RSL vs. Hogwarts Aug.13 Pre/PBP/Post [R]

[Stucki]

Originally Posted by Section 37

Perhaps if there were some sort of policy where the front five rows threw theirs back and the rest of the rows threw them forward.

You could still get a cool effect and they wouldn't carry onto the field.

You make excellent points about tradition and fan involvement which is why I think an outright ban would be a mistake.

Fan involvement is one of the many ways soccer distinguishes itself from many other sports. If fans start giving up their role in the game everytime we have to deal with problems,

Then we'll give up not only streamers, but cowbells, then drums, then flags, all of which annoy fans, block views, annoy players, even disrupt the game (airhorns on corner kicks)

There will always be people who abuse privileges. The trick is to deal with them without punishing those who participate within the rules.

These are good points, but I think the streamers may need to at least take a vacation.

[Scholesy]

I have played footbal since I was able to touch a ball, I have watched it on the terraces of England and throughout Europe for my entire 35 years, never, ever have I sat there and thought;

"Here I am sat at Anfield, the home of the arguably the most successful football team in the world, and I'm thinking you know the atmosphere here sucks, I really feel like we're missing something ... maybe ... just maybe ... maybe it's ... streamers! Yes! Eureka! That's it, we are missing rolls of coloured paper to throw randomly on to the pitch to disrupt the game, annoy the players, coaches and officials! Oh I can't wait ..... please, excuse me, excuse me, I need to get through, please Anfield move aside I need to get to the party store to get some streamers, PLEASE ANFIELD MOVE! This is the missing link in the 100 years plus of football we've been missing - Argentina was right, Maradona didn't hand ball a thing! Let's do as the South Americans do, let's dive - there is no need to run with the ball and play a full 90 minutes, just dive! It really helps make a great game. Oooo and let's not worry about dirty fouls, we really should add more of those to the game, it adds so much value to the games for our youth, great examples. Let's play in stadiums that have flares in, fans that weekly get stabbed (and yes I am well aware of our history in England which we recognised and dealt with, now we don't even have fences - unlike the South American leagues and the other European countries who have taken over the role of hooligans in the world), anyway, I now know the problem with football in the rest of the world, we don't copy the South Americans, we've been looking for our own identity all along and that was a mistake - look England I know we invented the game, but really let's just get streamers and everything will be ok. Cool we solved the mystery of soccer".

Maybe I am wrong, but I don't bring up England a lot, if ever, I occassionally criticise the league for being intimidated by the South American leagues and going in what I believe is the wrong direction for soccer in the US, but I generally believe we have to find our own pattern of play here in the USA by thinking for ourselves and accepting support from other nations but not simply copying them. Just because we see someone else do it doesn't mean we should follow.

I think it will not be a decision that you nor I have to worry about, the team will make the call and it will be that nothing should be thrown out; and if our imagination and involvement in soccer dies along with streamers then we can hardly call ourselves soccer fans, maybe you could start a streamer appreciation league or club where you all hang out and throw streamers to your hearts content. Blue ones, white ones, black ones for when you are unhappy and life isn't going your way, red ones fofr July 4th! Super!

Now I apologise for being sarcastic and nothing is meant personally I actually think you raise some good points, I respect your opinion and I'm being more tongue in cheek than anything else, but the discussion was getting rather bogged down, I was feeling like streamers were more than the team.

[Rover]

Originally Posted by Scholesy

Maybe I am wrong, but I don't bring up England a lot, if ever, I occassionally criticise the league for being intimidated by the South American leagues and going in what I believe is the wrong direction for soccer in the US, but I generally believe we have to find our own pattern of play here in the USA by thinking for ourselves and accepting support from other nations but not simply copying them. Just because we see someone else do it doesn't mean we should follow.

When we get this right, we will be a true soccer nation. We have our own approach to things in the USA, and our soccer should reflect that. We are natural borrowers and we can do that too. We have much to learn from more established soccer cultures, but we shouldn't try to be South America or Europe any more than they should try to be the USA.

[BetterThanChivas]

This game for me just wasn't very fun. The Officiating was really bad. But at least Jason scored an amazing 100th goal (At least goal of the week if not year). Cila's goal wasn't half bad either.

Jamie's red card was dumb. I was fifteen feet away and I could see it coming. JAMIE SHOULDN'T OF DONE IT. There was only like a minute left and we were down two.

At least my Fantasy Team got some points for Sasha Victorine. :banpoop: :slobber: j/k

Anyway, I just wish we could all forget this one.

[Stucki]

Originally Posted by Rover

When we get this right, we will be a true soccer nation. We have our own approach to things in the USA, and our soccer should reflect that. We are natural borrowers and we can do that too. We have much to learn from more established soccer cultures, but we shouldn't try to be South America or Europe any more than they should try to be the USA.

We do need our own soccer culture and stadium atmosphere. Much of what we do now is borrowed from one place or another, but I think that much of that is because we are a new franchise. As time goes on, I expect we will have unique traditions and chants that get started in our supporters sections.

[Aerick]

Originally Posted by Scholesy

You'll just have to shout louder.

Sorry, not possible. I shout so loud that my blood vessels don't circulate the blood properly and I get light headed.

Originally Posted by Scholesy

I think it will not be a decision that you nor I have to worry about, the team will make the call and it will be that nothing should be thrown out; and if our imagination and involvement in soccer dies along with streamers then we can hardly call ourselves soccer fans, maybe you could start a streamer appreciation league or club where you all hang out and throw streamers to your hearts content. Blue ones, white ones, black ones for when you are unhappy and life isn't going your way, red ones fofr July 4th! Super!

The hard core supporter will be fine with the lack of streamers - or the lack of anything for that matter, as long as they'll get to watch or listen to their game in some manner. However, here in the US, if RSL and MLS is to succeed, catering solely to the hardcore fan is likely a formula for failure. We've got to draw in the part-time fans and the fringe fans of the sport and create hard core fans out of them. Perhaps streamers aren't the best example, but they help with the "ambience" and entertainment of the game for these folks, just like Carnival Real, and Jr. Loyalists, etc. do. If we start taking some of these things away, we may start losing these types of fans - and that's bad. Perhaps there are better ways of adding to the atmosphere of the games and allowing these types of fans to participate in that, but if so - what are they? Can we get them going? I have a feeling that some of these fans enjoyed the streamers. The view of them raining down on the field in celebration of the rarely seen goals is a beautiful thing (for the non-hardcore fans mostly). Perhaps some even say to themselves: "That was neat! Next time, I think I'll bring some and throw them too. That'll be fun!" Key words there are "Next Time", indicating that there was enjoyment in the activity, enough so that they start to think in terms of "Next Time". Now, I haven't actually interviewed anyone, but I can imagine that this type of internal dialogue has occurred.

Take home messages:

1) Market to only hard-core fans = soccer remains obscure in the US for the foreseeable future and perhaps indefinitely.

2)Market to fringe and casual fans using "cheesy" techniques = soccer actually has a chance to succeed in the US.

That's the nature of the beast folks - accept it, or die miserably in denial.

[Stucki]

I think if we substitute confetti for streamers we will be okay. Everyone still gets to participate, but it doesn't make it onto the pitch. I'm sure kids would have as much or more fun with confetti. Now we just need to obtain a confetti cannon.

[Aerick]

Originally Posted by Stucki

I think if we substitute confetti for streamers we will be okay. Everyone still gets to participate, but it doesn't make it onto the pitch. I'm sure kids would have as much or more fun with confetti. Now we just need to obtain a confetti cannon.

Now we're talking!! Gettin' some ideas out there! Instead of everyone saying "piss on the streamers", or "yell louder", we need some viable options here.

[Stucki]

Originally Posted by Aerick

Now we're talking!! Gettin' some ideas out there! Instead of everyone saying "piss on the streamers", or "yell louder", we need some viable options here.

Oh, and yell louder. 🕺

[Rover]

Originally Posted by Stucki

I think if we substitute confetti for streamers we will be okay. Everyone still gets to participate, but it doesn't make it onto the pitch. I'm sure kids would have as much or more fun with confetti. Now we just need to obtain a confetti cannon.

Confetti is an established tradition with the Galaxy since the Rose Bowl days. I'm talking the cannon shot over the stands. The Quakes do the same thing now.