Why doesn't our passion show at games?

[jayswin]

Evening all, I just had a random thought after watching a video of some fans overseas.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pAcUAMiuRRE

When you see all the passion from fans in europe and around the world towards sports teams in Soccer, Rugby and other sports, it sends shivers down my spine. In Canada we are very passionate towards hockey, and it shows with the way people talk about their favorite teams, and how much fans care about the success of their teams. Occasionaly canadian hockey fans look out of control and show great organized passion at games IE: Oilers fans singing anthem together, Flames fans all wearing red without prompting or t-shirt giveaways.

So my question is: Why doesn't our passion translate into crazy chanting and cheering at our games? Why do soccer teams over seas attract thousnads of crazy fans, while our teams attract many business men that sem more interested in how they look, and talking on their phones, and many more fans that like to sit in silence for the most part.

I know many will say "we don't cheer during play because we're too busy watching the game", and that Soccer doesn't have a lot of action. But I like to cheer really hard the entire game, both during play and during stoppages, and I feel that most fans don't share the will to do this. I fel that there is enough passion for hockey in Canada for huge organized chants, and crazy color coordination and what not, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't happen here. Is it because hockey games are more like an 'entertaining night out' than a chance to cheer your heart out for your favorite team?

I know the answers to my question are probably pretty simple, but I just sometimes wonder how cool it would be to actually see something like the video I posted in this thread at a canadian hockey game. The best example is probably the Leafs, they have the largest following and some of the most passionate fans in the league, yet that somehow translates into rich people who have no interst in cheering at the games, buying a majority of the tickets. maybe that's the answer right there, but that still doesn't satisfy me. Rich business men obviously buy season tickets for the best seats for soccer games as well, but instead of sitting on their hands, they cheer their hearts out. In Canada, it seems that rich people buy seats because it's a sign of their wealth, well that's my opinion on those sapps anyways.

[Igottago]

Supporting the team is a way of life over there. People base a way bigger part of their personal identity on what team they support. Here its just something to do on a random evening. We'll never see anything remotely close to this at the Saddledome.

[Resolute 14]

Well, I suppose we could trash our city like they do over there. I mean, Oiler and Canuck fans already have that part figured out.

[redforever]

You also have to keep in mind, that Calgary has a huge corporate crowd presence at the Saddledome and that is how they attend games and I doubt that will change much until the age demographics change.

The Dome is muchhhhhhhhhhhhh better now than it used to be. You might find that hard to believe, but it is. In the 80's, if you cheered a lot, somebody might elbow you to settle down, honestly and truly.

It used to wear on Bob Johnson too. He really wanted a big marching band or cheering band to get the audience going. He wanted a much bigger fan presence as well.

So, it is better, it is slowly changing, but you have to consider what Calgary is. It is in large part a wealthy, white collar, corporate town.

[JohnnyFlame]

LOL I've always found it dumbfounding to tell you the truth but I'm old enough to remember when people really did care about sports. Sports used to be the common man's outlet and it wasn't a politically correct world.

I always yell at games and people around you give you these looks and being a non politically correct guy I just glare at them. I've never had the elbow and been told to sit down --probably because I'm well over 6ft and over 250 lbs. and it wouldn't take a whole of lot of being able to read a personality to figure out if you confront me you will get it back and then some.

Two things I find that work -- One go with likeminded individuals and just have fun and ignore the dufii around you. Two go( and I like this move a lot) and sit in open seats near the youngest guys you can find and it's a whole lot more rowdy.

The sheep we have today masquerading as people want all the fans, players and everything else to be clones. So seek out some actual passionate fans and sit with them and at least there can be a pond of passion in a sea of passiveness!!!

[jayswin]

JohnnyFlame, I think a lot of it has to do with people following the heard, so to speak. It seems like not many people want to be 'the one' to start cheering hard, when no one else is. So what happens, is if most people feel bored or whatever, and don't feel like cheering, then 95% of the crowd will follow this, and all of a sudden, you've got a quiet saddledome for 90% of the game. This is happening Waaaayyyyy to often lately for my liking.

BTW JohnnyFlame, you should come over to 220 once in a while. We are always being told to stay quiet and sit down 10 seconds after a goal is scored. We need some more actual fans over there, and I always see a few empty seats around us.

[Jayems]

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ght=Fenerbahce

Might have some more info for you too.

Actually, its exactly the same.

[Dion]

Cripes I went to a game last year where there was lsome lady sitting beside me doing some needle work. When I screamed something about bad referring she told me to STFU and be quiet.

[burn_baby_burn]

41 games plus playoffs is a lot of games in one season. How many soccer games are there in a season? Look at NFL football. You go to a game in KC or Green Bay and you will be blown away. But you can make a bigger deal out of something when there are only 8 games a year and it is allways on a Sunday afternoon.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

41 games plus playoffs is a lot of games in one season. How many soccer games are there in a season? Look at NFL football. You go to a game in KC or Green Bay and you will be blown away. But you can make a bigger deal out of something when there are only 8 games a year and it is allways on a Sunday afternoon.

That's a good point, but still, there is something way cooler about how Europeans support their teams. Green Bay fans put pieces of fake cheese on their head and that means they're awesome fans?? North Americans love their gimmicks. Go to a soccer game in Europe. No gimmicks, no applause meter, no goofy games on a jumbotron between plays. Pretty much 100% of the energy is created by whats happening in the game and the reactions in the stands. They make up player specific songs, and everyone knows them. Its amazing. If you've ever seen Liverpool fans sing "you'll never walk alone" together before a big match, its absolutely sensational. Nothing in North America will ever touch this type of support.

[Bobblehead]

Well, there are many different fans.

Personally, I hate contrived excitement. The thing on the jumbortron to measure noise - pass.

I really get into the game with lots of oohs and ahhs, lots of cheering for goals and great saves.

There are lots of people who I see are noisy, but for the wrong reasons; because they are hammered, or getting in a yelling match totally unrelated to the game. European football matches sometimes appear that the crowds are more interested in singing louder than the opposition fans - the game on the pitch is secondary.

I love it when the Dome is into the game. That doesn't require noise. In my opinion it is a feeling of fellowship, where everyone is pulling for the Flames. Noise is the easiest way to display your passion, but it isn't the only one.

When the dome is quiet and you can tell people aren't paying attention to the game, that is when the fans are crappy.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Well, there are many different fans.

Personally, I hate contrived excitement. The thing on the jumbortron to measure noise - pass.

I really get into the game with lots of oohs and ahhs, lots of cheering for goals and great saves.

There are lots of people who I see are noisy, but for the wrong reasons; because they are hammered, or getting in a yelling match totally unrelated to the game. European football matches sometimes appear that the crowds are more interested in singing louder than the opposition fans - the game on the pitch is secondary.

I love it when the Dome is into the game. That doesn't require noise. In my opinion it is a feeling of fellowship, where everyone is pulling for the Flames. Noise is the easiest way to display your passion, but it isn't the only one.

When the dome is quiet and you can tell people aren't paying attention to the game, that is when the fans are crappy.

You bring up a good point about the dome, however I higly doubt that those crazy passionate soccer fans aren't paying attention to the game, while they're cheering. I couldn't see them beeing that passionate, but at the same time, not really being into the game.

[jayswin]

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ght=Fenerbahce

Might have some more info for you too.

Actually, its exactly the same.


I guess my search wasn't that great, but holy cripes, it seems as if every new thread is a fata at this point.

[Jayems]

Originally Posted by flameswin

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ght=Fenerbahce

Might have some more info for you too.

Actually, its exactly the same.


I guess my search wasn't that great, but holy cripes, it seems as if every new thread is a fata at this point.

Its pretty old thread, so i don't think a fata rule works. But there might be some points in the other thread that people might want to see.

I didn't point it out to call notice to a potential fata.

[Resolute 14]

Random thought: Are European sports fans truely more passionate? Or simply louder? Also, are they more passionate, or do they simply do what they do because it is expected?

Reminds me of a trip to Seattle a couple years ago. While looking for a good shot of downtown with the harbour in the picture, I ended up in a little community where every single house had a giant American flag hanging from their house. Made me wonder if I encountered an amazingly high concentration of patriotic people, or if many only hung the flag becuase their neighbor did?

Or, to make a longwinded rant short: why does loud = passion?

I'll match the passion of a city that still put 15-16,000 fans into the Dome while suffering through that seven year drought against anyone.

And to answer a semi related question, the reason why soccer stadiums attract many more screaming fans vs suits compared to the Dome is because the Dome seats 20,000. There are football stadiums in England that seat 70,000+. Far, far more tickets for the raving masses to get ahold of.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Random thought: Are European sports fans truely more passionate? Or simply louder? Also, are they more passionate, or do they simply do what they do because it is expected?

Reminds me of a trip to Seattle a couple years ago. While looking for a good shot of downtown with the harbour in the picture, I ended up in a little community where every single house had a giant American flag hanging from their house. Made me wonder if I encountered an amazingly high concentration of patriotic people, or if many only hung the flag becuase their neighbor did?

Or, to make a longwinded rant short: why does loud = passion?

I'll match the passion of a city that still put 15-16,000 fans into the Dome while suffering through that seven year drought against anyone.


And to answer a semi related question, the reason why soccer stadiums attract many more screaming fans vs suits compared to the Dome is because the Dome seats 20,000. There are football stadiums in England that seat 70,000+. Far, far more tickets for the raving masses to get ahold of.

I think they are more passionate. They have a different sense of loyalty when it comes to sports. Not to say we have zero passion here, but its on a completely different level. To me its not only a matter of loudness that makes passion, but the way the crowd chants and interacts as a whole unit, the creativity of the fans when it comes to cheers/chants, and the overall enthusiasm. Go Flames Go is the most generic and boring chant of all time. We need songs! And yes, stadiums in the Premiership are huge, but I think some lower level clubs with comparable stadium sizes would still put a saddledome crowd to shame.

However, I will give us credit, our crowds have become a force since the cup run.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Igottago

Premiership are huge, but I think some lower level clubs with comparable stadium sizes would still put a saddledome crowd to shame.

Lower level clubs dont have nearly the corporate support as the top level clubs do. The Flames, and the NHL fit the latter group, not the former. It all comes back to the percentage of suits in the stadium relative to the so-called "real" fans.

You are correct that there is a different culture in Europe. I am not convinced that that is proof of greater passion. I, for one, do not believe I am less of a fan becuase I do not sing at a hockey game.

[WesternCanadaKing]

Different cultures, different fans.

Just because we don't sing at Flames game and don't go completely insane doesn't mean we have less passion. I love my team just as much as any European loves theirs.

Also hockey's way more fast paced, if spent the whole game chanting we'd probably miss half of what happened. In soccer you can go completely crazy and not miss a beat of whats happening on the field.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

41 games plus playoffs is a lot of games in one season. How many soccer games are there in a season?

Soccer season has 20 home games and 20 road games. Plus different cups/tournaments played during the season. A team who does well in their cup matches can expect about 30 home games.
Not as much as hockey, but still quite a bit. Much more then American Football.

[MagicallyAdept]

It does not take much to get the crowd going. Only about 10 people to start chating a song and hopefully people will catch on and sing with you, and after a while it could become staple at the dome.

Someone said Ice Hockey has more action than soccer games and this may be true in number of attempted shots and goal mouth play but with the line changes, penalties plus the fact it is a shorter game mean overall there is less action to cheer. I find hockey to be a great sport and when i watch it over here at 3am i cheer all the way through and make up my own songs despite the fact i am on my own.

Like someone else said, it doesn't matter if the opposing player is from Calgary/Alberta/Canada - if he is against the Flames then he should get some stick.

I am an Arsenal fan like Winsor_Pilates and at our home games we give the away team a hell of a lot of heckling, we give it to their players, their manager but most of all thier fans. That is one thing that is missing in hockey games, a lack of quality away support. Every game Arsenal play at home, there is at least 3000 away fans showing their passion for their team and trying to wind us up.

Maybe it is just that us Europeans have more hate and aggression to dish out and we can do it meaningully at sports venues. For instance, would you expect to hear 50,000 ice hockey fans to sing "the referees a wanker, the referees a wanker, the referees a wanker and i ****ed his mum!" Probably not because it is not the done thing over there.

It can spiral out of hand though, with fans going to matches not for the game but to meet up afterwards and fight to see which team has the best 'firm' - A great example of this is a film called Football Factory.

If some people on this forum make up some songs about opposing players like the one about Auld:

"He's Bald, He's #####...
He plays when Cloutier's Sick
Alex AULLDDDD, Alex AULLLDDD
ooooo Alex Auld."

and have a plan to sing it during an upcoming game, you guys could pull it off. I would love to come back to the dome at playoff time (this season???) and hear verbal assaults on the away team/players/city.

there are some simple tunes us soccer fans sing too, we just change the words. i am sure you can find a video/audio clip of them somewhere on the net.

At Arsenal we had this chant for one of OUR beloved players:

"He's tall
He's black
he had a heart attack
Kanu, Kanu"

for overweight players:

"who ate all the pies,
who ate all the pies,
you fat *******, you fat *******,
you ate all the pies"

when you have a big lead in a game:

"your **** and you know you are" - repeat

Arsenal example of a more detailed song:

"the lowly tottenham hotspur (our big rivals) went to rome to see the pope,
the lowly tottenham hotspur went to rome to see the pope,
the lowly tottenham hotspur went to rome to see the pope and this is what he said,
###### OFF
who's that team they call the Arsenal,
who's that team with all the glore,
they play in red and white and their f**cking dynamite
and Georgie Grahams (traitor manager) mother is whore...
she's a whore....
she's a whore.......
she's a whoooooooore"
much clapping ensues.

Oh Dennis Bergkamps magic,
he wears a magic hat,
he plays for Arsenal,
he's such a lovely chap,
he scores with his left foot he scores with his right,
and when we play the Chelsea,
he scores all f*****g night.

"Theres only one Dennis Bergkamp,
Theres only one Dennis Bergkamp,
Theres only one Dennis Bergkamp,
walking along, singing his song,
walking in a Bergkamp wonderland"

Some simple ones:

"We hate Chelsea, We hate Chelsea,
We hate Chelsea, We hate Chelsea,
we are the chelsea haters. boooooo"

"And it's Arsenal, Arsenal FC, We're by far the greatest team... the world has ever seen (repeat)"

My favourite:

There's only one Graeme Rix (had sex with minor)
There's only one Graeme Rix
With a packet of sweets,
and a cheeky smile,
Rixy is a f***ing paedofile