Special Report

9 Least Popular College Sports Teams According to Baby Boomers- Ranked

Kathryn Koehler

Published: April 4, 2024 10:30 am

My old baby boomer pal Rickey once made the mistake of walking into a sports bar in Georgia wearing his Tennessee Vols cap. A hush fell over the crowd. Rickey, immediately recognizing his gaffe, threw his arms in the air while saying, “Look on the bright side guys, we all hate Alabama!” And so it goes. Various factors can determine the popularity of college athletic teams, with hometown/State U allegiance close to the top. What makes a college sports team unappealing to baby boomers (1946-1964) is a bit more esoteric. From lopsided rivalries and fan behavior to controversial coaches/coaching and personal relationships, boomers have their reasons. After scouring historical data, internet headlines, and social media threads, 24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the 9 least popular college sports teams according to baby boomers. So, grab a brat and your favorite beverage as we share our list ranked from not-so-popular to super-unpopular.

9. USC

Source: Mike Powell / Allsport / Getty Images

• Conference: Pac 12 until August 2024 when the Bruins will join the Big 10.
• Established: 1888
• Fun fact: When he was still known as Marion Mitchell Morrison, the actor John Wayne played football for USC.

Trojan Horse

Source: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Why do boomers dislike the University of Southern California? Because it’s USC. Beyond the recent admissions scandal, which is not unique to USC, and the fact that USC will be joining the Big Ten conference in August 2024, most boomers couldn’t formulate an objective answer. The players are too flashy and the fans are rude. Again not uniquely USC issues. What really seems to be at the crux of boomers’ dislike of USC is the perceived entitlement and elitism of the players and the student body. While it’s true that a large number of Hollywood’s rich kids attend USC, it’s also true that 88% of their student body receives financial aid. So while boomers enjoy calling it U$C and the University of Spoiled Children, like conference affiliations, the times they are a-changin’.

8. Penn  State

Source: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

• NCAA Conference: Big Ten Conference
• Established: 1887
• Fun fact: The Nittany Lions are named for Mount Nittany, a landmark near the campus, and the mountain lions that once roamed the region. 

Nittany Lions

Source: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Coming in at number 8 on our list of the 9 least popular college sports teams according to baby boomers is Pennsylvania State University, aka Penn State. From fencing and field hockey to soccer, softball, and football, the Nittany Lions are a sporting school. So what do boomers find objectionable? The fans, mostly: They’re obnoxious; they can dish it out, but they can’t take it; and Penn State fans need a reality check, are but three boomer opinions, the language of which is quaint and telling. The other reason cited by boomers for their lack of fondness for the Nittany Lions stems from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which came to light in 2011. As horrible and avoidable as it was, the man responsible is locked away. The present coaching staff and players are over a decade removed from and were never involved in the immoral behavior. It’s time to let go, boomers. 

7. Washington

Source: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

• NCAA Conference: Pac 12, until August 2024 when the Huskies move to the Big Ten
• Established: 1889
• Fun fact: The record for having the loudest game in college football history was between the Washington Huskies and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, recorded at 130 decibels in Husky Stadium.

Huskies

Source: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Where the Washington Huskies are concerned the boomer outrage is two-fold: The fans are loud and obnoxious and the Huskies have no business defecting to the Big Ten. Considering the Huskies are on record as having the loudest fans, I might be inclined to accept their assessment of annoying loud fans. However, the record was established in 1992. A lot can change in 30+ years, boomers. But it hasn’t because, as it turns out, it’s not that Husky fans are louder than average. It’s the way Husky Stadium is configured. The stadium’s large metal awnings not only protect Husky fans from Seattle’s notorious rain, but they also serve to amplify fan noise. 

Boomers are also not open to the idea of the Huskies moving to the Big Ten which will consist of 18 teams in 2024. Historically a Midwestern/Great Lakes conference, the 2024 season will usher in a period of continental dominance, with the Big 10 representing schools across the U.S. It’s a change, and baby boomers aren’t big fans. It should have been a boomer to coin the phrase if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. (It wasn’t- It was Bert Lance, an aide to Jimmy Carter and a lifelong member of the Silent Generation.)

Nothing lasts forever, and regional collegiate athletic conferences seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. Why? Money. It’s all about which conference can generate the most lucrative television deals and streaming platforms. This, in turn, brings more revenue to the schools, so that they can elevate their academic programs. Just kidding. All of the money is poured back into the athletic programs. What a time to be alive. 

6. The Ohio State University

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• NCAA Conference: Big 10
• Established: 1873
• Fun fact: Mirror Lake, at the center of The Ohio State University, is drained before the Ohio State-Michigan football game. This stems from a tradition of students jumping in the lake ahead of the game. 

The Buckeyes

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Coming in at number six on our list of the 9 least popular college sports teams according to baby boomers, is The Ohio State University. As of 2022, the The in The Ohio State University has been trademarked. Reminds me of the splendid Madeline Khan line from the equally splendid screwball comedy What’s Up Doc, “I’m not a Eunice Burns, I’m the Eunice Burns!” Though the school has officially gone by the moniker since 1900, boomers take umbrage at the hubris they associate with such a boast. Beyond the offensive The, boomers don’t care for Buckeye fans, who they find tiresome. They are not especially fond of Ryan Day, the head coach, either.

And while this is assuredly not happening only at The Ohio State University, boomers are incensed about NIL income for student-athletes. Since guidelines were established and NIL – Name, Image Likeness income was allowed in 2021, over 2000 deals have been inked by Buckeye athletes. I’m thinking  baby boomers really won’t cotton to the idea of NIL income for high school athletes, which has been allowed since 2023. 

5. Indiana 

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• NCAA Conference: Big Ten Conference
• Established: 1887
• Fun fact: The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers were the last undefeated collegiate team to win the NCAA basketball championship 

Hoosiers

Source: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

Bobby Knight. That’s the principal reason baby boomers don’t particularly like Indiana. Knight, who coached the Hoosier basketball team to 11 Big Ten championships and three NCAA titles, between 1971-2000 is peerless in his accomplishments. In 1976, the Hoosiers won the NCAA championship to cap off a perfect season, a feat that remains unmatched. But at what cost?  Knight was a controversial, explosive, demanding coach whose egregious behaviors were overlooked out of reverence for his win/loss record.

From assaulting a police officer (Pan Am Games, 1979) to throwing a chair across the court during a game (against Purdue, 1985), to misogynistic comments, Bobby Knight was never in fear of losing his job for behaviors that would almost certainly not be tolerated today. Knight has been described by boomers as mercurial, temperamental, a bully, and a jerk. And he was all of those things. But, it’s been nearly a quarter of a century since Knight coached at Indiana. I’m beginning to think boomers might be championship grudgeholders. 

4. Alabama

Source: Joe Robbins / Getty Images

• Conference: Southeastern Conference
• Established: 1892
• Fun fact: Alabama Football has accrued 18 national championships and 25 SEC championships

Call Me Deacon Blues

Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

They’ve got a name for the winners in the world and they call Alabama the Crimson Tide. There’s no disputing that Alabama has a winning athletic program. And here’s why: Money. Alabama’s head football coach, Nick Saban, is the highest-paid college football coach – number 1. And that’s saying something in a nation in which college football coach is the highest-paid state official in 43/50 states. Boomers aren’t especially crazy about the emphasis and money being placed on athletics. On top of the exorbitant coach’s wage, Alabama has not been shy about sharing the NIL income agreements their student-athletes receive, which in many cases is multiple millions. College undergraduates with endorsement deals worth more than many a boomer will ever see does not sit well. Too bad, Gramps, that’s the new world order. 

3. Notre Dame

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• Conference: Independent
• Established: 1909
• Fun fact: Notre Dame did not accept women until 1972. 

Fightin’ Irish

Source: Jonathan Daniel / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Arrogant fans, independence, and special rules are cited as the reasons boomers don’t care for Notre Dame. Arrogant fans are part and parcel of winning teams. There’s simply no way around it. And the more successful the team, the more arrogant the fans, and Notre Dame is wildly successful. Or was. Winning their last national championship in 1988, the Irish have been plagued more recently with a player scandal that involved an assistant coach doing a player’s homework. So cliche as to be laughable. 

But what really sets boomers off about Notre Dame is their independent streak. Because they are not affiliated with a specific conference, the school has an arrangement with BCS (Bowl Championship Series; the governing body of post-season play) called the Notre Dame Rule, which basically assures Notre Dame a playoff berth should they finish high enough (top 8) in the BCS rankings. Some boomers mistakenly view this rule as preferential treatment. However, in any given season teams ranked lower than 8th have made it to playoffs. So, while a simple internet search would prove their claims have no merit, boomers aren’t ones to give up, especially when firmly entrenched. 

2. Texas

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• Conference: Big 12 until July 2024 when they join the Southeastern Conference
• Established: 1893
• Fun fact: The University of Texas’ original mascot was a pitbull named Pig Bellmont.

Hook Them Horns

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From their trademarked burnt orange uniforms to the hook’em horns hand signal, Boomers do not care for the Texas Longhorns. Boomers also resent the Longhorns for busting up the Southwest Conference, before disrupting the equilibrium of the Big 12. The Longhorns will be infiltrating yet another conference when they join the Southeastern Conference in 2024. The conference hopping and the ruins it leaves in its wake are not popular with baby boomers. Not popular at all. 

Boomers also cite the Longhorns’ obnoxious fan base and their ubiquitous hook-em horns hand sign as further proof of their depravity. Texas has been very upfront about its athletes’ NIL income contracts, which as we have learned, boomers do not embrace. 

1. Michigan

Source: Leon Halip / Getty Images

• Conference: Big 10 Conference
• Established: 1879
• Fun fact: U.S. President Gerald Ford played football for Michigan, including two undefeated seasons/national championships in 1932 and 1933. 

Wolverines

Source: Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

Number one on our list of the 9 least popular college sports teams according to baby boomers is Michigan. And the number one reason boomers don’t care for Michigan is its perceived dubious tactics for winning, closely followed by its overbearing fan base. The more victories and championships a school racks up, the more boastful their fan base becomes. And the Michigan Wolverines have racked up their fair share, with over 50 national championships across 15 sports. That’s something to crow about. But boomers believe it’s impolite to brag, even when you’ve earned the right. Boomers also aren’t too keen on the fact that Michigan was at the center of a scandal regarding stealing opponents’ signals. The claims were serious enough to get Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh a three-game suspension. It was, however, determined that Michigan was not the only school involved. But the damage was already done. I’d say given time boomers will forget, but then I remember that boomers can hold a grudge.