A bit of a Buzz?

chauchi09

Had a discussion with my neighbour, kinda our usual over the fence type thing, about the 'Caps yesterday. He watched the game and then watched the Seattle game because of it implications. Now his daughters played to a fairly high level but I've never known him to be a 'Caps fan. He'd heard about Tan's tweet, the additions to the team and was starting to follow because of the wins. He's not the only friend who have brought up the 'Caps in conversation, again a friend who is a sports fan more than a 'caps fan brought up Salgado's injury and Tan's tweet. My Mum mentioned the article about people showing up late. I think people are becoming engaged. Say what you will about Team 1040, there is a lot more Whitecap related talk and even interviews than before. Anyone has know what TV numbers are like compared to last year or from the start of the year?

Boxing_Day_Massacre

When MLS first arrived in Vancouver there was one soccer-folowing friend who took a very euro-snob stance about how it would be crap. I know that he now watches every game on TV and has attended a couple of games with me when my wife can't get to games (typically midweek).
Things are getting better.

Van

I got stopped by a family in Pacific Centre on Saturday and asked if the Caps had won, and if I would take a picture with them being a "Real Southsider". The boy also asked if Hassli put one top shelf (like he does every game apparently), and the Dad asked about the stadium, atmosphere and the roof/renos. They said they will be going to match later this summer together...

Definite buzz, going to start carrying a sharpie for autographs being a "Real Southsider" :p

Footy

I agree people I talk to lately that know I'm a Caps fan have more information about the team thanks to outlets like team1040 and CTV doing a good job in reporting about the Caps seems like people who are not fans are starting to consider coming to a match and check it out would be nice to get back to those 21K attendance numbers again.

FootyMonster · Post edited by FootyMonster at 2012-06-18 09:01:38

Thats what you get for going 4 games unbeaten in MLS and being virtually unbeatable at home. BC Place has become the venue other teams DO NOT want to visit. There is a definite BUZZ around town. I Love It!!

Note: It also helps that when they do make it to the stadium and catch the game on TV the atmosphere is so electric that it makes people want to comeback and be a a part of it. The Southsiders and the CC were very loud on Saturday and the crowd was awesome.

Best game of the season so far, the game against the puke green electro clowns being the bench mark until Saturday last.

fourfourtwo

I really have noticed the team 1040 coverage expanding.

Mcclutchy? and Chappy had a really long convo and then brought on Thorrington. Moreover they both had actually been to the game.

fourfourtwo

FootyMonster said: Thats what you get for going 4 games unbeaten in MLS and being virtually unbeatable at home. BC Place has become the venue other teams DO NOT want to visit. There is a definite BUZZ around town. I Love It!!

I noticed the Colorado broadcast was very positive about the stadium and the atmosphere...

JP82

I agree I also notice with the decent weather outside i know but its still warmer than March alot more ppl wearing Cap jerseys when its not game day...

jello24

I totally agree that the buzz for this team is starting to spread throughout town.

There were a couple of people last Saturday who were behind me at the line up to a movie in Metrotown that asked me about the Caps and the Rockies, and it felt good to talk about the game with someone outside the stadium. Another guy caught a glimpse of my SS scarf in the Chapters and we talked about the Dynamo game...

I'm loving the fact that the team is winning, and that it's getting everyone around town talking and interested. Also loving the shout-outs the supporters' groups are getting around the media. I re-watched the game from Saturday and Paul Dolan had a mention during the Rapids game that the Southsiders were in "full voice" that game, and I loved hearing that shout out.

Let's keep this momentum going!

Havoc

Well I have been reading these forums for years and just never made an account. For some reason I thought it would be necessary to reply to this thread lol. I'm 16 years old in high school and the 'Caps buzz has really hit us youth. I have been going to 'Caps games Since around 2007 and have really felt outlawed because of my favorite sport, soccer. While most of my school is STILL wearing their Canucks apparel, I roll my 'Caps jersey. But ever since Euro has started all these soccer "fans" have come out of the woodwork. In my P.E. class the usually discussion is about the Canucks, sometimes the Lions. But now the 'Caps seems to be gathering speed. A few more 'Caps jerseys have popped up even within the past month. At first I was actually quite bothered by this attention they were getting, but now I'm starting to get the opposite feeling. Even among my inner circle of friends (who passionately follow hockey solely) the 'Caps have been becoming a major part of our conversation. I don't make as many games as I would like (broke, difficult to get downtown, only person in my family that is a sports nut) but I have only missed one game in the MLS era (I watch via the T.V. or otherwise) and really hope that the buzz continues to grow. Would just like to thank all of you guys on this forum as you are a massive part of the hype and wish you the best of luck in the future. As soon as I get my license, a car of my own and some money for ST you better believe I will be there right beside the rest of you singing my heart out!

Cheers.

rovers_adam · Post edited by rovers_adam at 2012-06-18 09:51:13

Welcome aboard havoc! why not head on over to the introducing thread and tell us about yourself and your love for Manchester City!

hopefully the buzz will stay - but with the stanley cup exit and the lions warming up, and the euros in the background this is the window when the caps is pretty much the only game in town. I'm pleased that our winning-form is attracting attention around the province.

Havoc

Haha thanks. My Man City love goes back further than my love for the 'Caps. Got tired of all these people sporting their Rags so as I tend to do with sports teams, I picked the team with very little buzz! Some call me a sports Hipster. But once I choose a team, you better believe I'll be with them forever.

puntocero

On the walk and seabus back from downtown last nite, I must have had at least 15 different groups or individuals asking me what the score of the game was. Felt like I was a celebrity coming from a vip event. Well, not really, but it was really nice to have people express such an interest.

Bad_Gones

Ditto ... but I'm Bad Gones, so celebrity follows me everywhere ;-)

Seriously though I was asked about 4 times on the Skytrain about the result, and a couple of them asked me who had scored.

DannyBoy

I was asked the score at 6pm. :-S

JP82

Right now there is a sweet spot for us Cap fans--our players that we watch are quite accessible and generally when you see another caps fan you strike up conversation like a bond...however if our fanbase keeps growing n growing things will inevitably change and players will become more n more less accessible and you will be just another cap fan...just like if u were a canucks fan now...

JSpice

JP82 said: Right now there is a sweet spot for us Cap fans--our players that we watch are quite accessible and generally when you see another caps fan you strike up conversation like a bond...however if our fanbase keeps growing n growing things will inevitably change and players will become more n more less accessible and you will be just another cap fan...just like if u were a canucks fan now...

Imagine how shitty that would be

vancouversoccerman

JP82 said: Right now there is a sweet spot for us Cap fans--our players that we watch are quite accessible and generally when you see another caps fan you strike up conversation like a bond...however if our fanbase keeps growing n growing things will inevitably change and players will become more n more less accessible and you will be just another cap fan...just like if u were a canucks fan now...

I have a bit more hope than that. Football is the most accessible pro sport in the world. Even if you cheer for a big club like Man City or Barcelona, or even a minor team like Man United, there's a good chance you'll eventually meet one of your idols if you spend any serious time in that city. Football at the pro level is still informal and common enough that it still happens.

And yes...when the Caps start putting together a consistently winning team, Vancouver will go crazy for them. We'll have more than our share of trend-chasers and bandwagon jumpers each time it happens. But when it does happen, there'll always be a bunch that discover the Caps for the first time, then will never let go. That's how we grow...that's how the game grows!

Chris

JSpice said:

JP82 said: Right now there is a sweet spot for us Cap fans--our players that we watch are quite accessible and generally when you see another caps fan you strike up conversation like a bond...however if our fanbase keeps growing n growing things will inevitably change and players will become more n more less accessible and you will be just another cap fan...just like if u were a canucks fan now...

Imagine how shitty that would be

I am hopeful that when (not if) that day happens, your Southsiders scarf will be enough to identify you as much more than "just another cap fan".

JP82

just seeing the douchiness of the Canuck bandwagon jumpers scares the crap out of me I don't want those fans and right now in BC Place for the most part we don't have those fans

Lefty

Don't worry most douchy Nucks fans never get to a live hockey game. Why shouldn't they be cynical. I think the reason we don't notice such behavior in BC Place is the fact that fans attending live games gain real attachment to their local side.

But beyond that, as long as they bring money and fill seats we should welcome as many douchbags as we can fill the stadium with.

Chris

JP82 said: just seeing the douchiness of the Canuck bandwagon jumpers scares the crap out of me I don't want those fans and right now in BC Place for the most part we don't have those fans

We also have a pile of empty seats night in and night out. Casuals and bandwagoners exist everywhere. They existed at Swangard, they will exist at our waterfront stadium. They're a function of the amount of exposure the club gets. I'm not scared about it. I can't fucking wait for the day I'm not the only guy at work who wears Whitecaps gear from time to time.

jello24 · Post edited by jello24 at 2012-06-21 11:12:21

JP82 said: just seeing the douchiness of the Canuck bandwagon jumpers scares the crap out of me I don't want those fans and right now in BC Place for the most part we don't have those fans

You may not want them, but you can bet the owners do. Bandwagoners and casuals are pretty much sold seats at these prices. The higher the attendance, the happier the owners are, and a higher budget for players and staff.

Remember, it's the bandwagon fans and their money to buy jerseys or hats or whatever that allowed the Canucks to sellout 300+ games in a row, season by season. It's what allows them to buy nice locker rooms with massage tables, sleep doctors, plush chartered planes, etc.

The team needs those fans.

Ghostdog

JP82 said: just seeing the douchiness of the Canuck bandwagon jumpers scares the crap out of me I don't want those fans and right now in BC Place for the most part we don't have those fans

Where were your seats at Swangard?

Brettness37

Ghostdog said:

Where were your seats at Swangard?

Easy there tiger.

rodderzzz

Whilst Bandwagoners are generally a bunch of knobs with no clue...I want them at BC Place, because they only turn up when there is success and glory, and I wouldnt sacrifice a successful whitecaps for the sake of keeping away a couple thousand dicks.

Neeskens1974

rodderzzz said: Whilst Bandwagoners are generally a bunch of knobs with no clue...I want them at BC Place, because they only turn up when there is success and glory, and I wouldnt sacrifice a successful whitecaps for the sake of keeping away a couple thousand dicks.

Hear - hear. Having said that, there are some spectacular twats coming to the games.

Seathanaich

I wish there were about 7,000 more bandwagoning jumping / casual / soccer mum / whatever-you-want-to-disparage-them-as fans attending games - even if they sat on their hands all game and didn't make a peep, because that would mean that:
the entire lower bowl was sold out;
there was scarcity of tickets;
the club was second in MLS in attendance;
and the cash from that to the club meant that the owners were able to offer so many "non-salary" perks to the players that every player in MLS wished they were playing in Vancouver rather than wherever they were currently playing.

Not everyone is a fan in the same way, and it is going to take generational turnover to change supporter culture in Vancouver. Not a season or two, but an entire generational turnover: a generation of people growing up with chanting, flags, and standing so that they embrace it and consider it the norm. Don't get frustrated by the slow pace of change; work getting to any tipping point is slow and frustrating. When the tipping point is reached, change happens in a rush (see: smoking bans in the 1990s). I'm sure we will all live to see the day when the whole stadium engages in at least some of the singing, but we need to remember that even in Glasgow, Sao Paulo, and Belgrade, the whole stadium doesn't join in EVERYTHING that gets sung.

cixceven

There are 4 or 6 seats just behind mine that are game-to-game sales. The people there last night, 4 women and two men, all late-twenties, had never been to a game before. But they learned the chants quick as possible, and by the end were fully participating. Not every casual is knob to be looked down on; we shouldn't get too carried away with the ones who are.

Ghostdog

Brettness37 said:

Ghostdog said:

Where were your seats at Swangard?

Easy there tiger.

An innocent question m'lord, pertaining to the general douchiness of "bandwagon fans".

Surreysider

jello24 said:

Remember, it's the bandwagon fans and their money to buy jerseys or hats or whatever that allowed the Canucks to sellout 300+ games in a row, season by season. It's what allows them to buy nice locker rooms with massage tables, sleep doctors, plush chartered planes, etc.

The team needs those fans.

This is one arguement that I don't buy when it comes to the team. Given the amount of money our owners have, if they really wanted to they could provide all these perks with 0 people in attendance. However that being said I'd love to have the entire lower bowl full every game.

Brettness37

Ghostdog said:

Brettness37 said:

Ghostdog said:

Where were your seats at Swangard?

Easy there tiger.

An innocent question m'lord, pertaining to the general douchiness of "bandwagon fans".

I read that as "only pre-MLS fans are real fans." The rest are bandwagoners. Many of us were new last year and stood and sang through the Soehn-Era.

Seathanaich · Post edited by Seathanaich at 2012-06-21 14:04:06

Surreysider said: This is one arguement that I don't buy when it comes to the team. Given the amount of money our owners have, if they really wanted to they could provide all these perks with 0 people in attendance.

If there was nobody coming to the games, and no prospect of that changing, then it's unlikely anyone would spend money on perks, no matter how wealthy they are. While there is an ego component to owning a team, it's also a business that you expect a financial return from. A healthy business profit allows ownership to put that money back into the business, while an unprofitable business will be subject to budget cuts.

FWIW I don't start watching hockey, and in particular the Canucks, until after the Grey Cup. That's for several reasons: the NHL season is so long; regular season positioning doesn't actually mean much (see 8th seeded LA Kings win Stanley Cup); there are other sports I attach higher interest too (Whitecaps and Lions); I have to do other things than just watch sports, etc. This doesn't make me "douchey", or a "band-wagon jumper", it makes me a normal person with a normal life.

piltdownman

Everyone has to become a new fan at some point.

jello24

Surreysider said:

jello24 said:

Remember, it's the bandwagon fans and their money to buy jerseys or hats or whatever that allowed the Canucks to sellout 300+ games in a row, season by season. It's what allows them to buy nice locker rooms with massage tables, sleep doctors, plush chartered planes, etc.

The team needs those fans.

This is one arguement that I don't buy when it comes to the team. Given the amount of money our owners have, if they really wanted to they could provide all these perks with 0 people in attendance. However that being said I'd love to have the entire lower bowl full every game.

Provide perks to a venture that, with 0 seats sold, will turn no profit but be a giant money sink? Our owners may be rich, but they didn't become rich by making poor business decisions like the one you just argued. Cmon... you really don't believe that, do you?

No sports owner will buy a franchise if they were going to lose money to it. Even with a losing franchise, they usually have a plan to make money on the side in case attendance sinks. For example, the teams that have entertainment districts/malls/hotels around their arenas to supplement the income coming from the primary team.

danimal

piltdownman said: Everyone has to become a new fan at some point.

You can't instantly become @oldfan. You have to go through the process.

vancouversoccerman

We should all strive to be OldFan. Anything less is just Plastic!

super_socco · Post edited by super_socco at 2012-06-21 13:46:04

JP82 said: just seeing the douchiness of the Canuck bandwagon jumpers scares the crap out of me I don't want those fans and right now in BC Place for the most part we don't have those fans

Bandwagoners are what make a fanbase grow in the long-term. They will come out and if they like the atmosphere/vibe they'll want more and eventually become more dedicated fans. We should always welcome and appreciate the fact that there are others who support, in varying degrees and in different ways. We are all Caps fans afterall.

The club and its supporters are still growing so we have to provide everyone the chance to 'experience the product' without bias or negative attitudes, otherwise people might be turned off from even trying. Last thing we want is people thinking that the 'real' supporters are snobby, non-inclusive, or anything like that. Everyone will be better for it.

You can't say that bandwagoners didn't contribute to the supporter's culture in Seattle and to some degree Portland. Last I checked, Seattle only had a few thousand 'fans' attending games in D2, now look at their support.

If we all want fan support to grow and the atmosphere to improve, we have to be open about including everyone. There's always the opportunity to share and lead by example. Though it may take time, THAT is how support builds organically in the long-term.

Ghostdog · Post edited by Ghostdog at 2012-06-21 14:50:27

Brettness37 said:

Ghostdog said:

Brettness37 said:

Ghostdog said:

Where were your seats at Swangard?

Easy there tiger.

An innocent question m'lord, pertaining to the general douchiness of "bandwagon fans".

I read that as "only pre-MLS fans are real fans." The rest are bandwagoners. Many of us were new last year and stood and sang through the Soehn-Era.

Not what I was saying at all. If anything a gentle jab at somebody for putting down "bandwagon fans" when there are roughly 15,000 - 18,000 "bandwagon fans" per game that didn't support the team in the D2 era.

The more fans the better, obviously. I'd love the lower bowl (minimum) filled for every home game and I don't give a damn when they started supporting the club.

Ghostdog · Post edited by Ghostdog at 2012-06-21 14:50:13

..

Blueprint · Post edited by Blueprint at 2012-06-21 15:04:20

Neeskens1974 said:

Hear - hear. Having said that, there are some spectacular twats coming to the games.

Yes, yes there are.

I encountered a group of them in Gastown last night walking home after the game. Decided I would be an easy target and started with some homophobic shit on the streetcorner. Didn't matter that we were all wearing the same jersey...disappointing to say the least.

bili

Pretty soon there will be a BBC documentary on how unsafe Vancouver is to watch soccer.

Blueprint

cough

Having said that, there are some spectacular twats coming to the games.

cough

Brenton · Post edited by Brenton at 2012-06-21 15:16:22

Blueprint said:

Cough

EDIT.

Fynnsky

A by product of the douchebags is that there seemed to be a higher than normal hot girl quotient last night. Glass half full I guess.

Neeskens1974

Fynnsky said: A by product of the douchebags is that there seemed to be a higher than normal hot girl quotient last night. Glass half full I guess.

This is very true. We were remarking upon this phenomenononon last night. At times I though I was at a pub on Granville.

Bad_Gones

Thanks for the heads up. I'll leave the wife at home next game ... ;-)

OldFan · Post edited by OldFan at 2012-06-21 18:37:27

vancouversoccerman said: We should all strive to be OldFan. Anything less is just Plastic!

:)

I hate calling new fans bandwagoners cause we need to turn them into long term fans. Segragating them under that word is not going to help with that.

jello24

Fynnsky said: A by product of the douchebags is that there seemed to be a higher than normal hot girl quotient last night. Glass half full I guess.

that's also the by product of summer. It's a linear relationship between Hotness vs Amount of Clothes you wear...

plus school's out so there's really no where else for the ladies to go show off skin...

krisaug5

OldFan said:

vancouversoccerman said: We should all strive to be OldFan. Anything less is just Plastic!

:)

I hate calling new fans bandwagoners cause we need to turn them into long term fans. Segragating them under that word is not going to help with that.

We shouldn't hate bandwagoners, we need to do our best to convert them. I was a bandwagoner. I jumped when I heard about MLS and then I saw the southsiders and jumped at that. I had no ambition of doing anything more than coming to games, chanting, and leaving, but I was converted to a life long supporter when I saw what was possible. We need to show these new and new-bandwagon fans what is possible and what supporting your team really does. It's our job to convert them the same way I was converted myself.

It's just food for thought seeing as I didnt even know about the Southsiders until Summer 2010 and didnt join til January 2011. Call me a new fan, I don't care. I fully acknowledge that other people have supported the club longer than I can imagine, but don't shy away from accepting new fans because we all started out somewhere.>

Casper

Fynnsky said: A by product of the douchebags is that there seemed to be a higher than normal hot girl quotient last night. Glass half full I guess.

I've often made this comparison to the Canucks games. The women there are either slightly trashy, or rich-hawt. The women at 'Caps games are just hawt. Footy chicks FTW!

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