Why does it seem that the woman's fan base is more rabid/vocal? And please spare me the "they win a ton of games" shit. I'm as liberal as the day is long and I fully support the woman's team. I always watch and root when they are on TV. However, woman's basketball (even when played at a high level) is not the type of thing that should garner a loud, boisterous crowd. Yet it does at ND. The men have been very good the past 3 years and it seems to me that even when the likes of Duke or UNC come to town the crowd/fans suck dog. This includes very close, highly entertaining games. This included a vibrant player such as Jerian Grant who could "wow" with the best of them. They still sucked. They sit there like a pile of dog shit on a warm summer day. The fact that we have to generate a digital sign that states "get loud" or "noise time" is absolutely pathetic in itself.
What amazes me is that the very same rubes that buy tickets and sit there like dickwads during the men's games, show up and create a fantastic home atmosphere during the woman's games. Regarding the neutral site games that used to draw Subway Alums out in droves; see ridiculous ticket prices for "amateur" athletics. ND played in Philly last year for the S16 and E8 games. Philly has always been a big-time subway alumni area for ND. I spoke to many die-hard, lifetime ND fans that could not see the value in dropping hard earned hundreds of dollars on a game that was televised. Pricing for men's hoops and football is outrageous. Notre Dame has always packed venues in the past because the average dude could swing it. Those days are done. NCAA tourney games are for the wealthy that have excess $$ at the end of the month. Alums who are doing well are in good shape, but the subway fans are watching on TV.