What Chicago sports team/s are you a fan of?? (buy, money)

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

What is it today with jagof, er, nevermind.

First off, I never said that or implied that, did I? Im just pissed off that I cant get a doggone ticket to any games I want to attend because most tickets have been sold to bandwagoners and thats OBVIOUS. Where were these "fans" the last few years when we sucked royal a$$? Hmm????? Second off, its pretty fu*kin obvious when youre at the United Center last year and there were, on average, 10-12,000 fans a night and now all of a sudden there is a entire sea of brand spankin new Reebok Edge jerseys with the #'s 88 or 19 on the back, and theyre just absolutely clueless about the game. Im glad that the Hawks are doing well and will hopefully see black ink this year, but if this bandwagoner crap keeps up much longer I wont be able to attend any games that I want because theyve all been sold out to people who dont really give a sh*t.

I'm very proud of myself from abstaining from supporting a franchise that I grew up absolutely loving until Bill Wirtz did the city a great favor by dying and allowing all of us to come back to what was once the worst run sports franchise in all of North America. Maybe there's a Turkmenistan soccer club that was run more backasswards into the ground. If not, then the Hawks qualified as the worst run franchise in the world.

If you managed to continue to feed this franchise money even during the past decade, give yourself that pat on the back you obviously feel you deserved. I'm glad you feel so proud of yourself. The few games I would go to I found more depressing than anything. They turned game nights at one of the former best hockey cities in the NHL into a funeral parlor.

But I don't understand how you could be angry to see those empty seats and that lifeless arena into a sea of Hawk jerseys again. And I don't see how it could be a bad thing that fans once again own jerseys of current players, and not the old Roenick and Chelios jerseys that dominated the 5,000 fans long after management got rid of them for nothing. But on the bright side, if the game is sold out, you can watch it on WGN now - but that might create more bandwagon fans! Oh noes!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

I'm very proud of myself from abstaining from supporting a franchise that I grew up absolutely loving until Bill Wirtz did the city a great favor by dying and allowing all of us to come back to what was once the worst run sports franchise in all of North America. Maybe there's a Turkmenistan soccer club that was run more backasswards into the ground. If not, then the Hawks qualified as the worst run franchise in the world.

If you managed to continue to feed this franchise money even during the past decade, give yourself that pat on the back you obviously feel you deserved. I'm glad you feel so proud of yourself. The few games I would go to I found more depressing than anything. They turned game nights at one of the former best hockey cities in the NHL into a funeral parlor.

But I don't understand how you could be angry to see those empty seats and that lifeless arena into a sea of Hawk jerseys again. And I don't see how it could be a bad thing that fans once again own jerseys of current players, and not the old Roenick and Chelios jerseys that dominated the 5,000 fans long after management got rid of them for nothing. But on the bright side, if the game is sold out, you can watch it on WGN now - but that might create more bandwagon fans! Oh noes!

Well, let me ask you this... if you really loved the Hawks (and not Dollar Bill), why not support them? Was it too hard for fans to show up and cheer on the players? Everyone knows how bad Dollar Bill was, thats no big surprise. The Bears have no problem filling Soldier Field when under horrid management, neither did the Cubs. The Habs and Leafs have had long losing streaks (Habs since 93 and Leafs since 67), but they have sold out every single game since. Tell me the difference? If Bill were still alive for 10 more years, I predict the Hawks would have gone under or moved elsewhere. Would the "fans" have let it go that far?

And like I said earlier, Im glad to see the seats being filled again, but only for the right reasons. All these people who didnt support them but are now strangely supporting them on rumors that we have a good team is just pathetic. Id rather be around those who've been there for 15 years and still wear their Roenick jersies than some yuppie who has a snazzy new Kane Edge jersey just because its the "in" thing to do. I guarantee that if the Hawks suck the next 2 seasons, the UC will once again be a ghost town. Know why? Because the bandwagoners will have moved on and sold their Toews/Kane/Campbell jersies on ebay. McDonough and Rocky have done a tremendous job, I applaud them greatly, but it sucks that I have to watch all the games at home because all the seats are sold out thanks to RUMORS that the Hawks will tear it up this year.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by skyeINIL

My children's grade school is having anger management classes for K-6 graders. You might want to come and sit in.

Just like those bandwagon Sox "fans" you have a problem with, huh? I see a trend here.

[mod cut]

Just for clarification, who called who out to begin with?

[skyeINIL]

Oh, I was calling you out for being a crybaby (hence, the crying faces) with anger issues in dealing with your weird need to claim ownership on being the only true fan whilst insulting others who dare to be fans of Chicago teams. Sorry I wasn't clear.

[outtachicago]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

because all the seats are sold out thanks to RUMORS that the Hawks will tear it up this year.

They were picked to make the playoffs last year as well and didn't sell out.

I really think that since the old man croaked people are excited about hockey again. It's getting attention.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Well, let me ask you this... if you really loved the Hawks (and not Dollar Bill), why not support them? Was it too hard for fans to show up and cheer on the players? Everyone knows how bad Dollar Bill was, thats no big surprise. The Bears have no problem filling Soldier Field when under horrid management, neither did the Cubs. The Habs and Leafs have had long losing streaks (Habs since 93 and Leafs since 67), but they have sold out every single game since. Tell me the difference? If Bill were still alive for 10 more years, I predict the Hawks would have gone under or moved elsewhere. Would the "fans" have let it go that far?

Last question first. Yes. They would have. And they deserved to. They did everything they could to antagonize their fans. Traded away or let go fan favorites for nothing. Belfour, Roenick, Chelios, Amonte, Larmer. Shut down the popular Blue Line publication. Insisted on the ridiculous 'no TV' ban long after the season ticket holders they claimed it was for left the team. Let go of Pat Foley.

They didn't just lose. They lost while failing to accomadate any of their fan's demands.

The Cubs may have been losers most of the past 20 years, but they made damn sure to do everything else to keep fans coming to the ballpark. If the Cubs were the Hawks, Wrigley field would be torn down, they'd be in some **** new stadium, and the Sox would be the main draw in town.

I don't think we would have seen Rocky Wirtz make as many dramatic changes as he did had the rest of Hawks fans do as you said, and continue to reward the organization for their absolute failure on every level. If Sox fans had continued showing up in the 90's despite a stadium they hated and a bad team following the cancelled 94 season, I don't think this decade would have seen the same changes. Not only on the field, but in all the ballpark changes as well, that have remade the Cell into a great place to watch a game.

If there weren't the thousands of no-shows at Bears games in the 90's, I doubt the McCaskey family would have relented and turned into a modern NFL organization when they did. They saw the writing on the wall that Wirtz ignored for years.

But anyway, like I said, if it makes you feel better that you kept shelling money out the past decade, great. But I know a number of former season ticket holders who are now current season ticket holders again. I don't mean this as a threat, but if plan on going to the games bitching to the guy next to you about all these 'bandwagon' fans, don't expect a friendly response.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by skyeINIL

Oh, I was calling you out for being a crybaby (hence, the crying faces) with anger issues in dealing with your weird need to claim ownership on being the only true fan whilst insulting others who dare to be fans of Chicago teams. Sorry I wasn't clear.

When did I claim that, can you tell me exactly? Just because I dislike bandwagon jumpers does not mean I think Im "claiming ownership" or being the "only true fan". How you came up with that is beyond me.

And please, unless youre there to watch the bloody hockey game, keep your butt out of the UC, especially if the food interests you more than the game. Thats part of the crap that Ive been ranting about.

[skyeINIL]

I hate hockey with a passion and if I could have gotten out of it, I would have. I don't give a **** what some weird fanatic thinks about so-called bandwagon fans, I (and any other person who has money to buy a ticket) can go to a game for whatever reason they want. Who cares what you and the other 15 Hawks fans think?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

But anyway, like I said, if it makes you feel better that you kept shelling money out the past decade, great. But I know a number of former season ticket holders who are now current season ticket holders again. I don't mean this as a threat, but if plan on going to the games bitching to the guy next to you about all these 'bandwagon' fans, don't expect a friendly response.

Dont worry, Ill speak my mind, too.

[sharkylittleton]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

When did I claim that, can you tell me exactly? Just because I dislike bandwagon jumpers does not mean I think Im "claiming ownership" or being the "only true fan". How you came up with that is beyond me.

And please, unless youre there to watch the bloody hockey game, keep your butt out of the UC, especially if the food interests you more than the game. Thats part of the crap that Ive been ranting about.

When I was younger I used to keep score at Wrigley. Alot of people did the same. You don't see that too much anymore. During the 2003 season a legion of new fans came aboard due to the exposure during the NLCS. A score keeper like myself who watches the game can argue that those fans are bandwagon jumpers but who is to say that they didn't turn into real fans after experiencing the ballgame under the lights at Wrigley.

Those bandwagon jumpers help pack the UC and who knows, the Hawks might play better to a larger home crowd. Give em a chance they obviosly caught onto what makes the team so special.