What Makes Faithful Football Fans?

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

OK, Packers fans, I have a question that does not have anything to do about The Packers, here goes.

What does it take for a BEAR fan or a LION fan to spend thousands of $$$$$ for season tickets, even for expensive box seats, every week to see and support their losing teams??

I realize all this talk about supporting your hometown football team, but WOW!

Do these people have more money then brains?

I sometimes wondering how they get by referring to themselves as professional football teams,
with their win and lost record.

Dam, we Packer fans are spoiled.

Just Curious

 

[realitybytez]

apparently you're not old enough to remember the packers "gory years". the three decades of crappy football that followed the lombardi era. yet the packers continually sold out their home games and fans bought every piece of memorabilia the team could produce - including completely worthless shares of "stock".

 

[Voyageur]

apparently you're not old enough to remember the packers "gory years". the three decades of crappy football that followed the lombardi era. yet the packers continually sold out their home games and fans bought every piece of memorabilia the team could produce - including completely worthless shares of "stock".

True!

 

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

apparently you're not old enough to remember the packers "gory years". the three decades of crappy football that followed the lombardi era. yet the packers continually sold out their home games k".

Sorry I'm 80 yrs. young retired in Florida lived in Wisconsin for 75 Yrs. and had to give up my season tickets to live here,

Now what was the question?

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

I would imagine loyalty to the area they come from ? My introduction to football was the book Paper Lion by George Plimpton. That was back in the 70`s, and I have always had a soft spot for the Lions since. I have been to numerous games here in the UK, three times I`ve seen the Cowboys play but don`t like there Americas team mentality. I spoke to a lovely lady in London one year who was a Broncos fan, and said I was sorry she`d travelled so far to see her team lose, but she was just so happy to see her Broncos play. I guess those Lions fans just get to escape from every day crap, and hope they just MIGHT see something special once in a while. JMO of course

 

[Voyageur]

I would imagine loyalty to the area they come from ? My introduction to football was the book Paper Lion by George Plimpton. That was back in the 70`s, and I have always had a soft spot for the Lions since. I have been to numerous games here in the UK, three times I`ve seen the Cowboys play but don`t like there Americas team mentality. I spoke to a lovely lady in London one year who was a Broncos fan, and said I was sorry she`d travelled so far to see her team lose, but she was just so happy to see her Broncos play. I guess those Lions fans just get to escape from every day crap, and hope they just MIGHT see something special once in a while. JMO of course

I think that's true. It has a lot to do with roots. My family has been Packer fans since the 20s, when my Dad used to climb on his Indian motorcycle and ride close to 100 miles each way over bumpy dirt roads to watch them play in Green Bay. It's been tradition since then.

 

[JKramer64]

OK, Packers fans, I have a question that does not have anything to do about The Packers, here goes.

What does it take for a BEAR fan or a LION fan to spend thousands of $$$$$ for season tickets, even for expensive box seats, every week to see and support their losing teams??

I realize all this talk about supporting your hometown football team, but WOW!

Do these people have more money then brains?

I sometimes wondering how they get by referring to themselves as professional football teams,
with their win and lost record.

Dam, we Packer fans are spoiled.

Just Curious

This may have something to do with the Packers after this season if 12 and 17 move on. They may have to lose other key starters due to the salary cap. The Packers may be sliding back to mediocrity. How faithful will Packers fans be once the rebuilding starts after being contenders for the last 28 years?

 

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

I would imagine loyalty to the area they come from ?

Yes I'm thinking loyalty also.
Yeah got'a love true blue fans.

 

[Poppa San]

This may have something to do with the Packers after this season if 12 and 17 move on. They may have to lose other key starters due to the salary cap. The Packers may be sliding back to mediocrity. How faithful will Packers fans be once the rebuilding starts after being contenders for the last 28 years?

The bandwagon will get a lot emptier. The true fans will remain.

 

[Voyageur]

The bandwagon will get a lot emptier. The true fans will remain.

I think there's a barometer as to how faithful Packer fans are, even if the team has down years. One look at the waiting list for season tickets will tell you that the base is very strong.

At the present time, there's a waiting list of about 130,000 requests for season tickets, and the time frame, if you listed today, is about 30 years until you get them.

I have Grandkids whose names were put on that list when they were born, are now in their 20s, with children of their own, and they figure to have a 5-10 year wait left, until they get them.

That is what's called a Loyalty Test. The words "fair weather fans" applies to only a small percentage of Packer fans, and we're all over the world.

Something to consider. I live in Texas, and we are now entering the 12th week of the season, and all 12 games to date have been broadcast locally on Austin TV. That's like being a local team. The reason is simple. They attract a TV audience.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

OK, Packers fans, I have a question that does not have anything to do about The Packers, here goes.

What does it take for a BEAR fan or a LION fan to spend thousands of $$$$$ for season tickets, even for expensive box seats, every week to see and support their losing teams??

I realize all this talk about supporting your hometown football team, but WOW!

Do these people have more money then brains?

I sometimes wondering how they get by referring to themselves as professional football teams,
with their win and lost record.

Dam, we Packer fans are spoiled.

Just Curious

Don't make fun of the Lions. They actually have one more world championship than the Vikings.

Why Vikings fans buy tickets I have no idea.

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[gopkrs]

apparently you're not old enough to remember the packers "gory years". the three decades of crappy football that followed the lombardi era. yet the packers continually sold out their home games and fans bought every piece of memorabilia the team could produce - including completely worthless shares of "stock".

Not to mention watching the draft every year and hoping. Freddie Carr comes to mind.

 

[gopkrs]

Yes I'm thinking loyalty also.
Yeah got'a love true blue fans.

I just think loyalty is true strong a word. We are fans. Not fair weather ones.

 

[Phil Young]

I'm in Uk. Many years ago Channel 4 a then new TV station started to show this sport called American football. We got highlights of previous Monday nights game & brief shows of other games FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND. NO live game apart from SuperBowl. then it went away. Another new TV station started called Channel 5. they brought back live games & it was the n I decided I needed a team to support. I wanted North & no red.
I looked at New England as I live in England. I looked at Arizona but red & south. I worked for Arizona Chemical then. I looked Raiders but again south. I was told by people working for the same company ( International Paper) to look at green Bay. I lied what I saw & read, aging quarterback in Favre & Newcastle had an aging centre forward. Both communities like a beer (ok you drink lager not beer but that's an argument for another day) So I became a Packers fan. I managed to visit Green Bay in October 2008 & I had great time. Saw rogers play & we won of only 6 that season. We beat the Colts the game I saw. I will be a fan till my dying breath. I have a fair amount of Packers clothing & a few bits of tat lol

 

[gopkrs]

I think that's true. It has a lot to do with roots. My family has been Packer fans since the 20s, when my Dad used to climb on his Indian motorcycle and ride close to 100 miles each way over bumpy dirt roads to watch them play in Green Bay. It's been tradition since then.

I think my grandfather had an Indian for a short time. But not to go to Packer games lol. He lived in Black Earth. But man did he hate the Bears. Maybe he lived in Howards Grove at that time. Indian was around quite awhile ago.

 

[Voyageur]

I think my grandfather had an Indian for a short time. But not to go to Packer games lol. He lived in Black Earth. But man did he hate the Bears. Maybe he lived in Howards Grove at that time. Indian was around quite awhile ago.

My Dad talked about how he'd stand on the sideline watching games. He always carried a couple of hip flasks with booze in them. He'd share it with the players, who'd make it a point to come over and visit with him. One was Johnny Blood. It was a different time, and era. But that closeness between fans and players has never totally gone away. It's part of the rich tradition that has made the Packers so popular. They represent the best of people, not the wealthiest.

 

[Phil Young]

I was brought up Newcastle United & while no longer a fan in the accepted sense ie going to games & buying merch or even watching on TV I do follow them to a degree. Local news always talks about them. Now I can't go to see Packers play BUT if they ever get to London I will do my best to be there. I know it would be a road game for the Pack as no way on this planet would they give up a home game.

 

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

I was brought up Newcastle United & while no longer a fan in the accepted sense ie going to games & buying merch or even watching on TV I do follow them to a degree. Local news always talks about them. Now I can't go to see Packers play BUT if they ever get to London I will do my best to be there. I know it would be a road game for the Pack as no way on this planet would they give up a home game.

Don't give up on Packers playing across the pond.
Someday the NFL will play worldwide, maybe not in my day.

 

[Phil Young]

Plenty of interest over here . London games always sell out & a mix of fans regardless of who is playing.


Pack will play in London one day as NFL wants all 32 teams to play in London. So just a case of who & when. BUT it will be a Pack away fixture.

 

[realitybytez]

Sorry I'm 80 yrs. young retired in Florida lived in Wisconsin for 75 Yrs. and had to give up my season tickets to live here,

Now what was the question?

they say your memory is the second thing to go.

 

[Voyageur]

they say your memory is the second thing to go.

They're right. I think. I just can't remember what went first.

 

[weeds]

Well, that is an interesting question. I guess that I've been a "fan" since 1965. That's the first game I remember being at, at age 7. "Dad, who are the guys in green?" Seriously ... we had a black and white TV. So, my first exposure to the game was geography, or perhaps birth-right, as someone else mentioned. As you're all aware the Packers were a festering cesspool through most of my youth - and they may have been a steaming hot pile of dog crap, but, they were OUR steaming hot pile of dog crap. Call it what you will but the Packers made Green Bay and Northeastern Wisconsin "big league" although ostensibly, nobody wanted to play here.

Now, in a parallel universe, would I be a Vikings, Bears or Lions fan if the Packers didn't exist? Maybe substitute Duluth for Green Bay in this universe - would I be a fan of the Duluth Eskimos? Probably not even though someone once said that "without the Packers, Green Bay is Fargo". Would I be a "fan-of-the-game" if Dad and Grandpa hadn't chosen to expose me to the game and the Pack? Who knows. Would I have sat through the 70's and 80's in Lambeau having my finger nails pulled off with a pliers? Hard to say. Fact is that I did with the availability of tickets back then and the fact that Lambeau was 22 miles from where I grew up, almost a straight shot up County PP - again, geography. Truth be told, I always had a back up team in the 70's for the playoffs (because the Pack were NOT gonna be in the picture) - that would be John Brodie, Gene Washington, Hank Krueger and the 49'ers. Not because of geography - because of their colors and short passing game that set up Washington for their beautiful "post patterns".

So, the fans of teams that are today's cesspools and steaming hot piles of dog crap are probably saddled with the same issues - geography and birth-right. It's all they've known and I respect that. When our run of good fortune meets the cyclical end-game that is inevitable - I'll still be a Packers guy. A good number of today's Packers fan will probably abandon ship, i speculate ... because it'll mess up their plans for the upcoming Madden release AND they'll need to be associated with a winner - it's human nature. As I said, I'll still be Packers guy because Grandpa, Dad, buddies Jack and Scottie, Coaches Don, Al, Coach Richard (couldn't say "Di(k", Glen and Bob ... Cousin Monseigneur Bob (thanks for the tix, Sky Pilot) and Father Ray ... would be haunting my sorry keester from the grave.

Geography and birth right, brothers. Glad to be here versus one of the concrete jungle metro areas.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

Well, that is an interesting question. I guess that I've been a "fan" since 1965. That's the first game I remember being at, at age 7. "Dad, who are the guys in green?" Seriously ... we had a black and white TV. So, my first exposure to the game was geography, or perhaps birth-right, as someone else mentioned. As you're all aware the Packers were a festering cesspool through most of my youth - and they may have been a steaming hot pile of dog crap, but, they were OUR steaming hot pile of dog crap. Call it what you will but the Packers made Green Bay and Northeastern Wisconsin "big league" although ostensibly, nobody wanted to play here.

Now, in a parallel universe, would I be a Vikings, Bears or Lions fan if the Packers didn't exist? Maybe substitute Duluth for Green Bay in this universe - would I be a fan of the Duluth Eskimos? Probably not even though someone once said that "without the Packers, Green Bay is Fargo". Would I be a "fan-of-the-game" if Dad and Grandpa hadn't chosen to expose me to the game and the Pack? Who knows. Would I have sat through the 70's and 80's in Lambeau having my finger nails pulled off with a pliers? Hard to say. Fact is that I did with the availability of tickets back then and the fact that Lambeau was 22 miles from where I grew up, almost a straight shot up County PP - again, geography. Truth be told, I always had a back up team in the 70's for the playoffs (because the Pack were NOT gonna be in the picture) - that would be John Brodie, Gene Washington, Hank Krueger and the 49'ers. Not because of geography - because of their colors and short passing game that set up Washington for their beautiful "post patterns".

So, the fans of teams that are today's cesspools and steaming hot piles of dog crap are probably saddled with the same issues - geography and birth-right. It's all they've known and I respect that. When our run of good fortune meets the cyclical end-game that is inevitable - I'll still be a Packers guy. A good number of today's Packers fan will probably abandon ship, i speculate ... because it'll mess up their plans for the upcoming Madden release AND they'll need to be associated with a winner - it's human nature. As I said, I'll still be Packers guy because Grandpa, Dad, buddies Jack and Scottie, Coaches Don, Al, Coach Richard (couldn't say "Di(k", Glen and Bob ... Cousin Monseigneur Bob (thanks for the tix, Sky Pilot) and Father Ray ... would be haunting my sorry keester from the grave.

Geography and birth right, brothers. Glad to be here versus one of the concrete jungle metro areas.

My younger brother and my nephew are Packer fans because of me so have I started a dynasty ? I SWEAR I will never jump ship as my arm tattoo will be too expensive and painful to get burned off !

 

[weeds]

My younger brother and my nephew are Packer fans because of me so have I started a dynasty ? I SWEAR I will never jump ship as my arm tattoo will be too expensive and painful to get burned off !

YOU, my friend, are a PIONEER!! As for the tattoo ... if you were born with ink stained arms, you'd be p*ssed.

 

[Phil Young]

I have the G on my right arm as a tattoo. So like the poster above I am in for life. got the NFL logo thing on my left arm.

The luggage on my back as well as death & death of rats. & the summoning dark & guarding dark.


& for those who have NO idea what they represent they are all from Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld