The Dogma: There is a franchise QB but less home fans in stadium

Arz101

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Can someone from local who knows a thing or two of what is going on shed light?

I mean, they apparently have a franchise QB and are not as terrible as the yester years.

Why are they losing games at homes and importantly why are local fans not showing as they used to in the last 16 home games or so to watch and support Cards?
 

Shane

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Can someone from local who knows a thing or two of what is going on shed light?

I mean, they apparently have a franchise QB and are not as terrible as the yester years.

Why are they losing games at homes and importantly why are local fans not showing as they used to in the last 16 home games or so to watch and support Cards?

This isn’t a new phenomenon and it’s been debated ad nauseam on this site???
 

Brian in Mesa

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Many are just casual fans who value money over being at the games and don't care that they are enabling opposing fans to flood the stadium. Worse than bandwagon fans because even when we are doing well we have fans that would rather cash in than experience the games. Others are diehards that will be there win or lose. When we win it is even sweeter because we were there supporting the team during the worst of times.

Began driving over today and discovered that our newly installed alternator failed. Barely made it home on a dying battery. Then what? Call it a day and watch the game from our couch (recliners in our house actually)? Nope. Put out a request for a ride to Glendale on Facebook and within a few minutes, a friend responded, verified our address, drove over, picked us up, and drove us right up to the stadium. Still made it during the first quarter. Texted a co-worker during the game and he said he could pick us up a little after the game so we just walked over to Cracker Barrel after the game and went through their gift shop, bought a few items, and two cold drinks, and sat in rocking chairs until our second ride for the day arrived.

No way we were not going to be in SFS win or lose.

Was really hoping we'd pull it off and get the W in front of all of the Eagles fans in attendance. Did get to see several friends at the game, including Ericka Lassiter, and @phillycard. Love the gameday experience even though these Cardiac Cards can prematurely age a person.

I personally have been to every home game since the team moved here except for two preseason games when we had deaths in the family. Those tickets went to Skkorpion and AzCards 21 (from ASFN) respectively. Used to get my tickets from friends or scalpers in the early days at SDS. My wife and I bought season tickets in 1993 and never looked back. It's not like baseball, basketball, or hockey where you have a ridiculous amount of games each year and you don't go to them all. It is 10 freaking games a year. Easy to plan around. People know not to invite us to anything on game days because we will be at the game.
 

Zalixar

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It costs fans hundreds and hundreds of dollars to attend a game. Cards need to win to justify a fan’s spending .
Careful, if you don't spend enough money and attend home games regardless of play, you may not be considered a real fan.
 

Brian in Mesa

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And what's diehard in your definition? By the $$ amount spent rain or shine?
Fans that are there win or lose and would rather be at the game than sell their seats. Not even talking about anyone who doesn't have seats so people who watch from home can stop being butthurt. This is about fans with tickets selling them instead of using them to go to the games. We have seen many of the same people week in and week out for the past few decades. Made some great friendships along the way. There are plenty of other fanbases that you see where the home fans show up to the games regardless of how well or poorly their teams are playing.

As for $$ as you put it - we don't spend a ton of money to go to the games. At SDS our seats were in the South Endzone which were the cheap seats (bleacher seats). After the move to the new stadium suddenly the endzone seats were prime real estate so we got seats up in the rafters for less just to get into the building. Game tickets, a 50-50 ticket (50 for $20), and an occasional souvenir cup drink, popcorn, or ice cream sandwich from the little retail pop-up shop. We pay our balance in full early each season and get $100 in concession money from the team. We have no kids and do not drink so that makes things easier and more affordable.
 

Zalixar

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Fans that are there win or lose and would rather be at the game than sell their seats. Not even talking about anyone who doesn't have seats so people who watch from home can stop being butthurt. This is about fans with tickets selling them instead of using them to go to the games. We have seen many of the same people week in and week out for the past few decades. Made some great friendships along the way. There are plenty of other fanbases that you see where the home fans show up to the games regardless of how well or poorly their teams are playing.

As for $$ as you put it - we don't spend a ton of money to go to the games. At SDS our seats were in the South Endzone which were the cheap seats (bleacher seats). After the move to the new stadium suddenly the endzone seats were prime real estate so we got seats up in the rafters for less just to get into the building. Game tickets, a 50-50 ticket (50 for $20), and an occasional souvenir cup drink, popcorn, or ice cream sandwich from the little retail pop-up shop. We pay our balance in full early each season and get $100 in concession money from the team. We have no kids and do not drink so that makes things easier and more affordable.

That's great you are financially in a position to do so, not everyone is and not a requirement for fandom. Going to a stadium and the whole song and dance isn't everyone's cup of tea (or for any long outings even), it doesn't mean they are any less of a fan.

Cardinals have never had a solid fan base because they have been a terrible team forever, most of their success in the last decade and a half, with some real miserable wtf years mixed in. If you want more Cardinal fans in home seats then the Cardinals need to stop being the same ol' Cardinals. That's it.

Opposing fans have always taken up a chunk of home seats, even in the SDS days (who had to use a college stadium for how long?? Lmfao)

Good relationships are two sided. Fans give a lot without much in return. If you want to march every home Sunday, great. It's great to have Cardinal fans than opposing, it's also the best fans for the owners. They can put in a half-a$$ effort and people will still give them money.

There is also thing as demanding a quality product. If you love Burger King and they started using cheaper ingredients to save money but their net profit increased so they don't have incentive to do better, are you still going to go there to prove your loyalty to that business because it's your favorite even if you dislike the new taste? Are you going to stop going there? Are you going to demand change? Are you even a real fan of BK if you don't keep eating their lower quality food?

In this scenario the only way BK changes is if enough people stop eating their food. So who loves BK more, the one's that keep eating it through thick and thin or the one's who don't to force the change for the better? Those that keep eating it out of loyalty helps ensure that the quality stays poor that's for sure, as long as enough do it. I would say both sides could love it just as much, they just take different approaches.

Sports are not the exact same, I understand. But just cause anyone who does or doesn't spend money or goes to games do not make a fan. It's about what's in your gut. Your heart. Your connection to the team. A bad play. A good play. The excitement of your team stepping on the field. The agony of a game losing kick. The adrenaline shot of a game winning TD. All of that and more are far better examples of a fan. But most of all they want the team to succeed.
 
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gmabel830

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I’m in the same camp as BIM (except with five tickets, because kids), but you just learn to accept when going to the games that:

1. A lot of seats on the way side are owned by brokers where away fans are showing up every week.

2. There will always be some fans who want to sell the premium games to recoup a lot of their investment while still going to most of the games.

3. We are a transplant city and fans of others clubs are much more willing to pay a premium to see their team as opposed to Cardinals fans.

If the team won’t try to do something on the first item (though not sure what they can really do), it’s hard to begrudge the fans in the latter two items.

Today seemed particularly bad, but you just kind of become numb to it and hope you don’t get a real ******** sitting next to you. I had Eagles fans sitting right next to me today (husband and wife), but they were very respectful and we actually had some good discussions during the game.
 

Brian in Mesa

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I’m in the same camp as BIM (except with five tickets, because kids), but you just learn to accept when going to the games that:

1. A lot of seats on the way side are owned by brokers where away fans are showing up every week.

2. There will always be some fans who want to sell the premium games to recoup a lot of their investment while still going to most of the games.

3. We are a transplant city and fans of others clubs are much more willing to pay a premium to see their team as opposed to Cardinals fans.

If the team won’t try to do something on the first item (though not sure what they can really do), it’s hard to begrudge the fans in the latter two items.

Today seemed particularly bad, but you just kind of become numb to it and hope you don’t get a real ******** sitting next to you. I had Eagles fans sitting right next to me today (husband and wife), but they were very respectful and we actually had some good discussions during the game.
Then there are those fans that have season tickets and show up in Cardinals gear every week...until their "real team" comes to town. Then they are there but sporting their Dolphins or Browns or whatever other team's gear. Have seen plenty of this type of fan over the years. :|
 

gmabel830

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Then there are those fans that have season tickets and show up in Cardinals gear every week...until their "real team" comes to town. Then they are there but sporting their Dolphins or Browns or whatever other team's gear. Have seen plenty of this type of fan over the years. :|
Ha.. that’s true too. My wife still has her Barry Sanders jersey if the Lions ever get good. LOL
 

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I live in Vegas, but had season tickets and used to make it down and back for every game in the same day. It's not worth it anymore. As the days go by, I'm considering myself less and less "die hard." It's this regime, but still.
 
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Arz101

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Going to a game to see your team as the road team is a different experience. As for home games I’ll go to 1-2 a year. I’d much rather watch on my big screen and use my own John. Not sorry.
Why should one be Sorry at all.

Cardinals are in their third city and why should one be a diehard and root for one team only and spend all their dollars on them especially when they suck most times.
 
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Arz101

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Twitter accounts say yesterday's eagles fan noise is something they have never seen at stadium...
 

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If I lived in the Valley I'd have season tickets and go to every game. I always enjoyed the live game day experience, used to go to 1-2 road games and 1 home game every year--when I lived in Memphis it was always an easy drive and tickets were cheap in St Louis.

The last game I went to live was the Vikings game in the Steve Wilks year. Life gets in the way now, between work, finances and all that stuff.
 

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I've come down hard on this in the past. Especially for the Green Bay game last year where we were 7-0 and in a contendors game at home and the stadium was full of green and yellow. That was a disappointing show because the team earned better support.

But right now, after not winning at home for a year? I don't blame any fans. I'm a "stick through thick and thin" guy but at the same time I understand with their home record and the way the offense is playing it's going to happen. The team haven't earned it.
 
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