Couldn’t agree more stephen, they’re in purgatory and there’s no point in investing in something that has no future, and this current iteration has none! The sooner it’s broken up the better. Although it would be very sad to see Demarr go, if he really wants to win he’s in the wrong place. And if he goes then maybe theres a chance they blow it up and be so bad we get our lottery pick back from SAS in a stacked draft instead of building Orlando’s team and watching them crush it.
You couldn’t have said it any better. I was on the waiting list for season tickets for years, and was thrilled when, out of the blue, my name came up. It unfortunately was at the end of the Thibodeaux era, and after a year of Fred Hoiberg’s hapless coaching (and his disrespect of Joakim Noah, one of my favorite players of all time), I gave up my seats. I might have been back once or twice since then, but no more than that, and I haven’t even watched them on TV. I’m not boycotting them (I agree that doing that is silly). It’s just that I don’t find them to be worth my time anymore.
Yep, perfectly reasonable. Haven't watched a full game in two seasons. I've saved up so much time, and even some money on league pass subscription. I've played more with my kids, gone back to playing video games, read more and managed to watch full seasons of shows.
Those two and a half hours per game, 3 times a week, really add up. Not to mention time spent discussing the team.
I miss it some times. I don't know if I miss the games, the community (I still read you guys, from time to time, I just don't interact as much) or just caring so much about something (incidentally, I've watched more soccer, not that my team there treats that much better).
Anyway, I just wanted to write to say that I totally get it. We deserve better.
Thanks for writing this. I'm glad to people come to the comments to share their breakup stories. In today's sports marketplace, I think we should normalize breaking up with your team, cause the naked capitalistic nature of sports ownerships means fandom has never been more transactional. Where I am in my breakup? I'm still an avid fan when it comes to following the team, and I use my League Pass to watch Bulls games. But I'll switch to a different game in a second when the Bulls start to suck (we are in a golden age of NBA talent, Bulls aside) and don't pay to see them when they come to Philly. My boy is a sports nut and I've let him choose his own team rather than burden him with Chicago-sports fandom. You can criticize the players and ownership for individual losses, or even seasons, but decades of Bulls ineptitude lead back to ownership. Not enough fans realize this IS a successful season for the Reinsdorfs - about .500 team, a little extra revenue from play-in games, no luxury tax, and none of the fail-kids have to get a real job for yet another year. Until something changes drastically with ownership, they'll continue to be the Midwestern version of the Hornets with a more storied history.
I respect the players on the team that put in the work and respect the game. I have zero respect for ownership and management because they simply do not care about winning. Donovan seems to be hamstrung by the players AKME provides, but he won't adapt his philosophy to utilize the talent he does have. Not sure if AKME are following owners dictatesl or if they have just given up on actually trying to win. Sitting on their hands for two plus seasons without replacing, even temporarily, the one point guard that gave the team a chance to compete. The Zack LaVine debacle.The slow devopment of young players, the mediocre drafts, the disinterest in free agents, buyouts and undrafted talent. Bulls manage had early cheap looks at Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Strus, and failed to develop Lauri Markkanen. They were to cheap to resign Javonte Green - they waited for the Warriors to cover his rehab.
But as bad as management and coaching decisions have been ( how many excellent coaches have been avaible before and during Donovan?) the root cause is Bulls ownership. They are not investing in the team's ability to compete, or even creating a winning atmosphere. Ownership is selling widgets - they just have to be good enought to sell for a profit. Marketing is cheaper than improving the product. And the players themselves are mere commodities. Noah, Deng, Jimmy, even Scottie all had to go somewhere else for their market value.
When the owners wouldnt bring back Phil Jackson and let it be the excuse not to keep Jordan and Scottie it was a wake up up call They showed us exactly how low they would go and what kind or rationalization they would hide behind. I wouldn't set foot in the United Center or buy merch. It's not for Bulls or basketball fans, it's for tourists and suckers.
Couldn’t agree more stephen, they’re in purgatory and there’s no point in investing in something that has no future, and this current iteration has none! The sooner it’s broken up the better. Although it would be very sad to see Demarr go, if he really wants to win he’s in the wrong place. And if he goes then maybe theres a chance they blow it up and be so bad we get our lottery pick back from SAS in a stacked draft instead of building Orlando’s team and watching them crush it.
You couldn’t have said it any better. I was on the waiting list for season tickets for years, and was thrilled when, out of the blue, my name came up. It unfortunately was at the end of the Thibodeaux era, and after a year of Fred Hoiberg’s hapless coaching (and his disrespect of Joakim Noah, one of my favorite players of all time), I gave up my seats. I might have been back once or twice since then, but no more than that, and I haven’t even watched them on TV. I’m not boycotting them (I agree that doing that is silly). It’s just that I don’t find them to be worth my time anymore.
Yep, perfectly reasonable. Haven't watched a full game in two seasons. I've saved up so much time, and even some money on league pass subscription. I've played more with my kids, gone back to playing video games, read more and managed to watch full seasons of shows.
Those two and a half hours per game, 3 times a week, really add up. Not to mention time spent discussing the team.
I miss it some times. I don't know if I miss the games, the community (I still read you guys, from time to time, I just don't interact as much) or just caring so much about something (incidentally, I've watched more soccer, not that my team there treats that much better).
Anyway, I just wanted to write to say that I totally get it. We deserve better.
Thanks for writing this. I'm glad to people come to the comments to share their breakup stories. In today's sports marketplace, I think we should normalize breaking up with your team, cause the naked capitalistic nature of sports ownerships means fandom has never been more transactional. Where I am in my breakup? I'm still an avid fan when it comes to following the team, and I use my League Pass to watch Bulls games. But I'll switch to a different game in a second when the Bulls start to suck (we are in a golden age of NBA talent, Bulls aside) and don't pay to see them when they come to Philly. My boy is a sports nut and I've let him choose his own team rather than burden him with Chicago-sports fandom. You can criticize the players and ownership for individual losses, or even seasons, but decades of Bulls ineptitude lead back to ownership. Not enough fans realize this IS a successful season for the Reinsdorfs - about .500 team, a little extra revenue from play-in games, no luxury tax, and none of the fail-kids have to get a real job for yet another year. Until something changes drastically with ownership, they'll continue to be the Midwestern version of the Hornets with a more storied history.
I respect the players on the team that put in the work and respect the game. I have zero respect for ownership and management because they simply do not care about winning. Donovan seems to be hamstrung by the players AKME provides, but he won't adapt his philosophy to utilize the talent he does have. Not sure if AKME are following owners dictatesl or if they have just given up on actually trying to win. Sitting on their hands for two plus seasons without replacing, even temporarily, the one point guard that gave the team a chance to compete. The Zack LaVine debacle.The slow devopment of young players, the mediocre drafts, the disinterest in free agents, buyouts and undrafted talent. Bulls manage had early cheap looks at Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Strus, and failed to develop Lauri Markkanen. They were to cheap to resign Javonte Green - they waited for the Warriors to cover his rehab.
But as bad as management and coaching decisions have been ( how many excellent coaches have been avaible before and during Donovan?) the root cause is Bulls ownership. They are not investing in the team's ability to compete, or even creating a winning atmosphere. Ownership is selling widgets - they just have to be good enought to sell for a profit. Marketing is cheaper than improving the product. And the players themselves are mere commodities. Noah, Deng, Jimmy, even Scottie all had to go somewhere else for their market value.
When the owners wouldnt bring back Phil Jackson and let it be the excuse not to keep Jordan and Scottie it was a wake up up call They showed us exactly how low they would go and what kind or rationalization they would hide behind. I wouldn't set foot in the United Center or buy merch. It's not for Bulls or basketball fans, it's for tourists and suckers.