If there was one thing about New York I couldn’t stand it was those die-hard, live for baseball Yankees fans. Especially the ones who sit behind the 400 foot mark in center-field, up in those semi-elevated grand stands. They call
If there was one thing about New York I couldn’t stand it was those die-hard, live for baseball Yankees fans.
Especially the ones who sit behind the 400 foot mark in center-field, up in those semi-elevated grand stands.
They call the fanatics that sit there 80 days of the baseball season the “bleacher creatures,” and if you would ever sit anywhere near these people, you would know who they were.
They are loud. They are judgmental.
And if you ever cross them, you will be the next victim of their verbal abuse.
Of course this opinion is coming from a Bay Area guy who would foolishly root for the Oakland A’s whenever they came to New York, but you get the gist.
They love baseball. And they don’t mind getting vocal about it.
But there is one thing about them I have to admire. It is the one characteristic that the average American fan lacks nowadays.
It’s called dedication, and these Yanks fans live by it.
You might say it’s easy to be a fan for a team who won 25% of the World Series played in the last century. But I should remind you that these Yanks were a miserable team when George Steinbrenner picked them up in the late 1970’s, and they remained that way until the mid-90’s.
It didn’t matter if it was raining, snowing, or if the Bronx Bombers were under .500, those same bleacher creatures would dawn their blue and white face paint and wait in hour-long lines to purchase their $8 tickets.
These are the kind of fans I’m used to.
From what I saw last Friday at the high school football game at Vidinha Stadium, I fear I have stumbled into a community that doesn’t understand the concept of the fan.
And frankly I am disappointed.
Not including Kaua’i’s very talented band, there were only 100 or so Red Raider supporters cheering on their gridiron boys.
On Kapa’a’s side, there was practically no support. Not only did the band not show up (forgive me if they were conducting a recital elsewhere on the island), but almost half of them were Waimea’s football players dressed in blue.
Wait, were those “We Believe In Our Warriors” signs hanging around downtown Kapa’a a figment of my imagination? Was there a mandatory town counsel meeting in southeast Kaua’i that every resident had to attend that evening?
From where I stand, there has been a generous decrease in varsity football attendance from the very first Kauai/Kapa’a match up to last Friday.
It’s really very sad.
What’s the problem? Does everyone think this football season is over? What, so Waimea beats each team once and now you figure there is no point to show up anymore?
That’s just wrong. These kids aren’t the Yanks. They don’t get paid for this. And they don’t get paid to win or lose. They are out there in the hot sun every day practicing for these games, and they won’t score a single buck for their efforts.
The least we as a community can give these boys is a couple hours of our time.
I already gave the lecture about cheering in my last column, so you know how much I believe vocal support at games can elevate the level of play on the field.
Well, so can attendance.
What if Waimea lost to Kauai or Kapa’a in one of these upcoming games?
Wouldn’t you want to be there? And wouldn’t it be so sad to see a tight game end with no sound coming from the stands?
I’m not just talking about football. I am talking about all island sports.
Ever been to CJM Rodeo? Ever see those young kids ride those big horses and gallop after a calf with a lasso whirling over their head? They are quite remarkable. But this is just one of the events. You can watch Island kids compete in air riflery, bowling, soccer and cross country as well.
And while you watch your sons, brothers, sisters and daughters wow you with their athletic prowess, you can enjoy a parade-like ensemble of people in your community, acting like a community.
I am not saying the fan has to be fanatical like those bleacher creatures in New York. But take from them what made New York baseball so great for one century.
Instill that dedication, and you might get a hint of that greatness here in Kaua’i.
