Now i know this is probably gonna start something so im gonna be as clear as i can be. I know that everyone on this forum are true CFL fans of not only the league but their respected teams, so i am not reffering to anyone on this forum in this post. Im a rider fan living in Alberta Saskatchewan, and lately ever since oh i dont know maybe last November I've started to notice that the population of Stampeder fans have gone up, from 5-45. Now im curious will this all end if Hank and his band of merry men don't go all the way this year? Will green be the dominant color across these 2-3 provinces again? I just don't know
:PIt sort of works out that way. People will support winners but only die hards will support a losing team. But irronically it makes sense from a financial stand point to have it work out that way. Use the Leafs as an example, they make money hand over fist do you think they really care about putting a winner on the ice? Much like the Yankee's they go after big names to appease the fan base so they can point to who they got and say LOOK WE'RE TRYING SEE.
If we didn't have band wagon fans what would be the incentive to put a winning product on the field if your owner didn't want to win?
Although you seem to have travelled a long ways to come up with yet another gratuitous Riders comment, I will respond. Although Calgary has always been a bit of a "bandwagon" city, this years resurgence should come as no surprise and not just because they are defending champions. They are also hosting the Grey Cup and this combined with last years Grey Cup win has resulted in higher than normal transient fan involvement. Look for that 'soft' support to drop some next year, with or without a championship. Also look for Edmontons 'soft' support to go up a little next season, due to hosting the big game. Unless there is some kind of miracle in the works, you can expect the Riders 'soft' support to wane in the coming years if the sub par performance continues, although their 'soft' support in not nearly as prominent as Calgary's. Then again they are the only game in town so there aint a lot of compitition for the sports entertainment dollar.
It's very simple.
Winning = Fans
Losing = Diehard fans
It happens everywhere. A good example is SSK. They have been good the last 3 years and everyone is now on their bandwagon. The stadium is selling out, they never sold out when they were losing. Everyone is saying, build a bigger stadium, we will sell that out too. Hold your horses.
Hamilton has been bad for a while now and even last year, when things went way down hill, we were still averaging 20,000 fans per game. Those are the true fans. (Yes, I am a season ticket holder now for 4 years and have no intention of giving up my tickets)
It's easy to cheer a winner. Very easy but it's when your team loses that you see who the true fans are.
I have a philosophy on the teams that I root for. I root for losers. Let's review:
-Ticats
-Blue Jays, might actually have a chance after missing playoffs for 16 years
-Bills, no playoffs again this year
-Sabres, an 8th seed at best next year
-Raptors, just plain terrible
Rooting for a loser is great because when they do win or make the playoffs, it just feels so good.
The best example I have ever heard is about the Yankees. They spend 200 mil on players every year. They are expected to win. When they win the World Series how happy are you really? They were supposed to win.
If your team wins year after year, it kinda gets boring, just ask the Atlanta Braves. Most people would take making the playoffs 16 years or whatever in a row but their attendance didn't reflect a winning team. They never sold out every game and a lot of playoff games weren't sold out.
It will be funny to see all the people who will be wearing Red Wing or Magic/Lakers championship shirts or hats in the next few weeks.
shouldnt it be bandjowagon?
there were a lot of poeple i feel in the southern alberta region that were saying for quite some time "if the stampeders can win just a little, i will start going again" so i guess thats bandwagon. i found there was a lot of support grow from last year when they brought in the new head coach. also, the advertising this year has been outstanding. we had a lot more cfl and stampeder talk on the sports radio (fan 960) during the off season. much more then usual. Even the alternative music station gave much more arttention to the stampeders then normal. Hank does a lot more in the community then a lot of players have in the past. also the large support that burris and labingo have shown for the big brothers program, and many celebrity charitable events in Calgary has reaslly sparked a lot of interest in the stamps... and also.. the flames pooped the bed again. Are there bandwagon fans now with my team? yes... but a least let me enjoy it while it lasts 
Oh so true.
I remember all the BC Lions posters that were on here after we won the cup in 2006. Most sure disappeared fast in 2007, with only a few of us left.
It was/is the same thing in Regina. After the 07 Cup, it seemed everyone had a flag or sticker on their car. Every store you went to had some sort of Rider product to sell. I couldn't pay a Freind to come with me to a game in 05 but now in 09 I got people offering to pay "me" to take them to games.
People like a winner no question but also a bit out-of-ordinary excitement for their team like in signing a guy who could be a big impact player. Sometimes the threat of losing your team can help fill the stands also, like the Bills even though they lose a lot. Hosting the GC for sure. Different factors involved.
do you fail to remember when the Riders missed for 11 years in a row?
The Fans for the Riders stayed and supported them! even when they went 3-15 or 5-13
year after year.
and you also failed to realize that the Ti-Cats fans for many of them disappeared and the fans were hardly showing up, they had to be coaxed out!!
Okay, so you mean to tell me that the attendance in those 11 years is close to their last few years? I don’t think so. Don’t even start that crap. Winning = Butts in the seats = Bandwagon jumpers
It’s called marketing. When your team sucks, I fully admit that the Cats have sucked recently and that their attendance has gone down. Fair enough. Good marketing “coaxes” people out.
People disappear when teams are losing and reappear when they are winning again. Look at SSK, they weren’t selling out before, now they are. When the Cats are good again, IWS will be close to capacity. It’s just the way it is, get over it. SSK is not special or the exception. In the CFL if you are winning, you will get fans. Why do so many people (especially SSK fans on here) don’t get it?
You are on a “high” because your team is good and selling out. Wait till they stink up the league and then we will talk again about sellouts and attendance. I just ask that you take a step back from who you cheer for and take a look at it from an objective point of view. Are your watermelon helmets on too tight?
I know you just never get tired of throwing dirt, but…
Yes, every team has bandwagon jumpers. And yes, economics can play a role.
But since the expansion at Taylor field in the late 70s, as a %, comparing seasons of the greatest attendance to the least, it turns out, the Riders, despite 11 years missing the play-offs, and only 1 home play-off game in a 25 year period, actually have fewer bandwagon jumpers than any other team, except as it turns out (and if I recall correctly) Calgary. So missing the play-offs 17 of 25 years, by your theory, we should have had a mass exodus of fans. Except for one year, 1999, that simply has never happened at Taylor Field. And the two extremes–1999 and 2008 are also extremes in terms of the economy.
Essentially, your bandwagon jumping theory might apply to the Ti-Cats, but not to the Riders. You can look it up…
I think Ti-Cat fans are a strong contingent. Among the best in the league. But if you want to throw dirt at people, expect to get some mud back…
and i thought this was a bout calgary band wagon jumpers... always has to be about the riders and the tie cats fans... knwo who the real bandwagon jumpers are? those darn ottowa fans. everytime the ottowa football team suits up its just jump on that bandwagon. hey, ever wonder where the term bandwagon comes from? there was ametal music club in britian called band wagon in the early 80s. any connection? ok, im not a riders fan, but i will say this : dont use the unemplyment thing as an excuse for hamilton fans not making it out. theres never been jobs in saskatchewan till recently. and even in the last couple years it doesnt compare to the amount jobs in alberta and toronto. so no more usign that as an excuse for no fans.
.
Saskatchewan Roughriders fans... great fans or the GREATEST fans?
To prove your point, please provide statistics and references. Thank you!
[url=http://www.geocities.com/cfl_historical/CFL-Attendance.htm]http://www.geocities.com/cfl_historical ... ndance.htm[/url]
Amazing how "diehard" Rider fans become when their team is winning.
Riders fans like to slam Winnipeg for not selling out their stadium but If you do the math, over the last 10 years the Bombers have better attendance numbers than the Riders. Sask. actually has the worst attendance over the past 10 years of team west of Ontario. But keep telling yourselves you're the greatest fans in the world.
The Riders didn’t just sell out their own stadium – they sold out Calgary twice, Montreal, and Winnipeg too. Huge crowds were also seen in Edmonton and BC for Rider games. Every week last year, the Riders either played in a sold out stadium, they played for the largest crowd of the week, or they played in Ontario.
The Riders are helping to carry this league back into prosperity by the way they’ve developed rivalries with everybody and built up attendance numbers across the board, yet we still get guys like this that insist on slagging on Rider Nation.
My advice to you: Go out and enjoy some football, leave the analysis to those that know what they’re talking about.
If you sell out everyone else’s stadium around the league, why hasn’t your own been sold out every year? Rider fans are front runners. Go to the link and try to dispute anything I said. And tell me, are there more Bomber fans at the Labour Day game or Rider fans at the Bango Bowl? We send way more fans your way than you do our way.
…And Rider Nation is really original.
Not everybody slags the “Rider Nation” but I think I speak for just about everybody on the forum who is not a Rider fan in saying, we are sick and tired of Rider fans highjacking almost every subject to remind us once again how wonderfull Rider fans are.