[jcmanson]

For me, I was born a Gator. Spent years going to Florida games with my dad and I'll never forget any of them. That school goes so far back in my family too, grandparents, uncles, aunts...etc.

This is the exact same with me and my family, just replace Florida with Virginia. My dad has gotten season tickets to UVA football since before I was born. I went to every home game from the time I was born until I started going to Liberty. We travelled to many of the away games as I've been to every ACC football stadium back when there was just 9 ACC teams. When I started going to Liberty it slowly started to change. While I was a student I still went to more UVA games than Liberty. As time has gone on, that has changed. Last year was the first year my dad did not buy season tickets to Virginia. This year was the first year he bought season tickets to Liberty. Now everything that we used to do for Virginia games, we do for Liberty games.

Obviously that's not logical for everyone, but I still hate to hear things like "when Liberty moves up then I'll cheer for them more." How about you cheer for them now and maybe that will help them move up?

[TH Spangler]

For me, I was born a Gator. Spent years going to Florida games with my dad and I'll never forget any of them. That school goes so far back in my family too, grandparents, uncles, aunts...etc.

This is the exact same with me and my family, just replace Florida with Virginia. My dad has gotten season tickets to UVA football since before I was born. I went to every home game from the time I was born until I started going to Liberty. We travelled to many of the away games as I've been to every ACC football stadium back when there was just 9 ACC teams. When I started going to Liberty it slowly started to change. While I was a student I still went to more UVA games than Liberty. As time has gone on, that has changed. Last year was the first year my dad did not buy season tickets to Virginia. This year was the first year he bought season tickets to Liberty. Now everything that we used to do for Virginia games, we do for Liberty games.

Obviously that's not logical for everyone, but I still hate to hear things like "when Liberty moves up then I'll cheer for them more." How about you cheer for them now and maybe that will help them move up?

Well said!

[ALUmnus]

On a side note to this already side note, why do parents feel the need to force their kids to go to a certain college? I just don't get it.

Because 18-year-olds are (if you are sensative to the "r" word please stop reading now) retarded.

[RubberMallet]

On a side note to this already side note, why do parents feel the need to force their kids to go to a certain college? I just don't get it.

Because 18-year-olds are (if you are sensative to the "r" word please stop reading now) retarded.

bingo. wait till you have kids. Your job is to steer them in right directions. i was an idiot in hs. i assume my kids will be a tad smarter than i thanks to the other sides dna, but will still not have brains that function off of logic and reason.

i root for liberty. but nowhere near as much as i root for Michigan. If both played each other, i'd root for michigan. sorry its the way it is. Michigan was ingrained in me by my father at a very young age and i'm emotionally tied to it. Liberty was the school i chose, attended, and graduated from. while there our basketball teams were mediocre and our football teams were horrible. i'm not in any proximity to them at all and am relegated to viewing on espn3 when i'm able.

our teams seemingly aren't that much better outside of a few instances over the last 10 years. Schools like liberty, in the division of play they are in, aren't teams that garner #1 fandom. people that go to liberty, radford, murray st, weber st, don't always make that school the #1 college in their fandom rankings. its not unreasonable. especially if those teams are south of pedestrian.

[RubberMallet]

Obviously that's not logical for everyone, but I still hate to hear things like "when Liberty moves up then I'll cheer for them more." How about you cheer for them now and maybe that will help them move up?

while this is a great feel good statement, its not grounded in reality. more people cheering for Liberty will have no effect on them moving up. this isn't peewee league where cheering for your little ones team may affect them to try harder. this is putting the cart before the horse. put a good product on the field and then you'll increase fandom. keep trotting out turds, wallowing in FCS, but blame the fans. it doesn't make sense.

[CinciFlame]

With all due respect, what does the past two pages have to do with conference realignment? This should be a new thread.

[VAGolf]

For me, I was born a Gator. Spent years going to Florida games with my dad and I'll never forget any of them. That school goes so far back in my family too, grandparents, uncles, aunts...etc.

This is the exact same with me and my family, just replace Florida with Virginia. My dad has gotten season tickets to UVA football since before I was born. I went to every home game from the time I was born until I started going to Liberty. We travelled to many of the away games as I've been to every ACC football stadium back when there was just 9 ACC teams. When I started going to Liberty it slowly started to change. While I was a student I still went to more UVA games than Liberty. As time has gone on, that has changed. Last year was the first year my dad did not buy season tickets to Virginia. This year was the first year he bought season tickets to Liberty. Now everything that we used to do for Virginia games, we do for Liberty games.

Obviously that's not logical for everyone, but I still hate to hear things like "when Liberty moves up then I'll cheer for them more." How about you cheer for them now and maybe that will help them move up?

I do cheer for Liberty now...and Karl Benson doesn't care who I root for.

[adam42381]

With all due respect, what does the past two pages have to do with conference realignment? This should be a new thread.

Better watch it. You might get banned again.

[Kolzilla41]

This is the exact same with me and my family, just replace Florida with Virginia. My dad has gotten season tickets to UVA football since before I was born. I went to every home game from the time I was born until I started going to Liberty. We travelled to many of the away games as I've been to every ACC football stadium back when there was just 9 ACC teams. When I started going to Liberty it slowly started to change. While I was a student I still went to more UVA games than Liberty. As time has gone on, that has changed. Last year was the first year my dad did not buy season tickets to Virginia. This year was the first year he bought season tickets to Liberty. Now everything that we used to do for Virginia games, we do for Liberty games.

Obviously that's not logical for everyone, but I still hate to hear things like "when Liberty moves up then I'll cheer for them more." How about you cheer for them now and maybe that will help them move up?

Well said Jon. This is how I feel. In the last 7 years, every single dime I've spent on college athletics has been for a Liberty game. Grew up a Terrapins fan but once I started living, working, and going to school here, I became invested emotionally,psychically, and financially. It didn't seem like a hard decision to make. Now I have family come into town from Maryland and North Carolina to go to both home and away games. I will be here even if we do not move up to FBS. It doesn't mean it's easy , however, to see some of the setbacks take place with our teams. I stick it out regardless.

[ATrain]

Atrain -

That makes perfect sense. LU athletics helped build who you are and that is most certainly a reason to cheer for only them. I would also say that anyone who works for athletics has an obligation to only cheer for Liberty. Sports is a cutthroat business environment and everyone is competing with everyone. So, in that regard, I completely understand the expectation.

My problem is with there being any expectations for the students. I've never understood it.

Oh, I still cheer for Tech, just not when they play Liberty.

[4everfsu]

I was a FSU fan back in the 60s when Bill Petersen was the HC before there was ever a LU or even thoughts of a LU. LBC did not start a football program until my 2nd year at LBC.

I will always root first for FSU regardless of LU being in FBC or FBS.

[alabama24]

Oh, I still cheer for Tech, just not when they play Liberty.

How can that be possible? As we all know, you can't be a ____ fan AND a Liberty fan. I just don't believe in it.

[CinciFlame]

With all due respect, what does the past two pages have to do with conference realignment? This should be a new thread.

Better watch it. You might get banned again. :I chortle audibly.:

ha, true. Carry on with this non sense.

[bluedevilflame]

LU and Duke are both my alma maters and Duke signs my paycheck, so naturally they get a tad more love than LU

[CinciFlame]

I got my masters from UK. I follow the Cats and attend most home football games. Playing in the SEC gives you the opportunity to see the best of the best. With that said, my loyalty is to Liberty. Liberty plays for more than wins and losses. There's a mission behind each game that's played. I love the way Cal recruits and some are great kids, but most are playing to get to the pros. At Liberty its bigger than just a game played.

[Purple Haize]

I got my masters from UK. I follow the Cats and attend most home football games. Playing in the SEC gives you the opportunity to see the best of the best. With that said, my loyalty is to Liberty. Liberty plays for more than wins and losses. There's a mission behind each game that's played. I love the way Cal recruits and some are great kids, but most are playing to get to the pros. At Liberty its bigger than just a game played.

You need prayer. I liked the 'some' caveat

[Purple Haize]

Well I just read what has transpired here over the past two days. Pretty dang educational.

Turns out a large percentage of our supposedly core fan base actually likes other teams better. Eye opening. Like Jon said, Liberty fans have the athletics that they deserve. Just keep one eye on LU, in case they do really well, that way you can jump on. I'm definitely as frustrated by our lack of success as anyone, but that junk is pretty unbelievably pathetic.

I'm not one of these people that thinks you cannot like another team. My wife went to Alabama and I like them. However, if Liberty plays them in anything I enthusiastically hope LU hammers them into the ground.

I grew up not having much interest in college sports at all. I was the first person from my family to go to a four year school. It was all about pro sports in my house growing up. So, it was easy for me to embrace Liberty. I was playing a sport here, and I loved the school. It wasn't ever and won't ever be the "place I got my degree from". It's my freaking alma mater. That's a sacred and special thing. At least it's supposed to be.

I really can't believe some of the things I've read in this thread. It is disappointing, and even more so, embarrassing. The program has some serious issues right now. The students apparently don't really care, they just like to show up. Most of the Baptist side doesn't really care, they are just there to be seen as well. Now we find out that the one small element of our fan base that is actually supposed to be, like fans, really isn't.

I guess more around here is fake than the Big South Championships.

One more thing, my User Name has nothing to do with Duke University. It's a combined reference to a band that I used to enjoy and of course, my name, Duke.

I think you touched the crux of the argument. If LU played the other teams you like who would you cheer for?

[phoenix]

They'll have 25,000 regardless of how they do. App State fans are App State fans first, other schools second. They're not like a lot of Liberty grads who would rather go see their #1 school before coming to Liberty.

I love Liberty but until Liberty is FBS, I'll always rather go see my #1 school before Liberty. Just the way it is. I don't think people understand how hard it is to cheer exclusively for a FCS team that never makes the post-season or wins big games.

My wife and I disagree strongly about this one. Of course, I have the advantage of not really being a college football (or even sports) fan growing up. My parents didn't go to college. So I pretty much am Liberty first, wherever I'm living second. Growing up, that meant Maryland. When we moved to Pensacola, that meant Florida State. I moved to Atlanta, so it was Georgia. Now we live in southern Ohio, so it's Ohio State (and a little UK - I preach and teach in Kentucky, so it's safer that way). But I went to Liberty, so that's my #1 team.

My wife grew up in a house that cheered for Ohio State Her dad graduated from there. Ohio State was always the #1 team, so that's how she thinks. Liberty is secondary (even though she now has 2 undergrad and a masters degree from Liberty).

This won't change until we have second (and third, and fourth) generation Liberty students on campus. Kids who have been raised on Liberty, and who think of it as their #1 team.

[thepostman]

On a side note to this already side note, why do parents feel the need to force their kids to go to a certain college? I just don't get it.

Because 18-year-olds are (if you are sensative to the "r" word please stop reading now) retarded.

bingo. wait till you have kids.

I do have a daughter, fyi. I am sure I will want her to stay away from the party schools but ultimately by the time she reaches the age of 18 she is going to make choices. Some bad, some good but in the end she needs to be the one figuring things out. Before she is 18, thats another story, haha

[SumItUp]

I'm 100% Liberty. My kids are 100% Liberty. Some of our alumni and current students are 100% Liberty. Others keep an eye on Liberty and follow another team closely. I'm ok with that. Some of them will become hardcore fans as Liberty grows and has more national success. My first look at Liberty was in the mid-80's through Jerry's Old Time Gospel Hour program. Some of the old hags have been around longer than that. I think a 25-year perspective lets me see the athletic program in a different light. Things are perfect, but they are progressing. The fan base is growing. Like everyone on this board, I want to win now, but I'm in for the long haul.

[SumItUp]

...........and why is this conversation in the realignment thread???

[flameshaw]

...........and why is this conversation in the realignment thread???

Yeppers........ move please.

[thepostman]

Because there isn't any real news so why not?? haha

[Purple Haize]

I'm with Atrain (so to speak...) in the fact that I wore a Liberty uniform at one point. That is why I follow other teams (ND in football and IU in basketball), but I am a Liberty fan first and foremost... and it isn't even close.

Also, if you want to read about realignment, you are on the wrong school's message board.
Yes, I went there.

I see what you did there.
But you make a great point. If my College team came down and played LU, I wouldn't be rooting for LU. But that's because I put blood sweat and tears with the college I played for.

Plus, I just wanted give BYD more stuff to filter thru!

[alabama24]

I think you touched the crux of the argument. If LU played the other teams you like who would you cheer for?

In football? BAMA. In any other sport? Liberty.