You Know What I Hate?

[Roger Clemente]

The funniest thing I saw happened at a hockey game. It was a small crowd, and a puck went into the stands. It landed right in front of two older guys with beers. One guy was standing, and he bends down to pick up the puck, when this fat little plop comes running full speed from a sction over. The kid slams into the guy's leg and tries to push him out of the way to get the puck. The guy starts to wobble, then "discretely" pours his beer over the kid. It was funny how he made it look like the force of the kid into his leg caused him to spill his beer. Unfortunately the man was asked to leave right after that. Most of the adults in my section thought the guy was right. The kid got what he deserved by being pushy with the free puck.

I remember one time at a Screaming Eagles game, between intermissions, they'd have people on the ice throwing items into the stands like frisbees, T-shirts, etc., using a slingshot. One night they were throwing frisbees into the stands and while a whole section of kids were going ape over them, one frisbee tossed in the opposite direction nailed this unsuspecting kid right in the nose. He started to cry and ran away. The people looking watching it were lieke "ooooooh!"

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[CDunn]

I can't stand most people at sporting events. I really hate it when, especially at hockey games, people boo or scream or yell at the refs when something happens on the ice. There's a hit or something and 5,000 people start yelling "where's the call, ref?" and I'm sitting there thinking "It was perfectly legal, you morons." Learn something about the game before you come. Know what's going on. Don't sit there and be a loudmouth when you have no idea what you're talking about. People here in Atlanta get really energized at Thrashers games, and that's cool, but a lot of the time they know jack about what's happening.

That pales in comparison to when fans pick on a player of the other team. I've only seem this twice, once at a Gwinnett Gladiators game and one at a Thrashers game. At the Gladiators game the entire section behind the other team's goalie was heckling him all night. They also chose a player, seemingly at random, and made fun of him all night, too. These were two kids, no more than 20 years old, leave them alone you fat, a**h****!! Why can't people just watch the game and leave the players alone. I'm not saying I want a quiet building, actually I want an energenic and supportive one, but let's leave the players be. The other event was at the last Sabres-Thrashers game in Atlanta. This one dude sitting next to me kept making stupid comments to Andrew Peters, the Sabres newest enforcer. Plus he was wearing a Thrashers 3rd, so I really hated him. We were sitting about 4 or 5 rows behind the Sabre bench and this guy just would not shut up the entire game. It makes no sense to me. He's obviously better than you, with your beer belly and trendy jersey, so why do you say he sucks? Grow the f* up. So many immature 40 year olds walking around.

That leads me to another point about things that annoy me: when people say someone sucks. Man, that gets on my nerves. Whomever you're talking about is good enough to get payed to play a sport at the highest level. Where does the suck factor come in? He may not be a superstar, but a lot of people with more knowledge than you think he's worth something. Guys that are payed to put people on these teams, so they know more than a lonely cubicle dweller. Anybody playing a pro sport is better than a helluva lot of other guys, thus nixing the sucking part.

And finally, the guys I hate most at sporting events are the guys who have had a little too much to drink and start taking everything a little too personally. You've all seen them. You're walking out of the arena and it's the guy that's really loud behind you. But it's worse when you're cheering on the other team. Wearing a Buffalo jersey to Sabres-Thrashers games catches me a lot of crap from the drunks guys on the way out. At the last one, the Sabres rallied from behind to beat the Thrashers 5-3 or something. It was awesome. So I'm walking out with my friend, whose in his Thrashers home jersey, and I give a little fist pump to another guy in a Sabres jersey I see. All of the sudden there's this guy in an Atlanta Flames jersey grabbing my arm using all sorts of non-repeatable phrases trying to fight me. This guy's maybe late 30's, 5'9", trying to cover up his quickly receding hairline and he wants to fight me. He'd obviously had a few too many, and made a poor choice of who to fight considering I had about a half foot on him and I weighed probably fifty pounds more, and I'm a lot younger. The worst part is his young daughter was with him. I felt bad for the girl for having such a jerk for a dad. I told him to grow up and stop picking on 17 year old kids and I kept walking. Those are the people at games I really can't stand.

Moral of this needlessly long post: A lot of people have a bunch of growing up to do. Oh yeah, and leave the kids alone.

[paynomind]

Geesh, Sabres.

I LIKE harrassing the other team. Its what makes guys say, "wow, i hate playing in ______ their fans really get to me." And that is an awesome thing! I think you may have a skewed viewpoint of it all, being a Sabres fan watching your games in the visitors arena. I'd reccomend that you buy yourself a Thrashers 3rd, and cheer for your home team, thusly reversing your ill feelings towards those who harrass the visiting team.

Suckage does not mean that the person you have attributed that label to cannot play, is worthless on the free agent markets, or is old enough to be harrassed. It means you dont like their style, their personality, and/or their team. Derek Jeter sucks. Why? because he is a snide, stuckup, pretty boy, and he plays for the Yankees. Thusly - Jeter sucks. That doesn't mean he is worthless on the baseball field, and that I am a better overall human being than him. It just means that I don't like what I have heard him say, and I dont liek the team he is on. Sports suckage is very aprticular, and apppropriate.

Yes, I agree, at Thrashers games folks get fired up, and yes, they dont always know the right call, and look for penaltys against the other teamm too much, and dont like seeing them against their boys ever. Wow, what a novel concpet. EVERY home crowd is like that about EVERY sport! Everyone is like that about everything! You pass someone on the interstate, and they are a moron for going too slow... a guy blows by you, and he is an idiot for going too fast. Its all a matter of perspective. I, for one, say stand up! Cheer! Boo! Toss insults! Get fired up and excited and into the the game, and you will enjoy yoru experience.

Guys that have a little too much to drink... sometimes, that is me. But the guys who want to pick a fight? Those guys are morons. Now, dont get me wrong. If I am at a Thrashers game, and I see you in your Buffalo Slobbers jersey, I'm gonna rasie my voice and say, "Go home, Sabres fan!" or maybe "Sabres Suck!" because you ar ein MY house, and thats what you get. Fight? Hell no. I lov emy team, but so do you. nothing wrong with that.

[winters in buffalo]

People must really hate me when the Sabres are in town, because I'm the guy in the visiting team's jersey, loudly cheering on MY team. And the arguement that you paid to see your team, so I should shut up, just doesn't work... because I paid your team, too... for the chance to see mine. I don't see you paying mine for the same opportunity.

The best was a Sabres-Canes game back in January. It was snowing and the Sabres were owning the Canes, so by the 3rd period, Buffalo fans had overrun the place. I was the jackass up in the 300's, waving my jersey and yelling, "It's our house now!".

Back on topic.. what I truly hate is the lack of replays... I want to see what the officials are debating. I want another look at a great goal. Despite all the added video equipment, in-house replays have noticably dried up in the past few years.

[MilTownMVP]

The funniest thing I saw happened at a hockey game. It was a small crowd, and a puck went into the stands. It landed right in front of two older guys with beers. One guy was standing, and he bends down to pick up the puck, when this fat little plop comes running full speed from a sction over. The kid slams into the guy's leg and tries to push him out of the way to get the puck. The guy starts to wobble, then "discretely" pours his beer over the kid. It was funny how he made it look like the force of the kid into his leg caused him to spill his beer. Unfortunately the man was asked to leave right after that. Most of the adults in my section thought the guy was right. The kid got what he deserved by being pushy with the free puck.

Well I'm glad our city has more class than that... we don't waste good beer on snot nosed brats

[habsfannova]

That leads me to another point about things that annoy me: when people say someone sucks. Man, that gets on my nerves. Whomever you're talking about is good enough to get payed to play a sport at the highest level. Where does the suck factor come in? He may not be a superstar, but a lot of people with more knowledge than you think he's worth something. Guys that are payed to put people on these teams, so they know more than a lonely cubicle dweller. Anybody playing a pro sport is better than a helluva lot of other guys, thus nixing the sucking part.

I couldn't agree more. Especially when guys who can't even skate say certain hockey players "suck". Pisses the hell out of me.

[winters in buffalo]

Well I'm glad our city has more class than that... we don't waste good beer on snot nosed brats

Good beer? I thought you were from Milwaukee.

[random]

i hate when they dont show controversial calls on the replay board at baseball games. its the publics right to know, dammit

[NJTank]

I agree and if the umps dont like tough :censored: get the call right and there is no need to worry.

[CC97]

Heh, that's funny sabres7200... i used to heckle Andrew Peters when he was a teenager playing in Oshawa... although he was on the home team we had a pseudo-feud, where he'd make faces at me during warm-ups and stuff... fun times.

[CDunn]

There's a difference between being an active fan and an idiot. I got no problem with people cheering and stuff, heck, I'm one of those guys. It's when people turn it from a positive thing to a negative thing that bothers me. I love sitting in a massive group of enthusiastic fans and cheering, talking, chanting, whatever. I was at a Cards-Braves game here once and was sitting in what turned out to be a nest of Cardinal fans. My dad used to live in STL, so he was thrilled, and it was fun for me because I didn't really prefer one team over the other so I just enjoyed being a Card fan for the afternoon. It was really loud, but it was all kept in the positive spectrum. That's fun. What's not is the three idiots a few aisle back who pick a player and whenever he's on the field/ice or what have you are yelling " EEEEDMONDS(any name will do), EEEEDMONDS, EEEEDMONDS, YOU SUCK!" What's the flippin' point? He can't hear you anyways. A few people who don't know any better don't make it a tough building to play in. A loud, energenic building cheering on their home team make it hard to play in.

As for your point about Thrashers fans' knowledge being no worse, you're right. I'm not trying to say that just Thrasher fans are stupid, but I was using my personal experience to make my point. When I said "especially at Thrashers games", I meant that because I really don't hear it as much at Braves games. I haven't been to a Falcons game in years, and nobody goes to Hawks games, so I'm limited to Braves and Thrashers. Everybody knows the rules of baseball. You'll get a few real morons who yell at everything and don't know what's legal and what's not. But at Thrashers games, there are a lot more people who don't know a lot about the game. As I would expect with a lot of arenas with newer teams, especially in non-traditional hockey cities. It doesn't bother me really when there is something legitimate to get rilled up about or boo or whatever, but when there is a solid check into the boards and people think it was some terribly viscious illegal hit and start yelling that is annoying. Knowledgable fans kick ass. Dumb ones just annoy.

w_i_b is right. In house replays have been lacking and need a comeback.

Jeter is a jack*** and he's one athlete I really really can't stand, like Brett Hull. But they aren't sucky players. They are just evil. What I was more referring to is when people say someone like Matthew Barnaby sucks. Personally, I think he's a great player. He won't get you a lot of goals, maybe 5 a year, but that's not his job. His job is to be physical and to be a chigger in the other guys skin. He's not an elite player, but he doesn't suck. Denver is willing to pay him money, and when a top tier team like that wants you, you don't suck.

[MC Buffalo]

What I hate is fans who think that the only way to enjoy a sporting event is their way.

They don't quite understand that to some people a day at the ballpark is simply a nice day to be out in the nice weather with a few friends, having a few drinks and maybe catching a few innings in the process.

Or they don't understand that the guy in the suit in the best seats earned the right to miss the beginning of the game or the whole second period because he paid top dollar for that seat and he is one of the reasons that the city he is in still has a hockey team

Or they don't understand that since that guy in the Yankees uniform is attending a Red Sox/Devil Rays game in the United States of America so he is allowed to wear whatever he likes (within decency laws of course). And remember some other fans would say that if he were a true Yankee fan he couldn't also be a fan of the Red Sox or Devil Rays since they are all in the American League, so what other jersey is he ever going to wear?

Everyone enjoys being at sporting events for different reasons, whether your a die hard fanatic for the sport, want to spend a nice day at the park, or love your boyfriend so much that you accompany him to a hockey game even though you could care less about ice, vulcanized rubber or composite graphite. Everyone has a right to be there and experience it in their own way.

*** note - all similarities between these ficticous fans and any real fans on this board or otherwise are completely coincidental.... OR ARE THEY?

[slapshot]

Everyone has the right to enjoy the event in their own way, as long as their enjoyment does not infringe upon the same rights as other spectators.

I don't mean that you cheering for one team ruins it for fans of the other team sitting next to you. But it doesn't give you the right to continually harass, physically threaten or harm, or any other action which may prevent those fans from viewing the contest. If you want to bring a banner or sign, fine, but once the action starts, take it down so other fans can see the game. Don't constantly blow noisemakers or scream into the ears of the fans directly in front of you. Don't make an ass of yourself and make others around you uncomfortable or afraid. If you can't behave within reason at an event, stay home.

A little playful taunting is ok, but after a while just give it up. I have worn my Lock Monsters jersey on a few road trips, and most of the fans in other cities are great. Portland, Saint john, Manchester, Worcester, even Hartford. A little fun ribbing now and then, but most of the fans are respectful and happy to have our money. I've even wore my Red Sox jersey right into Yankee Stadium, and except for the occasional comment, no problem. But other cities, like Albany and Providence, the fans are borderline abusive. If you feel threatened just by supporting your team, there's the problem right there.

[spyboy1]

AM I alone here thinking do the wave is fun.

You are almost always entirely alone here.

Things I HATE;

1) Kids who kick the back of your seat.

1a) Parents of kids who don't know that their children are irritating.

2) The Wave.

Gentlemen, I have noticed a clear trend in who tries to instigate The Wave.

Honestly, it's always effeminate 16-year-old boys sitting in the outfield cheap seats who aren't paying any attention to the game. Then, when the wave doesn't catch on, they stomp their little feet and throw their arms down in a petulant sign of their girly frustration. The secretly want to be cheerleaders and this is their one big chance to be one in public.

What they really need to do is learn how to score a ballgame and keep a scorecard.

3) Late teenage & college age boys who yell out or use really vulgar language pretty much every sentance that comes out of their mouth when sitting right by a father there with a kid aged 4 to 9 years old. It's just so clueless and utterly without class.

4) People in the expensive seats, usually wearing business attire, who spend the first 3/4 of the game in the bar. Then when the third period is half over, they come and kick the squatters out of their seats who have been there the whole game, sit down and IMMEDIATELY turn their heads sideways to the action and blabber at their dates for the rest of the game.

What I LOVE;

When those rich jerks put thier drinks on the ledge by the glass and it all gets LAUNCHED all over them with the first hard bodycheck that comes their way.

JeffB

[MilTownMVP]

Well I'm glad our city has more class than that... we don't waste good beer on snot nosed brats 

Good beer? I thought you were from Milwaukee.

Hey now, when Genuine Draft comes off the tap it IS good beer. Buh-lee that.

Can't say the same for Lite though...

[Thad]

Honestly, it's always effeminate 16-year-old boys sitting in the outfield cheap seats who aren't paying any attention to the game. Then, when the wave doesn't catch on, they stomp their little feet and throw their arms down in a petulant sign of their girly frustration. The secretly want to be cheerleaders and this is their one big chance to be one in public.

What they really need to do is learn how to score a ballgame and keep a scorecard.

Let's see 16 - Check

Out field cheap seats - Check

Not paying attention to the game - No check

Stomped off - Check (well ran off, nature called, but I waited till the stretch)

showed girly frustration - No check (my girlfriend was there, she got mad)

want to be a cheer leader - sister's job, not mine

Know how to keep a scorecard- Who doesn't? they put it on the scoreboard half the time

Though I'm obiviously not the ordinary 16 yr old according to this... Most people in my class would definately fit into all those categories... stupid kids....

And, I hate the guy that has the big plastic horn and blows it the whole game, and so you can't hear the big hit. And the lil kid behind you that leans over the upper deck railing saying he's scared, w/ the parent who asks if he is scared

[zer0dotcom]

here's one for the hockey fans;

when the game is in progress, and some jerks decide it is hte perfect time to stand up and go to get a drink, or it's time to come down to their seats, they go very slow, they talk to the people they need to move, and you can't see the game. arg, nothing is worse than that. when I'm on the isle, and the game is on, I don't move for anyone or anything (maybe an emergency)