Question about Fan Lifelessness

I’m a season ticket holder to Wisconsin football. Almost every seat is held by season ticket holders and 99% of fans renew their season tickets from one game to the next, so for the most part, its the same fans over the course of 6 or 7 home games. The fact of the matter is that some games are very energetic, some games are not. The fans are really into some games from the kick-off and in others they are quiet and listless.

My point… I think that there are a wide variety of things that impact how much the fans get into a game. I was watching the game at a bar so I did not hear the crowd noise. IMO, part of how much the fans get into a game is due to the play and energy of the players on the field. The Cubs, even with their early lead, really didn’t develop a flow. Dempster walks guys left and right. The Cub batters couldn’t keep any kind of run going.

Perhaps this was due to who was at the game. Perhaps this was due to the colder temps. Or maybe the play on the field influenced the crowd.

You could tell how anxious everyone there was. When DeRo’s homer made it out, you could feel a collective sense of relief that maybe this team wouldn’t completely crap the bed. They came out swinging.

With every Dempster walk, you could feel the nervous tension rising. Especially walks to pitchers and guys who haven’t swung the bat since May in front of the best hitter in the National League. We all knew it was going to bite us in the end if it continued, and each one was a little more excruciating than the last.

When Demp got Loney to 1-2, the place was loud. Really loud. And when he slugged it out, that was it. Wrigley was deflated. Beyond Ramirez’s double, or Edmonds’ near homer in the 8th, there was nothing to get excited about. The fact that the Dodgers kept tacking on runs as the night went on didn’t help either.

Was it lifeless? I suppose. But so was the play on the field.

I feel a little insulted, not necessarily in this post but in general, that my dedication to the team has been questioned for not cheering loud enough. That’s just how it is, I guess. If the Cubs win 10-1 tomorrow and Wrigley is rocking throughout, they’ll gladly take the credit as the “true” fans.

And I’ve always been one of those aforementioned energetic fans. I plan to be a cheerleader and try to stave off more of that lifelessness.

LETS GO CUBS!

We didn’t come this far for a repeat of last year!

Say it again with me!

LETS GO CUBS!!!!!

The prices they set for face value i can deal with. It’s when the Cubs partner up with Stub Hub and Ticketbrokers, they release huge percentage of their tickets to them. It’s wrong for paying above face-value. For the majority, it’s the wrong people in the stands during the playoffs for the Cubs because they support Stub Hub if they can’t get a ticket otherwise. It’s a shame.

For the most part premium boxes and luxury suites go to corporate types though many ARE good fans. My section tonight had all the regulars and I confess I scalped my tickets for tomorrow ( I will be in the bleachers) but to a very dedicated Cub fan. When tickets are $300-$1000 for the good seats it is actually real fans who buy most of them.I did not notice the fans being that sober. They were plenty noisy during the intros. In fact my PET PEEVE is that they were TOO damn noisy. I HATE it when fans get up and cheer SECOND strikes. I just feel it makes the batter more likely to hit not less and it is ONLY A SECOND STRIKE. Tonight people did it over and over only to see it turn into walks and home runs. It is I know an icconiclast view it but I just don’t want to stand and cheer while Manny is batting with two strikes on him.

talks about the “outpricing” of the most rabid fans quite a bit. It makes sense…but not as much for the Cubs. I remember one of his biggest cases was the Golden State crowd, which went from fanatical to dreary after their one great playoff series.

they win the damn game, and there’s plenty of noise. They get their collective asses kicked — what the hell did you expect? Of course the crowd was — quiet! We so infrequently SEE THEM WIN A HOME PLAYOFF GAME, WE NEVER HEAR THE GOOD STUFF.

Yeah, you are jumping to conclusions. Just a little bit.

Bluto: Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he’s rolling.
Bluto: And it ain’t over now. ‘Cause when the goin’ gets tough…
[thinks hard]
Bluto: the tough get goin’! Who’s with me? Let’s go!
[runs out, alone; then returns]
Bluto: What the f*** happened to the Delta I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh? “Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble.” Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I’m not gonna take this. Wormer, he’s a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer…
Otter: Dead! Bluto’s right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.

I went to The Cubby Bear last night thinking that the atmosphere in there would be electric, I was sorely mistaken. I seriously felt like I was back in college at a lame frat party. After Loney’s GS, people were more interested in getting wasted and picking up girls than watching the game.

I had to get the hell out of there, especially after Manny’s HR, people went from not caring to not caring less… if that’s possible.

that was annoying.