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Former Badgers player fears 'irreparable' harm for Wisconsin if team struggles again

Wisconsin Badgers fans can have some patience for one missed bowl game under head coach Luke Fickell, but if UW has a second-straight losing season, the football program could start to lose tangible, financial support from fans and boosters.
Lorin Cox|
Jan 1, 2011; Pasadena, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers punter Brad Nortman (98) runs the ball after a fake punt against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2011 Rose Bowl.
Jan 1, 2011; Pasadena, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers punter Brad Nortman (98) runs the ball after a fake punt against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2011 Rose Bowl. | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin Badgers fans can have some patience for one missed bowl game under head coach Luke Fickell.

But if the team has a second-straight losing season, the football program could start to lose support, with tangible consequences.

That's the fear for former Wisconsin Badgers punter Brad Nortman, who is now a radio host on ESPN Wisconsin.

On his show "Kyle, Brust and Nortman" this week, he said he's talked to Badgers fans that are considering dropping their season tickets and no longer contributing to the school's NIL collective.

That could create a devastating cycle where the program has fewer resources and then struggles even more, causing more people to continue jumping ship.

In that scenario, Wisconsin might be able to win fans back with a new coach or possibly new administrators, but the program would still be set back a few years trying to recover.

It's imperative that Fickell turns things around in 2025. That doesn't require a miracle run to the College Football Playoff, but he has to show fans and boosters that the program is heading back in the right direction.

If not, the consequences for the program could be a lot bigger than just his job security.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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