It depends on your definition of YOF. If you define it as fans who follow Yao and thus follow Rockets, yeah, there's a lot of them, maybe more than a half of all the board members. And I'm sure clutch won't mind a bit of them. It's actually good for this board. Real-egal, for one, is one of them proudly pronounce themself YOF in this definition. If you define fans who are narrow-minded, sometimes stupid, for example cares only of Yao's stats not win/loss - a definition that is often used - there are very few of them on this board.
Texas Stoke, until Yao Ming becomes a suspect of irreparably damaged goods and his trade value is diminishing every game he misses and the news about his health pops up every now and then and I still insist Yao be with the Rockets, you have no argument with me.
wnes, if Yao Ming were to be traded would you still have the same amount of interest in the Houston Rockets as you do now?
Chill, everyone here is a Houston Rockets Fan!! Those that are being a YOF or TOF still root for the Houston Rockets as a whole. Besides the changes that will happen for next season, can the Rockets put HOUSTON back on their jerseys??
Yes, that may be true...and I feel the same way. But it IS possible to be a Rockets fan and still prefer some players to others. I can remain a Rockets fan and still think its a stupid idea to trade McGrady. Doesn't make me a "TOF." (By the way, why does everyone have to use acronyms these days? Its just laziness with the English language, I say. )
Stoke, let me answer your curiosity indirectly: while my current interest in this team coincides with my fanfare with Yao Ming, I was a huge fan of the Rockets in the 94-95 season because 1) I was also a fan of Clyde, Hakeem, and Horry, and 2) I loved the way the Rockets fought in that playoffs from a lower seeded position. I have on more than one occasion on this board stated my sentiment with the Houston Rockets from the past.
wnes,, You’re being as honest as you can. And Micheon too, I don’t find fault with you buddy. It would be like me going to that YaoMingfan forum and saying the Houston Rockets are more important than Yao Ming. If I said that, people over there wouldn’t take me seriously from then on. So I understand why you can't answer the question directly. It’s not a big deal.
hahahaha I love Yao as much as the next Rockets fan, maybe even more. But, the thing is, yes, I was a Rocket fan first. I get behind whoever is wearing our uni and represents our fine city. Once a player plays here I tend to root for them once they leave, but I'm always a Rocket fan first. I think it's great Yao fanatics support the Rockets b/c that's where Yao is. And if Yao is traded, they will most likely follow. That's really too bad, because at least Yao recognizes that the man shouldn't become bigger than the sport and the competition it represents. Man, I'm babbling a bunch of non-sense...
to be fair...the board itself has become alot better known due to other factors as well. a few mentions in various media sites (espn,chron,etc)...more nad more people in the houston area getting hyped up about the team due to the francis trade...more people getting online period... Im not disagreeing with the fact that the board menbership jumped by a huge amount after Yao...and alot of them came here for that reason alone...but to attribute the yearly growth just to yao fans isnt entirely accurate.
YOF? TOF? Dude yall got it wrong. I'm a BOF. Bowen Only Fan. If Ryan Bowen left the Rockets, well, I might just have to forget about this site.
I realize this forum has grown for a lot of reasons, even immediately after Yao was drafted. I did not "attribute the yearly growth just to yao fans" at all. What are you talking about? Did someone else or are you pulling this out of thin air?
wnes has anwsered you indirectly but his point was very clear. You are a fan of a team for some reason: You have a fan family history; you like a particular player; you grew up here or you live here, etc. etc. wnes apparently loves the team because of some favorite players. What's wrong with that? Let me ask you a question. If JVG got a 15 ryan B roster and played for 3 staight years, will you still be a rockets fan?
