In-N-Out, The Fans and the Front Office

Discussion in 'San Jose Earthquakes' started by Brian Glennon, Apr 8, 2009.

  1. Brian Glennon

    Brian Glennon Member

    Oct 29, 2008
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In an attempt to give our front office and fan relations people some guidence from the actual fans they are trying to please, I am beginning this thread with the knowledge that the Front Office will see it and take to heart some of the better suggestions that may arise from it.

    After attending the Gold Pride inaugural match last Sunday I was struck with a certain amount of jealousy. It was a great crowd in terms of numbers, It was also a great result and good Soccer to watch. But that's not what made me jealous.

    Shortly after the match began, the stadium voice announced to the crowd that any ball kicked or headed into the stands "was yours to keep".

    I was instantly returned to the era of the NASL Quakes. It reminded me of the Soccer Balls kicked into the stands by the players entering the field. It was a very fond memory and it made me look forward to possibly leaving the stadium that day with a ball and also looking forward to attending the next game.

    Good on the Gold Pride for realizing that a small and inexpensive gesture could have a lasting effect and go a long way to building a dedicated fan base.

    I digress. I think that almost unanimously we, the fans, hated the In-N-Out Hamburger scream. It came at random moments during the match, sometimes interrupting a corner kick or a flurry of action in the penalty area. It was totally distracting and added nothing to the atmosphere of the fan experience.

    The suggestion came from this forum, that the damn thing should be moved to the beginning of the second half so it was no longer a distraction from the match on the field. The Front Office listened and sometime around the middle of the season it was moved to just before the second half. That was a great idea, now, I think we can refine the moment even more.

    We know and understand that In-N-Out is a sponsor of the Quakes and that is a good thing. We know that when the fans and the sponsors have a good relationship, the team becomes more successful in the community and in the marketing arena. With that in mind, I have asked the Front Office to consider changing the random In-N-Out burger scream to the EARTH---QUAKE chant. What better way to start the second half than with the traditional and unique cross stadium chant? This could and should go on for a few minutes before the announcer tells us who the lucky section is.

    I believe this is a good way to keep the sponsor, happy, the fans happy and the marketing people happy.

    Anyone else?

    Pardon the misspelling and italics in the poll. Don't know how to edit polls.
     
  2. Smurfquake

    Smurfquake Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 8, 2000
    San Carlos, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I went ahead and changed the typo using my super secret mod powers (oops, not supposed to talk about those).
     
  3. Brian Glennon

    Brian Glennon Member

    Oct 29, 2008
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    :D Thanks, now how about voting in the poll?
     
  4. Albany58

    Albany58 Member+

    Sep 14, 1999
    Concord, CA USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Interesting idea to have the fans keep the balls that go into the stands. But the last time I looked (and that was a few years ago) the balls that MLS was using went for around $125 each. I think that's a bit more than an MLB baseball into the stands. Can the Quakes afford that? I know there are a lot of people on the forum that know how to spend Lew Wolff's money, but still.......
     
  5. overlookedx

    overlookedx Member

    Mar 4, 2008
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Good idea, I always thought just screaming is useless, so if they do change it it would be great to hear people scream their lungs out for "EARTH---QUAKES"

    On a side note, I wish they would let us keep the MLS balls, those things are niiice...
     
  6. futbol monkey

    futbol monkey Member

    Dec 12, 2007
    Santa Clara
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Count me as a season ticket holder that detests the 'scream for burgers' competition. I really like the idea of making it more constructive for the game environment.

    But if we're brainstorming on ideas of what could replace the current shrieking, I would suggest that we vote on an official Quakes song (if one doesn't already exist) like "You'll never walk alone" for Liverpool and West Ham's "Bubbles". I remember seeing a post from one of our Norwich City brethren mentioning the song that their supporters sing when the team is entering the stadium and asked if we had a song we sing when our team enters the stadium. I thought how great it would be for our supporter groups to lead us on our song as our boys step on the pitch.

    So here's how I propose we do this.

    1. Either the FO or supporter groups take the lead in coordinating the suggestions and voting on a song that personifies our Quakes and is somewhat easy to learn.

    2. We ask both supporter groups to sing this song as the players enter the stadium and have the jumbotron display the lyrics.

    3. Have the public announcer kick off the new 'sing for burgers' competition with the song over the p.a. system and the lyrics on the jumbotron.

    Sure it's gonna take some time before a good number of fans learn the song but I doubt it'll take longer than a season and it'll be a tradition that will last for all time.

    When I get more time I'll sit down and go through my playlist and search for a potential song to start off the suggestions.
     
  7. Brian Glennon

    Brian Glennon Member

    Oct 29, 2008
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Baby steps......let's accomplish what is within our reach first.
     
  8. Rick Kane

    Rick Kane Member

    Jul 23, 2007
    I had always been one of those that hated the scream for burgers competition. That all changed two weeks ago when Section 104 kick the rest of your sorry butts and won the double doubles. Now I'm a huge fan.
     
  9. futbol monkey

    futbol monkey Member

    Dec 12, 2007
    Santa Clara
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    I would agree with this approach if this really was only our second season of existence but the club has been around since the start of the league (not counting the dark era) so we've had plenty of time to get something like this started. My thinking is the sooner we get started on getting this tradition in place, the sooner we'll get to enjoy it. I think we have to give our fan base a little credit in assuming that they can sing along the bouncing ball. :D The BoSox' tradition of signing 'Sweet Caroline' got FO support in the 2002 season and look how quickly that caught on.
     
  10. spejic

    spejic Cautionary example

    Mar 1, 1999
    San Rafael, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    It already exists. Go to Here and click on "E-40'S QUAKES ANTHEM" low on the left.
     
  11. Muy Cerca

    Muy Cerca Member

    Jan 10, 2002
    Downtown San Jose,CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    My kids always get a kick out of screaming...but we all know that the section Q is in will win.
     
  12. SCQuakes408

    SCQuakes408 Member

    Nov 27, 2007
    Santa Clara, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    futbol monkey

    I can tell you that what you are suggesting is being pursued. But it is hard. I thought I had found a great song (Stand By Me), only to find that the stupid Pink Cows sing it. This is such the case when you find other songs, with mostly European teams singing it. When talking about an anthem, it has to be original to YOUR team.

    To find an anthem you have to look for classic songs or songs from musicals, like "You'll Never Walk Alone" is from some 1940s play/musical. If anyone can find a song that is not corny, easy to sing, makes sense, powerful, and not sung by another team's fans, then I will sing that song with heart and pride.

    The problem is finding a song that fits all those categories is hard as hell.

    Stand By Me isn't necesarily famous around the league (I never heard of it) so maybe thats still on the table :)
     
  13. futbol monkey

    futbol monkey Member

    Dec 12, 2007
    Santa Clara
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Ha! I'm a fan of E-40's work, especially since he's from the Bay Area but this is not a song on which you can build a long lasting tradition. I'm a big fan of rap and hip-hop but IMO E-40 was forcing it with this song.
     
  14. Brian Glennon

    Brian Glennon Member

    Oct 29, 2008
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think that you guys might be overlooking perhaps the biggest part of the equation here.

    The In-N-Out Hamburger scream, is a 'promotional" event. The In-N-Out Hamburger scream is a "sponsorship" deal.

    Like it or not, theses "promotional" events are going to be a major part of the financial success and viability of the team. So, unless In-N-Out Hamburger has a song identified with it's franchise, I doubt you will ever get them to announce...

    We're talking about a cheesy (no pun intended) In-N-Out Hamburger "promotion" and how to make it a little better.

    Anything bigger, better and beyond that, is perhaps better suited for another discussion thread.
     
  15. sko16

    sko16 New Member

    May 2, 2007
    Israel
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Israel
    1) There's no reason we need to replace this horrendous scream for burgers thing. Either just do it at halftime when it doesn't matter, or get rid of it entirely and find some other way to promote In n Out.

    2) I love how in soccer you do not get to keep the balls. Let's not change that. Instead, you get to help out the team by throwing the ball back. I vote for anything that keeps focus on the game and not free shit.

    Roar of crowd when Hucks embarrasses somebody > scream of little children when they get/are offered a free _______.

    3) Last of all, I have to disagree with your idea Brian. Because that Earth-Quakes chant is the only organic chant that gets the whole stadium going. Every other song or chant is confined to the ultras and Casbah. Let's not sacrifice that. I think it would be a step backwards to associate that chant with something corporate at halftime.
     
  16. nivla

    nivla Member+

    Jan 17, 2003
    Milpitas
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Ok. Let's focus on this In-n-out promotion thing. I think right now it happens just before the 2nd half begins. I think it is the less disrupting time slot and I have no problem with it. As some suggested, I think the FO can negotiate with In-n-Out to make it a win-win situation. Instead of an aimless scream, it can be something like "Earthquakes" (or "Ref you suck") that adds to the atmosphere and sort of re-ignites the spirit for the 2nd half. As an adult, as much as I like In-n-out's Double Double, it is hard for me to just scream when nothing triggers it, but I am more than willing to shout "Earthquakes" with the jumbotron flashing the world. A song will be too long.
     
  17. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To be honest I hated it at first when I heard it last season. But then come Feb and March my fiancee and I would walk by each other at random moments and start singing the chorus to each other or the "we practice" line. It's grown on me. We still need a traditional song to go along with it, but I don't mind it anymore, and I hate rap.
     
  18. sko16

    sko16 New Member

    May 2, 2007
    Israel
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Israel
    you mean... "we run this"? lol
     
  19. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is that what he's saying? It never sounds like it on the loudspeaker at the stadium. It sounds like "we practice". But yeah listening to it now you're right. Oh well. Still grown on me.

    EARTH-QUAKES.... EARTH-QUAKES.... EARTH-QUAKES....
     
  20. futurequakekeeper

    Feb 14, 2008
    New York City
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    mm a 4x4 in n out burger with a double flying dutch man(10x10)


    mmmmmmmmmm
     
  21. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Jeez a 10x10? Biggest I've ever gotten is the 7x7.
     
  22. Childs Play

    Childs Play Member

    Mar 29, 2008
    Behind you,.. BOO!
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Agreed, it's easy and everyone knows how it goes. I'm all for it.
     
  23. sj_oldtimer

    sj_oldtimer Member

    Nov 18, 2005
    Clovis CA
    I pretty much detest any of the promotions that encourage screaming. I don't buy the notion that how much noise a particular section makes has any impact on which section actually gets the prize. Of course, I hate the wave too.

    I want to comment on the players kicking balls into the stands. The NASL Quakes kicked balls into the stands at the end of halftime, as did the previous version of the MLS Quakes. I was actually somewhat surprised last season that the tradition was not continued.
     
  24. TonyHarrison

    TonyHarrison Member

    Sep 7, 2008
    San Francisco
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Cheer for a burger
    you'll only cheer for a burger
    cheer for a burgerrrrrrrrrrrrr
    you'll only cheer
    for a burgerrr !
     
  25. xANOTHERxSTARx

    Mar 4, 2007

    "we run this!
    we run this!"
     

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