Nothing like trying to do something nice and being treated like you just exploited some young kids in a sweatshop or pushed some old lady in front of a moving car. Yesterday I tried to help Rory Ellis push The Orange Revolution and the message board backlash was rather shocking.
Call me crazy, but I found it refreshing to come across a Miami fan who actually still gave a damn. Someone who doesn’t want to boycott a Canes game and will actually be there front and center this Saturday when the Hokies come to town. Of course a percentage of the message board folks felt that this was nothing more than a lamebrained marketing scheme and opportunity to exploit fans – attacking a few zealous fans and a local 47-year old mom & pop shop – like a bunch of bitter Enron stock holders.
Below, Rory explain The Orange Revolution. Whether you’re for or against it, it’s nice to see someone give this much of a damn about The U. Call me ignorant, but this seems a much better use of one’s time than scheduling a hate banner to fly over the OB on game day:
ABOUT THE ORANGE REVOLUTION:
I started this idea a couple of weeks back before the Duke game. I knew then that we would be playing VT, but really, in my thoughts, it didn’t matter that VT has orange in their colors as well.
When have the MIAMI HURRICANES ever not done something because of what a rival school does. Are we not to WEAR OUR SCHOOL COLORS, OUR HOME COLORS, simply because we are facing VT or simply because we are in an off year? When did the Cane fan base begin to care about what VT fans think? Does it matter what Billy Bob in Virginia thinks when he is watching the game from his living room?
THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING AND WHY WE ARE DOING IT! IF IT MATTERS TO YOU, IF YOU KNOW WHAT THE TRUTH IS, WHY WOULD IT MATTER WHAT SOMEONE ELSE THINKS ABOUT IT?
Have we forgotten the phrase the makes us who we are: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE U! Think about that, “it’s all about the U”.
THE PURPOSE:
This is intended to show, in unison, a solid support for this program. Not the coaches, not the administration, but the program. Do you still get goose bumps when you see that smoke? I do! Do you still get chills when you see those ORANGE jerseys run onto the field at night in the OB? I do!
The intention of this is to UNITE THE FANS! UNITE US IN SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. STANDING THERE IN A STORM OF ORANGE, SCREAMING AWAY IN UNISON.
IT really isn’t a hard thing to grasp. Turn on you TV Saturday morning and watch any game in Penn State, TN, Clemson, (enter big college name here) and you will see unified fan bases. Single Colors filling the entire stadium.
It is about solidarity and support for THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, not some coach or AD. If you want to voice your displeasure, by all means do it, but do it with an ORANGE SIGN!
Just show up in Orange, stand up and support this program in its worst of times, and wear ORANGE.
Check out the Article on allCanes.com blog about it. This is about passion for this team, it is about time we start showing some together!
The word is spreading across campus, mass emails are going out, people are spreading the word.
IT IS THE ORANGE REVOLUTION, BE APART OF IT!
Thanks for doing your part to unite the fan base, Rory. In a time when it’s proving to be much easier for fans to turn on each other and hurl insults, it’s a breath of fresh air to see someone pounding his pulpit and delivering a positive message. 5-3 or 8-0, it’s not about the admin or the head coach. It’s about loving The U and being a fan of the program. That’s not something anyone should EVER be able to turn on and off like a lightswitch. You’re either all in or all out.
Others need to remember that it’s not “all about U.” It’s about the kids, the program and the fact that calling yourself a Canes fan means sticking it out through thick and thin. A quick news flash… boycotting a game here or there isn’t going to sway the admin when it comes to hiring or firing coaches. Your vote isn’t that important. Even if a few thousand protested, nobody would notice.
News flash, people. Going to the game this weekend and rooting for your hometown Canes doesn’t mean that you’re a member of the Larry Coker, Donna Shalala or Paul Dee Fan Club. The program is bigger than all three of them. The U has been in existence since before they were born and it’ll continue long after they’re gone.
Believe this – the fate of Miami has already been decided. I guarantee you Shalala and Dee know whether Coker will be the Canes head coach in 2007 or not. They’re just not tipping their hand. A win/loss against Virginia Tech, Maryland, Virginia or Boston College isn’t going to make or break things.
We’re ALL miserable right now. Who in the hell is happy with 5-3 or the fact that the Canes are 6-5 in their past 11 games in the Coker Era?
Turning on fellow fans, insulting people who live and die with this program and boycotting games… it’s an utter embarrassment. It’s no mystery why other fans hate us, the media rides us and our fan base has such a bad rep. You’re just giving them more ammo and reason to pile on.
Some of you folks need to get your priorities in order and learn to distinguish allies from enemies.
Try not to get caught in the crossfire, Rory. There are some real vultures out there…
.:Canes305:.
I just sent out my second bulletin ragrding the Orange Revolution, and did an addendum to the thread in the myspace group.
I feel you guys’ pain. I am sick of the “doom & gloom” folks as well over at Canestime or Canesport.
Even on the comments sections of blog sites like Omar and Manny. All it is is bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch. No one has any solutions and people just rant & rave to no end.
Yeah, great idea to every one who thinks that skipping the Va Tech game will push Donna Shalala one way or the other regarding Larry’s contract. Give it a rest!!! Get out there to support these kids and quit fighting with your fellow Canes about NOTHING!!!!!! YOu sound like a bunch of crybaby GATORS!!!!!
I agree with the previous poster. Will it matter if there aren’t a lot of Miami fans at the game? Not really. I don’t think it makes a statement. Anybody who has ever been to the Orange Bowl knows that there are very few games that attract a lot of people. Of course there will be people at the VTech game (even in a losing season). Since the probation era, the rivalry created between these two teams has become pretty big. Actually showing up in mass numbers to support the team would have a greater impact on any decisions that might be going on at UM. It demonstrates that there are a ton of people that care about this program, that pay to see the games, and that alone, can make a huge statement. Not going, doesn’t show that you’re a huge fan that is disappointed in this season…it just shows that you’re a typical fairweather fan…and frankly, no one, not the school, the fans, the students, or the alumni care about you.