From: davidb@psych.toronto.edu (David Brodbeck)
Subject: Re: Dedicated fans? (was: Re: A Proposal For a European Hockey League)
Organization: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 16:54:31 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.150146.283@nntp.hut.fi> f31922c@kaira.hut.fi (Asko Tapani Huumonen) writes:
>In article <trmakuu.722102105@uta.fi> trmakuu@uta.fi (Marjo Kuusto) writes:
>>
>>>                             I regard Finnish hockey fans every bit as
>>>dedicated and fanatical as soccer fans in most European countries. In America
>>>people seem to regard sports more like an entertainment that they are paying 
>>>for than something like a religion. 
>>
>
>My opinions of North American sports fans are based on one baseball game
>(Houston Astros visiting NY Mets) and two hockey games (Vancouver at Los 
>Angeles and Toronto at New Jersey).  I admit that assuming the whole continent
>to be similar may be too much. But that's something they (at least some of 
>them) are doing to us (Europeans) all the time.
>
As a North American (Canadian) I think I can respond.  I have never been to a European
sporting event, but I've been to quite a few N.American ones (NFL,CFL,NHL,
Canada Cup MLB).  Los ANgeles has just become a "hockey toen", with the addiition of 99.

It seem pretty unfair to base any opinion on hockey fans here by seeing
a game in LA, (no slight to LA fans).  I was just at a game in St. Louis and
the fans seemed pretty knowledgeble to me.  Using your logic I could say
European sports fans start riots because this has
happened in England etc.

>Of these three games I have witnessed the Mets game was the worst. The traffic
>on the aisles for more hot dogs and beer never ceased during the play. The 
>crowd was occasionally loud all right but people seemed to shout for the 
>pleasure of shouting without paying too much notice to what was happening on 
>the filed. Or maybe baseball is just too difficult game for me to understand.

Well, if you did know about baseball (not your fault, I don't think I know
too much about soccer for instance) you would know that in the last few
years the Astros have been pathetic.  People like to see a winner, and
yes people here do eat and drink at the game, its part of the fun, but
I do hate people who stand up to go get a dog or a brew when the play
is on.
 
>In LA the fans started leaving the building while there was still ten minutes 
>to play the third period. The Kings were three goals ahead at that time if my
>memory serves me right. The guy sitting next to me never seemed to know who the
>Kings players on ice were (except a certain #99). I'm not sure if he had ever
>heard of Jari Kurri (who was playing in Italy at that time).
>
I've convered the LA fans thing.  If football came (big time) to Finland
and you were at a game with me and I said "this guy doesn't even know
who Gayle Sayers is" I don't think that would be fair, since the
game would be new to you.   


>
>
>
>Asko Huumonen                | f31922c@kaira.hut.fi     | phone 358-0-4522211
>			     |				| home  358-0-8043563
>----  In certain situations a good canister is worth a flood of rhetoric   ----


-- 
                          Dave Brodbeck - U of T Psych
                     The chickadees are not what they seem
                            davidb@psych.toronto.edu

Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey