then by the same token, what will you call most local Rockets fans since many said they became Rockets fan BECAUSE they live in Houston? You cannot deny that most of them won't be the Rockets fan once they moved out Houston, just like if Yao leaves Houston. --daoshi
whether you like it or not...Clutch's definition of a YOF is a little off. I admit I come here to this site to read about Yao....I watch the Rockets on TV because of mainly Yao....I want Yao to succeed, with that notion I realize that the Rockets must be successfull in order for Yao to have Stardom. I dont care about the numbers he puts up. Just as long as he plays and contributes as a player. I'm a Big Big fan of YAO..Yao plays for the ROCKETS...whichs makes he a Houston Rockets Fan.
That's a false statement. We have Rocket fans from Houston who live all over the world and are still huge fans.
but if Yao left.....would you still be here? if Yao left, would you give a damn about the TEAM named the Rockets? if the answer to those questions are no....then you are a YOF. daoshi.... I would call them fans of the Rockets....there is no shame in being a fan of a team just because you grew up in Houston....that is called hometown loyalty. We have people here from all over the world that are fans of the TEAM for whatever reason....they have been fans no matter who was on the team. Look at Smeg, an Australian...he has never to my knowledge lived in Houston...yet he is a long time fan of the team. Look at SJC...a German...I think he lived here for a very short time a long time ago...yet he is still a fan of the team. those are just two examples right off the top of my head...Im sure there is a looong list of others who may have lived here for a very short time while in school or whatever....yet...they STILL root for the TEAM. all of the fans that had never heard of the Rockets before Yao...and would quit caring about the team if Yao left are not in the same category... if some of those folks were to learn to love the team even after Yao retires as a Rocket (which is the most likely scenario) or after Yao leaves prematurely ( a most unlikely scenario) would be considered real Rockets fans. these are not opinions.....these are facts, and your outrage at being labeled as a YOF does nothing to change these facts.
Since we are talking about the definition of YOF, let me toss in a question from another angle. Will you still root for the Rockets if they move out of Houston and become, say, the Salt Lake City Rockets? BTW, how many Oilers fans here still root for the Titans?
If they kept the name Rockets I would still root for them. Then if Houston got another team....I don't know. As for the Oilers, I rooted for them until they changed the name to the Titans. Once that happened everything about that team no longer felt the same. I'm sure there are a whole lot of different opinions about the Oilers - Titans
now...thats a tough question....how bout an Easy question? seriously...it would depend on how they left..(which will never happen until Im an old old man since they have a 30 year lease) when the Oilers left....I was very unhappy with them because of how Bud did it.. and I dont really care how they do...given the choice between rooting for the Cowboys and the Titans...I go Titans all the way. but thats like asking me to choose between the Lakers and the Jazz. I really dont know the answer to that question about the Rockets leaving..I haev loved the Rockets for years and years and years...and if they moved...and it wasnt a Bud-type split....then I probably would cheer for them until we got another team in Houston...which would promptly become my favorite NBA team...but the Rockets would be my second favorite.
You're a YOF. Maybe once the team does well and you identify more with other players and the coach or simply getting pleasure out of watching the team succeed even when Yao does poorly, that'll change. And for the poster who asked if people are Titans fans even though they left Houston, I'm NOT... but there are lots of Houstonians who are. Weird. If the Rox left Houston... that's a tough one. As a Houstonian, I'd feel burned if it involved stadium BS. Non-Houstonians, I think, would remain Rockets fans. (Of course, this supports the notion that the name of the team on the jersey matters, not the city. )
I asked the question because I find this part of "fan psychology" very intriguing. Most real fans of a team still root for the team when they (the fans) move away from the original city. Many Rockets fans, including myself, on this board belong to this group. But when the team leaves the city, the "loyalty" might not be there. Not always. I still like the Titans because of the people I used to root for (Fisher, McNair, George, Mathews, Hopkins, Wycheck, etc.). In fact, I identify with the Titans more than the Texans because of my attachment to these people. I don't know what will happen once these guys all leave the team (Mathews already retired). So am I a Fisher-McNair-George-Mathews-Hopkins-Wycheck Only Fan? I know a guy from Kansas (he has since moved to other parts of the country) who was a Kansas City Kings fans. The Kings were horrible in KC. When they moved to SacTown (and still sucked big time), my friend kept on rooting for them. R2K, the name is probably important. But I don't think it's something decisive. To me, the people are more important. Oh, and there are plenty of examples where people came to become fans of a team because of a player. And then they sticked. I am sure there are people here on this BBS who have no connection with Houston. But they became Rockets fans because of Dream or other great people. And they stick.
Same can be said about YOF in at least two ways: 1. We have YOF from Shanghai who live all over the world and are still huge fans; I don't see anything good or bad with this. 2. We have YOF from Houston who live all over the world and are still huge fan; make sense?
If you look at the issue in different perspective, Murph was right, our two guards never identify the needs on Yao to get minimum pass of at least 30 passes a game. Yao was just a great passer for his height and I would'nt mind yao touching the ball more than anybody else in the roster. My only negative comment on Yao is his strength. He definitely needs to be physical more down low.
If the Rockets were to leave Houston I'd say I'd probably follow the team about as long as I still had a reason to be attatched to them. Meaning, once the roster lost all of its "Houston" Rockets I probably wouldn't care quite as much. I don't just love the team, but what makes up the team! I grow attatched to the players, like a family! I still pull for ol' E.T. Sam Cassell every chance I get (though Horry doesn't get quite as much blessing from me), and if Rudy ever returns and coaches elsewhere I would hope him nothing but the best. Kevin Willis is STILL the man. And even James Posey, for the short duration that he was with us, really grew on me, so I like to see how he's doing. And of course I wish Moochie great luck in New York and Eddie Griffin a triumpful return to New Jersey (as bad as it would make us look )! But I had a hard enough time just imagining the Rockets leaving Houston (Oh the PAIN!), so let's not play this game again! Oh and I definetly say anyone who Came to the Rockets with Yao and would Leave the Rockets with Yao is a YOF, plain and simple.
When teams leave cities, it is almost always under difficult circumstances. When the Oilers left, I had no interest in football, let alone the Titans, because of the way it went down. If the Rockets left and it were as contentious as the Oilers, I would have a hard time continuing to root for them, but I'm really protective of the city. Fan allegiances, however, do travel with them when they move. There are people who live in Houston from other cities who still follow their teams. It is one of the reasons why NFL Sunday Ticket and NBA League Pass are so popular. As for Yao-Only-Fans, the problem here is not their love for Yao or the fact that they don't really have any attachment to the Rockets. It is simply the inherent difference that is created between two different kinds of fans. A fan who is only interested in the player is going to be biased in his/her assessment of the team as a whole. That is just a given. You cannot be a huge fan of a single player and not have the tendency to view them as the center of the hoops universe. Also, because SO many fans adopted basketball BECAUSE of Yao, it is naturally going to result in fans with less overall basketball knowledge than most. This isn't to say they can't learn. It just means that it is harder to get an educated, un-biased opinion from them. Let's face it. Most people don't really understand the game well enough to make comparisons to last week's games or to other teams around the league let alone to compare it to basketball 10 years ago or 20 years ago. Most fans - particularly the causual viewer, young person and player-centric individuals - simply don't fully understand the complexities of the game of basketball and I'm not sure they want to. IMO, they'd prefer to just hang out, watch the game, complain about or praise the team or player(s) and that's it. Most aren't going to take time to contemplate back picks or the myriad applications of the screen and roll. Most aren't going to understand the wide ranging application of defensive rotations or sit still long enough to understand the basic mechanics of a good fundamental jump shot. As a result, you have a simple fan who just wants what he/she wants without any foundation in basketball fundamentals or the history of the game. That is compounded when that fan also happens to root for a specific player with no real regard for the team or even the game itself. You end up arguing points with people who don't fully understand the concepts your discussing or even care to and it makes, oftentimes, for poor conversation. It's unfortunate, but it is just the way it is.
YOF is the stupidest term/sterotype ever coming out from any fan forums. This thread exactly proves that. Being a fan is not like a contract/marriage. You can be a fan for whatever reason you like, for however long you like. LeBron brought Cleveland from dead water to limelight, Camelo did the same with Denvor. Yet I don't see any LOF or COF from Cleveland or Denvor. Yao brought Rockets back to the world map and people can't stand with the new Rockets fans because of Yao? Admit it, most people become a fan of a team because of: 1. They team is local, or 2. They like a player on the team, or 3. They like how the team plays (Kings, Dallas, not the Rockets for sure). If Lakers came to Houston and Rockets move to LA, most Houston fans will instantly become Houston Lakers fans. Would you label them Houston Only Fans (HOF)? If Yao left Rockets for Kings, most Yao fans would leave Rockets and follw the Kings. If Kings started to play like Rockets and Rockets started to play like Kings, fans who love to watch how Kings play would switch to Rockets fans. Yao's presence exposes NBA to 1.4 billion people who were not basketball fans before. That's the best thing happening with NBA and David Stern.
one last word on this and Im done (collective sigh of relief heard from the masses) lancet, the point you are missing about all this was clearly explained in Jeff's post...th esource of contention between the old school Rockets fans and the ones they have labeled YOF is that most YOFs have no desire or the ability to view the games and the teams play without looking at it thru Yao colored glasses.. Everything to them revolves around Yao...the other players dont matter unless they appear to be directly helping Yao or making him look good....It shows in the assumptions they make about what is said and done on and off the court....the constant whining and b****ing about perceived slilghts to Yao...even when there is no evidence to back it up... these kind of things are naturally going to grate on Rockets TEAM fans...with the exception of those fans who enjoy looking for the negatives....most of us who have followed the team think that if you are going to root for a player on the team...you should root for all the other players too....if you want your favorite player to get a chance to redeem his failures or be given time to work on his weaknesses without being crucified by the fans....maybe the other players should be given the same chance... screw it...I cant express what Im thinking near as well as Jeff....re-read his post a couple of times till you understand what he is saying....everything he said....I agree with all my heart. Peace
Jeff, I did say "most" of local fans, not all of them. We are talking about the particular scenario when local fans move out of the area, then lose interest in the team. Of course, I know some of them are still royal fans, but MOST of them will lose interest gradually by time. --daoshi
I think you are right lancet. This is the best thing happening to NBA also a best thing happening to Houston Rockets. It MAYBE the good thing happening to this forum with lots of fans.
Okay, let's assume this definition is right, then you have made a fool of yourself since you have labeld many people YOF based on what you think, not what has happened because you don't know if the guy will remain a Rockets fan until Yao leaves. It's the same logic for many local fans who said they are the Rockets fans because they live in Houston, there are quit a few here. If these fans move out of Houston, then they won't be the fan any more based on the reason they gave. By the same token, theses fans should not be called "REAL" fan. [ As I said you label people based on what you ASSUME what will happen in the future. That contradicts your other statement. So you are calling your future prediction a FACT? Based on what you've said, I don't think you are capable to make a logical statement. BTW, I liked Rockets after I watched they played my Bulls team in 1990. I like them more because I like Yao as a player, now I got labled as a YOF because you KNEW as a FACT I won't be a Rockets fan if Yao leaves?! What a smart ass --daoshi
Don't bother, 2K. lancet is the epitome of a YOF which is why he hates the term so much. If Yao-Only Fan made it into the dictionary, his picture would be next to the entry. Like the term or don't like the term, it definitely applies in here. You are more than welcome to build your own board for Yao fans and label the rest of us ROF's (Rocket-only fans). Of course, that wouldnt' matter, because ROF's would all be in here posting since this is a ROCKETS BULLETIN BOARD! Contrary to the belief of people like lancet, Yao did not ride his golden chariot into Houston and rescue them from the pits of NBA hell. Unlike King James, the Compaq Center did not see a marked increase in ticket sales last year and we are hovering around 13,000 per game in a brand new arena this year. With or without Yao, the long, storied tradition of the Rockets would survive. And, even if he ends up in the Hall of Fame, he could still wind up considered the third best center in Rockets history behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone. If you don't know that history, though, it's hard to get why defining the Rockets by Yao is so annoying to those of us who do.
