I found it amusing when the astros "almost made it". I swear I have never seen so many "fans" come out of the woodwork.
Ofcourse, its totally natural though. People don't like to be disappointed, much less spend money and get disappointed. I think you have to really enjoy the sport to continuously watch. I for one will watch regardless, but its understandable how so many don't. Teams need to win, its business!
We have a diverse crowd. So your opinion will never match everyone elses. Its not like Boston where everyone has the same background nearly. In Houston its as culturally diverse as any city. The way you celebrate wont likely be mine in this city.
I always find people whining about other folks fandom irritating. Who cares if someone is a bandwagon fan, or a t-shirt fan, what business of it is anyone elses? DD
Exactly. And speaking of business...when did the masses forget the NBA is a business? Le$ Alexander is providing a product of entertainment that people have a perfect right to watch at whatever pace they want.
Sucking is only winning 1 playoff series in 15 years. Search your feelings. You know it to be true. Look, we suck. Not the fans, the team. We suck. I still love us. I always will. But we suck. There's no getting around it.
It's not that Houston fans suck. It's more a geographical issue - people work, they get home, get the kids to do their homework, whatever, living in Katy, Sugarland, Clear Lake, The Woodlands, on and on and on, then they have to load everybody up in the SUV and try to fight traffic to drive all the way downtown to watch a Rockets game. The fans, the ones with money to spend on things like that, don't live close to the downtown stadiums. They live in the suburbs, and the suburbs are too dang far away from downtown to make it worth the hassle. And the people who live closer are not demographically as likely to be ticket-buying money-spending fans in enough quantity to make a full house a viable thing either. Why drive all that way, pay a premium to sit in nosebleed seats, only to be surrounded by drunk morons? I was AT that game during the 22-game win streak where Novak hit that shot. Cheaper seats, sitting way up near the top and off in the corner. Even my son, about halfway through, said 'This sucks, can we go home?' I would RATHER watch my 63" HD screen in my recliner where I can control the instant-replay if I want, skip the annoying commercials, and enjoy some snacks and beverages without having to drain my bank account or spend three hours in traffic. Doesn't mean we are bad fans. It means we are selective.
I lived in Waco from 1992-1996. We used to be able to drive in to Dallas and get Mavericks tickets by buying a certain number of tacos at Taco Bueno. I'm not joking. That place was a ghost town. Stop pretending like Dallas supports its teams no matter what. There are just a handful of franchises in all of pro sports that sell out regardless of whether they put a contender on the field/court/rink or not. Portland is a one trick pony. They have a corporate base, and the only game in town is the Blazers. One franchise cities (San Antonio, Salt Lake, Portland) have no problem selling out games.
Did you know that after a World Series appearance and 40 some odd years of baseball in Arlington, Texas, the Rangers have never sold 3 million tickets? (the Astros have done that 4 times) In my years up in that part of the state, I literally met ONE guy who could hold a discussion about Ranger baseball....and I talk baseball all the time. Ranger fan sightings were akin to Yetti sightings. Now they're all over the place. The Cleveland Indians used to draw less than 10,000 fans per game. All of a sudden they got a new ballpark, started winning...and they had a huge consecutive streak of sellouts. Cleveland fans were revered for being some of the best in baseball. Flash forward to 2012....they're dead last in attendance, and it's really not even close. They sell a little over 14K seats per game...the next team up the list is Oakland, and they sell over 19K seats per game. The point is....winners draw fans. That happens EVERYWHERE!!! Losers don't draw except for: 1. a few rare situations with super old franchises that are deeply engrained into their communities (think Cubs); 2. cities with only one franchise but a large enough corporate base to support a season ticket base; 3. cities with a relatively new franchise still selling novelty (that eventually wears off).
lol...you are damn right championships from 17 years don't count anymore. a good portion of the fan base wasn't even born! in sports its always "what have you done for me lately". i am not spending my hard earned money on a garbage product. the rockets have sucked for almost two decades now!
You sure like to harp on the women/period thing but whatever. You called me a bandwagoner fan. Please tell me what exactly I am bandwagoning to? And as others have pointed out in the NBA its all about playoff success. Rockets havent had any in about two decades so in my book it means they suck ass.
Thats you buddy, I always believe that if you root for a team then you root for them regardless. It is not always what have you done for me lately. You dont necessarily have to spend your money on them but you root for them nonetheless. You should go root for all the teams in Dallas since all their fans are of said mentality.
This. I welcome bandwagon fans, whatever makes the game day experience more fun. (loud arena). My only trip I ever made to the TC for a ROckets game was one of the most boring events I've ever attended. (pre rowdies)
Only Tim Duncan? You need to go back and learn some history. Sure, they had Duncan but unlike here, the Spurs have (a) drafted well (b) been VERY good in finding foreign talent (Parker, Ginnobi) (c) enjoyed stability in their coaching ranks (Popovich, Popovich, Popvich) (d) have a tremedously well run organization that continually reinvents itself. Over the past decade the Rockets aren't even close and the proof lies with the results: The Spurs rank third among active franchises for the highest winning percentage in NBA history; they have only missed the playoffs 4 times as an NBA franchise. They have made the playoffs in 21 of the last 22 seasons, and have not missed the playoffs in the 15 seasons since Tim Duncan was drafted by the Spurs in 1997. With their 50th win in the 2011-2012 season, the Spurs currently hold the record for most consecutive 50+ win seasons at 13. Oh and BTW, they have won three NBA titles since 2000. Whether you like it or don't like it is immaterial. Facts are facts. I have been following the Rockets since they showed up at Hofheinz Pavillion and watched them throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s so I believe I have a good idea of what they are as a team and as an organization and that is where the problem lies with the Rockets; the organization. Parroting the official excuse of "Tmac & Yao Broke Down" conveniently overlooks all of the bad drafts, poor free agent decisions, years in the NBA lotto that yielded no players, the head coach merry-go-round, the inability to find top level NBA talent and so on. Instead of getting an organization that strives for excellence, we get one that wallows in mediocrity and excuses. Worse, no one in the organization from the owner to the scouts to the GM to the coaching staff has the foggiest idea on how to put together a plan for turning things around here. And to date, I have seen NO evidence that leads me to believe that change will occur in the near future. So go ahead and comfort yourself with the notion that once Duncan leaves the Rockets will be able to (finally) compete. That way you won't have to worry about OKC, Utah, LAC, Memphis - teams that actually know WTF they are doing.
just because you root for a team doesn't mean you can't criticize them. when we stop criticizing and stop caring, then we're no longer fans. i root for the rockets...they're the only NBA team i care even a little bit about. but that doesn't mean i have to agree with every move they make...and it doesn't mean i have to make believe the last 15 years have been anything but disappointing.
