Would you attend a Silent Sporting Event?

[Dynasty]

To answer the question: Sure, I would.

 

But honestly, I go to ball games to just simply relax outside on a (sometimes) nice day. I'll pay attention to the game for about 30 to 40 percent of the time, but I also like to admire my surroundings, whether it's the ballpark itself or the view of the city skyline/river/etc. that some of the upper balconies or stairway ramps provide.

[MDGP]

Gotta love when someone criticizes others for not being the "right" kind of fan. You must be real enjoyable to be around. 

 

You know what happens when they don't have all those distractions? The fans sing songs on their own,  and as others mentioned, they drink, set fires, and try to murder each other while the game is being played to distract themselves. And those are soccer's finest traditions! People have always and will always have short attention spans and will do anything else at game. 

 

The only time anyone should give a about what other fans are doing at a game on their phones is if it puts them directly in danger, like it does at a baseball game. Otherwise, let people do what they want with their damn money. 

[The_Admiral]

38 minutes ago, Lafarge said:

You know what happens when they don't have all those distractions? The fans sing songs on their own,  and as others mentioned, they drink, set fires, and try to murder each other while the game is being played to distract themselves.

 

"People need to gaze at a miniature blimp sponsored by Taco Bell lest they kill for fun" is pharmaceutical-grade neoliberalism. Every piece of sponcon on the jumbotron should have "How to Save a Life" by the Fray playing.

[MDGP]

2 minutes ago, the admiral said:

 

"People need to gaze at a miniature blimp sponsored by Taco Bell lest they kill for fun" is pharmaceutical-grade neoliberalism. Every piece of sponcon on the jumbotron should have "How to Save a Life" by the Fray playing.

 

There goes the admiral again, pretending to not understand hyperbole so he can sneak a political rant into every :censored:ing post.

[The_Admiral]

Hey, I'm trying to be as jocularly hyperbolic as you are! I was gonna do something about a riot breaking out at a Dallas Stars game and instead of taking drastic measures to calm down the masses they just get Jumbotron Guy to post dead memes about Winnipeg.

[CaliforniaGlowin]

I haven't been to a game in years, it feels weird to me not to have commentary.  But I take it all in: the game, the smells, the sounds, the video boards, the fans...I'd go to a lot more if I could afford to.

[BBTV]

I’ll go a step further - would you attend a sport-free sporting event?

 

Honestly the baseball game is just a distraction from the hot dog cannons, bongo-cam, mascot dance, drinking, fires, and the wave. 

[Fitzy0220]

22 hours ago, chrysleraspen08 said:

I do agree that a "silent game" would be cool, however I don't find all the extra things at games a nuisance at all. If they are done right or if the team running the promotion does it properly, it is a nice addition to the game and the fan experience as a whole. Something like the Freeze races in Atlanta are an example of a promotion that is done right. It's different from what most teams do and it adds a bit more excitement in a lull later in the game (as much as I love baseball, it sometimes needs something extra like that to add to the whole experience).

 

What I do find more of a nuisance are when the sponsor is crammed into a part of the game where it doesn't need to be. Like I've been to hockey games where they throw a commercial for a sponsor after a whistle that isn't connected to anything at all. Or how every power play or penalty kill is sponsored by someone. I don't care that it's "the Little Caesars Pizza Pizza Power Play!" or it's "the BK PK!" or something like that. I get why it's done since you need to maximize your profits, but there's a much more natural way that it can be done.

 

As far as people going to the game and watching their phone more than the game or spending most of it in the bar, I personally don't get it, but it doesn't really bother me as long as their not being disruptive and they know the risks associated with what they're doing and admit fault if something happens (getting hit with a ball while looking at their screen for example).

As for all the extra stuff at games, it's what teams have to do now to get fans to keep coming to games. If you strip it down it sounds kind of stupid, but it's true. When I go to a baseball game for example, the main reason I go is for the game on the field since I'm a fan of the sport. However the whole reason I go to games is for the full experience. I want to be with the crowd on a warm summer day. I want to see what cool things that some of the ballparks have to offer, or see what else I can do at the park for an inning if the game is going slow or if it's really hot outside. As much as I love watching an analyzing sports, why would I spend $100 to watch every second of a 3 hour regular season baseball game in person (especially if neither of the teams are contending), when I could do the same with a better vantage point and decent analysis at home for free?

It was different like 30-40 years ago when most games weren't televised, and the entertainment dollar wasn't competitive as it is now, plus games were cheaper. But now the extra stuff and fan experience is what's keeping people coming to the games, and when a single game for a family of 4 costs the same as a one year Netflix subscription just to get into the park, you want to make that experience worthwhile so people will want to keep coming back to the park and spending their money there, as opposed to just watching the game at home. While I do like the games, I do think the extra stuff is necessary nowadays. The only way I can see a silent game happening is as a gimmick, or if they did a night dedicated to people with sensory issues coming to a game.

That is a Respectable Response!  I don't necessarily find all the extra things at games a nuisance per say, I just think it has pushed the Actual Game to the Back Burner in some cases! Hey it's your money you can do what you want with it, I just don't get why someone sits in their Seats during Warm Ups but then spends the Entire Game at the Bar (in the back Corner of the concourse) AWAY from the Action on the ice, did you Come for the Game or just to Socialize at the Bar...that's quite the Expensive COVER CHARGE if I do say so

When we go to a Restaurant, my Wife and I interact with our Daughter (use the backside of the placemat and play Dots or Tic Tac Toe or Hangman) and then you see these Parents who just hand their kids their phones and have no interaction with them at all (Parents on THEIR phones, kids on THEIR Phones or Tablets), we've been Complimented by random People and Staff in the Restaurant for Being Parents (as in that's what Parents are supposed to do with their Child). Like I said maybe at 46 I'm too old

[BBTV]

MOD EDIT: Let's not go there. 

[Red Wolf]

6 hours ago, BringBackTheVet said:

I’ll go a step further - would you attend a sport-free sporting event?

 

Honestly the baseball game is just a distraction from the hot dog cannons, bongo-cam, mascot dance, drinking, fires, and the wave. 

 

Other than the drinking, minor league baseball is mostly free of this stuff and is therefore the best form of baseball. Hang out with some friends, drink the crappiest, cheapest beer you can find and enjoy a battle between the Mariners' prospects and the Royals's prospects in Central Arkansas. It's the best.

 

That said, I'd like to be on the receiveing end of a hot dog cannon please.

[sc49erfan15]

11 hours ago, BringBackTheVet said:

MOD EDIT: Let's not go there. 

 

MOD EDIT

 

11 hours ago, Red Wolf said:

 

Other than the drinking, minor league baseball is mostly free of this stuff and is therefore the best form of baseball. Hang out with some friends, drink the crappiest, cheapest beer you can find and enjoy a battle between the Mariners' prospects and the Royals's prospects in Central Arkansas. It's the best.

 

That said, I'd like to be on the receiveing end of a hot dog cannon please.

 

MiLB has fewer distractions? I'd argue (at least in my experience) that it's the opposite. More promotions, more "fluff," because the vast majority of people there aren't die-hard Hickory Crawdads fans and are just there to watch some ball, drink some beer with friends and have a good time. The type of crowd that generally wants more bells, whistles, and cheering loud when the pre-determined opposing batter gets 2 strikes on him because they want a free sausage biscuit.

 

The Appalachian League (Rookie level) parks I've been to seem to be the exception to this. Seating 2-3k, no videoboard, limited promotions. There's certainly room for that too.

[Red Wolf]

2 minutes ago, sc49erfan15 said:

MiLB has fewer distractions? I'd argue (at least in my experience) that it's the opposite. More promotions, more "fluff," because the vast majority of people there aren't die-hard Hickory Crawdads fans and are just there to watch some ball, drink some beer with friends and have a good time. The type of crowd that generally wants more bells, whistles, and cheering loud when the pre-determined opposing batter gets 2 strikes on him because they want a free sausage biscuit.

 

The Appalachian League (Rookie level) parks I've been to seem to be the exception to this. Seating 2-3k, no videoboard, limited promotions. There's certainly room for that too.

 

Maybe there were more distractions but I was too drunk and distracted by my impromptu Ted Talk about porn star naming conventions to notice. Regardless, it was nice to attend a baseball game where I could sort of care about the home team (suck it, Springfield Cardinals) and be out in two hours.

[Quillz]

13 hours ago, Fitzy0220 said:

we've been Complimented by random People and Staff in the Restaurant for Being Parents

I don't know why, but I just kind of find this hard to believe.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Every Mariners game I've ever been to has been an opportunity to drink in an open evironment, chat with friends and co-workers, and occasionally watch baseball.

[Glover]

From what I've experienced living in Nashville and going to Sounds games, a minor league baseball game with friends is basically the equivalent of a night on Broadway at a bar/club. Your $10 ticket is a cover charge that allows you into the venue, then you can buy overpriced drinks and socialize. 

[Fitzy0220]

9 hours ago, Quillz said:

I don't know why, but I just kind of find this hard to believe.

How so? I'm old school mate! My Pops worked a lot when I was a young lad (hey gotta support his Wife and 4 boys). Pgh Police Officer, Giant Eagle (Grocery Store) Produce Clerk and when he had the Time, Security for either Penguins, Steelers, Pirates, Spirit (MISL) and Pitt Football, so when we went out as a Family (restaurant, mini golf, etc), we spent FAMILY TIME together. That Family Time is important to me. My wife has a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education (but working as a Social Worker) and a lot of the kids (she deals with) suffer from Broken Families, so FAMILY TIME is just as important to her as well.  People see that, which is a rare instance nowadays (because Parents would rather be their Childs Friend as opposed to being a PARENT)(considering there are now studies being done on the harmful effects of SCREEN TIME on a Childs Early Development) and they Compliment us on it

[IceCap]

@Fitzy0220 we’ve allowed this thread to stay open despite the contentious back and forth in places. We will close it if you, or anyone else, starts to use it as a soap box to rant about “things in society you don’t like.” 

Please keep this in mind. Thank you.  

[IceCap]

Back on topic.

I do not dare imagine what a game at Tropicana Field would be like without in-game entertainment.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

5 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

@Fitzy0220 we’ve allowed this thread to stay open despite the contentious back and forth in places. We will close it if you, or anyone else, starts to use it as a soap box to rant about “things in society you don’t like.” 

Please keep this in mind. Thank you.  

 

Can I ask him to start a blog? Because I'd read it.

[dont care]

1 hour ago, Ice_Cap said:

Back on topic.

I do not dare imagine what a game at Tropicana Field would be like without in-game entertainment.

Me and my girlfriend went to a Rays game once. Only entertainment we got was from drinking and a dance cam during some inning where we tried to look like fools. I don’t remember any other in game entertainment.