I think Hamilton fans are the best fans by far in the cfl maybe a little bit of favourtism, but when you go to a game in Hamilton you see very few people in costumes examples like watermelon bras and Darf Vader Costumes, in the Hammer you see people who just yell and scream that's what I like .These people in costumes it's all about them look at me everybody aren't I special. In Hamilton it's about the team not the fan, keep yelling and screaming Hamilton fans because we rock. :rockin: :rockin: :rockin:
there was a cougar aged chick around the 20 yard line down in the box maybe 10 rows up.. they showed her on the big screen, then I saw her from where i was up in section 21...all painted gold and in this gold and black costume thingy... i shudder when i visualize it and would much rather have more darth vaders and less of that lol:P
I don't know ballboy, I think every city is known for certain unique fans. The Riders have the watermelon thing (which I agree is getting kind of old (may not for the watermelon vendors outside the stadium)), but in Hamilton we have the box J boys who wear kilts and hard hats.
I do agree that we do have a good core of fans who are loud, and for the most part, I think when you look through the crowd you see a lot of people supporting the team with black and gold shirts and hats, and typical team merchandise. I agree this is far more about supporting the team than drawing attention to oneself, you know the "look at me" attitude.
There are face painters where ever you go. Maybe not as many at Ivor Wynne, but they are still out there. I'm just glad to see the core of fans who have stuck it out through the hard times, and if you listen, you often hear people from other cities pay respect to our fans for this.
I just hope the team continues to improve, and the attendance starts to creep back up to an average of 25,000. The atmosphere is better, and quite frankly, the organization deserves it.
PJ
I love the fans that actually show up and pay for a game.
Good point Zontar :thup:
I agree, hopefully all those people who claim to be fans will jump on the bandwagon and actually start showing back up for games. They wanted to see some wins, well now they got them. The team deserve the support now.
Bandwagon fans are just that bandwagon fans. All they care about is wins rather than the bigger picture of supporting your team through thick and thin.
I hate to burst you bubble but i saw “Her” but i am pritty sure she was a he!!! :?
I can't resist pitching in on this thread - because the title is what this team (the football team and the fans) is all about.
Whether you get all dressed up, or whether you come out in your work clothes, we are excited to have you as part of the Tiger-Cat community. Here's my story as to why I love Tiger-Cat fans:
In the first couple of years everyone knew we had a rebuilding job to do, but when our rebuilding efforts stalled and we did not achieve our on-field goals as early as we expected to, we thought we would be in big trouble with our loyal fans. Instead of which, can you guess my biggest problem when interacting with Ticats fans for the last two seasons?
No, it wasn't insults. My biggest single concern was the sympathy. That's right. Instead of being mad, patient Ticat fans believed in what we were doing possibly more than I did. So instead of complaining, Ticat fans from across Canada would come up to me and ask me if I was ok, and to assure me that they'd stick by the team if I'd stick by the team. It got so bad I could hardly bear to go out into the crowd. Complaints and insults I could have handled. It was the support and sympathy from our fans that were hard to take!
Fortunately, I'm not getting as much support and sympathy this year. Especially not from the other teams in our league. 
As to attendance, the BC game, on a Friday night of a long weekend was always going to be our lowest attended game this season. By contrast we have already sold out several popular sections of Ivor Wynne for Labour Day. I suspect Ticat tickets are going to be in short supply for most of the rest of the season.
Which is a -very- good thing as our young team needs all the fan support it can get. Ask any of the players, the enthusiasm of the Ticat fans at Ivor Wynne played a big role in both the Winnipeg and BC wins. Being part of an enthusiastic crowd is what coming out to our games is all about, nothing compares to being part of the experience at Ivor Wynne.
Cheers, Bob.
Great post Mr. Young!
I think the patience of everyone involved with the team and all the fans has finally paid off. The team is very stable at all levels now and with that kind of structure you can have success for years to come.
I was at the game here in Vancouver in week 2 and loved every minute of it. I only get to see my Ticats once per year out here so its that much sweeter when its a victory.
While i appreciate the reasons or "excuses" for the poor attendance Friday night, its still disappointing and unacceptable. Coming off a tough loss against the best team in the league, and with the signing of Bruce that park should have been sold out.
If we could sell it out from 04-07 we should be doing it now. This is a young and exciting team that is easily the 2nd best team in the East... and could very well have a home playoff game.
Friday night's attendance was brutal, and this city needs to wake up and quit worrying about a hockey team... and get out and support your Cats.
Anything less than 25,000 against Edmonton is a joke.
Except that while the stands were full, I don’t think they were exactly “sold” out.
There is a strong sense of community that I recognized last Friday night. I love that aspect of Tigertown so much. I was talking to my pastor this morning about the BC game and how I felt about the whole football experience at Ivor Wynne to watch the Tiger-Cats play--and win--and how friendly people were to me who did not know me from a hole in the ground. He and some family members had gone to the Argo-Blue Bomber game and he admitted that the Dome is not the hub of passion or community--it is somewhat sterile, for lack of a better word.
It was not the guys on the team themselves that drew me (I have to get to know them well and that takes time and learning about the history of the club is important) but it was the people on the streets and the fans in the stands that captured my attention and affection. As I have stated earlier I did not feel like an outsider or that I did not belong. Sure, I am a new kid on the block but the love, passion, zeal and knowledge of the game is what impacted me. I suspect even if the team was 0-5 I would have still sensed those things. I'd still be wanting to come back. I am not patronizing anyone. I honestly beleve that. What does that tell you? To me it means that there is a genuine pith of passion for the game, for the T-Cats and a pride in Hamilton and I suspect each other. How can I not admire that? Who in his right mind would not want to join that 'community'?
I regret that I have to miss the next game as I will be in Bruce county visiting my mother. I would be lying through my teeth if I said that I will not be thinking about Ivor Wynne and what is happening there. Enjoy the game, make lots of noise--I want to hear it all the way to Chesley, okay?! 
The paid attendance was much better than it looked because so many of our season ticket holders were out of town on the long weekend.
But for all those who are concerned about poor attendance on a long weekend game - what are your thoughts on blacking out the occasional game to encourage fans who were sitting on the fence about coming down to Ivor Wynne versus staying on their sofa, to encourage them to make the effort to come on down?
Everyone who comes out to our games loves the experience. But by showing all our home games on TV some fans who are used to watching on TV, but who might love the live game experience, never get to find out how much fun coming to a live game is.
I think blackouts victimize local fans who cannot afford to go to a game. I have been a Ticat and CFL fan since the 80’s and have gone to many many games. Whether the game was blacked out or not was never a swaying factor.
I strongly feel that just because someone cannot buy a ticket that they should not go without seeing the game at all. Finances don’t make you any less of a fan.
That’s just to funny 
I have been a rider fan since 1960, and I have to agree that Hamilton has some of the best fans, just like we do in riderville. There will always be bandwagon jumpers on every team, but what gets to me is the amount of young fans that seem to going to games now just hang out and get drunk without caring about the game.
Like the ticats the riders have been though tough times also, and I have to admire the loyal fans that kept coming out to the ticats games, knowing that their team would take a few years to rebuild. That to me is the meaning of a ture fan.
The ticats have always been my 2nd favoite team in the cfl and I rember the battles the riders had with them, and how Angela Moscia and Baker would fire up both teams. I wish you all the best this year (many wins, except angainst my riders) You seem to have gotten off of that hard place, and look like you could challenge the east for many years to come with your new group of players. :thup: best game ever 1989 grey cup. Who knows, maybe again.
Thanks Stallion, good analysis. Last season the Rider-Cat games were probably the best of the season in terms of entertainment (although they didn't exactly go our way ). Besides labour day, some of my favourite games of the year are Rider-Cat games, and hopefully both teams will battle it out a full 60 minutes for the win. That's probably the only team I don't care if we lose to. Good luck Riders, Rider fans!
GO CATS GO!!!!!!!!!! :rockin:
PS- We put BC in a hole for you, can you maybe put Toronto or Winnipeg in a hole for us? Thanks :lol:
In my opinion blacking games out does very little to impact attendance. Most people who are interested in going to a game will go, and those who maybe go to a game or two in the year will most likely use other factors to determine if they will go to a game that is blacked out. I just don’t think there are that many die-hard Ti-Cats TV watchers other then those who just can’t make it to the game. Anyone who is a die-hard in that case can just listen on the radio.
The only caveat to this that I can think of is the games at night in the fall when the weather can be iffy. I will never understand why we have games at night in late September and October, when the weather is great for football during the day. I can see some people opting out for TV on a warm comfy couch when it may be cold or wet, but again this applies mostly to the walk up crowd.
I’ve always believed that showing games on TV is a great way to market the team, and in some ways the game day experience we are all familiar with. It’s not the same as being there, but you can get a sense of that electricity when you hear and see the crowd on TV.
Because Friday Night Football happens, by definition, at night. 
Blacking out does not work because out of sight = out of mind.
I have friends that are casual fans that have seen how the team is doing so far by watching games on TV and its only a matter of time before they buy a ticket.
If the game isnt on TV and we arent showing those fans the on field product, they will forget about it. I was getting texts during the game from people saying "Wish I would have come down for this one".
I dont agree with blacking out, and I never will.
People of this city just need to get off their @sses and get to the park.