[rymannryan]

This is purely out of curiousity.

[Maczebus]

Don't accurately know as I'm not American.
But I'd hazard a guess at the fact that QPR were once a middling premiership/top division side, before their fall from grace.
Many will have taken notice of them before their current division 2 status.

Also them being a London side won't have done them any harm. Just down the road from BBC headquarters.

Also, 3rd possible option: Just thought of the great Roy Wegerle.

[art]

Originally posted by maczebus
Don't accurately know as I'm not American.
But I'd hazard a guess at the fact that QPR were once a middling premiership/top division side, before their fall from grace.
Many will have taken notice of them before their current division 2 status.

Also them being a London side won't have done them any harm. Just down the road from BBC headquarters.

Also, 3rd possible option: Just thought of the great Roy Wegerle.

For me, all of the above (except for the BBC angle), but ultimately I think it was the hoops.

[doolittledog2]

For me QPR was one of the first English teams I saw on television (think it was in the early or mid eighties) The name Rangers stuck with me since we have 2 teams over here with that name. And I liked the look of Loftus road. Then later Roy Wegerle played for them and I just slowly learned more about them and have continued to follow them. Though not as much recently due to that whole having a job and marriage and children thing, plus I now have MLS (the Fire) and USL (the Menace) to follow over here now. I also tend to keep up on teams that have Americans on them but tend to stop following them when that player leaves...but not so for QPR as they were the first for me.

[ross from st paul]

i'm with art, in that i like the 'oops.
but i think i became a QPR fan back in the early 90's, when that EPL (or, earlier, first division) highlight show was on every week. it was trevor sinclair that did it for me. plus, i loved the look of loftus road: so compact, fans practically on top of the pitch; and fantastic, passionate supporters.
i only later learned that white city (i was a huge who and pete townshend fan in high school...well, i still am) is right across the street from the ground. plus, B.A.D. mention QPR in the liner notes to one of their cd's.
so, when i finally got to london for the first time, i hopped the tube to white city, just to look at the ground. it was june, 2000, so i obviously couldn't get in. i just wanted to snap some pictures.
got back in february, 2001, and was able to get to the match v. barnsley (2-0, kiwomya and crouch), one of only 5 wins that doomed season. it was magic. could have gone to the arsenal cup tie (had a line on tickets), but no way. wanted it to be loftus road! my one and only english football match. went with a lifelong QPR fan, a london cabbie, and all-around GREAT guy, and after the match, we "went to his mum's for a spot of tea." (i'm not making fun) the whole thing was pure magic! i'll NEVER leave R's!!!!
thanks for pretending to care about my long-winded explanation!

[AEK]

I was looking for an English Side to support, the first match I saw on TV was a QPR game so I was hooked. It just so happens that Roy Wegerle was my favorite US international, and his best years were at QPR.

and you have to love those hoops!

[Maczebus]

Originally posted by art
For me, all of the above (except for the BBC angle), but ultimately I think it was the hoops.

Yeah I forgot to delete the BBC thing. I was going down the route that if the Beeb or infact any London based TV company need a few shots inside a ground, then Loftus Road is usually where they head. Media whores that we are.
However that would have meant little to those that don't get a lot of UK TV.

[rymannryan]

Tell me about these "hoops".

[Maczebus]

If you mean 'what do people mean by Hoops' then:

http://www.premiershirts.net/English...irts/01087.gif Old kit but essentials are still there.

It's the kit design. Horizontal bands are hoops, vertical ones are stripes.

If, however you want people to talk to you about the Hoops (super variety) in general, then there's plenty who'll help you round here.

[ross from st paul]

Originally posted by maczebus
http://www.premiershirts.net/English...irts/01087.gif Old kit but essentials are still there.

It's the kit design. Horizontal bands are hoops, vertical ones are stripes.

in historical terms, a bit of a break with tradition, as rugby kit were usually hoops, but soccer kit were usually vertical stripes. hoops are still relatively infrequent: R's, Celtic, Porto, a few others i'm sure i'm forgetting...but not too many.