"I understand his disappointment with how things were handled, " said Craig Grannon, a season-ticket holder for 40 years and a fan of Knight.

WSJ: Indiana Hoosiers Are Back, but Missing Bob Knight

Others see this is as the beginning of the end for the relatively easy ride pony fandom has had from the license holder, and look fearfully at the vast corpus of fan works which may be endangered.

FORBES: Dividendgame