Hey CC what's with that buy in and don't question anything crap, or you're not a part of the family thing?
It never says don't question anything, or be a sunshine pumper — me personally, I take it as saying even if you do question stuff, or are unhappy about stuff, it's ok... it won't change the love you have for your school. You can be unhappy about last year and still love K-State. I would hope that describes just about all of us. That's what's great about K-State, we aren't tshirt fans.
Wichita State has plenty of "fans" right now, and lots of them probably never attended school there. If WSU goes 15-18 next year, will lots of those people still be "fans"? Probably not, because their investment is tied to liking winning. It is easy to be a t-shirt fan of a team when they win. Being a fan of a team that struggled last year is harder: if you're not a K-State grad or not part of the "family", whatever that means to you, then last year would be a pretty easy time to stop being a fan or stop attending the games.
But there are plenty of people that will still be fans, even after a season of losing. And personally I think the AD messaging speaks to those people... it says they know last year was hard, and we as fans shouldn't be happy about it, but they understand why you still come to games or buy gear or donate etc... it isn't because you like K-State only when they win.
I did not enjoy last year. I have no idea if next year will be better. But I'm still a K-State grad and a K-State fan, and this team and staff won't change that. So they will have my support as long as they wear the purple.