Fans are asked to treat Chiefs games like bowling matches

No I'm suggesting that fans standing and cheering loudly is part of the game. The first major league game I can remember going to was the Rockets playing the Lakers in the Summit with my dad and I barely remember seeing much of the game but enjoyed it anyway including watching the crowd get all excited. I once took a young cousin when he was 10 to see a game at Wrigley and while we had lower deck seats the views were partially blocked by the upper deck and columns we were there for the experience of Wrigley and if I wanted perfect views we would've watched WGN or to go see the White Sox.

The experience of a game isn't just getting a perfect view but enjoying the whole atmosphere of it. I mean when the stands are loud you can't hear what the announcer says so does that mean we should also be quiet so those hard of hearing can hear what the anouncer is saying too?

Except that it is the natural human impulse to get on your feet to cheer. What's the point of giving a standing ovation when we could express our apppreciation just as much as sitting down?

I agree and I don't think fans should be standing constantly but at the same time fan comes from "fanatic" and its the nature of the fanatic to act like a nut.

Is movie going the same as going to a sporting event? Do you feel that the protagonists on the screen want you to make some noise as that will throw off the timing of the antagonists? A movie, or a play, isn't the same as a sporting event, or a concert or some other event and there are different expectations when you go to those. I don't think treating a sporting event like a movie or a play or vice versa helps the experience of either. In a sport event the players expect you to cheer the actors on screen or stage don't.

 

Wow, that sucks. I have been to three Rockets games (all at Compaq Center) and I remember that the crowds there in Houston were all very quiet except the one game when I sat in the upper-level seats. The other two times I sat courtside and in the lower level. Sitting with those groups was like sitting with a bunch of snobs, especially courtside. There were people down there playing with their kids, talking about work, telling jokes etc. They were doing everything BUT watching the damn game.

 

QFT. I agree with everything you said.

The lower bowl (mid-court area) at the TC sucks. When moes and I sat down there for a quarter, we did NOT stand the whole time (we probably would have been crucified), but we stood and cheered whenever someone scored or something exciting happened. Say, T-Mac stole the ball and it looked like a fast break was about to begin. I usually stand up when that happens in anticipation of a great play. The jackasses on their iPhones sitting around us kept giving us dirty looks. I had my jersey and Rockets PJs on and whenever I sat down, the bored chick next to me would cringe and move as far as she could to the other side of her seat as if I were infested with fleas.

We were like, sorry, but this sucks. Back to the very top row of the upper bowl for us, because I'd rather sacrifice a better view for a better experience and atmosphere.

 

^



Ay si tú, mister "surprised"... like you didn't know... thanks, man.

I take my family with me to the games, but I am not against fans who cheer for their team. If the drunk guy in front of me is cursing, I'll ask him politely: "Sir, will you please stop cursing? There's other ways to tell the REF he left his contacts at home ", and I'll do that even if I don't have my kids with me.

If the drunk guy in front of me is chanting " UTAH sucks!", I'll let it fly.

If the drunk guy in front of me is standing, respecting the other team but cheering my team on, I'll join him.

Where's that commercial with the "Fun Police" with Kevin Garnett? They made all the boring peeps move up saying "Oh, no, these aren't your seats, sir" and moved all the kids downstairs.

 

In a sporting event, you say the players expect you to cheer. I'm pretty sure I'm able to cheer from a seated position. I don't know that your standing up makes any appreciable difference in the sound in an arena.

But the overall point made by most seems to be that, because a person bought a ticket, they should be able to enjoy the game in whatever way they see fit, even if that impedes the ability of others to enjoy the game in the way they see fit. And if they don't like it, despite having purchased a ticket themselves, they shouldn't come.

Why shouldn't that same standard apply everywhere?

And given that those who insist that standing is such a part of the game that anyone who then can't see the game they paid to see should just stay home has forfeited any right to complain about the selfishness and rudeness of anyone else.

I'm not saying don't have fun (because sitting and being completely still are not the same), I'm saying that there are other people there who might want to actually be able to see more than your fat ass jiggling in their face when they're at a game. Not asking you not to make noise or not to yell for the team or anything like that.

It's interesting that nearly every single person seems to equate sitting with not watching the game, being on the iPhone or whatever. The two things aren't always related.

 

They should make a standing section next time so that if a 5-11 guy stands the guy behind them can still see the game relatively well.. of course that would mean compromising spaces for more seats

 

Actually it does, although marginally, as raising the level of your mouth allows you to project your voice. That said if you think cheering sitting down is the same as standing up what is the point of a standing ovation.

Since your argument seems to be that everyone should be able to enjoy the game equally and to you that means sitting down so shorter people can see. Let me ask you again. For the hard of hearing should we stop cheering so they can hear the announcer?

In same vein many teams hand out thundersticks or homer hankys, terrible towels and etc. to waive or bang. Given that most of the time people are banging or waving those things over their head and obstructing the views of the people behind them should those be banned too?

My point is that you shouldn't expect to go to a live game with the expectations of having constantly unobstructed views or being able to hear everything. The crowd is part of the expeirence as much as the columns in the lower deck of Wrigley or Fenway are part of that experience.

Its true they are not the same necessarily but as I said part of cheering is part of standing. In college at our home games we were expected to stand pretty much the whole game. In fact I've been to pro-games where they've flashed on the jumbotron "GET ON YOUR FEET!" Now why would they put that on the screen if they didn't expect the fans to get on their feet and cheer?

 

Well I do think you have just as much right to stand as you do to sit...and people should be respectful of that. If someone in front of you is standing literally the whole game then you have cause to ask them to sit down...but if they stand and cheer when the game gets exciting and the home team is doing something good, and you have a problem with that, then maybe you shouldn't go to a sports game. This shouldn't be a black and white issue...it's not an either or situation...and I think it'd be best if all people attending games as well as the ushers try to find a gray area.

 

A standing ovation isn't meant to make the applause louder. The standing is to add an additional, but classy, element to the applause in situations where obnoxious hooting and hollering would be gauche. Obnoxious hooting and hollering are rarely in short supply at sporting events.

Perhaps. Or maybe there's another solution arenas could implement that would allow for the people who want to hear the announcer but who can't over the crowd noise. I would venture to bet that the number of people who attend a game in order to hear the announcer is somewhat lower than the number of people who attend a game in order to see the game.

ETA: The Toyota Center has assistive listening devices available to the hearing impaired. A solution, perhaps?

There's a difference between standing sometimes and standing all the time. There's also a difference between respecting those around you and being an arrogant douchebag who bought his ticket and is going to do whatever he wants no matter what. With lots of gray in between. I'm just saying that maybe taking someone else's feelings into account when at a ballgame might be the right thing to do. The original article and other opinions posted here seem to be that anyone who has different wants or needs should just stay home or just live with it (while apparently not being willing to "just live with it" themselves if the stadium itself attempts to come up with a different rule. I mean "Rule #2" on the Arrowhead stadium list is not to block anybody's view. If the original author could just live with it, this thread might well not exist).

Interesting that the obstructed views that are so much part of the experience at Fenway and Wrigley were specifically designed to not exist in newer ballparks. It's almost as if the people who designed a ballpark, stadium or arena within the last half century or so wanted every seat to be able to see the game.

 

I'm not gonna stand the whole game. But if its 4th and inches (or 3rd and inches)....3rd and goal Last minute of a tie basketball game, or bases loaded in the 9th I am standing. I'll be happy to move over a little to the right or left if someone can't see because there is so little blood flowing in their veins they can't get up maybe 7 times in the course of a 4 hour game.

As far as screaming goes. I HATE being shushed at a ballgame (lower bowl at Toyota Center is NOTORIOUS for this). Just so some guy who's cell phone costs more than my car can banter about how rich he is on the cell phone. I am not gonna scream profanity in front of someones kids, but I am gonna root loudly for my team, even if I have saved up and am not sitting with "my own kind" in the cheap seats for once.

 

Why stand though couldn't we cheer in another classy way? How do you define obnoxious hooting and hollering? Should we ban chants of "D-Fense!"?

Standing is a way of showing appreciation, for instance we are asked to stand during the National Anthem. What's wrong with showing more of that solution.

OK then howabout booster seats for those who want to stay seated while others stand.

Again I agree with you that people shouldn't be standing all the time but the problem I have with rules like this is that it seems like they are sacrificing enthusiasm for nicety.. You're right people shouldn't be jerks about standing all the time but at the same time it should be expected that fans are going to be enthusiastic which means jumping on your feet and making a lot of noise. Most people consider the best stadium experience to be college games yet one thing about most colleges is that the fans are expected to stay on their feet the whole game. Compare that to a situation where the fans are expected to sit on their butts.

Yet strantely enough there are no calls to tear down Fenway or Wrigley and they frequently sell out even when the team sucks unlike many teams with newer stadiums. The obstructed views don't seem to be costing them fans but are accepted as part of the experience.

 

Exactly!

The Vikings' latest ad campaign is about that very thing with players talking about how it makes a difference for fans to be on their feet cheering them on.

 

When I went to my first Raiders game we had decent seats, and everyone in my section was pretty much on their feet at some point. On 3rd downs everyone would get up and scream at the opposing team... It is freaking awesome to have everyone yelling so loud that the opposing QB has to call a timeout because he can't change the play correctly. You feel like you had a part in it. To me thats the whole purpose of going to a game, to cheer on your team in person.

I can respect somebody who sits there and cheers, as long as they respect that when something exciting happens I'm going to leap up to my feet.

But even when we sat with the Red Rowdies this season at the Heat game, the people behind us were yelling at us to sit down when the game started, I just stared at them like "Do you not ****ing understand you're sitting behind the Red Rowdies?"

 

I wouldn't have a problem with that.

Or perhaps there could be standing-room-only sections. That way, at least, I'd know ahead of time before going to the game whether I was going to be able to see it or not.

By the way, if you go to the actual rules at the KC Chiefs site, the rule is no "excessive" standing. The original article posted left out the "excessive" part of the rule.

I know I'm sensitive to this. For one, I recall going with my sons to the Mavericks games and have them not enjoy it because there was someone in front of us standing nearly the whole time. It was a waste of my money, and it certainly led to them not wanting to go to games after that, taking away something that I think we normally would've enjoyed doing together.

And, too, since I fully expect to be wheel-chair bound by the time I'm in my mid-40s, I hope that I can still enjoy going to sporting events without having to spend the whole time staring at someone's ass.... unless the ass is worth staring at (of course, I've not scoped out any of the wheelchair accessible seating at the AAC yet. It may be structured in such a way as to avoid such a problem).

I would venture to bet that those obstructed view seats are the hardest to sell (not to mention that, at the one Cubs game I went to and when I see them on TV, it doesn't appear that fans spend a lot of time on their feet. Baseball seems to have far fewer standing moments than football or basketball), . And I would maintain there's probably a reason why the other 28 baseball teams, the 32 NFL teams and the 30 NBA teams make every effort to not have obstructed-view seats. And the reason probably isn't so the views can be obstructed with someone's bo-hiney.