Winning….

[appalum2003]

well, the NCAA is just another Professional League anyway so why not?

the "colleges" are just placeholders and money-launderers

[Pikapp79]

Portal and NIL changed my view. Enjoy winning but losing doesn’t bother me.

[Yosef84]

It's good to see the perspectives offered in this thread by some. I've definitely been guilty of allowing football performance to play too big a role in my life. There was a time when an App loss ruined my entire weekend. I would literally be in a bad mood for days and unable to really enjoy other things that might be planned. I still get worked up during games, but today I like to think I have a much healthier perspective. We all want App to win and I get very frustrated when we don't....especially if I feel like we "should" have wont or that we effectively beat ourselves (often the case it seems). All that said, although I'm not delusional and I recognize the situation, I will ALWAYS believe that we have a chance to win each and every game. I know that folks say things in frustration or in jest, but if there are those who actually want the season to be over, I think they have a bad perspective.

What the players on the field are doing is infinitely more difficult than anything being asked of the fans. They work unbelievably hard individually and as a team. Sometimes it doesn't work and I have to believe that nobody in the stands is more disappointed than the guys on the field. I'm certainly not going to give up and I sure hope the players don't. I don't see that happening right now. I still believe we have a strong coaching staff, so I fully expect to win some more games this year.

Let's go de-throne the Monarchs. GO APPS!!!!

[AppfaninCAALand]

For me, the real eye opener was when one of my daughters asked why I watched sports so much. My answer was, "because it's fun." She just said, "ok," and went about her business, but my own answer stuck in my head.

OT, but this statement sums up a majority of the non-serious or casual conversations I have had with my wife and three daughters over the last 20 years.

My favorite is when they ask "what are you thinking about?" and I answer "nothing" rather than telling them the truth that I was thinking about why the Roman Empire collapsed or the best way to divide up G5 schools or who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Darth Vader. And my "nothing" will only make the topic linger in my head longer.

[Bootsy]

For me, the real eye opener was when one of my daughters asked why I watched sports so much. My answer was, "because it's fun." She just said, "ok," and went about her business, but my own answer stuck in my head.

OT, but this statement sums up a majority of the non-serious or casual conversations I have had with my wife and three daughters over the last 20 years.

My favorite is when they ask "what are you thinking about?" and I answer "nothing" rather than telling them the truth that I was thinking about why the Roman Empire collapsed or the best way to divide up G5 schools or who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Darth Vader. And my "nothing" will only make the topic linger in my head longer.

The “nothing” reply?
You’re a man.
For better or worse, we all do it. And BTW, your post was hilarious.

[Bigdaddyg1]

Tried to find a recent thread to ask a few questions so perhaps someone could support reasonable and hopefully useful and informative answers. Here goes. I read takes referring to this season as a rebuild. Besides the new coaching staff with the current state of college football what exactly does rebuild mean for us? How do you rebuild if half the roster turns over? I also see some references to player development. This might go back to the turnover piece. Who is getting developed? Next recruitment- how many current players on our roster were recruited and signed out of high school last year, the prior year and the year before that? Assuming the later those players would be I think juniors or redshirt sophomore? Any of these guys still in Boone I could see in a developmental stage and maybe a portal transfer who stays.

[Bootsy]

Tried to find a recent thread to ask a few questions so perhaps someone could support reasonable and hopefully useful and informative answers. Here goes. I read takes referring to this season as a rebuild. Besides the new coaching staff with the current state of college football what exactly does rebuild mean for us? How do you rebuild if half the roster turns over? I also see some references to player development. This might go back to the turnover piece. Who is getting developed? Next recruitment- how many current players on our roster were recruited and signed out of high school last year, the prior year and the year before that? Assuming the later those players would be I think juniors or redshirt sophomore? Any of these guys still in Boone I could see in a developmental stage and maybe a portal transfer who stays.

I wish there were easy answers to your questions. Between a new staff and the ongoing NIL drama, so much of this is new territory for App.

[mountaineerman]

I hate to lose. I hate when my team loses. Do I hate it more than the coaches and players? When I played did care what the fans thought? Nope, I shared the disappointment with my teammates.

I hate it for the kids because I know they try. I’ve been there and I need to remember that.

It’s not even close to the same as ten years ago. I’m personally checking out and that hurts my feelings honestly. Judge me however. College is nothing what I grew up with.

[AppWyo]

I hate to lose. I hate when my team loses. Do I hate it more than the coaches and players? When I played did care what the fans thought? Nope, I shared the disappointment with my teammates.

I hate it for the kids because I know they try. I’ve been there and I need to remember that.

It’s not even close to the same as ten years ago. I’m personally checking out and that hurts my feelings honestly. Judge me however. College is nothing what I grew up with.

It is different on the mountain, the high country, Boone, whatever you call it and losing hurts that much more. Appalachian is not for the meek. App is not for everyone. We win because we are different. We always have been and always will be. This is just a phase that will not last, why? Because we are winners and winners win. The conference, especially the east, caught up to us. We just have to figure out a way to win again like we are accustomed to winning. If it were easy everyone would be winners. I believe App made it look so easy that everyone else thought they could do it too. Our winning has made our degrees worth that much more. Be proud of who we are and who we will become in the future. Our athletics has made Appalachian the university that it is and will continue to bring us dividends far into the future.

[Apptrain]

I checked out before this season began. I can't bring myself to go to games or even watch on TV It's the slow destruction of a once great program where kids wanted to play, not for the money, but for the pride of playing for a premier fcs and later fbs program. I've loved this program since the 80's, but it and college football in general .are forever changed. I can't watch my love suffer and die. I obviously still care enough to check in here on a rare occasion, but that's all I can muster.

[appstatealum]

Many programs go through peaks and valleys. As an App State fan, I recognize that we’ve been fortunate to see mostly peaks over the years. Just look back at the last 25 years of college football: you quickly realize that what App achieved was extremely uncommon. And that’s why it’s so difficult for us to see what’s been happening over the past few years.

This may sound silly or crazy to some of you, and it may get me banned from YC…but bear with me.

I’ve been a rabid App State fan from the first game I attended back in 1988. Depending on how the team performed, I experienced the higher highs and deep valleys, not realizing how exhausting it was to ride those highs and lows. Following that bitter home loss to JMU in 2022, I realized that I was too emotionally invested in the game. After all, it’s just a sport played by kids who run around and move a ball up and down a patch of grass, right?

More importantly, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. God was gracious to show me that I had allowed football to become an idol in my life. That may sound crazy to some of you, but idols still exist. They aren’t necessarily made out of stone or wood or gold anymore, but they look like other things…like a sports, sex, possessions, whatever. He showed me that my obsession with the game was having a negative impact on my life. But more so, He reminded me that He sent His Son to die for me that I wouldn’t have to be enslaved to it. I’m not perfect by any means, but I am very thankful God showed me this and forgave me as I let go of my attachment to the game. I still enjoy the games and like chatting about it with everyone (including you). And if I’m being honest, sometimes I still get frustrated about the program and have to remind myself how God has blessed me by putting the game in its proper place.

If you’ve read this far, thanks for listening. And apologies for the long missive here; just sharing what’s on my heart this morning.

Love this, brother. The ultimate "keep things in perspective". During COVID, I went through a substantial life-altering event (unrelated to the pandemic, but exacerbated by it) and the pandemic afforded me the opportunity to pause all the things I cared about most at the time. I barely watched TV, barely followed my.sports teams, and even AppSt helped by denying me my long held season tickets because I didnt make the "cut" for donating enough additinal money to attend the games. I realized all the things I had prioritized and all of the things that had been neglected. My "disconnection" resulted in one of the greatest phases of my life, despite the trauma I was processing, and served as the foundation for a sequence of events that has led me to where im at now, and I couldn't be happier. The perspective you offered is the foundation for unshakable joy. Waking up everyday and not worrying about what you have or dont have, who is winning or losing. Its waking up knowing youre walking in purpose and finding joy in that, despite all else. Much love, friend.