Does OM really have a more rabid fan base than MSU?

[ShotgunDawg]

Bo Bounds was and some callers were making this point this morning. Basically saying that OM has more diehard fans and is better at creating their message and getting it out. Here are my thoughts:

1. YES, OM does a much better job than MSU at getting their message and identity out. However, I'm not sure if its by design or just because OM has more media members and a much larger journalism department. OM controls the media and MSU has no media. Seems like it may be more by circumstance than effort.

2. Pretty sure I remember Vaught Hemingway being very empty and pathetic on numerous occasions in the past 5 years. Yet, now that they have been glorified for buying a few recruits, no one remembers. Their media has erased it from the memories and history books of their fans.

3. Kyle Veazey called in and showed disappointment about our Thursday nigh atmosphere, yet never acknowledged that the game was on Thursday night, against a bad team, during MSU's fall break. Anyone comparing our atmosphere to other games or to other SEC teams during that game are dumb. Not one SEC team would have had a decent atmosphere under those circumstances. Come on Kyle, your smarter than this.

4. Bo then made the comment that he knows many OM fans that never miss a game and knows some wealthy MSU grads who hardly ever go. Yet somehow, MSU will have a bigger stadium than OM next season and have sold out numerous games in a row. While at the same time, OM's stadium has seen sparse attendance at some games over the past 4 years and they have no sell out streak.

5. In conclusion, it seems like the perception is that OM is now the "coolest school eva" because they bought a few recruits and have the countless media members backing them around every corner. It's a perception and not a reality, but it's MSU's fault that the perception exist, and MSU must take accountability and find a way to chance this trend .

OM's main advantage over MSU is their connection with the media that MSU doesn't have. The over reaction on Bo Bounds this morning is ridiculous and uneducated because it's reactionary and not looking at the big picture.

However, it's MSU fault that this perception exist and only MSU can fix it and build more pride in its' alumni.

[CJDAWG85]

I think he's confusing diehard with delusion and arrogance.

[Political Hack]

I think he's confusing diehard with delusion and arrogance.

you beat me to it.

[FlabLoser]

We finished last year with a winning record, better record than Ole Miss, and a better bowl game than Ole Miss. Yet some people act like Ole Miss beat us 7 times last year.

We have a longer sellout streak than Ole Miss. I guarantee you we have higher actual attendance numbers over the last 5 years or so.

Ole Miss hype is at a fever pitch right now. I don't know how they're pushing opinions that they attend games better than us or that they have a better program than us.

I have never EVER seen Davis Wade Stadium look like this, not even in the Croom years ....the 2007 Ole Miss - Northwestern State game.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

Right now? Maybe...but it just seems that way because they are having a better football season than us + new coach. MSU's fanbase was more rabid in 2010 and 2011.

Ole Miss does have a better media department than us though. Seems like a relatively inexpensive thing to setup/improve so I don't know why ours is so shitty.

[ShotgunDawg]

We finished last year with a winning record, better record than Ole Miss, and a better bowl game than Ole Miss. Yet some people act like Ole Miss beat us 7 times last year.

We have a longer sellout streak than Ole Miss. I guarantee you we have higher actual attendance numbers over the last 5 years or so.

Ole Miss hype is at a fever pitch right now. I don't know how they're pushing opinions that they attend games better than us or that they have a better program than us.

I have never EVER seen Davis Wade Stadium look like this, not even in the Croom years ....the 2007 Ole Miss - Northwestern State game.

I completely agree Flab. It is a perception and not a reality, but the problem is that OM has all the media under their finger and MSU allows this agenda to be pushed without ever fighting back.

I am sick of listing to Bo Bounds every morning and only hearing about how MSU sucks and OM is awesome, when that is just a perception and the facts tell a very different story.

[TopDog58]

There's no excuse that's valid for a fanbase/administration that is boasting 25 straight sellouts for our stadium to be as pathetic as it was on Thursday. And you can't blame it solely on the students, there were empty rows in many sections.

I also noticed that hundreds upon hundreds of fans were filing out at halftime, many heading the opposite direction from the Junction so that excuse doesn't fly either. And again it wasn't just the students. I don't understand how people can't bother to stay for the entirety of a 3 hour ballgame anymore.

[ShotgunDawg]

Right now? Maybe...but it just seems that way because they are having a better football season than us + new coach. MSU's fanbase was more rabid in 2010 and 2011.

Ole Miss does have a better media department than us though. Seems like a relatively inexpensive thing to setup/improve so I don't know why ours is so shitty.

OM does have a better media department, but the bigger problem is:

Archie Manning
Tim Brando
Richard Cross
Edward Aschoff
Godfrey
Wright Thompson
Every Mississippi magazine in production
CL owned traditionally by OM alums
Pete Roussel
Etc....

All of these people in the media have OM ties. Who does MSU have fighting for it in the media?

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

Oxford is like catnip for old white people.

[FlabLoser]

OM does have a better media department, but the bigger problem is:

Archie Manning
Tim Brando
Richard Cross
Edward Aschoff
Godfrey
Wright Thompson
Every Mississippi magazine in production
CL owned traditionally by OM alums
Etc....

All of these people in the media have OM ties. Who does MSU have fighting for it in the media?

And Pete Roussel, who I'd never heard of except on Bo Bounds show. I don't know how much pull Pete has. But he lives in Oxford.

I have to say Godfrey gives us a fair shake. He loves Ole Miss, but he loves his career more. He is by far my favorite Rebel and a great writer.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

I could be wrong, but I think it was Bruce Feldmen on the BB show around 2 years ago and said that MSU had the most rabid fanbase in the SEC. He said he's never seen a school fight for and defend their school like we do. Hell, I think we do pretty damn good for what our history looks like. And even thought we lost our ass, the #WeBelieve thing was pretty damn impressive. The only time I've seen om that united was fighting the mascot change and publicly trying to fire their AD and Chancellor.

[Maroonthirteen]

As a whole, I would agree with that. Damn, just look at twitter and all the BS that took place this past recruiting season.

Veazy is from West Tn and has been in Memphis now for a while. I can't speak on Jackson as I have never spent any significant time there (I don't know what influence his time there had on him). But OM has a huge ally in the Memphis media. Memphis media always spins OM in a positive light and has a huge effect on OMs perception across N. Mississippi. As most of N. MS and the Delta gets news out of Memphis. State does not have a Memphis. State did have Columbus media back in the day. It was pretty much we were the lead stories in the newspaper and TV, Bama next and OM rarely got a mention. NOw....I unfollowed Donahoe because he seems to Tweet more about OM than us. But that is off topic, the point is.......we don't have a Memphis. That is their advantage over us.

It has nothing to do what MSU fans are doing or aren't or pride.

The only thing that can change OM's Memphis media advantage is for the Volunteers and Tigers to get a lot better. Then OM will be the secondary story in Memphis. Hell, how we are shut out of Memphis now in recruiting and exposure and how OM is talked up.......State needs to be helping the Memphis Tigers to get that program up and going. So, they can keep OM out of Memphis and out of the Memphis media.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Right now? Maybe...but it just seems that way because they are having a better football season than us + new coach. MSU's fanbase was more rabid in 2010 and 2011.

Ole Miss does have a better media department than us though. Seems like a relatively inexpensive thing to setup/improve so I don't know why ours is so shitty.

Exactly...one Derek Cody comes to mind. I don't know the whole story, but it seems like hiring him would be a no brainer.

[CadaverDawg]

I am sick of listing to Bo Bounds every morning and only hearing about how MSU sucks and OM is awesome, when that is just a perception and the facts tell a very different story.

I've been saying it for some time now, Bo Bounds is a damn joke. He is a MSU grad that tries so hard to be unbiased towards State that he has become bias towards ole miss. And now I'm not so sure he isn't a full blown ole miss fan. I quit listening to his show a while back because all he does is trash State. Even when we had our best years, he would say stuff like "It won't continue but this is a great 3-4 game stretch for MSU".....but right now he is basically saying that ole miss is a recruiting class away from competing for a National Championship. Screw that guy, he's ********** and I hate that he is a MSU grad because he trashes us more than OM people.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

Isn't Bo Bounds that guy with the Ya'll lifestyle stuff? I can't believe people listen to him.

And honestly the whole MO for these radio guys are to say stuff like this to get message board topics started/twitter topics trending so he becomes more popular. Is there any actual evidence behind his claims? How do you measure "fired up"?

[CadaverDawg]

I could be wrong, but I think it was Bruce Feldmen on the BB show around 2 years ago and said that MSU had the most rabid fanbase in the SEC. He said he's never seen a school fight for and defend their school like we do. Hell, I think we do pretty damn good for what our history looks like. And even thought we lost our ass, the #WeBelieve thing was pretty damn impressive. The only time I've seen om that united was fighting the mascot change and publicly trying to fire their AD and Chancellor.

Hell yes, you're exactly right.

What some people don't realize is that the reason we are our own worst enemy as a fan base is because we are so rabid about our team, so a majority of our fans can't hold it back. Think about it, a fan base that sits in the grove while their team is playing in the stadium next to them, is going to be better at not spreading rumors and talking in public about things, because they are more worried about the party than the recruiting and shit. They just shut up and know that their boosters and money guys will handle it. Meanwhile, we have seen multiple times that our money guys and boosters aren't well organized, so our fans get worried and nervous because we don't have people we have confidence in running the game....combine that with a more rabid fan base and you get "our own worst enemy".

[CadaverDawg]

Isn't Bo Bounds that guy with the Ya'll lifestyle stuff?

Yes. This douche....

[Coach34]

Calls to my former employer suggest that yes they are. Buddy had me crying we were laughing so hard about it. He put a verbal beatdown on those idiots

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

Screw that guy, he's ********** and I hate that he is a MSU grad because he trashes us more than OM people.

I don't know his listener demographics but he may trash MSU more because he has more MSU listeners/gets more responses from MSU fans.

[Maroonthirteen]

In those 25 straight sellouts, how many Thursday night games were there? Really, i don't recall one but there maybe. Anyway, Weekday night games are a killer for attendance. Especially for MSU fans as most drive from a considerable distance, have jobs and kids in school. Until you have a winning streak and/or real championship hopes, weekday games will be attended lesser than weekend games.