Caps Fans Have Open Arms
So the Caps are defying Washington sports status quo and doing well in a post-season and I am thinking “Woo hoo - something to cheer for!” but apparently I should think twice before I try and cheer for my local hockey team. Thanks to craigslist and email anonymity I have had some exposure to the Capitals fan base — and they are a rosy happy bunch.
You see, I have been trying to see a playoff game since the caps got in but I have found it hard to track down tickets at a reasonable price. Looking to not pay huge stubhub or sidewalk markups I decided to put up this message on craigslist…
Little did I know that Caps fans are VERY protective of Verizon center seating and also insanely territorial when it comes to fair weather fans. Rather than the typical craigslist responses from ticket sellers offering links to broker sites or perhaps a fan responding with a fair selling price I recieved these responses from fans who had nothing better to do than hang around craigslist waiting for someone who wanted to buy tickets:
Okay, interesting, that doesn’t really help me much, sir. I suppose I appreciate the passion and the team spirit but can’t really see the point in gloating about owning season tickets.
Then we had:
I guess real fans are also cool enough to write strangers to tell them they are real fans.
Then came this last one, for some reason I just felt like responding because it seemed like the nut case would deliver a good response… and oh how he did. I will admit there is a little white lie about me owning season tickets in there but this guy clearly sits at his computer with hockey gloves on just waiting to throw them to the ground and send a belligerent email response.
I guess that’s hockey fans for you. I don’t even own any red so I can’t say I deserve to be at the game Monday, but I don’t think my iphone belongs up my ass either.
http://funnynewshokie.blogspot.com/2009/05/city-of-brotherly-love.html
“every game since 2004″
Much like goth kids in high school, hockey fans are by nature antisocial assholes. They covet the one sport that flies below the radar of most people, so they can claim to be unique and non-conformist. Basically, they only like it because very few other people like it. It’s their little hiding spot that they can run to when their football-loving boss tries to make small talk at work by talking about the merits of a college football playoff system. The can just reply “I don’t like football, I’m a hockey fan” and their coworkers understand exactly who (or what) they’re dealing with as the hockey fan slithers back to his cubical to play world of warcraft on the company’s dime.
This is not all hockey fans mind you, only those that like the idea of being a hockey fan and not necessariky the sport itself. People that enjoy speed, hard hits and acrobatic plays will certainly take a shine to the sport of hockey. For this reason, I would say that most true football fans are closet hockey fans, but don’t admit it due to the social stigma that comes with being labeled a “hockey fan”. I am definitely a closet hockey fan because I stand up and scream for no reason when a player gets laid out by a huge hit. It’s second nature and I cannot help myself.
Also, claiming you’re a real fan because you fork over thousands of dollars to buy season tickets is like claiming you’re good at basketball because you have the top of the line Jordan’s. Just because you like to throw away your hard earned money on a game does not make you a fan in any way. That’s exactly what the owners want you to do to fill seats and make millions off your dumb ass. Be smart, save your money and watch the game at home or at a bar with your friends. Then grab a ticket from a scalper or CL when you really want to see a game in person.
Great assessment Jeff, hockey fans do like wearing their love of an “odd” sport on their sleeve.
I feel ya. Illinois is brimming with fucktard Blackhawk diehards who are frothing at the mouth because greater than 1% of Chicago’s population actually gives a crap about hockey now. Every day on Chicago sports radio I hear at least a half a dozen callers either begin or end their calls (to the fricking sports radio HOSTS, no less) with, “You’re not a REAL hockey fan, so shut up,” or some other brilliant rewording of same.
The NHL needs its own version of Paul Tagliabue to just fucking explode the sport and shine the light of God on it so these antisocial little assclowns can slither off and find some other sport to sink their claws into.
Glad to hear that its all of the NHL fanbase and not just moron Caps fans from Towson and Woodbridge who freak out over this stuff. I’d imagine mixed martial arts suffers from the same disease.