by SJ: June 10, 2004
THE GREAT AMERICAN TRADITION: BAND-WAGONING
It�s the ability to support a loser that makes fans true fans
Fans are the ones who help pay for stadiums, they are the ones who buy the jerseys, and they talk about their teams, sparking interesting debates, BUT when it comes to team support, some times its just not there. I just read an article in SI that said the Tampa Bay Lightning couldn�t sellout 3 of their first 5 playoff home games, and how they needed their mascot to stand on the roof of the St. Pete Times Forum just to let people know that yeah-they did have a hockey team-and yeah they were really good. How sad is that? The best team in the NHL�s Eastern conference can�t even sell out playoff games. Is it something with Florida teams? The Dolphins couldn�t sell out a playoff game at home a few years ago and it got blacked out. The Marlins couldn�t sell tickets and then they make the NL Playoffs and all of a sudden everyone loves the Fish? Or how about the Heat, you saw more red open seats then you saw red jerseys. And then the playoffs come rolling around, and everyone wants in. As if they�ve been there done that. But the truth is obvious, band-wagoning is the new national past-time. If you�re good you�re embraced, but if you stink you�re unknown. It�s pretty symbolic of how life is: we always look to take the short cuts and break away from the path.
Now the Lightning are Stanley Cup Champions. A ridiculously wild crowd of 20,000+ stood outside the arena just to see the game on the side of the building. Funny, how a team that couldn�t sell 20,000 tickets for a game, now had 20,000 fans who painted themselves the dreary blue, black, and white of the Lightning outside alone. Funny how a team that couldn�t fill half of its seats just a few years back, now was the story. Invisible to invincible, all too fast, all too quick, all too reasonable. Its what sports fans do nowadays. It�s the stock exchange of athletics: pro sports are great, but most cities don�t choose to care till their team is good. It�s human nature. I mean a team that won 17 games in 1998 wouldn�t be expected to sell-out all its games. But, support?, o yeah support, oops, left it in the car, ill be back, let me know when things turn around. It�s band-wagoning, the art of turning an ugly duckling into miss world.
So many people will only support a winner, its sad, its tough, its reality. The Marlins in 2003, before their astonishing run to their 2nd World Series Championship, well they drew a little under 5,000 fans at points in the season. Sure it was the beginning of the year, but by the end: when they were a team to be reckoned with everyone wanted their slice. By October they were drawing 63,000+ in a Pro Player that was nearly shaking it was so loud. But where were the fans before? The NY Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Avs, they�ll draw fans no matter how good they are. The Lakers, Knicks, Celts, will always be embraced. The Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, will never lose their rich fan base. In the NFL, with just 8 home games a year, teams still fail to sell out. The Cardinals drew under 25,000 for most of their home games. The Jaguars stadium was half empty. I don�t get it.
We support, yet we walk away the second success turns its face and misery comes back. Look at the Cleveland Indians, a franchise that sold out home games for years straight. It was unbelievable. They became good, they were great at one point, and then they had to rebuild and after the patience of a dead saint- the fans left and now the stadium is half empty for games. Who doesn�t want to support a winner. I won�t argue that. But it�s the fans that support the losers, until they become winners-its those people that made sports the huge success that it is now today. The people there from day one.
SJ can be reached at [email protected] |
