Comments on: Don’t Talk To Deems May About Basketball

By: AZACCFan

AZACCFan — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:22:42 +0000

Actually, most of the planet calls football a game played with mostly feet and a round ball. Hence W orld Cup, Olympic movement in Africa. Just check out a weekend English Premiership game to see wide-open, high skilled athleticism throughout the season. Partly this is because there is no league monopoly as in USA. Teams are relegated if they lose, regardless if they are M anchester United or Arsenal. Football in the US has become a far different sport with huge players, crazy injuries and too much bad behavior!

By: william

william — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:28:10 +0000

Hopefully, Deems was just having a bad day and I would think that an apology is in order. Calling Carolina fans “a cancer” and their thoughts based entirely on experience and realism “miserable” and “pathetic” is pretty much beyond the pale.

There are a whole host of sports that deserve attention from UNC fans, football among them.

Nevertheless, UNC is famous for two sports, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Soccer–which is probably the most important female team sport in the US. Our accomplishments in those two sports is towering and Men’s Football has to compete for attention with both of them.

By: smallandpettypat

smallandpettypat — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:55:13 +0000

“I CARE DEEPLY about Carolina Football.. I CARE DEEPLY about Carolina Basketball.
I don’t see why we as Carolina fans can’t expect or demand excellence from both programs.”

I agree 100%. I don’t disagree with Deems. I am always bothered to hear apathy towards the football program from some UNC fans. Makes me grind my teeth, and I hate that. I’m glad an alum with a platform finally said it.

By: PRGuy

PRGuy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:20:46 +0000

Like HeelYeah, I will root for any UNC team or athlete as long as they exhibit class and sportsmanship. However, I feel justified in my recent disappointmetn with the football team — not for the fact that they lost but for the manner in which they lost. If either the Ga. Tech or UVA games would have been more competitive, I would probably not feel the disappointment as much. But in scoring, turnover margin, lack of offense, paucity of 3rd down conversions, etc., there is plenty of room for improvement. And that goes equally for the coaching decisions as well as the players’ execution. I root for the football team as hard as I root for the basketball team, but let’s face it, Deems… the basketball team has given UNC fans more reason to celebrate and express our collective pride over the years.

By: HeelYeah

HeelYeah — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:51:21 +0000

chuck, I think you’re right that we can expect to have success in both football and basketball. However, I think that high end success will only occur at certain times. You referenced a couple of examples in the 90′s, but again we’re talking about a couple of years here or there where both programs were performing at a high level. I think that’s fine and is about all you can expect at any school, especially one like UNC where one sport is so big and successful.

I love Carolina. I don’t care if it’s football, basketball (men’s and women’s), soccer, baseball, field hockey, or whatever. I want the Heels to win everything they compete in, and I am passionate about all UNC sports (just ask my wife, she thinks I’m going to blow a fuse one day). However, my anger at a loss seems to be greater and last longer when it’s basketball than with any other sport. Does that make me any less a fan? I don’t think so, it’s just the nature of things.

It’s sort of like a parent who says they love all of their kids. Of course they do, but they have a favorite (whether they admit to it or not). That just human nature.

By: heeledsoul

heeledsoul — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:21:54 +0000

I love me some Carolina basketball and I love me some Carolina football. But the GT debacle and UVA embarassment has made me watch a lot more English Premier League football and cheer on my United chaps. That’ll probably continue until after the bye week. Hope that’s ok with Deems May.

By: chuckheel85

chuckheel85 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:10:13 +0000

I agree with most of the posts here and THF’s post, but, I do see where Deems May is coming from and I have had similar feelings to him.
Call me bullheaded, or stubborn, or whatever, but I simply won’t buy the logic that says that Carolina can’t have two successful programs at the same time.
The 1996 and 1997 Football seasons, combined with the 1996-97 and 1997-98 basketball seasons bear this point out. Carolina football was a horrible 4th quarter at Virginia in 96 (That I witnessed in person by the way) and a horrible game at home against Florida State in 97 (I witnessed this one in person, too) from getting to a BCS Bowl. Both of those seasons the basketball team made it to the Final Four.
Carolina Football would have been able to continue and build on this success if not for some serious botching by AD Dick Baddour. He not only botched keeping Mack Brown here, but he botched the subsequent search by naming Carl Torbush the head coach, when we had Jim Donnan dying to be our coach if waited until after the bowl season.
My point is, Carolina has the facilities, the fan base, and the atmosphere to support two successful programs.
I CARE DEEPLY about Carolina Football.. I CARE DEEPLY about Carolina Basketball.
I don’t see why we as Carolina fans can’t expect or demand excellence from both programs.

By: keithunc

keithunc — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:40:45 +0000

Check, I will never talk to you (unless it’s basketball season) and I will keep my miserable pathetic thoughts to myself, unless, well… see last parenthesis.

By: wb3

wb3 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:34:50 +0000

The simple fact is that people would be just as
excited about football if they won. Likewise, unc fans will turn on the basketball team if they lose, which is exactly what happened between 2001 and 2003.

The real problem here is the football team not being able to handle being compared to the basketball team. That is their problem. They need to man up and start winning or face the consequences, including comparisons

By: Jonathan Starsmore

Jonathan Starsmore — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:51:48 +0000

“Not to belabor the obvious, but enthusiasm for the football program would get a boost if the team won more games.”

Not to repeat what Deems said a paragraph above the “touchy” quote, but no one is blaming anyone else for getting ticked about the horrible loss last Saturday and complaining about it. Fans have a right to be frustrated with what they’re seeing and expressing their frustration. It’s the ones who go “well, the loss doesn’t mean much to me — football is a diversion anyway. Now let’s talk about what’s really important — basketball, baby!”, especially around the players/coaches/prospective recruits, that are really hurting the positive atmosphere we’re trying to build around the program. That atmosphere will allow us to pull in better players from around the country, and that’ll go a long way toward your goal and mine — UNC winning more games.