'True Zag Fans' have it backward

Gonzaga has always done a great job with public relations. But this time they have outdone themselves.

On Thursday, the Bulldogs lost their third straight conference game, a 73-71 loss at home to St. Mary's. The Zags are slowly slipping down the WCC ladder, and a loss at home is normally a surefire disappointment. But you wouldn't know it based on the reaction.

"Mark Few knows how to coach!"

"Gonzaga played as good of a game as possible."

"I really like this team."

"Few can coach at any level! He's amazing!"

"We are constantly at the top of the WCC, what is there to complain about?"

This isn't an isolated incident. It happens game-in and game-out. And I finally realized:

The Zags have reverse support.

At least it seems that way. Gonzaga is the only Division-I team I know that sees more optimistic support for coaches and players when they lose than when they win.

After wins, fan commentary and chatter will be about topics ranging from player rotation problems, to strategy, to matchups. But after losses, it's all cheers praising how lucky Gonzaga fans are to have a coach like Mark Few and a team that has seen so much success in the past 10 years.

It's the perfect situation for the program. They can either win games, or use their past wins as a built-in insulation for criticism following losses.

Unfortunately, it's also bred a flock of Zag fans who have become so mindlessly devoted to the team that they forget about the importance of criticism. And it has reached the point where any sign of disappointment from a fan will result in their commitment being questioned.

If you're not with us, you're against us.

After Thursday's loss to St. Mary's, several Zag fans took to the Internet to vent their frustration with the result, and with the choices made by the Gonzaga coaching staff. Those that dared to express dissatisfaction were met with sharp words about whether they "truly" supported the Zags.

"I'm disappointed. Once a Zag, always a Zag."

"Here come the bandwagoners."

"We have the best coaching staff in America."

"We're finding out who the true Zag fans are tonight."

It's that last type of statement that is the most intriguing. The mindset from some is that the Zags' loss will weed out those who support the team and those who are on the bandwagon. Whoever criticizes the team or the coach after the loss, or whoever doubts the postseason resume of the Zags, or whoever says the outlook is bleak, will be exposed as a fraud, not a "true Zag fan"

And that's completely backward.

Since 1999, when the Dan Monson-coached Zags burst on to the scene with an improbable trip to the Elite Eight, Bulldog fans have suffered an inferiority complex, but it only developed through good intentions.

Gonzaga is a small, private Jesuit university tucked away in the Inland Northwest. Its basketball team doesn't belong to a major conference, and doesn't get the major recruits. National pundits and analysts never give teams like that credit, and never say they have a shot at greatness. Even after the Elite Eight run and the subsequent success over the next few years with Dan Dickau and co., Gonzaga was simply viewed as a Cinderella squad that would eventually flame out.

Zag fans took that personally. The small community of supporters rallied around their team, stuck with them, and proudly voiced their love of the team. It didn't matter what those critics in the media said, these were our Zags, and we know how great the really are.

But then the years passed, and the Zags became stuck on a plateau. Win a big game or two during the regular season, win the conference, lose early in the tournament. Year after year after year, since 1999. That's when a small minority of fans started to question why the program couldn't get over the hump to elite status.

But many Zag fans, still so accustomed to protecting their team, jumped all over that. They had seen their small team reach success despite overwhelming odds and plenty of doubters. So the instinct to defend the Zag honor kicked in, even if the people they were defending it from were their fellow fans.

They point to where the program was in the '80s and '90s, and the success it has now achieved. They point to Mark Few's winning percentage. They point to the numerous WCC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. And all along, they cry "you should be thankful a small school like this can reach these heights! If you are a true fan, you would appreciate what you have!"
Here's the thing about "true Zag fans." They are appreciative of what they have. That's why they want the team to do better, and not be stuck in a 10-year plateau.

Gonzaga has a rabid fan base; some of the most knowledgeable fans in the country. But even the most knowledgeable fans know that criticism is important.

At its very essence, sports is entertainment. And if something is no longer entertaining, or has grown stale, then its OK to wish for changes. It just means you are passionate about it, and want it to reach its highest potential.

But blind, fanatical devotion to that entertainment is not OK, especially when it turns into lashing out against those who disagree with the status quo.

Admitting the Zags won't reach the Sweet 16 this year doesn't make you less of a fan. Commenting that the coaching staff has inadequacies doesn't make you less of a fan.

And at the same time, burying your head in the sand and never acknowledging that things are going wrong doesn't make you a better fan.

It's time for the "true Zag fans" to understand that.