Emporia State fans have been known to be loud in the stands.
So why are they so silent on the message boards?
It’s an interesting phenomenon, really.
While other fans in the MIAA have caught on to the Internet craze, it seems that ESU fans are a bit behind the times.
Brandon Misener, editor and founder of d2football.com, estimates there are around 100 fans each from Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State that are part of the online community and contribute to the message boards every day.
He doesn’t have to venture a guess as to how many Hornet fans make their way online every day.
That’s because he can count them on one hand — there are only three.
Not that he’s surprised.
“Emporia State has never had the kind of (football) season that will draw new fans to the board,” Misener said, “or the sustained success that will keep them there.”
Misener said the community’s population was easy to predict: The best teams will draw the most users.
The message board (found at d2messageboard.com) was started in 2000, and at the time, Northwest Missouri State was coming off back-to-back national championships. Predictably, the biggest boom came from Bearcat fans.
Around 2004, Pittsburg State supporters started taking notice, especially because the Gorillas were setting national records with their offense on their way to a national championship appearance.
“Essentially,” Misener said, “fans just want to get on there to pump their chests out.”
Unfortunately for Hornet fans — at least in football — the last decade hasn’t brought much reason for chest pumping.
The closest time came in 2003, when ESU finished in a five-way tie for the MIAA championship. The Hornets went on to lose in the first round on the NCAA playoffs.
Misener said it might be different if the board started in 1998. That was the year Brian Shay helped lead the Hornets to a 9-2 record.
“With a lot of fans, you get them to the board, and they’ll become addicted and they’ll stay there,” Misener said. “Emporia just hasn’t had that one springboard event that will get new fans there.”
There is a basketball message board as well, but even with ESU’s strongly supported women’s basketball program, Hornet fans haven’t established themselves there, either. Things also are mostly quiet on the baseball board, despite the Hornets putting together a 35-game win streak and a 50-10 record last season.
Misener still isn’t surprised, especially because most of the traffic to the message boards comes directly from d2football.com.
Those schools without powerhouse football programs are unlikely to know the community even exists.
It’s the reason why — though he’s a Northwest graduate — he wouldn’t mind seeing a team like ESU build a successful football program.
Though three ESU fans might be company on the message boards, Misener would much rather have a crowd.
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