There seems to be an on/off discussion about the tone of the boards that seems to be creeping into other threads. It's a very legitimate discussion and personally I think may deserve a discussion of it's own. This may be pointless since the KADs and NNNs will never agree, but it's worth trying. I threw a poll in here hoping that maybe we can get some clarity as to how people feel regarding the tone and maybe even understand the how/why of it? I don't know.
Although the tone can get negative here, I feel it's mostly venting and expressing feelings for something we really care about. I've visited other MLS team's forums and it seems for some, there's far more smack and stupid talk than what we have here. I think we do a pretty good job of self regulation. Even swear words are used sparingly, responsibly and not gratuitously, and aren't an issue.
I would have clicked..Not enough criticism..should be more!! =) If people wanna be happy that we're gonna have a team(on paper) that rivals the late nineties, then they should bottle that stuff and sell it!!!
I've said it before. IMHO the overall tenor of this board is negative, but fans need to be able to vent their frustrations and this is the perfect place to do that. Some of the negativity is justified, some is over the top. Some of the KADs comments are over the top as well, but those just make me laugh. When we start using hyperbole ("everything you post is negative", or "puppies and rainbows"), it's time to step away from the keyboard and take a deep breath. I wish we did a little better at keeping threads on topic. The occassional aside is one thing, but three pages of off-topic posts is a bit much (three pages being a random number, not based on any particular example). A piece of advice: when I am fired up, I'll type up a reply, but then wait a few minutes before hitting "Submit Reply". I then go back a re-read what I wrote, and sometimes I end up not posting it.
Harmony of opinions leads to a general consensus, so it is necessary. However, at times it can be distracting from the argument at point as any positive thread always tangentially veers from the original post.
I think Patriot said it well. It's negative but A LOT (especially the past calendar year) has been justified. At the end of the day, everyone wants a winning product on and off the field and our passion sometimes blinds and confines us to either end of the spectrum. While it's true that to incessantly criticize or incessantly defend is being delusional and more middle ground/consensus should be sought, hopefully the "KADs" will see that much of the goodwill has been drained over the past 15 years so cynicism has taken its place. We shouldn't treat this board's "negativity" as a Revs phenomenon either. I'm a fan of each of the "big 4" Boston teams and there's a significant amount of analysis and criticism that has been levied by those fans as well. I've said this before, you think we're bad try listening to Bruins fans. It makes a card-carrying "NNN" want to hang himself. Point is, it's safe to categorize the majority of Boston fans as analytical and critical of their team(s) (the flipside of calling us negative I guess). Hopefully there's more compromise and willingness to see the other side from both the "KADs" and the "NNNs" perspectives going forward on this board. Typically events having to do with the Revs are never as bad (or as good) as we sometimes perceive them so merit should be given to both perspectives.
IMO, his is the definitive post on this matter. NFLPatriot hit it out of the park. I agree with this as well. It's not just a Boston thing, the whole Northeast tends to be both more intense in their fandom and much more negative than fans from other regions. Also, as you point out, labelling anyone (KAD or NNN) is often just a way of dismissing someone's point out of hand, not to mention demeaning to the poster in question. The positives and the negatives on this board both have great points very often (I'm generally really impressed with both the soccer knowlege shown on this board and news sources folks are able to tap into).
It would be awesome if this thread would become a repository for all the constant bickering about who is too negative and who is blind to the deficiencies of the organization, etc. It seems like every thread devolves into some ridiculous variation on this theme and there's very little actual content. Part of that's probably the lack of actual games to talk about in the offseason, I don't know. I highly doubt this debate will be confined to this thread, but it sure would be nice. Another alternative would be for Monty and Doc to finally shack up and relieve all the sexual tension around here!
Interesting poll results so far. Most people think the criticisms are either largely justified or being critical is a normal part of being a fan. Shocking.
And the majority think the board is negative. By the way I didn't like the way the second option was worded. I feel like the criticism is over done but I also don't think its unnecessary.
This. It feels like we have the same discussion in every thread. Also those 15-quotation point-counterpoint posts get a little tedious, and really do very little to move a discussion forward.
I don't particularly have an issue with the negativity or the over-done positivity. I agree that a number of posters (who shall all remain nameless, non-sexual partners, I hope) have a tendency to go back and forth quite a bit (sort of like James Carville and Mary Matalin, who I don't want to picture having intimate relations, either). Unfortunately, many of us like to resort to hyperbole, and have every problem in MLS (or in some cases the whole universe) be the fault of the Revs FO, or the flip side have every problem with the Revs be due to the negativity on this board. This tends to combine with multiple posters hitting the same point and trying to outdo each other for the most extreme hyperbole. The only real complaint I have with these boards is what I view as "negativity spam" -- espousing the same issue/complaint in many different threads simultaneously. Since I usually read these boards once a day or so, I often note the same point being belabored a number of times. In the immortal words of the best BU hoops coach ever, the negativity in this town stinks and it sucks.
Cannot begin to tell you how many times I've done that!! That's the great thing about debating/commenting on the internet. Some just want to ruffle feathers and type as if the guy they're replying to is right there waiting!!
For what it's worth, the third and fourth options are not mutually exclusive. I'd vote for both - yes, it's largely negative with largely legit complains, but the tone is fine and it's part of being a fan.
Winner. New Poll: Why do people take Revs Big Soccer so seriously? Drugs Alcohol Mixing Drugs with Alcohol Lack of Human Contact Makes living in mom's basement bearable Makes living at the assisted living center bearable Passing time till the home opener Still suffering from Alexi Lalas Derangement Syndrome Other (explain)