khans2k5 wrote:Why should fans show up? This team sucks at home and doesn't show up themselves. If they want fans to come back they have to earn it. It's going to be a slow recovery of fans after the last ten years. It's not gonna happen overnight with rookies and sophomores. This town will pay up for winners. We're sick of paying to watch losers.
Thank you for proving my point. Jazz, Blazers, Kings are all way ahead of us in attendance, always are. Because their fans go to support their team. Not to wait until their team earns it. Granted they don't have hockey teams competing for attendance, but it is a different mentality.
I don't have a problem with Minnesota fans being discretionary, but if no one shows up we aren't going to have a home court advantage.
To be fair, the crosstown hockey team makes a difference. As does the large university in town. As does 30 years of much more success for the Jazz and Blazers. The Kings were last in attendance as recently as 2013.
It does make a difference, but the Raptors get great attendance in a rabid hockey town. If Minneapolis was a basketball town I don't think it would make a difference personally. I agree that when the team starts winning, it will turn around. And I don't have a problem with a fan saying that. But I don't think that is the dynamic of a "basketball town"
khans2k5 wrote:Why should fans show up? This team sucks at home and doesn't show up themselves. If they want fans to come back they have to earn it. It's going to be a slow recovery of fans after the last ten years. It's not gonna happen overnight with rookies and sophomores. This town will pay up for winners. We're sick of paying to watch losers.
Thank you for proving my point. Jazz, Blazers, Kings are all way ahead of us in attendance, always are. Because their fans go to support their team. Not to wait until their team earns it. Granted they don't have hockey teams competing for attendance, but it is a different mentality.
I don't have a problem with Minnesota fans being discretionary, but if no one shows up we aren't going to have a home court advantage.
To be fair, the crosstown hockey team makes a difference. As does the large university in town. As does 30 years of much more success for the Jazz and Blazers. The Kings were last in attendance as recently as 2013.
It does make a difference, but the Raptors get great attendance in a rabid hockey town. If Minneapolis was a basketball town I don't think it would make a difference personally. I agree that when the team starts winning, it will turn around. And I don't have a problem with a fan saying that. But I don't think that is the dynamic of a "basketball town"
I didn't say it was. I said it was an "underrated" basketball town.
There remains a fairly rabid fanbase here (see this forum) despite the organization being the 2nd worst franchise in modern NBA history and the longest current streak of irrlevancy (out of the playoffs).
khans2k5 wrote:Why should fans show up? This team sucks at home and doesn't show up themselves. If they want fans to come back they have to earn it. It's going to be a slow recovery of fans after the last ten years. It's not gonna happen overnight with rookies and sophomores. This town will pay up for winners. We're sick of paying to watch losers.
Thank you for proving my point. Jazz, Blazers, Kings are all way ahead of us in attendance, always are. Because their fans go to support their team. Not to wait until their team earns it. Granted they don't have hockey teams competing for attendance, but it is a different mentality.
I don't have a problem with Minnesota fans being discretionary, but if no one shows up we aren't going to have a home court advantage.
To be fair, the crosstown hockey team makes a difference. As does the large university in town. As does 30 years of much more success for the Jazz and Blazers. The Kings were last in attendance as recently as 2013.
It does make a difference, but the Raptors get great attendance in a rabid hockey town. If Minneapolis was a basketball town I don't think it would make a difference personally. I agree that when the team starts winning, it will turn around. And I don't have a problem with a fan saying that. But I don't think that is the dynamic of a "basketball town"
I didn't say it was. I said it was an "underrated" basketball town.
There remains a fairly rabid fanbase here (see this forum) despite the organization being the 2nd worst franchise in modern NBA history and the longest current streak of irrlevancy (out of the playoffs).
I get it, and I agree. If this board filled the target center it would be great. Even though most of the game would be debating on substitutions and matchups.
I just went to a minor league hockey game last night here in Germany. Only 3,500 fans cheering on a team that has underperformed this season . . . but that place was louder than I've heard the Target Center since 2004.
-Tons of different chants for every occasion that everybody knew by heart and joined in on
-Patterned claps led by a bunch of guys pounding on drums through the whole game
-Everybody wore team scarves we waved in unison when we scored before serenading the other side with a sarcastic line of singing, including "always look on the bright side of life "
-They actually made "the wave" look kinda cool
-Flares. Flares, people. Indoors.
Now, flares may not be the best indoor idea, but I really wish we could adopt something closer to the kind of fan culture I saw last night. And I wonder what it takes to make that happen, why it happens in some places but not in others.
Some of the MLS teams in the U.S. have that kind of fan culture. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSEyLqOpZw
How this type of fan culture gets formed and sustained? That's a good question. Like anything, it requires a few ambitious and charismatic individuals to get something started. A few years ago, the Timberwolves had a group of fans known as Los Locos which some of you are probably pretty familiar with. I have no idea if they still exist or not, but they definitely tried to start something that never really took off beyond their small group of folks. It would be nice if that could get re-kindled again and turn into something bigger.
What's interesting in that piece about the Portland Timbers is that they have largely been mediocre for most of their existence. People do it for the overall experience and not just the product on the pitch. Hell, look at us? We've been rooting for, analyzing, and obsessing over a losing team for years now!
Q12543 wrote:Some of the MLS teams in the U.S. have that kind of fan culture. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSEyLqOpZw
How this type of fan culture gets formed and sustained? That's a good question. Like anything, it requires a few ambitious and charismatic individuals to get something started. A few years ago, the Timberwolves had a group of fans known as Los Locos which some of you are probably pretty familiar with. I have no idea if they still exist or not, but they definitely tried to start something that never really took off beyond their small group of folks. It would be nice if that could get re-kindled again and turn into something bigger.
What's interesting in that piece about the Portland Timbers is that they have largely been mediocre for most of their existence. People do it for the overall experience and not just the product on the pitch. Hell, look at us? We've been rooting for, analyzing, and obsessing over a losing team for years now!
Andrew Bogut had an interesting idea when with Milwaukee. He gave tickets to 100 people in one section. And they had to audition to be part of the group... obviously, the more rowdy, the better the odds of getting the tickets.
I went to a game once in Milwaukee and remember those Bogut guys! They had horns and drums and stuff. They were at the very back of the lower deck, but they still definitely made that place feel more lively.
Part of it is a sense of community, right? Some good high schools and plenty of colleges have rowdy fan-bases because 1) lots of young people, 2) pep bands!!, and 3) people really identify with high schools and colleges in a more intense way than they seem to with professional teams. Still, Toronto, Golden State, and the Knicks all have pretty decent fan experiences. Chicago wasn't too bad either, but not as good as those top three.
Q12543 wrote:Some of the MLS teams in the U.S. have that kind of fan culture. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSEyLqOpZw
How this type of fan culture gets formed and sustained? That's a good question. Like anything, it requires a few ambitious and charismatic individuals to get something started. A few years ago, the Timberwolves had a group of fans known as Los Locos which some of you are probably pretty familiar with. I have no idea if they still exist or not, but they definitely tried to start something that never really took off beyond their small group of folks. It would be nice if that could get re-kindled again and turn into something bigger.
What's interesting in that piece about the Portland Timbers is that they have largely been mediocre for most of their existence. People do it for the overall experience and not just the product on the pitch. Hell, look at us? We've been rooting for, analyzing, and obsessing over a losing team for years now!
Andrew Bogut had an interesting idea when with Milwaukee. He gave tickets to 100 people in one section. And they had to audition to be part of the group... obviously, the more rowdy, the better the odds of getting the tickets.
I love this idea. Dsmn, that arena is dead most nights, and 100 crazy fans could have an impact. I just forwarded this article to my good friend who is one of the largest minority owners in Glen's group telling him to present it to Glen and Milt. 100 upper deck seats wouldn't be much more than $100-125K for the season...pocket change for a guy like Rubio who is making $13 million this year...to put that into perspective, it's the equivalent of a $1000 investment for a guy making $100K a year. Or I suggested maybe the team might want to invest the $100K as a way to try to regain our home court advantage.
Q12543 wrote:Some of the MLS teams in the U.S. have that kind of fan culture. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSEyLqOpZw
How this type of fan culture gets formed and sustained? That's a good question. Like anything, it requires a few ambitious and charismatic individuals to get something started. A few years ago, the Timberwolves had a group of fans known as Los Locos which some of you are probably pretty familiar with. I have no idea if they still exist or not, but they definitely tried to start something that never really took off beyond their small group of folks. It would be nice if that could get re-kindled again and turn into something bigger.
What's interesting in that piece about the Portland Timbers is that they have largely been mediocre for most of their existence. People do it for the overall experience and not just the product on the pitch. Hell, look at us? We've been rooting for, analyzing, and obsessing over a losing team for years now!
Andrew Bogut had an interesting idea when with Milwaukee. He gave tickets to 100 people in one section. And they had to audition to be part of the group... obviously, the more rowdy, the better the odds of getting the tickets.
I love this idea. Dsmn, that arena is dead most nights, and 100 crazy fans could have an impact. I just forwarded this article to my good friend who is one of the largest minority owners in Glen's group telling him to present it to Glen and Milt. 100 upper deck seats wouldn't be much more than $100-125K for the season...pocket change for a guy like Rubio who is making $13 million this year...to put that into perspective, it's the equivalent of a $1000 investment for a guy making $100K a year. Or I suggested maybe the team might want to invest the $100K as a way to try to regain our home court advantage.
I'll let you guys know what he says!
I bet Rubio would be very interested in that it seems like it would be something he would be into.
