Athletic Department - Fan Base

[slufan13]

Chris May and the AD have tanked the SLU fanbase. We have elite basketball and soccer facilities compared to our competitors yet we can't take the next step in any capacity. The only exception is possibly women's soccer but even they've stalled out lately. The atmosphere at games is boring and unexciting. This is on Chris May and his buds. We need to focus on the younger fanbase and young families. I say out with the olds and let's focus on youth. The oldies have money but Chris can make them happy with a fake smile and a handshake at a private event but I say give their tickets to people who will bring energy to the games. Look at the NBA and NHL playoffs. All the fans wear the shirts, all the fans know when to stand, all the fans make it a crazy atmosphere. I'm not talking about stupid sh.it like gimmicks at every game. I'm talking about getting people who actually care at the games. Give away the padded seats up the middle. Have tailgates and food for the students pre-game. Not the current type of tailgate where it's a bunch of losers in a suit handing out pizza but I'm talking like a college football tailgate where the students can hardly make their way into the arena. Also can we please get Chris out of a fu.cking suit every game? It ain't 1999 anymore. Hell I'd argue we dump the band unless we can be more like a big school football band. But at least the band has people who show up with some energy. It's time for wholesale changes. 

With the way college athletics are trending where they are essentially the minor leagues, you need to make it an electric atmosphere. You need to focus on a new fanbase or you'll watch yourself die. End the uppity culture from the AD. Move on from the boomer/harassing culture that Travis Ford left. Make it fun. 

See you all in another 18 months

[slu92]

18 years of stale same old AD speak, buzz words and repeated talking points every single year. It’s a matter of time until Chris Mays merry band of defenders like Rammer, Earl, Fake Hair Frank start saying this mbb team looks different and so athletic, very excited, couldn’t be more thrilled, blah, blah, blah education, community, ya, ya, gpa is awesome. 100% place is so stale and outdated just like the AD. Just think if Chris May worked in real world, with real world accountability, the mbb program has only made the ncaa tournament 22% of the time in his 18 year tenure at SLU. 4 times in 18 seasons. 3 of which Majerus teams accomplished, May didn’t hire him. What other job could you hit your #1 job target 4/18 years, spend/waste millions of dollars and still keep your job AND have people defend the job you are doing?!?! My question to donors who think May is so great is, would you hire him at your company if he needed a job tomorrow? I bet that would be Chris who? lol can’t make it up. Only at SLU. 

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

Great post. How we accomplish this nobody knows. Especially nobody in the a dept 

[VeniceMenace]

Exhibit A, two words: Gus Phillips...

[HoosierPal]

There are those who still believe academic success is important in college athletics.  HoosierPal congratulates the record 298 SLU athletes who landed on the A-10 Honor Roll.  If you want to blame the AD for everything that goes wrong, fine, then give credit for a remarkable achievement by its athletes.

https://slubillikens.com/news/2025/6/23/billiken-athletics-school-record-298-billikens-land-on-a-10-commissioners-honor-roll.aspx

[JohnnyJumpUp]

On 6/6/2025 at 4:01 PM, RiseOfTheBillikens said:

Great post. How we accomplish this nobody knows. Especially nobody in the a dept 

Bratzooka 2025!

[WUH]

1 hour ago, JohnnyJumpUp said:

Bratzooka 2025!

I had to Google Bratzooka, but I love the idea.

[ARon]

On 6/6/2025 at 4:01 PM, RiseOfTheBillikens said:

Great post. How we accomplish this nobody knows. Especially nobody in the a dept 

Winning.  We would accomplish it by winning.

But we haven't figured that part of the equation out yet.  
 

Until then the rest are just details.

[dlarry]

On 6/28/2025 at 11:01 AM, HoosierPal said:

There are those who still believe academic success is important in college athletics.  HoosierPal congratulates the record 298 SLU athletes who landed on the A-10 Honor Roll.  If you want to blame the AD for everything that goes wrong, fine, then give credit for a remarkable achievement by its athletes.

https://slubillikens.com/news/2025/6/23/billiken-athletics-school-record-298-billikens-land-on-a-10-commissioners-honor-roll.aspx

Less scholars more ballers!!!! 
 

1990 Runnin Rebels weren’t filled with “scholar” athletes! 

[BIG BILL FAN]

On 6/6/2025 at 2:31 PM, slufan13 said:

Chris May and the AD have tanked the SLU fanbase. We have elite basketball and soccer facilities compared to our competitors yet we can't take the next step in any capacity. The only exception is possibly women's soccer but even they've stalled out lately. The atmosphere at games is boring and unexciting. This is on Chris May and his buds. We need to focus on the younger fanbase and young families. I say out with the olds and let's focus on youth. The oldies have money but Chris can make them happy with a fake smile and a handshake at a private event but I say give their tickets to people who will bring energy to the games. Look at the NBA and NHL playoffs. All the fans wear the shirts, all the fans know when to stand, all the fans make it a crazy atmosphere. I'm not talking about stupid sh.it like gimmicks at every game. I'm talking about getting people who actually care at the games. Give away the padded seats up the middle. Have tailgates and food for the students pre-game. Not the current type of tailgate where it's a bunch of losers in a suit handing out pizza but I'm talking like a college football tailgate where the students can hardly make their way into the arena. Also can we please get Chris out of a fu.cking suit every game? It ain't 1999 anymore. Hell I'd argue we dump the band unless we can be more like a big school football band. But at least the band has people who show up with some energy. It's time for wholesale changes. 

With the way college athletics are trending where they are essentially the minor leagues, you need to make it an electric atmosphere. You need to focus on a new fanbase or you'll watch yourself die. End the uppity culture from the AD. Move on from the boomer/harassing culture that Travis Ford left. Make it fun. 

See you all in another 18 months

So to summarize, you are suggesting that we push out the 60+ year olds crowd who actually show up to the games and pay the bills, and allow the 20  and 30 year old crowd who excel at running their mouths but disappear when asked to spend any of their own money, take over. When I was your age, we didn’t need gimmicks to create an electric atmosphere and we also didn’t portray ourselves as the poor victims looking to spew hate at our older fans who were supporting the program. The only thing keeping the arena from being filled are losers like you who would rather whine than show up to the game and reach into their own pocket. It’s stunning that you think alienating a large portion of your fan base is the key to success. 

[Box and Won]

14 hours ago, dlarry said:

Less scholars more ballers!!!! 
 

1990 Runnin Rebels weren’t filled with “scholar” athletes! 

I don't care about the athletes' GPAs any more than I care about any random students' GPAs. Which is to say not at all.

[Pistol]

1 minute ago, Box and Won said:

I don't care about the athletes' GPAs any more than I care about any random students' GPAs. Which is to say not at all.

Spoken like a true 2.9.

[Box and Won]

On 6/30/2025 at 9:21 AM, Pistol said:

Spoken like a true 2.9.

I'll have you know, I was a fixture on the Dean's List, sir.*

*After I f---ed around and got crappy grades and my dad threatened to stop paying my tuition.