I think you've got it in a nutshell. 1) Garber said no more streamers on corners (or any run of play) 2) Crew didn't enforce well 3) MLS HQ called Crew to complain 4) Crew scurries to cover their butts for upcoming match(es)
Popping my head in for a sec because I saw this thread. The Barra got an official call by DCU FO to stop the smoke bombs as well. I figured that this was because there were like 15 smoke bombs during the Metrotards game including one that got thrown and landed at my feet in the front row. Guess it is an MLS-wide policy and everyone is getting cracked down on. I thought the streamer rule was mainly aimed at TFC as they tend to mummify people with them when they are doing corner kicks. Now if we can only get those damn balloons to stop. But like everyone else has mentioned, not everything is banned. There was an announcement at the beginning of the LA Galaxy game about not using profanity, racist and sexist language, which we complied with of course. ABC should know not to put their microphones next to the facepainters. Anyway, keep up the mad support and just get creative. There are plenty of other things you can throw in the stands that are perfectly legal and make a nice display.
Laws are laws, Ultras will be Ultras, and Chicago and Toronto fan will disregard anything that our GM says, bring streamers and smoke and have a supporter's atmosphere, and we'll just look and only have middle fingers to throw up. Third graders don't listen to the teacher, they get Fs , so we are treated like kids. People didn't listen, so we have failed. We had to know this was coming though. If the GM were more in our "corner" like Wilt was to the Fire's Block, would this have happened like this? Oh well back to my recon mission here in Chicago. BTW Improv comedy, heals wounds like these.
Re: Attention: Streamers Completely Banned, Throwing of Smoke Bombs and You Will Be Arrested No, you look here, kraut, I'll get on any high horse I please, just as you are. You are correct, alth9ough by the time I posted, the general tenor was against smoke bombs. Common sense says that nothing should be thrown on the field. Period. It is not allowed at ANY major sporting event, why should this be an exception? No, I think you're making a specious argument to keep behaving the way you've been allowed to so far. Ignorance is no excuse. You really believe that "I didn't hear it" would stand up? (614)447-CREW. Call them, tell them you represent part of the supporter's section, and you want the answer. They'll give it to you. Then you'll know. Whining about it on here does nothing.
Re: Attention: Streamers Completely Banned, Throwing of Smoke Bombs and You Will Be Arrested Ok, Fair enough, I hope you are right. I can't see batteries over the TV. But smokebombs? I can see them. PS: You may not be Philadelphia but your slang versions the English language seems about the same.
Re: Attention: Streamers Completely Banned, Throwing of Smoke Bombs and You Will Be Arrested Not that KK needs me to defend him, but I'm pretty sure this is his point. People who've made one or two games, seen streamers thrown on corner kicks, and don't spend a bunch of time on BS may not know it's no longer allowed. Even an in stadium announcement won't do it. What they really need to do, is put signs up near nordeck entrence areas, have security search for smoke bombs as people enter those sections, don't let people take bottles into the section (require cups), and have uniformed security patrol the area. And heck, your clientele wants smoke bombs, at least try and work with them to allow a compromise where they can be used in a safe manner. You man not come to an agreement, but try and work with them and hear their ideas. They don't need to have "undercover" agents, who are just as likely to start a fight because some drunk fan doesn't know/believe he's who he says he is, or throw a lone streamer thrower out of the park even though he's ignorant of the "new" rule. And it is new because the league said they were all for streamers at one point.
Saw this and thought of you guys: KC Chiefs to ban standing at games and institutes an anonymous text-messaging system to report offenders. Wonder if you can throw smoke bombs if you stay seated?
I have exactly the same info you have from the same person you got it from. But that's not the problem here is it? Because we are the exception rather than the norm. The average fan, indeed the average person in the corner this weekend, will not have heard a word about it. But, no, lack of communication is my problem, "blame the fans," yadda yadda yadda.
forgot to mention in my last post. As a black crew nation or whatever the heck member, I would have thought I would have received an email about this new policy. Maybe one was sent to those with ticket packages in the Nordeck area, but it doesn't sound like it. I get emails about the Goonies being shown after the last game, but not about the institution of a new no-tolerance policy?
Re: Attention: Streamers Completely Banned, Throwing of Smoke Bombs and You Will Be Arrested Unfortunately that statement is not true for tOSU games in Ohio Stadium. I remember watching Notre Dame's band get pelted from Block O with almost everything up to the kitchen sink. Can't say I ever saw that in Philly, but then again I never could afford Iggles games (the fights in the 700 section at Phillies games were legendary, however--some years it was better entertainment than the Phillies themselves).
Re: Attention: Streamers Completely Banned, Throwing of Smoke Bombs and You Will Be Arrested So what it was Notre Dame
This is all bullcrap. When an opposing player (Steve Ralston) is quoted as saying it "was the best atmosphere in that stadium in years," the reaction from the league and the Crew FO is to curtail or tone down such activities?? Hell, even Ralston calmly picked up a smokebomb and tossed it aside before taking his corner kick. The Crew should WANT an opposing player to think "oh crap" to himself before taking a kick from that corner. And I get it, smokebombs can be dangerous, so just ban them, not the streamers, for Pete's sake! (Btw, whatever happened to the weak-ass smoke machine that used to be in the Northend?)
Thanks Mike. You're good people. I have been trying to stay out of this discussion mostly because I don't know that we have clear enough information here, and most of what has been talked about has been hearsay. And now I am starting to realize that this is in fact is the essence of the problem. I just hope that they realize it's going to take some time to reverse this very popular behavior.
If the rules haven't changed, then shouldn't we still be able to throw streamers during corners? Technically isn't a corner a dead ball situation, which is not the run of play, which is what we are not allowed to interfere with? That's at least how it was explained to me as to why we could still do it after the first Garber announcement. If we are still allowed to celebrate with streamers after goals, then corners should be allowed to, as long as we are only throwing streamers and aren't aiming to kill, because it is not during play. Let me know if I am wrong here. If streamers can't be thrown while the clock is running, then I guess that is a different story. I really think getting rid of the streamers hurts some of the home field advantage we have created in that corner. Having your corner slowed down because you have to wait for the streamers, or have one attatched to your leg, gets in your head a bit. It adds to the screaming fans behind you. I can't remember being scored on from a corner from that side. Not that that is entirely due to our cheering and streamer throwing, but just an observation. Also someone said that it was dumb and that it gave the other team the advantage, specifically referring to the New England game. First of all, if we are winning, which we have done a decent job of doing at home, it is our advantage to slow down the corners. Second, in the New England game, Ralston took his kicks very quickly and didn't bother to place the ball. I know there were items being thrown on him that shouldn't have, but it sure messed up his rhythem. I don't remember throwing stuff after they scored. It is a shame if we can't throw them for Blanco's corners because it would have probably been our best target yet.
The thing that has always amazed me is this. In the past you were not allowed to throw ANYTHING on the field at CCS. Always had been the rule, they have announced it at every match since the bottle throwing at Cletus and maybe even before that. It's also pretty much the rule for every stadium in this country. I was amazed that they had been "tolerated" this long. Having said that, the Crew and the league approved streamers by saying that it was okay as long as it didn't interfere with play. Throwing it on top of a guy trying to take a corner is interfering with play if you ask me, but there are still way too many grey areas here and they should be addressed. The FO should do a better job of communicating with the supporters groups before every game if it continues to be a problem. Send someone down there and have them get the word out, and do it with a smile. There is definitely a customer service issue and a communications issue that has led to this entire thread and a number of others on this board.
Kidding aside, this is placing the fans in an increasing troubling role. First, we were just fans. Then we were asked to police ourselves. This is a slightly odd role of a fan in American sport but c'est la vie. Now, the fans are being asked to to be responsible for what is essentially a front office role of informing others of an increasingly vague and ever-changing policy. We are now at a place where a fan who has not been to a game since San Jose (missing one league game) could celebrate the same way as a game ago, but now have that behavior met with an increasingly punitive response. So now it is up to other fans to protect those fans? Is there or will there be any official FO printed explanation of what is permitted? Or do we only find if someone calls into the FO and asks for the policy du jour? The fluid nature of the Nordecke population could cause a simple misunderstanding to be a serious problem. I know that this is being worked on from the fans end but are you being met halfway? How do football rowdies handle this? If the Dogpound through streamers, would we even hear about it? (he asks rhetorically)
no, but if they threw streamers the rest of Cleveland stadium would probably mock them and call them a bunch of fairies.
I cant imagine why they would not want streamers to be thrown during a goal from the crew.... Thats a good exception.
Don Garber said this on May 24th. 1. MLS and its clubs will undertake a comprehensive review of security measures in each MLS facility to ensure that sufficient measures are taken to prevent fans from throwing objects from the stands at players or officials on the field. Additionally, MLS teams and stadiums will fully communicate to all fans attending MLS games the League's policy that spectators in breach will be ejected and prohibited from attending future games. 2. MLS has reviewed the increasingly coordinated use of streamers at some MLS stadiums to affect play, particularly as a distraction to visiting players as they attempt to take corner kicks. MLS teams will communicate to their supporter groups MLS's existing policy - that streamers are not to be used to impact on-field competition or thrown toward a player, referee or stadium staff member. While the spontaneous use of streamers and confetti as an expression of fan enthusiasm will not be prohibited, the continued practice will be kept under review. Should issues continue regarding the use of streamers, MLS will have no option but to prohibit streamers." I'm not seeing anything there that doesn't cover what's going on here. Streamers and confetti are fine, just don't throw them AT players (thus interrupting play). Obviously, just having security at field level hasn't stopped smokebombs, so they put someone closer to identify those breaking the rule.
Your problem is filtering out people who throw during corners vs. people that throw during goals. It's one of those subjects that 1 bad apple is going to cause more problems. Ala we are all racists because of one moron.
MLS is giving the rope to the fans to hang themselves with. I would venture to guess that next season streamers will be banned. Too many people will continue to disrupt gameplay.