I Just Checked Out the Cornhuskers' Hometown Paper, The Lincoln Journal Star--It's Different

[RutgersRaRa]

For the heck of it I checked out the local paper's coverage of the Nebraska Cornhuskers to see if there's a cultural difference between their coverage and our lovely large paper's coverage of our Scarlet Knights. I implore you, DO NOT get the impression that I am jealous, because I don't want the truth to come out about that quite yet. I'll let you know when I'm ready. The Journal Star isn't a small operation, and Huskers can enlighten us as to their circulation, so their reach is impactful. Here's the link to the sports page:

http://journalstar.com/sports/huske...um=direct&utm_content=1&utm_term=husker extra

 

[RU1977]

To be fair, what other teams are there in Nebraska?

 

[RUMBA-JK]

for D1 Football - it is Huskers or nothing

for D1 Basketball there is the option to follow Creighton University (in Omaha) - now incongruously a member of "The BIG EAST"

 

[RutgersRaRa]

To be fair, what other teams are there in Nebraska?

I get that, but covering Rutgers more thoroughly isn't mutually exclusive of the business of our culture here. The tone of the articles in Lincoln is largely favorable even when they have a new coach. It's a two-edge sword when you are in a small market because there is little else to root for locally. I don't see it as a total coincidence that Nebraska has 1) Has media outlets that support the team even in down years, 2) Has an administration that supports athletics and the benefits of the branding and marketing that football brings, and 3) Has sold out (roughly) 395 straight games in a 91k-seat stadium.

My point is generally directed at the notion that it is just as easy to orient oneself toward supporting something as it is to criticize, that it's just as easy to see the potential rather than whatever is lacking.

 

[RU4Real]

My point is generally directed at the notion that it is just as easy to orient oneself toward supporting something as it is to criticize, that it's just as easy to see the potential rather than whatever is lacking.

Hi! You must be new here.

 

[beaced]

for D1 Football - it is Huskers or nothing

Last time I looked RU was the only D1 Football Program in Jersey.The"local" paper has not been quite as supportive of us as one would wish to see.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Hi! You must be new here.

Not new, the truth is that I have recently mastered the willful suspension of disbelief, taking it to levels previously unknown to mankind.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

some what of a different situation
- some of our 'local papers' tend to think of themselves as publications for "the world at large" - and have an elastic view of the local metro area
and ... some schools that are 100-200 miles from the heart of the metro area are frequently treated like they are just a stone's throw away
there seem to be multiple reason for all of this - some universities have secured a long standing following in the NJ/NYC area - even though they are hundreds of miles away... some get preferential treatment because there are the alma matter of certain reporters.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

As a point of disclosure, I am friends with Huskers and I'm pretty sure he owns the paper as well as the football team AND the piano bar, which has TWO pianos. Did you get that? TWO, and I think a third is on order.

 

[RU4Real]

As a point of disclosure, I am friends with Huskers and I'm pretty sure he owns the paper as well as the football team AND the piano bar, which has TWO pianos. Did you get that? TWO, and I think a third is on order.

My understanding was that the 3rd piano is for the private jet.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

My understanding was that the 3rd piano is for the private jet.

That explains what he was referring to when he mentioned have a live band playing when he travels.

 

[huskersalways]

I think a couple guys got into the sauce early.....everybody knows Buffett owns the bigger Nebraska needpapers.

 

[restartRU]

pretty big differences between these two universities, the histories of our programs and the areas the schools are in. We both wear red and are in the B1G - that's about it.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

I used to live in South Carolina and "The State" would have 5-6 pages of coverage for USC and Clemson on Fall Fridays and Saturdays. On Sunday, you would get about 3 pages. In the late 90's before the onslaught of internet sports coverage, a day didn't go by in the offseason without recruiting coverage of South Carolina and Clemson--Todd Hunt before there was a Todd Hunt LOL One last thing, they had these things called television stations covering the colleges,something New Jersey doesn't have.Of course, why should we since we only have NINE MILLION PEOPLE !!!

 

[JQRU91]

I get that, but covering Rutgers more thoroughly isn't mutually exclusive of the business of our culture here. The tone of the articles in Lincoln is largely favorable even when they have a new coach. It's a two-edge sword when you are in a small market because there is little else to root for locally. I don't see it as a total coincidence that Nebraska has 1) Has media outlets that support the team even in down years, 2) Has an administration that supports athletics and the benefits of the branding and marketing that football brings, and 3) Has sold out (roughly) 395 straight games in a 91k-seat stadium.

My point is generally directed at the notion that it is just as easy to orient oneself toward supporting something as it is to criticize, that it's just as easy to see the potential rather than whatever is lacking.

Newspapers are in business to attract readers to make money. If you're in a state where there's a lot of state pride, it's good business to adopt a positive tone covering the state's flagship university and its teams. If you're in a state where people tend to be more jaded and cynical...well, there you go.

 

[derleider]

I get that, but covering Rutgers more thoroughly isn't mutually exclusive of the business of our culture here. The tone of the articles in Lincoln is largely favorable even when they have a new coach. It's a two-edge sword when you are in a small market because there is little else to root for locally. I don't see it as a total coincidence that Nebraska has 1) Has media outlets that support the team even in down years, 2) Has an administration that supports athletics and the benefits of the branding and marketing that football brings, and 3) Has sold out (roughly) 395 straight games in a 91k-seat stadium.

My point is generally directed at the notion that it is just as easy to orient oneself toward supporting something as it is to criticize, that it's just as easy to see the potential rather than whatever is lacking.

Of course it is - because if you get cut off from covering the Huskers you get fired. If you get cut off from covering Rutgers - well there are a dozen pro teams and a few major CBB teams as well.

Those arent a coincidence but they are all caused by two things - 1 - NU is the only game in town and 2 - they have been very very good.

As for branding and benefits of FB - you seem to have drawn the wrong lesson - NU is great in FB - but academically its the worst team in the conference. If FB success were at all related to academic success, NU, even in a tiny state, would be a much better school that drew top students from all over the country. Like Alabama nad Oklahoma - Nebraska proves that for the most part schools are successful in sports and academics independently of each other.

If Rutgers had been the winningest team over the course of a half a century like NU was, we would have alot more fans and alot better press coverage (because those fans want homer coverage).

MBA-JK - they (aside from the times) dont treat PSU like the local team becuase they want to be seen as for the world at large. Thye do so because PSU is a very popular team for obvious reasons (they aren that far away, they have been very good at a time where the local team didnt care, and then started caring but was awful.). Its a business - PSU drives sales in NJ. If we dont like it, the solution is to win, not to whine.

 

[RU4Real]

For those who haven't met him, I've posted this picture of our friendly Huskers fan.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

For those who haven't met him, I've posted this picture of our friendly Huskers fan.

At the cabin no less. Who's the chick in the background?

 

[RUSK97]

Not that I would expect it to be any different, but should you compare this to the Home News? The Star Ledger is equivalent to the Omaha newspaper (ha! I can't believe I just said that rag is equivalent to anything other than used toilet paper!)

 

[OntheBanks]

It's a different world out there west of the Delaware River. I've said that for many many years going back to the days when all High School football games here were on Saturday afternoons.
Example, my brother and I went to a game at Virginia Tech when they just joined BE football. We got there on a Friday evening. At around 11pm we turned on the TV to watch either Letterman or Carson and every channel had highlights of High School Football games on.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

It's a different world out there west of the Delaware River. I've said that for many many years going back to the days when all High School football games here were on Saturday afternoons.
Example, my brother and I went to a game at Virginia Tech when they just joined BE football. We got there on a Friday evening. At around 11pm we turned on the TV to watch either Letterman or Carson and every channel had highlights of High School Football games on.

actually it is a matter of reference point - it is more like - It's a different world here EAST of the Delaware River. - here, we have not had a strong heritage of COLLEGE football (Professional - yes - but college - no) ... and not a really consistent heritage of any COLLEGE sports - so it often seems like the attitudes and perceptions about our local COLLEGE football are permeated with feelings and expectations and attitudes and emotions that follow along the lines of what surrounds the local Professional sports teams - in other parts of the country, the attitudes toward the college players tend to retain a element of recognition that these are actually college students who actually do go to class and are 18-to-23 years old and are still very much in the formative years of their lives (meaning minor mistakes tend to be forgiven) - yes, the fans idolize the players a lot (and $ometime$ too much) but the atmosphere is decidedly different & one that embraces & is supportive of their local team and 'their boys'.

 

[mullerpesq]

The Patriot News out of Harrisburg is pretty great in their coverage of ttfp. The depth and breadth of what they do is downright impressive at times.

 

[LotusAggressor]

People in Nebraska like big time college football and root for their program to succeed. They aren't attracted to half-true pseudo-journalistic hatchet jobs. People in NJ, not so much.