h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You know, there are a few things about American sports that never cease to amaze me. First, they never really learned the art of crowd paricipation, esp. in baseball. F**k huge stadia, TOTALLY atmosphereless(except maybe for World Series, Super Bowl etc.), and we all moan about the detraction from of atmosphere since stadia became all-seater. I suppose that cricket and baseball are more alike than you'd imagine - viewed as immensely boring by all who don't like or understand or both, small crowds, little c/p, impossible rules - see what I'm getting at? Second(except in hockey)because the attention span of your average American is sooooooo short they come up with armoured rugby and basketball, most if not all final scores immense, those sports have lost the feeling of importance when a score is made. In football or hockey however, because they both move rapidly, everyone is watching, anything can happen and you're waiting for the release. The ball/puck hits the net and up goes the crowd. However a hockey crowd is slightly more detached because(this US concept)of the game's consistent fits and starts and the other idea of unlimited substituting, indeed Rugby Union is moving this way with unlimited replacements being mooted..............
However, an inspired subsitution in football and bang, it's in. What's done is done. Or the cock-up, wrong move, you're 1-0 down or back at 1-1. During this write, I've totally lost track of the original message so take from this what you will but here's a few parting facts.
Arsenal Football Club
Home-Highbury
Capac. 38,300approx.
Average attendance 38,050 over about 25 games

Anaheim Angels
Home-Anaheim Stadium
Capacity-40,000approx
Av. att. 28,000approx over however long (161 games?)
Interesting, innit?

Baldrick I have to disagree about the particiapation think. At a really tense American football game the crowd are constsntly making noise when the opostion are on Offence sometimes this forces them to use a valuable time out as the quarterback is unable to hear his radio piece inside his helmet for instructions. And the cheerleaders and team really work the crowd up at the crunch times.

American Football needs cheerleaders. That's not gonna happen in football except as half-time entertainment. Also, do those crowds make up any songs?

Well it has been known. They just have a different sence of crowd particiaption from us, doesn't mean it's wrong. They get the job down by putting off the opposition, we tend to encourage our guys as they do their job more. If your team wins you still walk away feeling as if you've done all you can to help out.

Now, now, Baldrick, you can't judge baseball fans by California baseball fans! They tend to show up in the 3rd inning, and leave after the 6th inning (to avoid traffic or something, not sure why).

Now, in New York, the fans are always into the game, and they certainly do make up chants and such, but I don't know if I can repeat them in a public forum...

- Shea (named for the Stadium)

Who cares

That reminds me of the content of the East and West stands at Highbury...half of it is late, half of it leaves five minutes before half time and gets back five minutes into the second half, and half of it starts leaving twenty minutes before full-time.

Oh, and here's an example of a Highbury chant:

ONE GUY: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TOTTENHAM?

HALF THE NORTH BANK: S**T!!

THE GUY: AND WHAT D'YOU THINK OF S**T!!

A BIT MORE OF THE NORTH BANK: TOTTENHAM!

THE GUY: Thank you.

THE REST: All right.

ALL: We hate Tottenham....