Do you seriously think the TA would be less than what it is without having told non-TA people to stand up? I have never met a TA member that said they joined the TA in any part because the TA told them to stand.
I can verify this. My time in 107 was only for 2001, as I spent the next 8 years somewhere in the Old World and New, but not Oregon. My .02, please sit for my mother's sake. Timbers fan since '75. Thank you.
To be fair, the author moved from Britain to Atlanta. As far as sports fan passion goes, Atlanta and Miami are easily the worst cities in the US. I'm an Atlanta native. Atlanta wasn't always that bad at supporting their local teams, but the city has changed so much even just in the past ten years, much less in the past 30, and now if you drive around Atlanta, it can be hard to find someone who grew up there. Everyone is a transplant. Just like the author of that article, actually. Ok, that was way more than anyone wanted to hear from me on that subject.
Don't worry, I was going to say how he conveniently missed American Football, especially college football, and college basketball.
I think he is being fair in his assessment. Its a stinging assessment but what he says is the truth. Its sad when i am more knowledgeable about the past Trailblazers game then someone who actually attended the game and i dont give two shits about basketball in general. I see soccer trending more towards traditional american sports and it disgusts me. There is no excuse for showing up late, leaving before halftime, coming back late, then leaving the match early just to beat traffic. It is disrespectful to the players and it makes me wonder why you would even bother to show up in the first place. Just stay at home.
Interesting take, but as someone that has followed this league closely since inception, I see MLS and its fans trending more towards global norms. However, if someone wants/needs to leave early, that is their prerogative. Disrespect for the players? Perhaps, but I have seen relatively little of that in my MLS experience. In any case, I have more consideration for the people paying their wages. Maybe they have other things in their life that require attention. Maybe beating traffic is more important than watching the end of the game. Maybe they paid for the ticket and can do what they want.
There is no global norm. Football is vastly different from England to Italy. Let alone Europe to South America. You wouldnt have seen that at other MLS venues because in current times few are packing their current stadiums full like we have in our opening two games. They can do whatever they want with their time. Just sad to see large chunks of the stadium leaving early. It happened at the USOC game at Merlo and the new east side was emptying out quickly after the Dallas game. Again, why come at all when you are going to miss up to a quarter of the match?
I realize there is no global norm, which is why I typed "norms". My point is that the game and fan culture in the US are trending more towards those norms than those of "traditional American sports". Perhaps I should have expounded on "my MLS experience", however, April 14, 2011 was not my first inaugural home match in MLS. The current experience varies greatly from city to city, but we are a long way from time clocks counting down and hockey-style shoot-outs to avoid the "un-American" draw. The average American-born fan in 2011 is far more knowledgeable of the game, from rules to tactics, and appreciates the nuances of the game. Most people around me actually pay keen attention to what's going on and react accordingly. Frankly, I think great progress has been made, both on the field and in the stands, towards something fans from other countries might not entirely identify with, but can nevertheless recognize and enjoy.
When writers want to slant an article, they don't mind missing the occasional detail that would contradict their slant.