As parents and as a person, I think we should sheild our kids and not expose them to negative behavior like cursing, drunkedness etc. Just because people do these things does not mean they should be accepted as normal. I dont want to raise a child who will be foul mouthed and a drunk, who gets his kicks out of those behaviors. If parents do there part and don't allow the kids to think its acceptable there is a good probability they will want to obstain from degenerate behavior. Plus there are people who have moral convictions and that should be respected.
My convistions arent based on what people are currently doing now, just because people now accept certain things does not make them right. Yes we live in an "everything is acceptable" society and that is why the world is as it is now.
DOnt get me wrong, as a parent its you right to raise your children as you see fit, and god knows not everyone has the same ideas on child rearing. Just saying i think the concern is overstated in this application, but thats not my call to make.
The more your around people who do certain things the more you will want to do them or be tempted to do them. So as a parent if you could avoid having your child in an environment where they will see certain behavior that is innappropriate why would you expose them to that. Yes we do have to shield our kids from certain things, or we should.
First of all, I want everyone to know that I really like the guys in ESC. I'm friends with several guys in the ESC and I enjoy hanging out with them at the Pub after home matches or having a beer with them at their tailgate. That being said, there are clear differences between ESC and RBN philosophically, which I think sometimes leads to friction between our clubs. Both of our supporters clubs are boisterous and fun, but the ESC seems to be geared more toward single people college age and just beyond who don't mind using some colorful language in their chants. RBN is more geared towards families and couples and our choice of language reflects that focus. When my girlfriend and I chose a supporters club, we tried matches in both ESC 101 and RBN 115. For me, ESC 101 was just too wild and I had trouble with the language being used. It just wasn't a good fit for us. In RBN, we had fun with singing and playing the drums without using foul language. We just felt more comfortable and we felt like we could involve kids in what we were doing. Now, I don't believe that the ESC is intentionally trying to "lead kids astray" with their style. After all, 101 is isolated from other ticketed sections and people who sit there should know what they are involving themselves in when they sit there. Still, I think that as informed soccer fans we should do our best to elevate the fan experience in our House. I look at the way DC's fans increasingly conduct themselves with their nasty foul language, rude gestures and escalating violence and I worry that kids are going to think that kind of behavior is acceptable unless we draw a clear distinction between United's fans and the Red Bulls' fans. It's up to all of us to ensure that kids get the right impression of acceptable behavior -- both in soccer and in life.
The atmosphere sounds like alot of fun really. I'm going to stick to my front row seat (sorry, I'm bragging now), grab a soda and hot dog and enjoy some footy...but I'm really glad that the stands aren't dull and that there are some intense fans to make it fun. P.S. Do they sell scarves at the games?
If you're heading to the stadium for atmosphere... I pretty much guarantee you'll be trading in your seats to seat with either of the 3 supporters clubs... You'll learn with time. We look forward to seeing you at one of our tailgates. Welcome to the swamp!
My only issue is that ESC, wrongfully IMO, sometimes get painted with a negative brush that we are somehow anti-family, anti-kids, hooligans, and degenerates. Its a perception I aim to remedy, because nothing could be further from the truth. We welcome any and all people to 101, so long as they are not there to strat fights with security or thorw things on the field or any other type of destructive behavior that reflects poorly on us. The leadership does its best to maintain order. People are free to act and support the club and get involved, we are not the culture police. We are also not hooligans either, we have a wide range of professional and personal diversity. We have American, Mexican, Costa Rican, Brazillian, ENglish, Polish, Argentinian, etc members, from all walks of life. Its is something wre embrace and as such we realize that diversity means very different views on moral and cultural acceptance. We also have people from lawyers, doctors, teachers, and political peoples to construction workers, food service professionals, students, blue collar workers and probably some unemployed as well. We dont run around looking for fights or engage in hooligan behavior. We are there for one purpose, to support the team 90 minutes and make a difference. Together as one voice. We dont require season tickets for your support and participation because we realize that that kind of finacial investment isnt always realistic for everyone that wants to join us. All we require is your voice and your willingness to be a part of it. Thats who we are and why i get a little preturbed when i sense we are precieved as anti-family or hooligans. As far as you guys go, i have absoluty no issue with alternative support groups. If you are not going to be in ESC for whatever reason i am happy to see your enthusiasim is being channeled elsewhere. Many Raging Bull Nation members used to either be ESC or sat with ESC back in the day, I know these are some dedicated and good supporters with passion. As often happens in life, your priorities change and i am gratful that some of these individuals saw a market and need for a different supporters group to serve the fan base. I would never measure your level of fandome based on your choice of what group you are a part of. On one hand i wish we could at least be all located in an area where our collective support would be maximized, but on the other i understand somewhat why you wish to be more segregated. Good luck with your growth, same for Kearny Arny. And as always if any of you change your mind, 101 is always there to welcome you and your voice.
I'm envisioning a game with round robin chants: Starting off with the ESC yelling the first line (or word.) Next up, Raging Bull Nation will yell a reply. Kearny's Army gets the third. And, if we seed enough people in the rest of the stands, the fourth line should come from the rest of the crowd. Maybe start off with something simple, like "We Are Red Bulls" or something. But back and forth chanting would be awsome if the supporters groups could work on it together.
Im heading to the stadium to watch soccer and to see some of the talent (notably Jozy Altidore). The atmosphere is always second to that.
Like I said. You'll learn with time.......................... Around the world is about both, at the swamp is never been about the talent... sadly. Perhaps one day. So all we have left is the atmosphere. Here's to your wish... I remember wishing the same from Abbe, McGee, and even more from Gaven. What became of them?
Oh another question...when exactly will I get my tickets and when is that "meet the team" event thing that the ticket rep told me about?
They'll send the tickets in late March. The package will probably have a flyer or letter with the info on the meet the team event.
As a side note, I'm going to see if I can get my tickets counted towards RBN even if I'm not in the section. Somewhere along someone mentioned member fees. Are there any? If so, how much, and who do I send it to? I'm up for supporting and it's always so much more fun to be able to look over and go 'there.. those folks.. they're my lads!' Rob
I may be mistaken, but i beleive RBN membership means you are a season ticket or partial season ticket holder to section 115 through their "Passport" which is sort of thier membership thing. Unless they change their membership criteria, being part of RBN means you have to be a season ticket holder to their section, but ill let their leadership confrim or deny that.
Actually, you can have RagingBullNation membership without sitting in section 115. Our Executive Director will be responding shortly on this offering and benefits to you. We look forward to seeing you at our home opener tailgate(roadside roundup) if not sooner!!!
Supporters Club Standings Red Bulls Supporters Club Contest Standings Standings as of: March 6, 2007 Supporters Club # of Full Season Members Kearny Army 57 Raging Bull Nation 49 Empire Supporters Club 41 First Row Idiots 18 See http://web.mlsnet.com/t107/tickets/2007/season/standings/
Those numebers are wrong, according to that ESC didnt have any new season ticket holders since the last update in late February. Which is funny because i know at least 5 that bought season tickets (including myself) during that time frame. I also dont think our non 101 ESC memebers have been counted yet either. Looks like i need to mail them an abacus so they can keep count.
My understanding is that only those who are holding tickets in the supporter's club section will be counted. This comes on fairly good word.
Which is fair, imho. I mean I've had season tickets since 1996 and could easily "affiliate" myself with one of these groups (in the hopes of a free road trip) and continue to keep my regular seats. That would not really be fair to anyone.
Standings as of: March 19, 2007 Supporters Club # of Full Season Members Kearny Army 75 Raging Bull Nation 53 Empire Supporters Club 47 First Row Idiots 18
Fair? Well since we have been in existance for 12 years no many of the guys that used to sit in 101 now sit in other sections (age, family, etc caused them to move to different seats) but are still ESC members, why shouldnt a guy that has been with the supporters club for years who just happenes to have more expensive season tickets elsewhere in the stadium not count towards our total? They are season tickets holders and they are due paying members of the supporters club....where is the problem? Also 101 is not a mandatory season ticket holders section like yours are. Is it fair to have a season ticket competition between fan clubs when one doesnt require them to be a member and in the section? Whatever, like i said in another thread ESC will be going road trips regardless like we do ever year since 1996 with or without the fiancial assistance of Red Bull. We dont need a free handout to do a road trip and we sure as hell aren't going to browbeat our members to get season tickets for one free trip to the Razor.
Sorry abut "diverging" the current topic, but I have a question. Earlier in the posts, someone mentioned a discount when ordering season tickets if you mention that you want the RBN special package. I don't have season tickets yet, but I'm contemplating getting them. So can someone elaborate on the discount I would get if I was to get the RBN package. Excuse me if I'm being too "nosey", but ho much does it cost you if you buy season tickets in section 115 with the RBN special package?