Types of hockey fans
After reading the highly entertaining (and sadly true) entries by Jes Golbez and Bill Simmons about hockey and baseball fans, respectively, I decided that I wanted to give my two cents. Unlike the two previously mentioned individuals, I have not been able to go to many games of my favorite team. It is nearly impossible to get 2+ tickets that are somewhat decent in the Joe without knowing someone who has season tickets (and it isn’t their parents’ tickets).
That said, I’ve gone to more Pistons games then Wings games because I know plenty of people who have Pistons tickets and they aren’t that hard to get (unless it is playoff time). So I’m just going to list some of the sports fans I’ve noticed whether it was at a Wings’ game or another sporting event. Please feel free to leave a comment with what fans you love/hate the most because I *know* you have opinions on this matter.
The Good
The fun fan. The person who wears an appropriate amount of team gear and cheers when the team scores, makes a good play, etc. You can strike up a conversation with this stranger about the team because they actually know enough information to have a real conversation with you about it.
Cute hockey kids. I love watching kids who come to the games. Whether they are dressed up in a Pistons jersey or decked out in Wings gear, they are adorable. And it makes me happy to see them growing up with a passion for their hometown. However, there is a fine line. The children must be old enough not to be a pain to those around them. But aside from that, they can always make me smile.The Bad
The stat freak. Have you ever been around someone who just lists stat after stat while you’re trying to watch the game? Sure, sometimes it’s actually interesting and useful information. But most of the time, it makes me get annoyed like they’re just trying to impress you instead of inform you.
Always wrong. Like the stat freak, this individual spouts off stats like they’re going out of style. However, this time the person gets the information all wrong. I went to game against the Coyotes and the guy two seats down from me would be trying to explain the rules or like how many games the Wings have won in a row, etc. and he kept getting them wrong. I wanted to just say something because he was totally misinforming his wife, just wrong. Jes had the same thoughts:
I don’t want to be “That Guy” who corrects people, but I do get irritated when I sit near a guy that is explaining rules or something else hockey-related to his pals and gets EVERYTHING wrong!! His buddies, who are even more clueless than he is, nod their heads and soak it all up as gospel. Ugh!Â
People who swear all the time. Why do you have to swear every other word at a sporting event? While you may be comfortable with swearing, some people find it offensive or have young kids around and don’t want them to hear it. My Dad and brother went to the Opening Night game this season and left after one period because there was a hockey team sitting behind them and they were cursing so much that my Dad and brother weren’t getting much enjoyment out of the game. If you don’t want to be surrounded by people who swear at games, do not and I repeat, do not attend a college football game. The University of Michigan football games, while very much fun with my fellow college friends, also consists of a disgustingly large amount of swearing. When we played Notre Dame this year, the student section had some chants that were repeated throughout the game with the F-bomb. I could see the family in the next section over (but still in the student section) get increasingly uncomfortable with their small kids hearing those chants. But then you shouldn’t expect family friendly atmosphere at a big college football game, or at least from my own personal experience.
Bandwagon fans. These are the people that can afford nice tickets and only come when the team is doing well. Case in point, in 2004 when the Pistons were on their way to winning the NBA championship so many people became sudden Pistons fans. Also before the NHL season started, my friends from high school made fun of me for thinking the Wings would do well and just watching the games. But now that they’re off to such a great start, they’re all acting like they expected this and are starting to watch games. You either are a fan or you aren’t one. I try to watch the Lions’ games every week even though I know they will most likely lose. That’s just what real fans do.
Puck Bunnies. The girls who watch the game because they think the players are hot. I’m not dissing the individuals who find a player or two cute, but it’s not the reason they watch the game. It’s because they actually enjoy the sport. Can’t really say that for puck bunnies.
Best jersey fans. Why do you root for the Wings? Because I think they have the best logo (or jersey)! You don’t choose your team based on its jersey unless you’re like four years old! If that was the case, the Preds would have like zero fans because there jerseys right before the lockout were awful (mustard yellow should never be a jersey color).
The grump. This is the fan who shows no emotion during the game. While my Dad might not be excitedly cheering every other minute, he’ll certainly clap and cheer after the Wings score a goal or jump out of his chair when the Lions actually score a touchdown. But why go to a game when all you do is sit there with a frown on your face and you don’t cheer for anything? It really brings some negativity to the area and most definitely unappreciated.The Ugly
Beer guzzlers. There’s nothing wrong with having some beer at a sporting event. But when you’ve had so much that you’re spilling it on other people, you need to stop (it’s happened to my Dad before - he was not happy with the drunk person, let me tell you). Plus, when you’re that wasted, you aren’t a very enjoyable person to be around even though you may disagree.
Hometown haters. My youngest brother is a prime example, and I told him I am writing this. He refuses to cheer for the hometown team. He doesn’t follow hockey that much, and whatever team is playing against the Wings, he cheers for them. I hate that. We could be watching a Lions, Pistons, or Wings game (sorry, we really aren’t baseball fans) and he’ll cheer for whoever is playing Detroit and it just drives me crazy. That really wasn’t a specific type of fan you commonly see at arenas, but a huge pet peeve of mine.
Social hour girls. I get so annoyed when I see these girls/women, whatever you want to call them, come in not to watch the game, but to socialize. Sure, sports are entertainment but people pay lots of money to watch and enjoy the games. Not to hear you loudly gossip about what’s going on at your school or workplace. And they don’t dress appropriately for the games. It’s cooler in the ice rink, wear some clothes! Come because you want to watch some quality hockey, not because your boyfriend or best friends will be there. Ugh.
Business people. Hockey games and other sporting events are meant to be enjoyable entertainment, not a place for you to make a business deal. Get a suite if you want to be on your cell phone during the whole game or if you want to be drawing up business proposals. I hate when I see all those empty seats at the Joe because the business folk buy the season tickets and never come. And if they do come, they aren’t really watching the game. Plus, there are other people like me who would actually use those lower bowl tickets. These are also the people who come during or after the first period and leave before or during the third period so they miss the traffic.
Favorite player fan. These are the “fans” who cheer for a certain team because their favorite player is on it. And then they don’t realize that their favorite player has been traded and once they do, the players’ new team is suddenly their favorite team. Sure, there is nothing wrong with rooting for a team that has a player on it that you admire. But that should not be your primary reason for picking your favorite team.
Delusional fans. I used to have these fans under a different name, but after a couple convincing comments, I decided just to adapt it across the border. These are the fans that think any and every big player is coming to their team. They have no basis for this belief (aside from enough money to afford the player), but they don’t see how this said player couldn’t come play for their team.Certain Teams’ Fans
Colorado Avalanche fans. As a Detroiter, I hate the Avs with such a passion. Thus, I also strongly dislike their fans. But that’s just for personal reasons.Â
Related Posts
Leave a Reply
November 9th, 2005 at 11:40 pm
Great post, Christy! You speak for all of us.
November 10th, 2005 at 5:20 am
Christy,
Unfortunately, the Toronto fans arean’t that far off from reality. Pre-CBA, they actually could spend the money and get whomever they wanted! Just like the Rangers, they were the teams driving up players salaries.
So.. the Toronto fans really aren’t that delusional. They have the storied history, the money, the great building, etc. Who wouldn’t want to play for the Leafs?
Now, you’re right, the team has to be careful with the cap and slowly those fans who want everybody to come and put on a blue jersey will eventually die out.
November 10th, 2005 at 8:46 am
Yes, this is a great post. It applies to every sport, too!
Also, I’m totally using “Puck Bunnies” from now on. That’s just hilarious.
November 10th, 2005 at 10:19 am
Good post, but I’d like to comment about Leafs fans:
I think Leafs fans are delusional, but not for the reasons named. I think every team in the league has pockets of fans who like to start/perpetuate rumors that big name players want to come to their town.
Where I think their delusion lies (and there’s a good post about this over at CasonBlog) is that they think that every team in the league hates them because they’re beautiful. They need to get over themselves: they haven’t won a Cup since 1967, and I doubt anyone is still holding a grudge becaue of that.
On the contrary: I love Leafs fans. Whenever they’re in town, there’s a number of fanatics who make the 13 hour drive, and I’ve talked to a number of them over the years. With a couple of exceptions during the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, I have found Leafs fans (at least the ones from Toronto) to be very pleasant, and a lot of fun to talk with. It’s actually nice to have them around. More so than any visiting fan, I like the Leafs fans.
November 11th, 2005 at 5:40 pm
Should I be insulted?
I totally agree with the comment on the beer guzzlers! Went to a Habs-Sabres game in Buffalo, and the guys next to us (sadly, Habs fans–I’ve never been ashamed to be Canadian before) were just jerks the entire game. Then in the last 15 seconds or so of the game, they got into a screaming match with some Sabres fan woman and threw beer at her. Being next to them totally took away my enjoyment of the game.
November 11th, 2005 at 6:54 pm
Wow, you took this list to the next level
Hometown haters.
You live in Detroit, it’s not a hard city to hate ;). I agree that these kinds of fans can be annoying…it’s a way of grabbing attention or just being annoying.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:10 pm
Awesome post!
I am a big sucker for the cute hockey kids. And the too-much-beer fans are completely obnoxious, especially you consider they’re paying 7.50 for every 22 oz of MGD.
If you think Michigan football fans are bad, wait till hockey season. The swearing is legendary. It is not a PG environment. (However, I will say that once at a UM hockey game, a guy with his kid–in the student section–turned around and chastised me after a particularly badass goal, when I turned to my friend and said, “that goal was f–ing sweet!” He’s like “I’ve got a kid here.” I had to ask - “you’ve been here all night, heard all the cheers, and I’M the one you’re getting upset at?”)
December 30th, 2005 at 10:33 am
The Grumpy fan sometimes is just plain scared to show appreciation for the other team. God forbid the away team scores a goal against the flyers in Philly.
Rangers and Devils fans regularily assault, “verbally” and “physically” kids and fans for just wearing the other teams jerseys. “Other” being non home team here.
Direc-Tv is cheaper and I don’t have to worry about my 9 year old getting knifed going to the bathroom, or a Budweiser bath if the Devils should score and actually win this year.