Negative Gossip

[Flames]

Hello

I am new to this forum, and to be honest with you, the only reason that i became a member was so I could post this comment!

I spent alot of time this week going through the different posts and thought that it would be something that would help bring me up to speed, as to what is going on within the NIFL. However, the majority (Not All) of what I have read has been negative gossip coming from people that think they know what they are talking about! The way I look at it is, if you don't like the way that the league and (or) the teams are ran or managed, then by all means STOP FOLLOWING THE SPORT AND KEEP WATCHING COLLEGE FOOTBALL OR THE NFL!!!!!

I have much respect for ALL of the NIFL, Arena, Semi Pro, etc.... teams that are out there! Why? Because these guys are getting out there and playing their hearts out BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL! And, it really ticks me off when I read the negative bull crap from armchair quarterbacks or wannabe's that "THINK" they know what they are talking about!!!

How about taking the time to acknowledge the hard work and effort that these guys (Owners; Coaches; Managers, Players, etc...) put into the sport. Stop focusing on a few bad situations that have happened, and instead give these guys some credit for the jobs that they do!!!

[preeths]

First, how many posts have you seen that criticize the efforts of the players? Posts critical of players are relatively rare, so don't mistake criticism of team operations with critcism of the players. Some organizations deserve the criticism for inadequate planning or poor operations. Others don't. As long as the good aren't lumped in with the bad and the posts are honest, I have no problem with criticism where it is deserved. Fans are here to talk about the good and the bad.

If you wanted some posts to bring you up to speed surely you saw those about the Lincoln and Palm Beach situations, both of which beat local media to the punch. Don't forget Asheville. Those could be viewed as negative, too. They were also dead-on accurate.

You may have a point in that some kudos should be paid to the good organizations. Rather than calling for people to stop talking about the bad, why don't you start talking about some of the good organizations and see if others follow your lead?

[Flames]

Preeths,

I will agree with you on the fact that some of the teams are not the most "upstanding members" of the NIFL. But again, I would like to hear more about the teams that are working hard and doing good in the league. I have read several posts on here where vendors and teams are arguing about financials. I dont feel that a message board is the place for that to happen.

And, I have mentioned the Cincinnati Marshalls and the Dayton Bulldogs, and praised the efforts that I have seen from both teams.
__________________

[#1 Guard Fan]

Fayetteville Guard seem to have their act together too, If not they sure do hide it well. I think there will always be some shady teams at any level of sports. Heck look you have pro teams that are not the greatest. Some people find more in talking about the bad things than the good. I wonder why they waste their time if they don't care for the NIFL so much

[Flames]

Guard,

I agree 100%!!!!

I hope you guys have a good season

[preeths]

Jack, but in what regards do you praise them? In what specific areas do you praise their efforts? How has attendance been in Dayton and Cincinnati? If you cite some specifics, then others have something to go on when replying. Otherwise, it just sounds like boosterism, which is fine, but unlikely to get a lot of followup posts.

[tony-o]

Indoor football news is like almost all other kind of news. Usually the big reports are bad news while good news is not big or not special. I mean, look at the Iraq War. There are always bad reports coming out of the Middle East, but my dad just got done serving there and the soldiers really helped out the Iraqis and the Iraqis like our soldiers being over there. But that news isn't gonna be told because it isn't anything big or special. Same with indoor football. I think Greensboro set an indoor football attendance record not too long ago and the Guard have been doing pretty good too. But most people were focused on the Ghostriders disaster rather than the other NC teams that are doing well.

[nksports]

Because these guys are getting out there and playing their hearts out BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL!
Those are the same guys that get sc****ed over when some underfinanced idiot who thinks he's the next George Steinbrenner without a dime to his name tries to start one of these teams. When the spam hits the fan, the players are the first ones who are told the pay checks will be delayed (or even worse, "don't cash the checks this week"). While most of the teams below the af2 level use somewhat local talent, you still have that guy traveling who knows how far to play somewhere.
The players are out the tryout fees, rent and gas trying to get back home.
This doesn't happen in minor league baseball. It happens rarely in hockey. Only in indoor football and minor league basketball is crud like this common and it needs to stop.
You've got two or three teams out there that have already folded this season and about a half-dozen more on the brink. Thats about 90 to 150 players who interrupted their lives for some moron who wants to be a mogal but doesn't know what the snugglebunnies he's doing.

Here endeth the rant

[fwp]

You're right, Jack. I had noticed the same thing. I, at this point, certainly have issues with the NIFL, but am often amused at the attacks on the league by some posters on this board. Often with bad information, but that doesn't keep them form acting like experts.

Many times you're looking at people that have ties to competing leagues, it benefits and deflects attention with issues in the league that they follow. That's why you see many of these people go away after a while.

That's not to say there aren't legitimate problems with the NIFL, but there are many wonderful things going on.

That being said, who knows what next year will bring?

[ChampionOfSteel]

The way I look at it is, if you don't like the way that the league and (or) the teams are ran or managed, then by all means STOP FOLLOWING THE SPORT AND KEEP WATCHING COLLEGE FOOTBALL OR THE NFL!!!!!

Ok, I tried to warn you, you must appeal to fans like me to be successful. I think you got your wish already. I won't be going to the Nutt house if that is truly what you desire. Keep in mind it's usually someone like me that gets everyone else on board to get a group together to attend a sporting event with many of them female who are there for the social aspects.

Now I got a question for you:

Without folks like me supporting the NIFL how does the league stay afloat?

These pictures don't seem to have much crowd background in them. Is that by design to conceal horrific attendance or just a coincidence?

http://daytonbulldogs.org/gallery/20060409.asp

I think you owe someone an apology.

Semi pro coaching is not the same as league business management.

I wish you luck coach as you play out your semi pro season with less than 30 players (eventually) without matching uniforms. Nothing wrong with some amateur football league where you get "Billy" down the street and "Steve" (your best friend) to play on your team, with the hopes the other team will show up.

Point is semi pro football is not a model to emulate for the NIFL.

[ChampionOfSteel]

That being said, who knows what next year will bring?

If you repeat the same process (year-after-year) why would you expect a different result?

-Albert Einstein-

[ChampionOfSteel]

Indoor football news is like almost all other kind of news. Usually the big reports are bad news while good news is not big or not special. I mean, look at the Iraq War. There are always bad reports coming out of the Middle East, but my dad just got done serving there and the soldiers really helped out the Iraqis and the Iraqis like our soldiers being over there. But that news isn't gonna be told because it isn't anything big or special. Same with indoor football. I think Greensboro set an indoor football attendance record not too long ago and the Guard have been doing pretty good too. But most people were focused on the Ghostriders disaster rather than the other NC teams that are doing well.

News flash: Your league is only as good as your worst managed team. If your worst team folds during the season you become bush league because the remaining teams didn't have the means to stop that from the get-go.

No one uses the term bush team. It's referred to as bush league. Fans lose interest in their local team as other teams (perhaps 1,000 of miles away) fold during the season.

[Jamie]

News flash: Your league is only as good as your worst managed team. If your worst team folds during the season you become bush league because the remaining teams didn't have the means to stop that from the get-go.

No one uses the term bush team. It's referred to as bush league. Fans lose interest in their local team as other teams (perhaps 1,000 of miles away) fold during the season.

CoS:

I agree with your first point, but disagree with the second. Internet Indoor football fans like you and me follow closely, and are aware of all the league foibles. We are a very small percentage of the overall fan base. I think we (and I include myself) get an overinflated notion of how commonly known the league problems are...

But if you talk to an average fan at a game (and I do talk to many of them), they might be hard pressed to even tell you the name of the league... They're just looking for a fun game with their friends or family, don't know much about the opposing team, and root for the home team, because its fun.