Study says Arizona Cardinals have most bandwagon fans in NFL

[AZCrazy]

It IS the stadium, not the fans. Since the actual NFL stadium was built, every last game has been a sellout.

Ya Heard Me?

Now it is a melting pot state, so we do end up having to endure a lot of opposing fans in our house, but the seats are sold. Even in the midst of 6,7,8 game losing streaks, 5-11 seasons, leadership transitions, the place is a sellout.

That is the exact opposite of bandwagon. Send those dummies a dictionary.

 

[chickenhead]

Fine. If the Cardinals still played at SDS and averaged a 5-11 season, they wouldn't be near the top of this list. The team is better, the stadium is better, the perception of the organization is better, and attendance is better. I wouldn't call it a bandwagon--I would call it obvious?

But I would always put TV ratings way before attendance to gauge a community's interest in a team. The blackout rules have always been short-sighted in my opinion.

 

[chickenhead]

This is consistent with fan behavior in Phoenix over the past 15 years. If the team isn't doing well, the fans are very quick to leave. The Suns in 2010 saw a sharp decline in attendance as soon as it was obvious that the team was going to be putrid. This was after a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

I'm not going to disagree because I'm sure many casual fans did fade away, but speaking as a lifelong fan, the Suns' poor 2010 offseason was one of the most frustrating times I can remember. It seemed like ownership was happy to count the receipts from an unexpected trip to the conference finals, but then squandered the opportunity to open another window for contending.

 

[MadCardDisease]

We're #1! We're #1! We're #1!

 

[Jetstream Green]

Those wagons where on fire when the team was playing in Sun Devil stadium and the loyal few still showed up to support the massacre... that small loyalty outweighs any number more fans may put in the stadium lol

 

[MadCardDisease]

agreed. Talk about the stadium all you'd like guys, but anytime there was actually a BIG game, the place was usually packed.

Then how do you explain the following:

In 2004 at SDS the Cardinals went 6-10 in Denny Green's first season as head coach. The average attendance at SDS was a whopping 37,000 fans!

In 2005 the Cardinals went 5-11 in the second year under Dennis Green and the final year at SDS. The average attendance at SDS that year was 42,000.

In 2006 when the new stadium opened and the Cardinals again went 5-11 the average attendance at UoP was 63,000 and every game was considered a sell out.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Then how do you explain the following:

In 2004 at SDS the Cardinals went 6-10 in Denny Green's first season as head coach. The average attendance at SDS was a whopping 37,000 fans!

In 2005 the Cardinals went 5-11 in the second year under Dennis Green and the final year at SDS. The average attendance at SDS that year was 42,000.

In 2006 when the new stadium opened and the Cardinals again went 5-11 the average attendance at UoP was 63,000 and every game was considered a sell out.

When the Cardinals were proposing a new stadium, they guaranteed they would have at least 48,000 in attendance each game.

Average home game attendance for the Cards first 14 seasons in Arizona: 46,698 (which is why they guaranteed attendance of 48,000 in the new stadium. Not too much of a leap).

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Then how do you explain the following:

You do understand how averages work, right?

Cheese said the place was packed for big games.

Crappy game = low attendance.

Big game = sellout or much closer to it.

Average attendance could easily still be like 37,000 or 42,000.

 

[Dude]

You do understand how averages work, right?

Cheese said the place was packed for big games.

Crappy game = low attendance.

Big game = sellout or much closer to it.

Average attendance could easily still be like 37,000 or 42,000.

The lowest regular season home attendance in any year from 2006 to 2014 was 60,890 per game. 2007 had more average attendance than 2009. I would not have believed that.

Big games or big name teams coming in with lots of their fans? I would say option 2 had more to do with it than just a big game.

Bottom line IMO if a team wins the home fans are there. The longer they win and the bigger the success they had doing it the more stay in the lean years.

When I lived in Washington back in the day we would buy noise bleeds knowing we could go down to the lower level after kickoff. Now they're the mighty 12th man.

The new stadium helped not only bring in more Cardinal fans but IMO out of town fans as well. The good and the bad as far as that goes. Winning more years than not and bring a title home will shove a lot more of the out of town fans out.

 

[MadCardDisease]

You do understand how averages work, right?

Cheese said the place was packed for big games.

Crappy game = low attendance.

Big game = sellout or much closer to it.

Average attendance could easily still be like 37,000 or 42,000.

Yes I understand how averages work. The question is do you understand how bad attendance was at Cardinals games before the new stadium opened?

Find a sell out for me in the 5 years before the Cardinals moved to UoP. Here I'll help a little:

2001:

Season opener against the Broncos draws a season high of 51,000 fans.

A week later the Falcons game draws 28,000 fans.

Not much better the rest of the season with games drawing about 30,000 fans.

2002:
Home opener against San Diego had a massive crowd of 28,000 in attendance!

Giants game the following week had 30,000 fans in attendance.

That year the Cowboys game draws 59,000 people with most being Cowboys fans. This game had the most people to attend in that 5 year span before the move to the new stadium. 12,000 fans short of a full stadium.


2003:

Home opener against division rival Seattle has a whopping 23,000 people in attendance! Even the second game against the Packers only had 58,000 people in attendance.

In 2004:
The home opener against the patriots brought in the most fans that year at 51,000. Not even close to a sell out of SDS! The rest of the games that year had 30,000-40,000 people in attendance.

In 2005:
The home opener against the Rams had 45,000 fans in attendance. Only one other game that year had more with the Redskins game drawing 46,000 fans. Again zero sell outs and nothing even close to one.

In 2006 the new stadium opens and every game sells out. Not one game had less than 63,000 people in attendance!


So remind me again where all of the sell out games were at SDS. In the 5 years before moving to their new stadium the Cardinals never got close to filling SDS! The year the new stadium opens they filled it every game. You think that is just a coincidence?

 

[MadCardDisease]

2003:

Home opener against division rival Seattle has a whopping 23,000 people in attendance! Even the second game against the Packers only had 58,000 people in attendance.

By the way, I remember this game vividly and it will haunt me for many years to come. Extra Large Packers fans flowing into my seat as their cheeseheads melted into a giant sweat cloud.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

So remind me again where all of the sell out games were at SDS. In the 5 years before moving to their new stadium the Cardinals never got close to filling SDS! The year the new stadium opens they filled it every game. You think that is just a coincidence?

There were only 12 sellouts and 7 were against the Cowboys, IIRC.

I don't really care, I was at every game - except 2 preseason games due to deaths in our family - and there were plenty of games that were rocking as cheesebeef said - sellout or not.

People just try to disparage SDS at every chance and it makes me sick. It was supposed to be temporary, turned into a long-term home for the team, and, to be honest, there are many things about it that I miss compared to UOP.

Go Cards !!!

 

[MadCardDisease]

People just try to disparage SDS at every chance and it makes me sick. It was supposed to be temporary, turned into a long-term home for the team, and, to be honest, there are many things about it that I miss compared to UOP.

That's probalby because SDS was the worst NFL stadium in the league at the time. Playing a NFL game there at 1pm in August, Sept, and Oct was completely stupid.

Other than location there isn't a single thing I can think of that I liked about SDS compared to UoP. They tried to dress it up some but in the end it still was nothing more than a college stadium that wasn't up to par for the NFL.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

That's probalby because SDS was the worst NFL stadium in the league at the time. Playing a NFL game there at 1pm in August, Sept, and Oct was completely stupid.

Other than location there isn't a single thing I can think of that I liked about SDS compared to UoP. They tried to dress it up some but in the end it still was nothing more than a college stadium that wasn't up to par for the NFL.

I compare it to the Suns going from the Madhouse on McDowell to AWA and seeing the crowd change. Place to be seen. The hip thing to do. Being told to sit down in your seat when you are standing and cheering the team on.

Specific to UOP: Bandwagon West Valley fans because there is suddenly a stadium nearby. Wannabe gangsters driving Volkswagens. The addition of the snitch text number. S.A.F.E. and their goons (not all of them, but many) singling out and harrassing home fans compared to visitors.

Location was great and to steal a phrase from Disney: The heat never bothered me anyway. You're going to a football game...not a country club.

And, of course, my personal favorite, with SDS the roof was always open.

 

[HeavyB3]

I compare it to the Suns going from the Madhouse on McDowell to AWA and seeing the crowd change. Place to be seen. The hip thing to do. Being told to sit down in your seat when you are standing and cheering the team on.

Specific to UOP: Bandwagon West Valley fans because there is suddenly a stadium nearby. Wannabe gangsters driving Volkswagens. The addition of the snitch text number. S.A.F.E. and their goons (not all of them, but many) singling out and harrassing home fans compared to visitors.

Location was great and to steal a phrase from Disney: The heat never bothered me anyway. You're going to a football game...not a country club.

And, of course, my personal favorite, with SDS the roof was always open.

I'll take a stadium full of loud, bandwagon cheering fans over a 40% full SDS any day of the week.

Why knock the bandwagon anyway? Every team had to go through that at some point. Die hard fans take time to acquire, many of them start as bandwagon fans and eventually just don't fall off when the wagon hits a few bumps.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

I'll take a stadium full of loud, bandwagon cheering fans over a 40% full SDS any day of the week.

Why knock the bandwagon anyway? Every team had to go through that at some point. Die hard fans take time to acquire, many of them start as bandwagon fans and eventually just don't fall off when the wagon hits a few bumps.

I don't mind a true bandwagon fan that's up front about it, but there are so many pretenders that claim they've been there all along - falsely claiming that they've also been there "since day one." Just having a short conversation with them and bringing up old player names and games and things about SDS quickly exposes them.

 

[HeavyB3]

I don't mind a true bandwagon fan that's up front about it, but there are so many pretenders that claim they've been there all along - falsely claiming that they've also been there "since day one." Just having a short conversation with them and bringing up old player names and games and things about SDS quickly exposes them.

Who cares? They are there now. Why would we disrespect our own fans, even if they are lying.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Who cares? They are there now. Why would we disrespect our own fans, even if they are lying.

Eh, to each their own. Embrace them if you want. Go hug that "I'm-a-huge-Cards-fan-at-every-game-until-my-REAL-team-comes-to-town" guy too.

 

[Bert]

Eh, to each their own. Embrace them if you want. Go hug that "I'm-a-huge-Cards-fan-at-every-game-until-my-REAL-team-comes-to-town" guy too.

The guy that sat in front of me for 6 seasons was this guy.

We did not hug.

I did give him a high five at the NFC championship. What can I say I was feeling charitable. lol

Who cares, every team has bandwagon fans, which is how I encountered an entire buffalo wild wings FULL of seattle fans in freaking Tucson last season. (which just further substantiates my lifelong theory that Tucson is the worst place in the world.)

We all know who the true Cards fans are, and we can wear it like a badge of honor.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

The guy that sat in front of me for 6 seasons was this guy.

We did not hug.

I did give him a high five at the NFC championship. What can I say I was feeling charitable. lol

Who cares, every team has bandwagon fans, which is how I encountered an entire buffalo wild wings FULL of seattle fans in freaking Tucson last season. (which just further substantiates my lifelong theory that Tucson is the worst place in the world.)

We all know who the true Cards fans are, and we can wear it like a badge of honor.

 

[cardncubfan]

That's probalby because SDS was the worst NFL stadium in the league at the time. Playing a NFL game there at 1pm in August, Sept, and Oct was completely stupid.

Other than location there isn't a single thing I can think of that I liked about SDS compared to UoP. They tried to dress it up some but in the end it still was nothing more than a college stadium that wasn't up to par for the NFL.

I liked the tailgating better at SDS then walking across ASU campus to get the the stadium. It seemed more personal then. But I've never had the opportunity to tailgate on the lawn yet. Only the small crowded parking lots across from UoP.

 

[Bert]

I liked the tailgating better at SDS then walking across ASU campus to get the the stadium. It seemed more personal then. But I've never had the opportunity to tailgate on the lawn yet. Only the small crowded parking lots across from UoP.

Listen, we all loved walking through campus back then, but You know you can still hang out around ASUs campus. I do it all the time. I mean I'm banned obviously but campus security never checks my new shrub where I hide.

 

[Weenus O'Baggins]

This is when I wish KoC was still with us. Call that dude a bandwagon fan and see what happens.

 

[chickenhead]

I like the bandwagon fans, because when they sell out the stadium when I'm in town, I can watch home games on TV.

 

[cardncubfan]

Listen, we all loved walking through campus back then, but You know you can still hang out around ASUs campus. I do it all the time. I mean I'm banned obviously but campus security never checks my new shrub where I hide.

Lol.