care anymore about Tigers Football?

Well, if you've been paying attention so far to my rants, then the answer is yes. I do understand that our football team is not the best team ever. I understand that over the last two and a half seasons, including this one, we've only won four games total. But the fact of the matter is that they need our help. True, this is a basketball town and everyone cannot wait until the doors of FedEx Forum open tonight at 5:30, when  the Tigers' basketball season officially begins. But our football team does need this city's support.

The only thing I don't like about this situation is that I think it's too little too late to start asking fans, supporters and students to show up to games now. Plus, it's fall break and the last thing we as students and fans want to do is go to a game where we know what the outcome will be, especially when we're on a break.

And speaking of which, I get tired of hearing how students have never been to a football game and how they don't have any interest in going to one. The only thing that they're interested in going to see is basketball. I also get tired of hearing the bandwagon fans talk bad about our football program, but when they're winning, the team is the best thing since sliced bread. And when my dad, who's an avid fan and has been one for years, doesn't want to go to games anymore, it's got to be a sad football team we're putting out there on the field, because he goes to and supports everything that has the ‘Memphis' name on it.

"I don't want to drive all the way down there, find somewhere to park for 30 minutes and then leave," he said.

So when you have people with the mindset like this, then there must be something wrong with the program. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy basketball just as much as the next fan, mostly because I grew up playing it and who doesn't like a winner. But just because our football team is clearly not a winner, does that give us the right to treat them like a red-headed stepchild?