Whence the anger?

There is some genuine anger from the fan base regarding this program, and I am not really sure where the anger is directed. The “official” reason is that we have not won enough ballgames, or at least enough championships; and our accomplishments in that regard have been average at best, probably less.


However, I am going to make a guess that there are a couple of other factors that have made the anger stronger than it otherwise would have been. First is the fact that a lot of fans only like run-and-gun basketball, and so their patience naturally will be shorter with a coach who plays a style they do not like. If Steve Shields had won big, they probably would not care that much about his style; but he has been only slightly-better-than-average, and so is fair game for the critics whose patience has run out.

Second is the perceived attitude of Chris Peterson, the Athletic Director. I say “perceived” because I have never met the man and have only seen him at ballgames. There is a very real perception, however, that he only cares about big donors and is completely apathetic toward the “little” fans. Who knows if that is true, but it is how he is seen.