After the 0-4 start in Big Ten play, now comes the real test.
Saturday will be the first morning home football game for Wisconsin in over a month and a half. The last time the Badgers played before noon in Camp Randall only 5,000 fans were through the gates at kickoff, and that was when the team was in the top-10 and had a promising season ahead.
Now what?
The lack of excitement for this game is already apparent as the scalping price for tickets has fallen and some fans have even given away their tickets. With such an undercurrent of apathy, how many students will be in the stands at kickoff?
It seems like the experience of Wisconsin football games has somehow been cheapened for those who attend. No one turns down Packer tickets and says, Noon is just to early."" No one declines a chance to watch the Brewers because ""they are only playing the Marlins.""
We go to those games because they are fun. There is something carefree and enjoyable about losing one's self as an athletic spectator. Even when the Pack and Brew Crew are mediocre or bad, there is some appeal in attending those games.
But this does not hold true for UW football. A sense of innocence has been lost and that trend could be linked to the drinking culture that surrounds the games.
Look, I have nothing against the idea of having a cold frosty adult beverage before a game. In fact, I have nothing against having a few cold frosty adult beverages before the game.
That is just a facet of Wisconsin gameday, and there's no way to get around it.
The problem comes when the drinking turns into a multi-hour journey that starts early and cuts into the game. All of a sudden, a three-hour game, which itself is a pretty big investment of time for a busy college student, becomes an Odyssey of alcoholism that consumes a massive part of a day.
That amount of time committed has to affect attendance, as there is not much incentive to wake up at 7 a.m. to watch a team that is not that successful.
That leads to the other important factor that is driving this rise in fan apathy: the fact that the Badgers are just not very good. A 4-3 record is a long way from the top-10 spot that most fans and experts predicted, and that no doubt will keep fans away.
Why can't fans enjoy going to the stadium to watch a mediocre team?
Illinois brings in one of the most entertaining talents in the Big Ten. Quarterback Juice Williams is a talented runner and his development as a passer has made the Illini offense formidable.
Spectators need to learn to watch the game and appreciate the football played in front of them. The games are not just about big plays that Wisconsin made.
There are plenty of opportunities to watch Wisconsin sports this weekend with two volleyball matches, two Men's hockey games and two women's hockey games. That means many chances to go watch the pure spectacle of sport.
So here is an interesting idea for tomorrow, just go to the game.
Don't wake up early for kegstands and beer bongs. Rise at a leisurely hour, have some breakfast and just go to the game.
It will only take three hours. Don't give away your ticket because the team isn't that good or the game is a bit early.
Try to find whatever it is that makes Badger games, at their root, enjoyable and strip away all the trappings that have come to characterize Madison's Saturdays in fall. Look for the subtleties and strategies of the game and appreciate the game going on in front of you.
Maybe it will pass your test and be a great part of your day, maybe it will fail. In the end however, you'll likely end up learning something.
Think Ben should just stop with his pontificating, get ready for hockey season and stick to reporting? Lambaste him at breiner@wisc.edu
