Take the "not till they are above .500" pledge

[sturt]

4 hours ago, cam1218 said:

born into

But you're really not. Right? It's just an illusion that you have to support a team that wears the name of the city you're from (or close to where you're from).

It's not as-if the Dallas Cowboys feature players from Dallas, which in turn, makes me want to cheer for those players and that team. Not at all. They're all mercenaries from places all over the globe... who rarely have any actual connection to the city named on their uniform.

We as fans should stop making these owners... and I'm not just talking about Ressler, but all of them... feel like they own us. Among the reasons I stopped being an Astros fan was the smirk on Slim-y Jim Crane's face shortly after he purchased the team and it came to light that he'd negotiated effectively a $65m bribe from Devil Bud Selig to let his new team be transferred to the American League after almost a century of connection to the National (ie, as Houston major league and Houston minor league for Cardinals)... most Astros fans per Houston Chronicle poll were outraged. Can't give you the exact quote, but it was along the lines of, "Well who else are they going to support?"

No. No. No.

That's not okay.

Especially in this day that I can see pretty much every game of any team in any league of any pro sport without leaving my home... it's not a one-sided relationship. I don't have to conform to these owners' ideas of obligations of sports fans. This is a consumer choice, not unlike choosing a favored restaurant, a favored beverage, a favored car brand... I get to make up my own criteria for what product is out there that I'm going to select to obtain. Blackhawks? It was totally their public reaction to the Redskins controversy. Nationals? It was totally the premise that that franchise had been competing with my old team for the MLB's most disregarded franchise for all its existence. Cowboys? I randomly chose a favorite football card, and it happened to be Craig Morton. Hawks? I became enamored with Pistol Pete after my older brother said something positive about him.

Feel strongly that owners abuse their fan bases as a result of this secure feeling that they face no competition from other teams for their fans' affinity/attention. So, they really only have to win just enough ... it's not about the threat of other teams taking their fans, it's the threat of not winning enough and their fans going into hibernation. So to the degree that owners are made to feel more insecure, that makes for a healthier situation where us fans are concerned.

 

[cam1218]

11 hours ago, sturt said:

But you're really not. Right? It's just an illusion that you have to support a team that wears the name of the city you're from (or close to where you're from).

It's not as-if the Dallas Cowboys feature players from Dallas, which in turn, makes me want to cheer for those players and that team. Not at all. They're all mercenaries from places all over the globe... who rarely have any actual connection to the city named on their uniform.

We as fans should stop making these owners... and I'm not just talking about Ressler, but all of them... feel like they own us. Among the reasons I stopped being an Astros fan was the smirk on Slim-y Jim Crane's face shortly after he purchased the team and it came to light that he'd negotiated effectively a $65m bribe from Devil Bud Selig to let his new team be transferred to the American League after almost a century of connection to the National (ie, as Houston major league and Houston minor league for Cardinals)... most Astros fans per Houston Chronicle poll were outraged. Can't give you the exact quote, but it was along the lines of, "Well who else are they going to support?"

No. No. No.

That's not okay.

Especially in this day that I can see pretty much every game of any team in any league of any pro sport without leaving my home... it's not a one-sided relationship. I don't have to conform to these owners' ideas of obligations of sports fans. This is a consumer choice, not unlike choosing a favored restaurant, a favored beverage, a favored car brand... I get to make up my own criteria for what product is out there that I'm going to select to obtain. Blackhawks? It was totally their public reaction to the Redskins controversy. Nationals? It was totally the premise that that franchise had been competing with my old team for the MLB's most disregarded franchise for all its existence. Cowboys? I randomly chose a favorite football card, and it happened to be Craig Morton. Hawks? I became enamored with Pistol Pete after my older brother said something positive about him.

Feel strongly that owners abuse their fan bases as a result of this secure feeling that they face no competition from other teams for their fans' affinity/attention. So, they really only have to win just enough ... it's not about the threat of other teams taking their fans, it's the threat of not winning enough and their fans going into hibernation. So to the degree that owners are made to feel more insecure, that makes for a healthier situation where us fans are concerned.

 

Owner rant aside, I was born in Atlanta. Grew up and spent most of my life there. I love the players on the teams, but ultimately it is the team representing the city I was born in and love. I’ve always had teams I root for that aren’t Atlanta teams for various reasons, whether a friend likes them, they have a player I like, etc., but nothing will compare to the passion I have for Atlanta teams. 

We are all different, but that is my stance. I’ve always found a lot of the fans who just pick teams casually root for them, and the ones who root for their hometown are usually a little more passionate. Keyword - usually. I’ll never say somebody who spends their time on a message board for the Hawks is less passionate than an ATL born fan. Heck, I’m just happy we have Hawks fans out there lol.

[sturt]

6 minutes ago, cam1218 said:

representing

Yes and no to that verb choice.

Yes, the Hawks wear the name of Atlanta, and play home games there. And in the theoretical world where they were to ever win a championship, yes, the parade would be in Atlanta.

So, yes, to that much. But only that much.

 

No one looks at the players, coaches and staff of the team and perceives that group of people as being the face of the city... "representing" the city. Most people are lucid to the fact that they're all mercenaries, and Atlanta just happens to be the franchise where all of them have found employment.

 

And if you think about it, this is why it's been important to Ressler from Day One to try to persuade Georgians that his allegiance is to them... he recognizes that the definition of carpetbagger applies here... and it is part of the business model, then, to do everything possible to promote the imagery of his commitment to Atlanta... and I'm not even accusing him of being insincere necessarily, but just pointing out, cynical as it may seem, he is a businessman and his priority being black ink, he will always choose to make business decisions regardless. True to Atlanta was a smart tag line to adopt. I'll give him that much.

 

[theheroatl]

Where is the motivation to fix this defense. 27th ranked defense.

 

If all trades are not defensive focused then Landry and Kyle are bad managers.

Edited December 23, 2023 by theheroatl

[benhillboy]

Oh now I see why the Hawks haven’t been on their patented .500 pace this season, they’re looking at the bigger picture:

Hawks are 600-600 in their last 1,200 games.  Mind.  Blown.

Edited December 23, 2023 by benhillboy

[benhillboy]

5 hours ago, theheroatl said:

Where is the motivation to fix this defense. 27th ranked defense.

 

If all trades are not defensive focused then Landry and Kyle are bad managers.

The haul for DJ was such a blunder.  They may have thought they were getting a guy who could at least be an All Defense candidate who’s solid at the point of attack and elite in rebounds and blocks among small guards.  Nope to all of that.

[cam1218]

37 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

Oh now I see why the Hawks haven’t been on their patented .500 pace this season, they’re looking at the bigger picture:

Hawks are 600-600 in their last 1,200 games.  Mind.  Blown.

That is wild, I remember last year when we were at .500 at some point late in the season our points for/against were exactly even. Is it time to consider the image or a happy face and sad face an alternate logo?

[bird_dirt]

2 hours ago, cam1218 said:

That is wild, I remember last year when we were at .500 at some point late in the season our points for/against were exactly even. Is it time to consider the image or a happy face and sad face an alternate logo?

They do give us the best comedy/tragedy performances. 

[shakes]

Trae's streak is over.  Time to get back on the pledge.   

 

Meanwhile OKC continues to be a very enjoyable team to follow.

[bird_dirt]

1 hour ago, shakes said:

Trae's streak is over.  Time to get back on the pledge.   

 

Meanwhile OKC continues to be a very enjoyable team to follow.

Yeah, but I bet there’s no Thundersquawk.net, so have fun watching them play alone.