Emotions and Reef and the crowd...

[TheDude]

It seemed Reef was more emotional in this game. It came I think because of the larger (18,000+) crowd was cheering and giving us that homefield advantage..you could see it in the players..

and then jt said in the ajc article today that he liked seeing reef that way and wanted to see more of it..

maybe that's the key? emotion? confidence that we can win?

we haven't learned to win yet..maybe that's what they're learning..

now if we could get the crowd bigger every night, that would be great... i think the guys could use it to bring that confidence...but i don't know what it would take to get the fans there...

more concerts i guess..or arthur blank

[jezmund]

The crowd definitely helps...... Why would they give their all every night when no one is watching?

[kelston827]

I'm sorry Jezmund but that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Why would they give their all???

1. They're paid millions and millions of dollars.

2. They're professionals.

3. They're men in competition.

Why in the [censored] wouldn't they give their all?? I know the sports world is fond of scapegoats and all, but to put this team's failings on the fans is absurd.

If you want the fans to show up then start playing 48 minutes of basketball every night. If you want the fans to show up then start acting like you care every night.

It's been talked about over and over how this team "looks great on paper." Well, their recent play aside, this team has shown how meaningless that phrase truly is.

[TheDude]

well you're both right with the risk of sounding conservative.

yes, they are professionals and need to give it their all every night..

BUT tell me no matter how much money you're getting, that you wouldn't put a little more effort, show a little more emotion, and drive yourself a little more at the end of a game when thousands of people are cheering and feeding you that energy.

yes they are supposed to work hard but it's got to be hard to work that hard for 82 games and losing..it's hard to keep that momentum alive no matter how much you're paid...

but working as hard as you can is different than working as hard as you can but then receive this boost from the thousands of spectators....kind of gives you that finishing boost.

[kelston827]

Did/do you play sports in high school??

Because I did, and no matter how many people were there (and believe me, my high school games weren't exactly hot tickets) I tried 110% every game. I hated losing. I hated having someone get the best of me, even for one night.

Yeah, that kind of intensity is tough to keep up, especially considering the kinds of athletes you're talking about at the pro level.

But these are grown men getting paid handsome salaries, so not only is expecting a certain level of intensity fair, it should be demanded by themselves as well.

[kelston827]

JT said it himself. Reef never shows that kind of emotion.

Yet you're asking the fans (who don't have nearly as much personal stake in the game) to pack the place with the kind of emotion that some of the players don't even display.

[Playmaker0017]

Kelston827,

I played high school up to college level.

What I found is that under un-ideal circumstances you may give your 110%, but it always falls short. Then something happens, the situation changes, and 100% is enough to overshoot your goals.

I am not defending the players, but even in professional work, a task that is menial or low priority or low recognition -- it is hard to put everything you have into it, day in and day out. These guys aren't even men yet, most of them are 26 year old boys. And to be a human is to have folly and imperfections -- No matter the wage.

I guess I am just saying that, I can sympathize. I can see that even though you try, the effort falls short. Kind of like running wind sprints. When you first start, you are a mad dash of speed. By the end, you think you are really moving, really hauling butt, but a two year old could crawl past you.

Those are just my experiences.

Play.

[kelston827]

And that is exactly what makes the difference between a champ and a chump.

There ARE teams out there willing to give their all every night (Pistons), and until the Hawks buy into that they'll continue to be a perennial lottery team.

[Playmaker0017]

Kelston827,

That ISN'T the difference between champ and chump. It is a contributing factor.

System is the true difference.

A system that is bought into and actually utilizes the teams key strengths is what makes the difference.

You can give everything you got, night in and night out and still lose consistently.

EVERY player will eventually slow down due to "earthly" things. Be it, lack of fan support. Lack of winning. Life. To not have it affect you, is to not be human. It is the amount that a person lets it affect them that matters.

Play.

[KB21]

Yeah. I played, and I know for a fact that when the crowd is loud and rocking, I fed off it. My energy level was much higher. My adrenalin pumped throughout my body.

I went on to play football at the JUCO level, and the fans at that level weren't into the game like the fans at the high school level. I could tell the difference.

[TheDude]

if you were right k, then you would never have any team go from bad to good...

let me explain it this way...if you are playing or working as hard as you possibly can...as haaaarrrd as you possibly can... then you add 20 thousand people...your adrenaline gets pumped and you will find an extra boost whether you want it or not...it's natural response...

i'm not condoning millionaire athletes slacking off..i'm saying when you've got more people watching you and cheering, you're going to have more pep in your step and be more positive...especially when you're winning...you feel like your working towards something...

reef's a good guy...he's human.

I played soccer in high school. I always tried my best BUT against a good team with more people watching and everyone cheering, you fed off the crowd to get that extra boost.

[curtisdj79]

"You play to win the game!"

[Guest]

Having competed with success at the hs, NCAA, and national level I'll say this - you should (and I think most of these guys do) give it all every night. I always did. But when the big meet came around and/or the stands were packed, giving your all becomes easier...and not only that, you give more. What you thought was your all before, when the adrenaline and effort were all self-provided, it was never the same as when you put your all into it and the crowd/excitement gave you more.

[kelston827]

You all are misreading what I've been saying. I'm not saying that playing in front of a big crowd can't provide a team with positive energy. That's not what I'm saying at all.

What I'm saying is that it's absurd to excuse a team's LACK of energy in front of small crowds or on the road because of not having a big crowd behind them.

There's a big difference.