Wake up, Gillette!
I have been hesitant to write this article, but after reading Mike Vrabel’s commentstoday, I’m emboldened to speak out. Fans, particularly the season ticket holders, need to get up off their backsides and MAKE SOME NOISE!!! Now, I know Gillette has seen its final game for the season, but this should be addressed now before next season starts up. Did anyone else notice how quiet the fans have been the past couple of years? I think it hit its peak in quietness during the Jacksonville game, where David Garrard must’ve thought he was back in Florida with the total lack of noise when he was engineering the Jags’ offense. Perhaps it’s complacency with the Patriots’ success over the past decade. Another theory could be the clientele that now occupy most most of the seats at old Foxboro Stadium.
Pats fans may be smarter and more sophisticated than other fans, such as New York fans, but perhaps they are too sophisticated. The more raucous fans seem to have been priced out of tickets and a day at a Patriots game. Tickets themselves are expensive, and when you add in parking ($30-$45) and the ridiculous price of food ($8 for a beer!), loud Joe Sixpack, the average fan, simply cannot afford a football game. I was fortunate to get a hold of a ticket for the Miami Dolphins game, but before I set foot in the stadium, I was already $100 in the hole, and that was with saving money by taking the train in. When I attempted to make noise and get the fans in my section to get loud when the Fins’ offense was on the field, all I heard was, “Sit down!” Are you kidding me?! Need further evidence?
When I graduated from college and was looking for a job, I worked part-time at Gillette doing security at Pats games and other events. When I worked the Club section and luxury booths, there were several “fans” who showed up in business suits. Business suits at a football game?! Many of these so called “fans” would also show up midway through the first quarter and leave after halftime. What a joke. Many of us dream for just a seat at a Pats game, let alone a spot in the Club section, and these guys can’t even stay for a full game?
Commenting on the fans at the Patriots send-off to Arizona, Mike Vrabel had this to say:
“When I was first pulling into the stadium I thought ‘man, we’re going to have to go out in snow before we leave’ and then as I saw everyone lined up, the kids, and the families, and the parents, it was cool. We were excited to go out on the field and see everybody – 15,000 or 20,000 – and those people were excited. We need to get those people at the games. Those are the type of fans that we need to get back into our stadium. I think that they deserve to experience this just as much as the people who can afford to come out here and to buy our season tickets. Those are the people who I think sometimes get left out with the cost of this game, to watch it, to travel. Those are the ones I’d like to see experience this.”
Pretty telling, no? Now, this isn’t an indictment on all regular season ticket holders or all fans that go to Patriot games, and it’s not a “class warfare” argument. I’m simply saying that the average, loud, obnoxious fan that will get up out of his/her seat can’t afford to go to the game, and those that can aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. When the Patriots Dynasty is over and it’s back to rebuilding, will these fans stick around? “Yes,” you say? Prove it! Put down your tea and crumpets (no offense Andrew!), get up, and MAKE SOME NOISE!!!
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11 Responses to “Wake up, Gillette!”
January 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
[…] AZ Sports Hub - Arizona Sports - Blogs - Radio - Forums wrote an interesting post today on Wake up, Gillette!Here’s a quick excerptI have been hesitant to write this article, but after reading Mike Vrabel’s commentstoday, I’m emboldened to speak out. […]
January 28th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Part of the problem is that the crowd noise swirls up and out of the stadium instead of staying in the stadium, so a big chunk of that problem can’t be helped. That being said, the fans definitely could do better.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
You do begin to wonder - I mean, trundle over to the Giants part of this site and every submission has comment after comment after comment, while if it wasn’t for my balderdash and piffle there’d be next to no responses here.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Evan
It is true that Gillette will never get as loud as an indoor stadium, but if you compare Gillette to Lambeau Field, Heinz Field, or many other outdoor stadiums, it’s not even close.
Andrew
I hope you didn’t take offense to the “tea and crumpets” comment. None was intended, and I look forward to reading your responses to our articles. Increasing reader response is something we’ve been struggling with for a while.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I think the problem is pretty widespread. the Giants fans complained about quitness and booing all season long. Several game-goers complained of the same thing. When they try to make noise everyone tells them to sit down. A lot of people even attributed this to the Giants poor home game record.
The reality is: If you don’t care about the teams playing in the game, then don’t go. If you don’t want to scream or to have the people around you cheer for their team, watch at home…
January 29th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Andrew - the Patriot Act is still growing in popularity. The Giants page has had a long history of support from the New York market and Giant fans outside of New York.
Last year I was the only writer for the Patriot Act and thsi year we were as high as four writers… so not too bad. Also considering that we all have full time jobs and we still posted everyday this month!
January 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Oh you fellows do your best, you post as often as anyone could reasonably expect, but no one seems to respond. That’s what I’m taking issue with. Does no one care what you’re writing? Sometimes seems to me like I’m the only fellow who bothers to respond to your submissions.
January 29th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
LT #56
The comment about Pats fans being smarter was in regards to statistics done about the average Bostonian vs. the average New Yorker, and you can read about it if you click on the link that’s embedded in the article.
I certainly hope you’re not challenging my fanhood of this team. I was a fan when we were crappy enough to get the #1 pick for Drew Bledsoe. My memories of Tony Eason and Steve Grogan are very limited but I’m only 25 years old and really started watching football with regularity when I was in the 5th grade. Perhaps other fans are bandwagon jumpers but nobody that writes for the Patriot Act is one.
Oh and by the way, my father and his friends were snatching up those tickets way back when the stadium was less than half full.
January 30th, 2008 at 9:16 am
LT #56
Glad you weren’t referring to me! But I do understand that there are bandwagon hoppers. The sophistication thing wasn’t referring to “football sophistication,” but rather social sophistication in general.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:50 am
LT #56
I have been following the Patriots even before Steve Grogan’s rookie year in 1975.
So the good, bad and ugly for 30 years! I will enjoy the Patriots as this decades ‘dynasty’ team and another super bowl victory.
but if as a kid i lived in new york and the football players treated me that well and a hot wife to boot -then i would have to agree with you!
January 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Jim Finn’s wife is pretty hot too, not sure if he’s still on the Giants’ roster. Injured reserve maybe?
Don’t forget guys, our QB is dating Gisele!
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