I saw the thread about the Michigan signing day extravaganza where someone asked how "we" (Rutgers....but perhaps Rutgers fans) can compete. Fans ask me this often, and I don't answer because I never want to discuss or encourage something that might get someone in trouble. Yet since people are asking once again, I have been thinking about it all day.
As a fan, I am sure that you have a feeling of helplessness at times. I take that into consideration when I want to ban someone for being ornery on the site. I have to remind myself that everyone on the board wants the same thing, though some express more eloquently. You want to help, but you don't know how aside from making donations and buying tickets.
Those things are good. The team needs money. More than anything, they need that. If you can afford to give, then you are doing your part. Yet if you aren't, you can still do something.
The key to doing your part is doing it in a way that does not step on toes, upset the staff, or get you/staff/recruits in trouble. It isn't worth it. I know that other fan bases do it, but leave that to them - operate at a classier level. Here are a few of my ideas:
1) Be "that guy." Every neighborhood has one - the guy with the giant school flag, the magnets on his car, and the full wardrobe of his team's colors. By virtue of you being on this site, you are already that guy.
2) Support your friends in being "that guy." If you toss a new t-shirt at most guys, suddenly they have the one t-shirt that gets worn 3x a week. I walked by my friend's car (an RU grad) a few months ago and slapped on a block R magnet. It is still there. If you live in NJ, you probably know at least 10 Rutgers grads who aren't sporting the Block R on their car, and if you are like me, you probably have several collecting dust somewhere in your house. If not, You can buy extras here.
3) Expand your season ticket crew - or join someone else's crew. f you don't know anyone, ask on this board. I often meet guys who say that they'd go to more games if they could find someone to go with. You can adopt a fan for you seating block and tailgate, or you can post that you are looking to join someone. If all of our subscribers adopted ONE extra fan, that would be a nice chunk of change for the program. Along the same lines, if you want to help make this happen on a larger scale, perhaps you can assume the role of:
- season ticket matchmaker (use the Scarlet Nation board to encourage lost souls to team up for tickets/tailgates)
- tailgate guru (declare your tailgate the official board tailgate for your lot)
Love him or hate him, but Areyounuts has thrown some legendary bowl parties. He is a guy just like you. If he can do it, you can do it --- tailgate bash, viewing party for away games, bowl party, etc. Heck, if one of us were on the ball, we could have sponsored a Signing Day get-together.
4) Target the teachers. The state is filled with teachers who got their start at Rutgers. I'd guess that just about every single one would hang the Block R calendar poster in their room if you gave it to them. If you asked nicely at the next fan gathering (Spring Game?), I bet you could grab a handful and then drop it off in your local high school. If you want to take it to the next level, perhaps you could ask the Rutgers admin if they (or even YOU) would be interested in handing them out in Atlantic City at next year's NJEA Convention.
5) Target local businesses. Do you own a local business? Do you have friends who own one? Just like many businesses around New Brunswick hang the Block R calendar poster in their windows, why not your local deli? Your copy of the poster would probably do more good in the window of the town deli than it would rolled up in the corner of your bedroom.
6) Catch some great New Jersey high school football in your Rutgers gear. Don't talk to the players, don't talk to the coaches, and don't be obnoxious. If you want your homegrown talent to support Rutgers, get out there and support them. There is a slippery slope when it comes to recruiting, so the key is to simply go and enjoy a game - let your Rutgers cap do the talking. You not only send a nice message to the communities about the university, but you also send a nice message to the Rutgers coaches who are often in attendance. I recall a few years ago when I was on the sideline taking photos of one big game and an RU coach told me that he saw a ton of Rutgers fans in the crowd that day. He seemed totally pumped.
7) Get the RU beat for your local community newspaper/website. I am referring to the freebies, not the Ledger or Record. These papers are dying for content. Perhaps they will enjoy a regular spotlight on Rutgers players from your area, or a generic college piece where you dedicate significant space to Rutgers. When I wanted to get some newspaper experience years ago, I wrote a few articles about Ramel Meekins for the Community Life, which was the paper local to our towns (I grew up near his hometown of Westwood). There are enough guys on this site to fill every community paper in the state with tons of Rutgers material. You might even make a few bucks!
I always thought a guy could have a nice little side business by syndicating articles to community papers (if they still pay for content). You could aggregate snippets on different Rutgers athletes (via press releases), sort it by geographical area, and then publish little "notebook" style articles that cater to each newspaper's readership.
8) Plan a youth bus trip. Are you a youth football coach? Scout leader? If you work with kids in any way, there is an opportunity for you to plan a trip to a Rutgers game.
I don't want anyone to think that I'm leading the charge here, as that is not my role in the site. Rather, I am responding to questions people have asked year after year. My premise is that you are more powerful than you think. Better yet, when working with other people on this site, you are infinitely more powerful than you think.
As a fan, I am sure that you have a feeling of helplessness at times. I take that into consideration when I want to ban someone for being ornery on the site. I have to remind myself that everyone on the board wants the same thing, though some express more eloquently. You want to help, but you don't know how aside from making donations and buying tickets.
Those things are good. The team needs money. More than anything, they need that. If you can afford to give, then you are doing your part. Yet if you aren't, you can still do something.
The key to doing your part is doing it in a way that does not step on toes, upset the staff, or get you/staff/recruits in trouble. It isn't worth it. I know that other fan bases do it, but leave that to them - operate at a classier level. Here are a few of my ideas:
1) Be "that guy." Every neighborhood has one - the guy with the giant school flag, the magnets on his car, and the full wardrobe of his team's colors. By virtue of you being on this site, you are already that guy.
2) Support your friends in being "that guy." If you toss a new t-shirt at most guys, suddenly they have the one t-shirt that gets worn 3x a week. I walked by my friend's car (an RU grad) a few months ago and slapped on a block R magnet. It is still there. If you live in NJ, you probably know at least 10 Rutgers grads who aren't sporting the Block R on their car, and if you are like me, you probably have several collecting dust somewhere in your house. If not, You can buy extras here.
3) Expand your season ticket crew - or join someone else's crew. f you don't know anyone, ask on this board. I often meet guys who say that they'd go to more games if they could find someone to go with. You can adopt a fan for you seating block and tailgate, or you can post that you are looking to join someone. If all of our subscribers adopted ONE extra fan, that would be a nice chunk of change for the program. Along the same lines, if you want to help make this happen on a larger scale, perhaps you can assume the role of:
- season ticket matchmaker (use the Scarlet Nation board to encourage lost souls to team up for tickets/tailgates)
- tailgate guru (declare your tailgate the official board tailgate for your lot)
Love him or hate him, but Areyounuts has thrown some legendary bowl parties. He is a guy just like you. If he can do it, you can do it --- tailgate bash, viewing party for away games, bowl party, etc. Heck, if one of us were on the ball, we could have sponsored a Signing Day get-together.
4) Target the teachers. The state is filled with teachers who got their start at Rutgers. I'd guess that just about every single one would hang the Block R calendar poster in their room if you gave it to them. If you asked nicely at the next fan gathering (Spring Game?), I bet you could grab a handful and then drop it off in your local high school. If you want to take it to the next level, perhaps you could ask the Rutgers admin if they (or even YOU) would be interested in handing them out in Atlantic City at next year's NJEA Convention.
5) Target local businesses. Do you own a local business? Do you have friends who own one? Just like many businesses around New Brunswick hang the Block R calendar poster in their windows, why not your local deli? Your copy of the poster would probably do more good in the window of the town deli than it would rolled up in the corner of your bedroom.
6) Catch some great New Jersey high school football in your Rutgers gear. Don't talk to the players, don't talk to the coaches, and don't be obnoxious. If you want your homegrown talent to support Rutgers, get out there and support them. There is a slippery slope when it comes to recruiting, so the key is to simply go and enjoy a game - let your Rutgers cap do the talking. You not only send a nice message to the communities about the university, but you also send a nice message to the Rutgers coaches who are often in attendance. I recall a few years ago when I was on the sideline taking photos of one big game and an RU coach told me that he saw a ton of Rutgers fans in the crowd that day. He seemed totally pumped.
7) Get the RU beat for your local community newspaper/website. I am referring to the freebies, not the Ledger or Record. These papers are dying for content. Perhaps they will enjoy a regular spotlight on Rutgers players from your area, or a generic college piece where you dedicate significant space to Rutgers. When I wanted to get some newspaper experience years ago, I wrote a few articles about Ramel Meekins for the Community Life, which was the paper local to our towns (I grew up near his hometown of Westwood). There are enough guys on this site to fill every community paper in the state with tons of Rutgers material. You might even make a few bucks!
I always thought a guy could have a nice little side business by syndicating articles to community papers (if they still pay for content). You could aggregate snippets on different Rutgers athletes (via press releases), sort it by geographical area, and then publish little "notebook" style articles that cater to each newspaper's readership.
8) Plan a youth bus trip. Are you a youth football coach? Scout leader? If you work with kids in any way, there is an opportunity for you to plan a trip to a Rutgers game.
I don't want anyone to think that I'm leading the charge here, as that is not my role in the site. Rather, I am responding to questions people have asked year after year. My premise is that you are more powerful than you think. Better yet, when working with other people on this site, you are infinitely more powerful than you think.
