ESPN.com - 10 myths of Joe Fan

[Crapshoot]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/colum...ene&id=2307503

Stadiums and arenas are becoming the landfill for America's most obnoxious, crude, rude and wasted fans. Game-day civility has become a rumor. Manners have vanished.

Not long ago, at the Carolina-Chicago playoff game at Soldier Field, I saw four drunk Bears fans stagger toward a couple of middle-aged guys wearing Panthers jerseys. The Bears fans dropped a cluster of expletives on them, called them homosexuals, laughed and moved on.

And this was 10 minutes before kickoff.

It's getting harder and harder to go to a game, any game, without needing ear cotton, boxing lessons or a direct line to stadium security. People all have their own fan horror story. Or stories.

Time to dispel the 10 most common fan myths:

Dude, my ticket pays their salaries. So if I'm dipping into my wallet, I'm ripping into the players and coaches.
Dude, your single-game $32 Cubs ticket doesn't even pay for a shin guard, much less Kerry Wood's $9.5 million salary. So why don't you do us all a favor and suck on a pine-tar rag.

Buying a ticket gets you through the turnstile and into a seat. It isn't a three-hour contract to set a stadium record for f-bombs.

"People have a sense of, 'If I fork out that type of money, nobody should be able to tell me what to do,'" says Edward R. Hirt, an associate professor of psychology at Indiana University. "It's become, 'If I want to be a jerk, really boo, get on someone's case, I really have a right to do that.'"

But you don't. Cranking up the crudity just because you bought a sports ticket makes as much sense as putting a 10-spot in the collection plate, then berating the priest because you didn't like the homily.

But without me, there is no team.
Yeah, the teams love your money. In some cases, ticket sales support player payrolls, especially in the NHL, where the television contracts pale in comparison with, say, the massive NFL broadcast rights fees. And, yeah, the 3.1 million fans who came to Wrigley Field last year provided much of the revenue necessary for a payroll that reached nearly $90 million.

But not every major league club draws more than 3 million, and even those that do have to depend on more than your Visa card. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (still the dumbest name in sports) drew 3.4 million fans last season, but ticket sales accounted for just 40 percent of team revenue.

And at BCS champion Texas, your ticket purchase means squat when it comes to the Longhorns' bottom line in football. That's because Texas has those 66 stadium suites that rent for as much as $50,000 per season, plus those ABC rights fees (as much as $500,000 for some games), plus those Stadium Club donations (minimum four figures), plus those priority seating fees for foundation members. Says a UT athletic department official: "In our case, it's actually more likely that [the average ticket buyer] is helping to fund a scholarship in track or swimming as it is in paying Mack [Brown's] contract.''

So it turns out you're not exactly a co-CEO. Quit acting like you own the place.

We're the 12th Man. Our team needs us.
Your team needs you to spend lots of money and disrupt the other team's snap count. That's it.

Those 12th Man banners and flags are wonderful, they really are, but let's get something straight: You're not the one who knocked Nick Goings into the land of CAT scans; that was Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. And safety Troy Polamalu and the Steelers didn't need the 12th Man's help as they won three consecutive road games to reach the Super Bowl.

The referee deserved it. He cost us the game.
No referee deserves to be hit in the back of the head with a half-full plastic beer bottle. If caught, the bottle throwers should have to spend five minutes in a very small room with NFL ref/weightlifter Ed Hochuli.

I sit in the Bob Uecker seats. I'm so far away from home plate I need a connecting flight to reach the field. So, trust me, the players can't hear a word I'm screaming.
No, but the dad and his 7-year-old kid to your right can hear you just fine. So can the elderly couple to your left. And the mom and her two daughters in the row in front of you are going to need new ear canals by the fourth inning.

I'm not saying to sit on your hands. But maybe everybody in Section 604 doesn't need to know exactly where you think Barry Bonds ought to stick his bat.

I sit near courtside. The players and coaches know we're just ragging on them in good fun.
Sure they do. That's why, if it were legal, they'd like to beat you to a fine pulp, pour the pulp into a FedEx envelope and overnight your remains to the next of kin. But they can't, so they pretend not to hear a 5-6 cosmetic surgeon with a rent-a-date tell them how to D-up on Kobe.

There should be a rule: You can only rag on Peyton Manning for throwing an interception if Manning can rag on you for, say, misslicing the honey-baked ham at the deli. ("Cut ... that ... meat, you worthless piece of minimum-wage slime.'')

It's a ball game, not a Washington think tank.
I'm not saying fans should wear tweed and discuss Chaucer between innings. Cheer. Boo. Enjoy an adult beverage or two.

But it is only a game, not the Battle of Stalingrad.

If the players trash talk, so can I.
The players are actually playing in the game. You're shelling salted peanuts and making sure your daughter doesn't lose her American Girl doll. So maybe it's time you quit acting as though you have to stop Dwight Freeney.

If they don't want me to drink, they shouldn't sell beer.
Teams want you to drink. They just don't want you to need a liver transplant by halftime.

Teams make a lot of serious money on beer and liquor concessions. A cup of stadium brew that costs you $7 might cost them 50 cents or so. So let's not pretend a pro franchise wants you to conduct an AA meeting at the game.

But if you're spending more time in front of a beer stand or urinal than you are watching Dontrelle Willis pitch, then maybe you ought to be at a bar, not a ball game. I love beer. I'd like to date a keg. But there's nothing worse than sitting in front of four lugs whose blood-alcohol levels are so high they think A-Rod is a car part.

There's no way that right winger can climb over the Plexiglas and get me.
Why don't you mention that to Ottawa's Brian McGrattan or Toronto's Tie Domi. But first, insult their mothers.

This ought to be required reading for some of the jackasses at games, and anyone who spouts that "I pay their salary" horseshit.

[ISiddiqui]

Brilliant! It should be legal to pummel the crap out of jackasses who sit in the stands.

[ShovelMonkey]

Never been to a game, don't care to go. The view is much nicer, the climate more to my liking, and the beer and hotdogs much cheaper at my house.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ShovelMonkey

The view is much nicer, the climate more to my liking, and the beer and hotdogs much cheaper at my house.

Or, as UGA announcer Larry Munson once put it: If I'm not working a game, I'd rather be at home. At my house, the beer is always cold, it never costs $8 a cup, and there's never a line to go to the bathroom.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I've been to three NFL games, a handful of NBA games, one MLB game, and one NHL game. I've been fortunate enough not to run into any real idiots. The only time that I had to deal with a drunk at a game was an ECHL game a few years ago, and the guy's three friends were practically apologizing to me for his behavior. Aside from that one incident, the only group of people that seemed really crude to me were some people who were fans (or members?) of the U.S. Naval Academy when Navy visited Tulane a couple of seasons ago. Of course, many of the Navy fans were fine, but one section was just really bad.

I understand that I've just been fortunate. I haven't had any experiences that have kept me from wanting to see a game. On the other hand, I'm sure that it's only a matter of time.

[lynchjm24]

I've been to a few hundred NHL games, as many college basketball games, probably in the neighborhood of 150 MLB games if you count spring training, 80 college football games or so and only about 40 NFL games.

There is nothing worse then an NFL crowd. The fans are just so loaded that they have no sense. Throw in the fact that the game crawls at a snail's pace in person and it's a disaster. If you've never witnessed the foolishness of what Raiders fans are consider yourself lucky.

I have found college football in the Northeast to be worse then when I lived in the South. Of course I really only went to games in the triangle and the random Clemson game so I don't know if the SEC is as docile.

Yankee Stadium is chock full of drunken idiots but they don't get the type of headstart that a football fan gets. I personally can't stand Wrigley but that's just me, and it's mainly because of the drunken frat boys. I don't go to Fenway as much as I used to, but it's no picnic.

The random NHL game might have some troublemakers, but the majority of games I went to were in Hartford and it wasn't exactly the MSG blue seats.

I've been to maybe 10 NBA games and have never really had even seen any issues with a fan.


I must admit I've been overserved and done/said some stupid things. One year at the Big East Tournament at the end of the day and the fourth game I sat through for some reason I was obsessed with screaming about how bad Providence was. I also was in Cleveland and was screaming at Steve Avery when he was warming up in the bullpen for the Tigers, I'm not sure what possessed me to do that. I've made a concerted effort over the years to try and behave better though, although I will give a basketball official a hard time when given the opportunity.

[TroyF]

I've been to around 25 Broncos games, at least 100 Nuggets games, 30-35 Rockies games and a few Avalanche games. I've been to games in other towns (just sat in the sixth row of the TWolves/Memphis game a few nights ago) and I've encountered exactly one jackass.

If I get the chance, I love to go see the game live. I'm not much of a drinker (even sitting at home I'll have at most one beer while watching a game) I have the brains to eat before I go into the stadium. Those two things prevent me from running to the stadium bathroom as well. I pay to see the game. I'm there at least fifteen minutes before gametime and I'm there to the final buzzer.

All of that said, the one time I was bothered by a jerk of a fan, it did ruin the experience. Listening to hundreds of F bombs, insults to the players and their fans, and throwing things is ridiculous.

Thing is, they won't read what's up above. Hell, I'm not sure most of the jerks CAN read.

[RPI-Fan]

Guy wasn't drunk, but when I went to NVMC for an Isles game the guy behind me was obsessed with Kerry Frasier. When the other ref made a debatable call, guy starts yelling "Kerry Frasier wouldn't have made that call!", and when Frasier made an obvious call it was, "Listen [other ref], you should be taking notes here. You're working with a living legend!"

[Greyroofoo]

Going to the stadium is a rip, that's all I'll say

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I understand that I've just been fortunate. I haven't had any experiences that have kept me from wanting to see a game. On the other hand, I'm sure that it's only a matter of time.

Especially since you now live in Pittsburgh. Every Yinzer needs to read that post like 3 times. I love the steelers, but they have a ton of ignorant fans, and I can easily see why people hate them.

[RPI-Fan]

Ok, I am curious, what is a "yinzers"?

Is it just someone who uses the word "yinz"? What does "yinz" mean?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Ok, I am curious, what is a "yinzers"?

Is it just someone who uses the word "yinz"? What does "yinz" mean?

http://members.aol.com/brownsbackerspgh/yinzer.html

[Tigercat]

Its about time someone ripped into the fans for those few bad eggs. Glad to see its someone from ESPN, because its not like the most fanatical of fans are the reason this writer has a job.

Yea I am sure if fans took sports less seriously all sports writers would still have their jobs. He can keep telling himself that.

[Desnudo]

Extremely drunk fans at a football game? When did that start happening?

[Desnudo]

Dola, and if you are dumb enough to wear an opposing team jersey to a game, you should expect to be taunted. Maybe the homosexual angle was weak, but you really are asking for it, especially in the old school NFL cities.

[Young Drachma]

Most of the game I've been to, people are respectful and the game has always gone okay. People weren't rude or anything. And I've probably been to a dozen MLB games in all different cities, a bunch of minor league games. The Blues games I've been to were cool, but the fans there were a bit obnxious in that, they wouldn't sit down.

Never been to NFL game and after watching college football, probably won't other than once to say I'd been. I prefer to watch those games on TV. NBA might be cool, if it were the playoffs or two good teams.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

Its about time someone ripped into the fans for those few bad eggs. Glad to see its someone from ESPN, because its not like the most fanatical of fans are the reason this writer has a job.

Yea I am sure if fans took sports less seriously all sports writers would still have their jobs. He can keep telling himself that.

You can't be excusing some of the boorish behavior by some of the drunken fans that we have seen over the last few years, are you?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

The only time that I had to deal with a drunk at a game was an ECHL game a few years ago.

I've only been to one ECHL game, several years ago, but it was unforgettable. I'm pretty sure there were actual hookers working the mezzanine, and during one of the intermissions, the visiting coaching staff waded into the stands and started slugging people, ala Ron Artest and the Pacers. It was definitely worth the price of admission.

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I've only been to one ECHL game, several years ago, but it was unforgettable. I'm pretty sure there were actual hookers working the mezzanine, and during one of the intermissions, the visiting coaching staff waded into the stands and started slugging people, ala Ron Artest and the Pacers. It was definitely worth the price of admission.

I have only been to about 6 ECHL games, but they are a circus. It's pretty much just huge amounts of goals only stopped for bench clearing brawls. That is quite a league.

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

You can't be excusing some of the boorish behavior by some of the drunken fans that we have seen over the last few years, are you?

Drunken people have been doing stupid and offensive things for centuries, I don't see any reason to write a whole piece ragging on entire groups of people, in this case sports fans, because of a few bad eggs.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

Dola, and if you are dumb enough to wear an opposing team jersey to a game, you should expect to be taunted. Maybe the homosexual angle was weak, but you really are asking for it, especially in the old school NFL cities.

I went to a Sharks game in San Jose a few years ago when they played Dallas. I wore a Belfour jersey to the game when he was still with the Stars. My friend wore a Sharks jacket. However, I didn't see the shirt he was wearing underneath until we got to the game. It was an "I'm with Stupid" shirt.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've been to about 25 USC games in the Coliseum, 6 Eagles Games at the old Vet stadium, 70 Phillies home games, 10 Sixers' home games, a Sixers' game in New Orleans, and an Eagles game at the Superdome in New Orleans. I've never had a problem with fans even when I was wearing an Iverson jersey and McNabb jersey at my two away games.

[KWhit]

Actually, I think this is one of the stupidest articles I've ever read. Are drunk obnoxious fans annoying? Of course. Should fans who throw batteries at opposing players be thrown out? Absolutely.

But this article suggests that fans don't matter. So I guess it would be okay if the teams played in front of an empty house? And I'm sure Fox, CBS, ESPN, etc. will keep paying hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast the games if no one watches, right?

I thought this nugget was especially silly:

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (still the dumbest name in sports) drew 3.4 million fans last season, but ticket sales accounted for just 40 percent of team revenue.

Just 40%?!? So the club would be just fine if it lost 40% of its revenue? Okay...

I get what this guy's point is, but insulting the fans who are the only reason why the games are played (and the only reason he has a job) is pretty lame.

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by KWhit

I get what this guy's point is, but insulting the fans who are the only reason why the games are played (and the only reason he has a job) is pretty lame.

He suggests in the article that part of the problem is fans take sports too seriously. Not apparently realizing that only a person who takes sports at least somewhat seriously would read his columns about sports. D'oh. And oh yea, how serious about sports do you have to be to become a PROFESSIONAL WRITER in the field? hmmm.

If all professional sports fans were like, say tennis fans, no way this guy would have his current job. Maybe he just doesn't like his current job?

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by KWhit

Actually, I think this is one of the stupidest articles I've ever read. Are drunk obnoxious fans annoying? Of course. Should fans who throw batteries at opposing players be thrown out? Absolutely.

But this article suggests that fans don't matter. So I guess it would be okay if the teams played in front of an empty house? And I'm sure Fox, CBS, ESPN, etc. will keep paying hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast the games if no one watches, right?

I thought this nugget was especially silly:


Just 40%?!? So the club would be just fine if it lost 40% of its revenue? Okay...

I get what this guy's point is, but insulting the fans who are the only reason why the games are played (and the only reason he has a job) is pretty lame.

Do you go to your local Proctor and Gamble rep and scream "I pay your salaries!" ? Do you appreciate there being abusive bastards to you at work ? There is a line, and too many "fans" cross it - buying a ticket is not a right to be an asshole. It detracts from the experience of people who can enjoy a game without making references to a reliever's stillborn kid (that's apparently what started the Francisco brawl in Texas in the first place) or being a boor. I've been to a fair amount of games- mocking a guy's pitching is one thing - mocking his mother is classless.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Do you go to your local Proctor and Gamble rep and scream "I pay your salaries!" ? Do you appreciate being abusive bastards to you at work ? There is a line, and too many "fans" cross it - buying a ticket is not a right to be an asshole. It detracts from the experience of people who can enjoy a game without making references to a reliever's stillborn kid (that's apparently what started the Francisco brawl in Texas in the first place) or being a boor. I've been to a fair amount of games- mocking a guy's pitching is one thing - mocking his mother is classless.

Bingo! I can't imagine what would happen if these fans acted that way to other companies other than sports.

[Jonathan Ezarik]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Bingo! I can't imagine what would happen if these fans acted that way to other companies other than sports.

Ever work in retail? While not as bad as having someone insult my mother, I have had to deal with my fair share of assholes. Especially around Christmas.

[Marc Vaughan]

Not sure how it matches against English soccer, we have definitely some 'blue' chanting going on - but to be honest its expected for the crowd to question the parentage of the referee from time to time and also to comment upon whether the opposition keeper should consider dieting ....

I've taken my kids to games and never had any trouble, one of the most amusing instances was a Man City home game where my family sat alongside a bunch of hardcore skinhead City supporters .... everytime they swore they turned to my wife and apologised for their language which was dead amusing (especially as my wife can be fairly vocal at matches herself ).

With regards to slagging individual players off and ragging on the teams themselves, if its done in good cheer (most teams have a nice repotoire of 'traditionally' offensive tunes for most opposition, often involving sheep ) then thats cool with me, I don't like people picking on individual players unless its obvious that they're not giving their all (I regularly debate with my wife the performances of Man City players during matches - she goes ballistic if a player misses an 'easy' chance, while I tend to try and explain to her that while they should have scored the fact that he managed to lose his marker and beat another defender to get the shot off was damned good play imho) ....

To me people will always get passionate during sports games, sometimes this will involve dubious language - but generally speaking (at least in the UK) its in good spirits and not taken seriously.

(to the extent that my wife and I happily sat in the 'wrong' end for one half of the Arsenal vs Man City match this season because of a ticket mix-up (never order tickets online its a nightmare if they put you in the wrong end as its very hard to change them after you recieve them) ... despite my wife's obvious allegiance the worst that happened to us was a few bemused glances and some friendly mickey taking when Arsenal went a goal up ...)

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

This ought to be required reading for some of the jackasses at games, and anyone who spouts that "I pay their salary" horseshit.

The acting like a hooligan thing is horseshit. The "I pay their salaries" idea is not.

Fans, through buying tickets and generating ad revenue by watching on tv, DO pay the salaries of professional athletes. Why is this a difficult or offensive concept?

Now, that does not give them the right to act like jackasses, just like paying me does not give my boss the right to verbally harass me. But, IMO, the average pro athlete acts like much more a jackass to the fans than the average fan does to the athletes (the jackasses being a very loud, very visible, but very small, minority). These athletes should be reminded from time to time that their ability to make money from playing a game does depend on the interest of the fans.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

With regards to slagging individual players off and ragging on the teams themselves, if its done in good cheer (most teams have a nice repotoire of 'traditionally' offensive tunes for most opposition, often involving sheep ) then thats cool with me, I don't like people picking on individual players unless its obvious that they're not giving their all (I regularly debate with my wife the performances of Man City players during matches - she goes ballistic if a player misses an 'easy' chance, while I tend to try and explain to her that while they should have scored the fact that he managed to lose his marker and beat another defender to get the shot off was damned good play imho) ....

or you simply tell her that this will be corrected in the next patch, which will be out when it'll be ready, not before, not after, just when it's ready

FM

[Marc Vaughan]

or you simply tell her that this will be corrected in the next patch, which will be out when it'll be ready, not before, not after, just when it's ready

Watching the Arsenal v Man City match when Arsenal totally spudded up their penalty kick it did cross my mind that if that happened in FM we'd be slaughtered

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Do you go to your local Proctor and Gamble rep and scream "I pay your salaries!" ?

Nope. But I also don't stand and cheer him when he performs well. I don't buy replica uniforms of his either. Or talk about his performance on message boards or around the water cooler. The comparison is ridiculous.

The P&G guy provides a tangible product. If that product was defective or didn't live up to the expectations I had for it based upon the way it was marketed, then yes, I might call up P&G and complain. If I didn't see that the company was trying to solve the problem then it might resort to yelling. Just ask my cable company about that.

And in my post I mention that drunk abusive fans are idiots, but the article's stance of "The fans don't matter" is horseshit.