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Sure, 35k folks can afford to go to a home game at AT&T, but only about 5000 are actually watching it any any given moment, and after the 7th, the attendance is about half.
I say this as a big Giants fan. I love the team and the park but I do find the majority of fanship to be a little embarrassing. I went to a game when the red sox came to town for the first time in about 80 years, and the stadium was filled mainly with sox fans. Most of the SF folks weren;t even aware that anything historical was going on that night. And the thing is, according to the sox fans I spoke to in my area, most of them were actually living in Boston and had flown out just for the series. Now that's DEDICATION. A little extreme, IMO, but dedication none-the-less.
I remember that when the Giants made it a somewhat close game in the 8th inning, a graphic came up on the big screen that said, 'make some noise!', and the sox fans around me laughed and said... 'ahaha... thay have to be TOLD when to make noise!!!' I figured, they're right, that's the difference between them and us. They're all really into the game, and they're not just there for snacks or social hour.
Sure, 35k folks can afford to go to a home game at AT&T, but only about 5000 are actually watching it any any given moment, and after the 7th, the attendance is about half.
I say this as a big Giants fan. I love the team and the park but I do find the majority of fanship to be a little embarrassing. I went to a game when the red sox came to town for the first time in about 80 years, and the stadium was filled mainly with sox fans. Most of the SF folks weren;t even aware that anything historical was going on that night. And the thing is, according to the sox fans I spoke to in my area, most of them were actually living in Boston and had flown out just for the series. Now that's DEDICATION. A little extreme, IMO, but dedication none-the-less.
I remember that when the Giants made it a somewhat close game in the 8th inning, a graphic came up on the big screen that said, 'make some noise!', and the sox fans around me laughed and said... 'ahaha... thay have to be TOLD when to make noise!!!' I thought, that's right, that's the difference between them and us. They're all really into the game, and they're not just there for snacks or social hour.
Okay you're exaggerating a bit much with the 5,000 out of 35,000, but you do have a point. And there is a very good reason that its like that here now. Only 35% of San Francisco's population is native and the rest are transplants. A lot of people who grew up Giants fans no longer live in the area, and I guarantee that the majority of those Sox Fans you're talking about didn't travel just for the series. The majority either lives here now or they were here for some other reason like business. Very few fans of any team even have the luxury of flying across the country just to watch their team play a regular season game. The only team's fans that really travels in numbers regularly for games in SF is the Dodgers. They infest our stadium and tourist areas like chicken pox when we have our games. And that's because its doable to drive here from LA regularly.
So there might not be as much dedication from everyone attending Giants games that wears Giants gear (there are plenty of people who go to these games and sport the gear only b/c they think its part of the SF experience and aren't actual fans), but there is still a very strong, loyal following. And if you think the real fans aren't capable of making noise when they need to, go to a game when the Dodgers are in town. Its a whole different experience. The A's rivalry has gotten pretty heated too.
But I do agree, compared to some other teams, our overall fan following is tame. But at the same time, our fans make more noise than some teams' fans. We played in Atlanta a couple weeks back and I couldn't believe how silent the Braves fans were. I assume that isn't the norm, but the one game I was watching might as well have been a golf tournament.
Okay you're exaggerating a bit much with the 5,000 out of 35,000, but you do have a point. And there is a very good reason that its like that here now. Only 35% of San Francisco's population is native and the rest are transplants. A lot of people who grew up Giants fans no longer live in the area, and I guarantee that the majority of those Sox Fans you're talking about didn't travel just for the series. The majority either lives here now or they were here for some other reason like business. Very few fans of any team even have the luxury of flying across the country just to watch their team play a regular season game. The only team's fans that really travels in numbers regularly for games in SF is the Dodgers. They infest our stadium and tourist areas like chicken pox when we have our games. And that's because its doable to drive here from LA regularly.
So there might not be as much dedication from everyone attending Giants games that wears Giants gear (there are plenty of people who go to these games and sport the gear only b/c they think its part of the SF experience and aren't actual fans), but there is still a very strong, loyal following. And if you think the real fans aren't capable of making noise when they need to, go to a game when the Dodgers are in town. Its a whole different experience. The A's rivalry has gotten pretty heated too.
But I do agree, compared to some other teams, our overall fan following is tame. But at the same time, our fans make more noise than some teams' fans. We played in Atlanta a couple weeks back and I couldn't believe how silent the Braves fans were. I assume that isn't the norm, but the one game I was watching might as well have been a golf tournament.
Yes, I exaggerated the numbers, but you get the point. As for the Boston fans, ALL of the ones I spoke to (3 different groups) told me that they had indeed flown out just for the series. I even asked, 'you must have had business or something at the same time' and they said no. Note that this was an historic series... the first time the two teams had faced each other since the 1912 world series.
I am by no means a Boston fan myself, in fact I find the whole east coast sports bias to be really annoying. BUT we should give credit where credit is due. Boston fans are truly insane when it comes to following their team. Giants fans, like the rest of the west coast, are much more laid back about it and see it as more of a social activity than a way of life.
That said, I do think that the Giants fans are the most die-hard of all the west coast teams, followed by the Dodgers.
Yes, I exaggerated the numbers, but you get the point. As for the Boston fans, ALL of the ones I spoke to (3 different groups) told me that they had indeed flown out just for the series. I even asked, 'you must have had business or something at the same time' and they said no. Note that this was an historic series... the first time the two teams had faced each other since the 1912 world series.
Yeah I don't doubt that there were plenty that did that. I think the Red Sox fans are almost the baseball equivalent of Packers fans when it comes to dedication. I'm just saying that there's often a huge showing of other teams' fans at Giants (and Niners) games, and its mainly the result of transplants, business and tourism, rather than a huge wave of mega-ultra dedicated sports fans. But for a huge event, its conceivable that there would be a lot of Red Sox fans in town for nothing more than the game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by treedonkey
I am by no means a Boston fan myself,in fact I find the whole east coast sports bias to be really annoying.BUT we should give credit where credit is due. Boston fans are truly insane when it comes to following their team. Giants fans, like the rest of the west coast, are much more laid back about it and see it as more of a social activity than a way of life.
I agree (though I actually kinda like Boston teams ) and I find it annoying as well. But you're right, we do need to give credit where it is due, and our fans are generally more laid back in comparison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by treedonkey
That said, I do think that the Giants fans are the most die-hard of all the west coast teams, followed by the Dodgers.
I'm wit ya here too, even though its not really saying a lot lol. I think Niners, Warriors, Raiders and even Sharks fans are more die-hard than Giants/A's fans, generally speaking. And I love my Giants to the death, win or lose, but if the Niners lose a game my whole week is pretty much ruined. I think we're just less of a baseball town/region than we are in comparison to other sports. I'm a Raider-hater, but you gotta give it up to their fans for being insane and loyal. To me they're kind of like the Taliban. (Okay I'm just joking with that last part, but I couldn't resist throwing at least some kind of jab .)
I think Niners, Warriors, Raiders and even Sharks fans are more die-hard than Giants/A's fans, generally speaking. And I love my Giants to the death, win or lose, but if the Niners lose a game my whole week is pretty much ruined. I think we're just less of a baseball town/region than we are in comparison to other sports. I'm a Raider-hater, but you gotta give it up to their fans for being insane and loyal. To me they're kind of like the Taliban. (Okay I'm just joking with that last part, but I couldn't resist throwing at least some kind of jab .)
I agree with all of that, as I was really just talking about baseball fandom... football fans usually eclipse baseball fans in loyalty in just about every city except (maybe) NY. And, yeah, having lived in SJ for ten years, it's all about daaaa Sharks... man i miss that.
I also agree about Raider nation, I think maybe they ARE the taliban. Even their logo screams 'we heart violence and crime'.
No one mentions the Phillies? We rank 2nd in attendance with sold out averages! Our parade was on the list of the largest peaceful gatherings with 2 million fans! Red Sox and Phillies were the only mentions in that list. No one acknowledges this?
A little girl moves with her parents from Boston to NYC. On her first day of school the teacher asks all of the students that were Yankee fans to raise there hands. Everyone but the little girlhad their hand up.
Teacher: Why aren't you raising your hand?
Girl: Because I'm a Red Sox fan.
Teacher: Why on earth would you be a Red Sox fan?
Girl: Because my parents are Red Sox Fans.
Teacher: Well, that's not a good reason! What would you be if your parents were morons??
Girl: A Yankees fan.
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) and I find it annoying as well. But you're right, we do need to give credit where it is due, and our fans are generally more laid back in comparison.
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