Stand up and Shout, “I’m a Fair Weather Sun Devil Fan.”

Crickets…

Could you imagine any ASU fan proudly making that statement?

I can’t. But the reason is not so much because of the ridicule they’d receive, but more so because they don’t believe it’s true.

I was triggered to write this piece after reading Doug Franz’s article, “ASU to fans: ‘Will you board the bandwagon?‘”

In it, Franz writes, “I sat next to Todd Graham Tuesday night at his coach’s show. He looked up and then looked at me with a puzzled look, “Not a lot of people on the bandwagon, huh?” — What should I have said?”

“I ask you, Sun Devil fan who claims it’s too hot. I ask you, Sun Devil fan who claims there’s too much to do in Phoenix. I ask you, Sun Devil fan who claims there’s too many people from somewhere else. I ask you, Sun Devil fan that would rip the team for losing in the cold weather but makes excuses for their own lack of support.”

A more direct article like Franz’s is written pretty regularly within the Phoenix valley media, call it 2-3 times a year. The fan support issue comes up a little more often on chat boards where fans can share what’s on their mind in a very direct and personal manner.

For me, Franz’ article mostly got my attention because articles on this topic are becoming less regular. But that doesn’t mean the message is any less relevant.

Stories like this are “shuffled lower in the stack” simply because there has been a constant flow of news about many positive developments regarding ASU Football, most importantly about what has transpired on the field through 21 games under new coaching leadership.

The low turnout for the Washington game on October 19th, a Saturday Homecoming match-up with a Top-20 team and a Pac-12 opponent, was noticed. It was noticed by fans that were there as well as fans that had watched it on TV. I’d venture to say that regardless of what group you were in, you’d like to have seen a fuller Sun Devil Stadium, if for no other reason that it sends a certain message to the players, the staff and the head coach.

Our House?

The official “attendance” for the Husky game was 60,057 (that number doesn’t account for no shows). I won’t try to analyze the turn-out of 60,000 fans to be good, bad or as expected. It was what it was.

But I’ll make an observation about where we are as a football program and a fan base. I believe the program is getting stronger in the most important areas of this business, and it’s far from “tapering off”. That will continue to produce more wins against better opponents. That will draw more fans to the stadium on game day. It’s a simple formula.

Just for fun, let’s draw an imaginary line in the sand that defines two types of Sun Devil fans: the die-hard proactive fan and the fair-weather reactive fan.

Sure as gravity, as ASU wins more games, both fans will turn out. And that’s great. Some thought the attendance at the Washington game would be more indicative of a well-rounded supportive fan base, meaning a larger attendance. The question is when will that happen? At what point will both types of fans fill the stadium? 

Now here we are fifteen days later. ASU dominated the Huskies in what was arguably their most complete game since the new coaching leadership arrived in Tempe. On the road the following week, ASU repeated that performance by controlling Washington State with a 55-21 victory in Pullman.

This week, the Devils are off to play their 9th game against a tough Utah team in their house. Should ASU leave Salt Lake City next weekend with a win (as I believe they will), what will fan attendance look like the following week when the Oregon State Beavers come to Sun Devil Stadium?

I believe ASU’s home match-up with the Beavers will be very telling about Sun Devil fans. November 16th is that line in the sand. More than any game so far since the new Sun Devils have hoisted ASU’s flag, that’s the game that will speak the loudest about the collective Sun Devil fan base and their support of the program. That’s the game that tells the truth.