How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Hooligans
I.
On Saturday, July 18th, 65,000 strong filed into Qwest Field in Seattle to watch the hometown’s newly minted MLS franchise, the Sounders, face the venerable Chelsea Football Club. I was among them. I awoke at 6am to drive north from Portland and reached SeaTac, where I was to pick up a friend, in just over two hours flat. With Portland poised to welcome its own slice of MLS action in a couple of years, going to Seattle felt a little like cruising into the future to get a taste of matches to come.
This wasn’t to be the first time I’d witnessed a throng of soccer fans pack the house that Hasselbeck built (no, not this Hasselbeck). Last year I watched the Brazilian national team suffer their Canadian counterparts for 65 minutes before turning on Joga Bonito [1] to ensure victory.
![this Hasselbeck](http://damnthatojeda.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/elisabeth-hasselbeck.jpg"){kind=link}
But come on now. 65k to watch a Friendly match between a brand new MLS squad and, let’s be honest, about half of the regular Chelsea team. It seemed too good to be true. What was Seattle doing right to attract such a massive crowd? What could Portland learn as it tries to expand the 19,000-seat PGE Park into a madhouse of fandom?
II.
I’ve been fortunate enough to live in or visit many of this country’s finest cities, but not much compares to Seattle’s marriage of natural beauty and architectural gift, especially on a flawless July morning. You crest the approach on Interstate 5, you see Downtown huddling over the Sound, you see the seven magnificent hills, the lakes, the great boats at full sail. And, tucked into a little basin that feels very much like it was stolen from mother nature’s spillway, the two modern Fields (Qwest, Safeco).
But allow me to skim over the less interesting tidbits about my journey from Wallingford to Qwest (car, not public transport; easy street parking by insane luck; one companion packed into the trunk so we could all fit). Fast forward and there we are—two Sounders fans (total mass 450 lbs., but more on the importance of that later), one unaffiliated friend from San Francisco, one Seattle infant called Henry, one Sage Corson there to see the cute soccer players, and myself, a burgeoning if conflicted Timbers fan on assignment to capture what an MLS team means to its host populace. We’re suddenly a mere handful of bodies swirling around the stadium, almost two hours before game time, sniffing out what’s to do.
In my nearly two years as an Official Portlander, I’ve noticed an intense and seemingly misplaced anger toward Seattle that complicates the hearts of my Rose City brethren, and this trip was partly about figuring out why that negative reaction is so especially strong in the hearts (and fists and lungs) of the sporting crowd. My initial assumption was that our civic anger is rooted in envy. After all, Seattle is larger. It’s wealthier, fancier, taller, more international. Until a couple years ago when the basketball Sonics left for wherever, Seattle boasted a team in the three major leagues—MLB, NBA, NFL—compared to Portland’s one. And to exacerbate matters, now they have an MLS team a few years ahead of their southern cousins. Sufficient grounds for envy.
III.
I need to come clean about that last point. You see, there’s more to this story, more to my current ambivalence about the Portland Timbers. A few weeks ago the aforementioned duo of Sounders fandom, all 450 pounds of them, had traveled to Portland to watch our Timbers play the Sounders (reserves) in a July 1st match at PGE park. We’ll call the Sounders fans Brig and Spencer, because those are their names. Now, having your best 11 take on another team’s B Squad is bad enough—think playing pickup basketball with your younger brother’s buddies and expecting that you’re going to lose. And, well, the Timbers lost 3-2 2-1. The game was never quite as close as the score implies. The Sounders scored 45 seconds into the game on a header by the reviled Nate Jaqua (think: your brother’s 5′1″ friend drains a three in your face on the first break of the game), and the Timbers proceeded to play dump-and-chase for the next 89 minutes. Not exactly inspired football, but I enjoyed every minute of the match.
Following the game, which was well attended by the Sounders’ version of our Timbers Army (aptly called the Sounders Army [The Sounders have a rainbow of supporters. -Ed.]), we met up with one of my Timbers Army friends, who immediately feigned a brief puking spell when he spotted Brig and Spencer in their Sounders garb. Then he smiled.
“How’d you like those chants, boys?” he asked. He was referring to the Timbers Army fight songs, whose reputation is unparalleled within the Army. Trouble is, nobody outside of their raucous section can really hear the admittedly clever and blue songs. We were seated some 15 sections away and we hadn’t heard a single “We Are The Timbers,” or whatever was on tap for the night. [2]
So the game ended. A fun match, if a little one-sided. And we left to write the next chapter of our night. These guys hadn’t come down to Portland to watch a game and call it quits. And in my opinion our group was composed of just the crew you want: one die-hard Timbers fan, one medium-hot Timbers fan, two Sounders-attired men (remember: 450 pounds total), and your friendly local correspondent, more interested in the sport and spectacle than the chanting, scarf-waving, sign-yielding, face-painting uniformity that in all its forms strikes me as Fascistic. Regardless of all that, we wanted a beer. So we approached the nearest pub, called the Bitter End, and figured we’d sidle up to the bar and talk about the game. Instead, we were greeted by a crowd of seething Timbers fans who looked like they belonged in the secret smoking nook of a high school parking lot rather than a Portland watering hole.
“Are you serious?” they asked. “You don’t want to be here. Not tonight.”
Believing their indignation was in good fun, we moved toward the door. Turns out they weren’t kidding. Three of their beefiest stepped into our path and got serious. Not actually wanting to engage in fisticuffs, we shrugged it off and wandered up the street to find a more welcoming spot. A couple of angry fans followed us at a safe distance, asking (sans conviction) for a fight. They soon broke away and returned to the nest. We found our spot and tucked into a few pints, end of story.
My understanding of soccer etiquette is that you fight as hard as possible for 90 minutes on the field and shake hands afterward. Maybe have a beer. But I’m learning as I go here, and in the process I’m finding compelling reasons to appreciate my local Army. My man on the inside, we’ll call him Highland Orphanidys, is quick to defend his brethren. And he has good points. Let’s look, though his eyes, at the huge crowds now gathering up north. Yes, Seattle may have laid out the lime-green carpet for the Chelsea game, and they may currently sell 30,000 tickets per game at Qwest, but the support seems faddish, false, fabricated. According to my calculations, the Sounders have sold approximately seven million jerseys over the past 12 months. If there’s glory to be had in sticking by a team as it grows, organically, into something healthy and strong and popular, then Portland is going about things the right way. Seattle, at least in the eyes of Timbers fans, is just soccer support on steroids.
IV.
Return with me, if you will, to Downtown Seattle at 11am on Saturday morning. The streets are packed for blocks in all directions. The bars are so crowded that the lines to get in have become just another place to stand stock still and watch the crowd. Full-throated scalpers stand sentry on the corners, singing their birdsong of price and location. And, to my existential horror, a flank of drum-beating, chanting fans marches in a wide-as-the-street formation directly toward us. We step up on the sidewalk and watch as they course by at three terrifying miles per hour.
So of course I envied Seattle this scene. I want this for Portland. I want our soccer matches to become more than 90 minutes of grown men trying to bury a 16 oz ball in the opponent’s net. I was witnessing a full-blown civic event that draws on Seattle’s fullness, it’s finer points.
Last week Mike Merrill and I used these pages to ask what it’ll take for Portland to embrace Triple-A Baseball. Or, put another way, to ask how the Beavers can attract 10,000 citizens to home games at PGE park. We concluded that the players themselves cannot be the draw. After all, Triple-A ball has a Catch-22 on its hands: the better the player, the better his chances of getting called up (and therefore away from Portland). It’s dangerous to grow too fond of the most skilled players. So for baseball it seems we need to generate excitement in the sport itself. I know very few baseball fans who began their love affair after the age of five. Not so with soccer.
Soccer is different, especially MLS soccer in a city like Portland. For one, adults here play and love the sport. You don’t see many baseball leagues around, but just about everyone from ages five to fifty-five is within one degree of a regular amateur soccer player. We’re just dying to have a team we can support.
So we’re left to conclude that the very people who are most likely to deliver the kind of undulating street fair that I witnessed in Seattle are the very people I found myself mortified by during the Timbers v. Sounders match. A soccer town needs fanatics, crazies, people willing to don green unitards and silly scarves. It needs people who invite one friend, then another, then another and another until 2011 flips up and Portland finds itself obligated to construct seating on all four sides of
PGE to accommodate the standing (and occasional sitting) of 30,000 insane asses.
[1] Joga Bonito is what Brazilians call their brand of soccer. It literally means “play beautifully.”
[2] A note on PGE for a soccer match. PGE itself is a beautiful urban Park. It’s nestled seamlessly into its surroundings, the high cement wall in left field adds an imposing and old-fashioned look to the outfield, every seat has a good view of the field, and the looming MAC in right redoubles the cozy feel. Trouble is, all the raucous noise Portland sports fans can muster simply floats out to SE 18th Ave. and never has a chance to reverberate back into the field of play. Scream your lungs right out of your mouth and watch the vibrations go and go and go. How are we supposed to intimidate opponents if they can’t hear our best efforts?
Comments
By Greener on July 27th, 2009 at 8:49 am
“Scream your lungs right out of your mouth and watch the vibrations go and go and go. How are we supposed to intimidate opponents if they can’t hear our best efforts?”
Trust me, if you ask opponents, they hear it just fine. Just ask any of our boys, the Sounders from the 7/1 match, Vancouver, anybody.
Also, if you have to ask why Portland fans hate ALL Seattle sports teams, much less the Flounders, then you haven’t lived a day in the Rose City (at least not as a sports fan).
By mannyjello on July 27th, 2009 at 9:06 am
“And, well, the Timbers lost 3-2.”
Actually, the score was 2-1. Maybe you thought the kids exhibition match at halftime counted towards the score of the real game?
“The game was never quite as close as the score implies.”
Based on the fact you got the score wrong, I don’t think you’ve an accurate reporter of more subjective elements of the game. And you’re also wrong. All media accounts of the match (ignoring commentary by fans, too) all noted that the match was incredibly even after the first 15 or so minutes.
“Following the game, which was well attended by the Sounders’ version of our Timbers Army (aptly called the Sounders Army)…”
Ugh. It’s at this point I stopped reading your piece, because I realized you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
Seriously. Write about the Blazers or Beavers or W-Hawks. You have no idea about this sport.
By Mike Merrill on July 27th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I read this post before it was posted and thought, “Uh-oh, he is saying some things about Seattle that aren’t horrible… I don’t think that’s going to go over well.”
By Zaggy on July 27th, 2009 at 9:10 am
While I appreciate the insight into the game, there are several blatent factual mistakes in the article (Timbers lost 2-1, first goal was scored by Roger Levesque). You also seem to not know the city just passed an agreement last week to turn PGE into a SSS, but there is no way it would ever sit 30,000.
I also have to admit, I am not sure in anyway why you thought it would be a good idea to walk in with people in Sounders gear to one of the main supporters clubs post game? Would you walk into an Oakland Raider bar with a Chargers jersey on? Or perhaps Pittsburgh with a Patriots jersey? Yankees with a Red Sox cap? No…because you’d get the exact same response. While the PNW is great for many reasons, its isolated us from the “real” rivalries that exist in other sports, something that is apparent in your writing. That said, you recognize the reasons why we object to the Seattle fan-base…they know nothing of thier team, thier history, soccer, or anything else, but its “the cool thing to do” now. Sure there are fans there that might not share that view, but for the vast majority, thats the case. Perhaps it would be a good idea to come around to the Army, have a beer and really understand the differences in the team? I assure we are far less scary, especially if you leave your Sounders friends at home.
By Garrett on July 27th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Noob! Are you serious? You didn’t even get the score right let alone the Sounders supporters name. Real journalists know these types of things. Nobody will take you seriously from here on out. Please crawl back in the hole you came from or move to Seattle since you appear to love it so much and admire the fish smell.
By Greener on July 27th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Mike:
The big thing is that so many objective facts (score, who scores, supporter’s groups names) are just plain wrong. Opinions are opinions, but getting your facts wrong really erodes one’s argument.
By Mike Merrill on July 27th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Greener: Sorry for the factual mistakes. As an “editor” I’ll work on correcting those.
By Varchild on July 27th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Way to get the facts wrong. Also I have sat in the west side and you can difinately hear the army.
By Varchild on July 27th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I forgot to add, any team containing Montero, Jaqua, Hurtado, Keller, and Zakuanni (sp?) is hardly Seattle’s reserve side. That’s four first team starters (one the captain and one the leading scorer in the MLS) and one sub who starts sometimes right there.
By Charolastra on July 27th, 2009 at 9:52 am
This piece has more holes than a side street in Felony Flats.
I’ll bet next you’ll suggest that we pipe in the “European Atmosphere” via giant speakers.
You actually trying to get into the BE after the match with flounder fans and surprised when told to F off really says everything about your journalist skills yo.
By Lucas on July 27th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Since Zach’s very nice article on the TA in March, there have been 6 articles on Portland Sportsman tagged as “soccer.”
One was a report of the Timbers home opener…then a 2-month break…then two articles about the USOC match vs Seattle, then in the last few days we’ve got a notice of a soccer-related book reading, a report on ex-Timber Alan Gordon (there’s only one!), and now this.
This. This article is almost as bad as the po-mo masturbation sessions that pass for Beavers game reports on this site. I had high hopes for PS when it debuted, but I have been disappointed. The Timbers deserve better coverage than this from a Portland sports blog.
By Daaaaave on July 27th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Don’t bother, mate. Allowing an article like this, which is so utterly lacking in basic understanding for its subject as illustrated in the posts above, means you won’t have to worry about page hits for soccer fans in this town anymore. A Mickey Mouse piece about a Mickey Mouse team in Seattle, written by a “Portlander” who obviously has more affection for his glorious former city of sprawl and urban blight than Portland. A guy who obviously has attended upwards of 1 Portland Timbers match in his life and decided that was enough to opine upon.
Clownshoes.
Where’s the companion piece extolling the glories of the Rick Neuheisel era at UW? Maybe you could find someone from Bulgaria to ink it, that way you can be assured of similar levels of knowledge and specificity.
By Mike Merrill on July 27th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I think Kip does a pretty good job of covering the Timbers.
By Gene on July 27th, 2009 at 9:59 am
RE the Sounders v Timbers Open Cup game: Seattle was resting “the Freddies” but otherwise started a pretty full complement of starters, yes?
And one of the Freddies had to be subbed in as the Timbers were starting to get the run of play in the 2nd half, IIRC.
And a small quibble with your 2nd footnote: Burnley fans watching the game on USLLive thought we had a “right proper supporters club” and were amazed at American fans chanting and making a ruckus. The Sounders game included a pre-game tifo that had a two story Timber Jim chop down the space needle. I’ve never heard anyone else state there is an issue with hearing the TA at Piggy Park.
Also an article on hooligans in Seattle and Portland should probably have included the Sounder customer who was hog-tied and carried out of PGE during the Open Cup game.
By Mike Merrill on July 27th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Factual issues aside, I’m surprised at the anger from what I assume are TA-loyalists. I read this article as the author’s realization that a) the ultra-fans are vital to the game, and b) Portland’s long and deep love of the game trumps Seattle’s shiny new toy.
By Garrett on July 27th, 2009 at 10:22 am
@MikeMerrill
You have to expect some anger when a “Portland reporter” starts lovingly stroking the keyboard and wistfully opining about Seattle’s wonderful supporter culture that magically appeared this year. I don’t consider pumped in crowd noise and a marching band “culture”.
By IceFunk on July 27th, 2009 at 10:52 am
You’re an idiot.
I just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading that crappy article.
By dan hoonose on July 27th, 2009 at 11:05 am
All this begs the question, if and when Timbers games begin to draw 20,000+ plus in 2011 will all those outside the TA be instantly labeled as ignorant fans who have no idea about the game or the history of the team? If so, I’ll probably just stay away.
It’s what happens when you get a Major League franchise. More people come.
I was at the league match with my brother (10 year Fire season ticket holder) Saturday against Chicago , and unwittingly and serendipitously ended up in the visitors section. I was half amused to see 1 of every 4 “Chicago supporters” wearing Timbers swag. The other half being comprised of a little bit of an inferiority complex/little brother syndrome.
By Daaaaave on July 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
We’re not surprised you’re surprised.
I’ll do you a favor and break it down piece by piece.
“going to Seattle felt a little like cruising into the future”
Anyone who has spent any time following Portland soccer knows that Portland soccer and Seattle soccer and not remotely close to the same. Like wanting to see the Portland of 2050 so you take a trip to LA.
“What was Seattle doing right to attract such a massive crowd?”
They had a football stadium. And a fixture which attracted non-Seattle residents. Not that hard to puzzle out.
“not much compares to Seattle’s marriage of natural beauty and architectural gift”
Oh ffs. I understand this spastic is trying to wax poetic, but instead the reader gets treated to another wistful slice of pure dog crap. I’m guessing that marriage is where the viaduct, railroad tracks and boarded up warehouses collaring Qwest all come together to give you sightlines similar to that of your latest apocalyptic zombie movie.
“a burgeoning if conflicted Timbers fan”
Such a “fan” that he doesn’t know that wearing your rival team’s jersey at the Timbers Army’s watering hole is a no-no and doesn’t know the scoreline of the match, much less reference any other game he’s been to.
“In my nearly two years as an Official Portlander, I’ve noticed an intense and seemingly misplaced anger toward Seattle that complicates the hearts of my Rose City brethren”
I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t like it. More concise and explains a lot more. This is where links to the definition of rivalry come into play.
“My initial assumption was that our civic anger is rooted in envy.”
Spoken like a true Seattleite.
“You see, there’s more to this story, more to my current ambivalence about the Portland Timbers.”
You don’t say?!? What follows is a recap of a game he must have enjoyed thoroughly, considering literally every detail of the match, bar the actual teams playing, is incorrect. Not only incorrect, but laughably wrong considering he could have looked up the information at any point during the authoring of the piece. It also means that all the paragraphs preceding it was false. He already knew what the rivalry was about, what the differences were, and went to Seattle to find the “good” soccer. Give this, it’s also apparent that it was written from an exceedingly Seattle-centric POV (er…I mean, native Portlander for ALMOST 2 years!!!) considering the squeaky bum time Seattle had in the second half, being only up one goal, not resting their starters and in fact bringing on more starters to try to hold on to that lead. “Dump-and-chase”, which is a term a soccer supportwe would never use, consisted of 2 point blank headers missed by the Timbers and the Sounders players spending a lot of time writhing on the pitch to waste time.
“the Sounders’ version of our Timbers Army (aptly called the Sounders Army)”
It’s not quite apt. It’s shameless aping.
“Trouble is, nobody outside of their raucous section can really hear the admittedly clever and blue songs.”
Tell that to Gavin Wilkinson, who gets inundated by angry letters from soccer moms about our foul language. I’m sure Mr. Native Portlander has read one of the copious newspaper articles written about it.
“We were seated some 15 sections away”
15 sections away from section 107 would be section 122, where the Sounders fans bought their block of tickets, which would be completely in line with the way this article was written, although again I think more likely it’s just another case of open mouth, insert foot.
“A fun match, if a little one-sided.”
Repetition. Maybe it really was a little closer that Captain Portlandia Timbers Fan Forever wanted to admit.
” And in my opinion our group was composed of just the crew you want: one die-hard Timbers fan, one medium-hot Timbers fan, two Sounders-attired men”
WTF would want that crew?
“more interested in the sport and spectacle than the chanting, scarf-waving, sign-yielding, face-painting uniformity that in all its forms strikes me as Fascistic.”
Which is cute considering later we get
” A soccer town needs fanatics, crazies, people willing to don green unitards and silly scarves.”
Consistency! Somehow, Seattle just does it less mortifyingly.
Next comes an account of outrage at how 2 fans in rival’s gear were refused entrance to a bar that’s known as the bar of the Timbers Army, completely with unmissable sign directly above the door. In any other sport in any other city this would be a case of headslapping obviousness, but not for your intrepid reporter!
“Seattle, at least in the eyes of Timbers fans, is just soccer support on steroids.”
It’s not soccer on steroids. Not with the way those cheap bastards fall on the ground. It’s soccer on Disney. The city who just lost the Sonics and are the home to Microsoft and Starbucks desperately wanted to feel important again. Really? You’re marketing to me? Oh, I feel so loved again!
So the club sold them every piece of chintz they could think of and the city ate it up. Scarves are an important symbol of loyal support? Nah…let’s just hand them out to everybody! An authentic, organic atmosphere is paramount? Nah…let’s have a marching band and pipe claps and background noise in through the PA (ask any of the visiting Chicago Fire fans about how loud that Seattle crowd actually was).
“So of course I envied Seattle this scene.”
The scene described being exactly the “fascist” display he derided in Portland. For minor league soccer. On a weekday with less than 2 weeks notice. But I’m sure Mr. Burgeoning Timbers Fan knew all that.
“I know very few baseball fans who began their love affair after the age of five. Not so with soccer.”
This is also known as the my story is the universal story method of storytelling. I’m a fly-by-night fan, so everyone else must be a fly-by-night fan too. Incidentally, this line of thinking, which dovetails with many Seattle soccer fans thinking that they invented the sport at the beginning of this recent MLS season, is also why Seattle is easily the most hated club in the MLS. Not just by the Timbers, but by fans as far flung as Columbus, DC, Chicago and San Jose. But I’m sure that’s all down to envy too, right?
“We’re just dying to have a team we can support.”
8,500+ fans have a team they can support, year after year, good times and bad. We had 16,000 for that game against Seattle. 14,000 against Puerto Rico for a regular league game just this last Thursday. I’m not sure who the “we” is that he’s writing about, but Portland’s soccer fans are doing just fine. Maybe you should ask one of them rather than publishing pieces by Seattle rejects.
I have no preconceptions that you’ll actually read this, considering you printed the article in the first place. You will not understand and we don’t need your support.
By dan hoonose on July 27th, 2009 at 11:32 am
“Nah…let’s have a marching band and pipe claps and background noise in through the PA (ask any of the visiting Chicago Fire fans about how loud that Seattle crowd actually was).”
I don’t know anything about PA noise at the Chicago game. What I did notice is that it was a full stadium and good atmosphere, contentious and fun. Upside down SSFC signs were funny, the crowd wasn’t exceptionally loud, but that might have had more to do with Sounders ineptitude in not finishing on multiple chances.
What I’m curious about is why Timbers fans care that the Sounders are drawing? What does this have to do with the Timbers when they are in two different leagues. I think I have a pretty good grasp on the rivalry and look forward to an instant MLS rivalry in ‘11, and outside the Open Cup why should Portland care what they do until 2011?
By Daaaaave on July 27th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Says the guy posting in the “Portland Sportsman”, ostensibly in an article about the Timbers.
By dan hoonose on July 27th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
d
Exactly, I like sport. I like soccer. I was there with a traveling Fire fan visiting from Chicago. He wanted to go to the game. I wanted to check it out. I didn’t care about the result.
I know you are much more hardcore than me but, it doesn’t sound like you want MLS in Portland Daaaaave (how many a’s are there?) They might get more fans. What would become of the purity?
BTW I didn’t write this, I also disagree with some of it, but to think that MLS in Portland won’t be as popular as USL, in terms of attendance (as it should be) and that the experience will be the same as Timbers games now is naive.
By Gene on July 27th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
From the title I think most expected a fun piece about encountering hooligans in their many forms, and the author coming to some sort of conclusion they were part of the experience of attending a live soccer match, and good for the sport.
Instead they got a four part, error riddled, meandering, pointless story that looked down on the very same soccer fans who are rabid enough to track down a story on a local blog. You did not need to be Nostradamus to predict a blood bath in the resulting comments.
Anyone who was “mortified” by the fans at the Sounders v Timbers Open Cup match should not be writing about soccer. The experience and atmosphere at that match gave me chills and made me proud of my city and my fellow Timbers supporters.
By Highland Orphanidys on July 27th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Not sure what the huge uproar is about. Yeah, the writer needs to spend more time meeting and understanding why the TA is so unique/awesome. But he seems ready to do it, and by the end of the article seems to understand that this group, “the greatest of all supporters”, will lead Portland into the MLS.
And I haven’t heard it said much better than this: “If there’s glory to be had in sticking by a team as it grows, organically, into something healthy and strong and popular, then Portland is going about things the right way.”
Damn straight.
By Vic on July 27th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
This chucklehead’s novel should make for good kindling.
Daaaaave ftw.
By Thomas King on July 27th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
First, I apologize for including factual errors in this piece. That’s inexcusable. But I’d like to add a few points of clarification for those who seem deeply upset by the content:
1. This piece is in no way meant to speak for other people whatsoever. It does not intend to give an unbiased retelling of the games themselves, hence the marginalization of “facts” in exchange for “subjective experience.” It was my intention to capture the first stages of one man’s transition. And it really shouln’t ruin your day or ten minutes or whatever. The sole intention of this piece: to think through an isolated series of personal experiences. I’m new to Portland Timbers football (isn’t that glaringly obvious? and isn’t it okay to be put off by being threatened for walking around with friends who wear the wrong jersey? isn’t it interesting to hear from a sports fan whose opinion differs from that of die-hard fans?), and so I’m writing from the perspective of one person learning to love the Timbers. Mistakes included.
2. I’m not from Seattle. Have never lived in Seattle. And if you can’t appreciate the effect of seeing 65,000 people attend a professional soccer match in the USA, just because that match occurs in a city so many Portlanders obviously abhore, that’s material for an entirely different conversation.
3. The reactions to this piece only redoubles my observation that Timbers fans are rabid in their defence of the team. I think that’s a good thing, in case you missed the point at the end. Consistency? I’m not going for consistency. I’m interested in the transition from being impressed by Seattle to actually changing my mind and realizing that Portland has a better thing going. Either I failed to get that point across or people didn’t read to the end, or a combination of both. Obviously I’d so deeply insulted people by the first few paragraphs that they didn’t allow me a conversion at the end.
4. I’m glad people are so vocal in their defence of the Timbers. And I hope that one article does not forever blow my credibility on these pages. I think that would be a shame.
5. The Portland Sportsman may have printed this article, but the thinking behind it is all mine. My fault to misrepresent the score (stupid, obviously), my fault if the initial observations were too harsh, my fault if people didn’t want to read a subject piece. But frankly, people took the time to respond, so now we have a conversation. Yell at me if you will, but I stand by my words.
6. I hereby offer to sit down and share a pint with those of you who most vocally disagree. I’ll buy the first.
By Mike Merrill on July 27th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Thomas, in regards to number six on your list: I hereby voice my disagreement and look forward to that beer.
By Cap Ap on July 27th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Well said, Thomas…there’s no more than we could ask then that. Make it to a game and I would be happy to buy you a pint and help introduce you to the wonders of the Timbers and the TA.
Cheers.
By Timbers Army are the worst of Portland on July 27th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
C’mon, why are you even letting these people comment on your article? Timbers Army diehards are not interested in reporting. They only want everyone to drink their kool aid and go around for the rest of their lives spouting propaganda about themselves or about how much Seattle sucks. SO TIRESOME! Go read the soccercityusa.com message board. It’s just the same 10 people with the same usernames that have commented on this article. 10 people who are trying to force everyone else to act like hate-filled fascist drones, marching onward to some b.s. victory that only exists in their minds. Don’t give in. Retain your rational and happy perspective that allows you to have friends and enjoy the multitudes of life. Timbers Army represent the worst of Portland, we don’t need this stuff at our soccer games.
By TimberJah on July 27th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
New Rule:
You do not get to say ‘we’ when referring to the Timbers or the TA.
utter shite article, at least you got some hits.
By dystopiamembrane on July 27th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
This was all about beer, Mr. King.
See you at the next match.
By Daaaaave on July 27th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Dan, I understand that you’re not aware of this, but consider:
The Seattle Sounders averaged 2,500/match for the bulk of their A-League/USl existence. Of those, roughly 2,400 were your typical soccer moms tugging their brats around with one hand while endlessly chattering into their cells with the other. There were *maybe* 100 supporters of the Sounders, known variously as the Pod or ECS. From that base, you get the Seattle atmosphere of today, which is primarily a lot of enthusiasm, roughly 75 minutes of “Let’s Go Sounders”, but not a lot of experience. Maybe they’ll get better. Maybe they’ll get bored. Who knows? The Timbers Army average somewhere between 2,000-4,000 supporters per night, depending on who you ask. They’ve been building this group for 8 seasons and dominate almost the entire north end of the stadium.
Yes, the MLS version of the Timbers will be different. Yes, an expanded stadium means more first-time/seldom viewers coming in to watch a game. The difference is that we will still be starting with a baseline of 2,000-4,000 supporters, we will still occupy the entire north end of the stadium and we will still be doing what we’ve always done: grow the fanbase of the Timbers and provide the best support in the country. We won’t need anyone else, much less cheerleaders, marching band and a overloud tannoy to provide our cues. The “experience” will, in fact, be largely the same, just in a better park with a larger crowd to enjoy what Portland soccer is all about.
By Jack on July 27th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Wow, you just have no clue! No clue at all. Why don’t you spend a little time digging up some history on the Portland-sh!ttle rivalry before you write all this nonsense. Trust me, its not envy, far from it, possibly the exact opposite. For most seattle-ites soccer started April 2009, nevermind that the flounders have been around for years. Nobody bothered to show up until the MLS came. One person you might want to look up is Preston Burpo, he of long middle finger and frequent kicker of balls towards the Timbers Army… Yes a professional athlete kicked a ball, out of frustration towards a bunch of fans. How about horribly the Timbers Army has been treated every time they’ve been to seattle. How about that first goal in the July 1st game, came right after a sh!ttle fan threw a flare on our pitch right near the area, very possible disrupting the play of the defense. The rest of the game was 1-1, and they had to bring in their superstar in the last 20 minutes to secure the match. He played horrible by the way, the stupid rap-ist. leave PDX now!
By steeplechase3k on July 27th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
dan hoonose: if you come in and ignore the long history of the Portland Timbers in their various incarnations and remain blissfully unaware that they even existed prior to 2011, then yes you will get shit on. If you show up and try to learn about what has made the Timbers one of the best supported clubs in the US, and about their history going back to the 1970s, and about all the players that came here then, and still live in Portland, then you’ll be fine.
By Gene on July 27th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
> I’m new to Portland Timbers football … and so I’m writing from the
> perspective of one person learning to love the Timbers.
When I’m new to a scene I don’t tell the people already hanging out there that they are mortifying, insane, envious, Neanderthal, crazy people wearing silly scarves.
> if you can’t appreciate the effect of seeing 65,000 people attend a
> professional soccer match in the USA
I’m going to the Barca game next week and I can’t wait! I’m more worried about your lack of appreciation for the local crowds of 14-16K for the Timbers.
> The reactions to this piece only redoubles my observation that Timbers
> fans are rabid in their defence of the team.
You need to look up the relationship between the words “fan” and “fanatic”. ;)
> I’m interested in the transition from being impressed by Seattle to
> actually changing my mind and realizing that Portland has a better thing
> going.
Then my suggestion would be to talk about games in which Seattle does not play a role. When you focus on an int’l friendly at Qwest and a Seattle v Timbers Open Cup game that does not setup a good comparison to make your point.
> I hope that one article does not forever blow my credibility on these
> pages.
I think you should use the POV of a new fan of the sport and/or the Timbers to paint a picture of what attracts you to the game. Wander the stadium, jot down some thoughts on paper, talk to some folks… you have a unique perspective from the TA or other long time Timbers fans, use it! This article could have gone a number of ways: wide-eyed wonder and confusion, the mistakes made by a new fan trying to become a hooligan, why hooligans matter to soccer, etc.
A similar story written with a bit of self-depreciating humor would have been pretty good I think, but the arrogant tone and confused structure was off-putting for me at least.
By Daaaaave on July 27th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
1. This piece is in no way meant to speak for other people whatsoever.
“Let’s look, though his eyes, at the huge crowds now gathering up north.”
“Seattle, at least in the eyes of Timbers fans, is just soccer support on steroids.”
2. And if you can’t appreciate the effect of seeing 65,000 people attend a professional soccer match in the USA, just because that match occurs in a city so many Portlanders obviously abhore, that’s material for an entirely different conversation.
Maybe you didn’t read properly the first time. FOOTBALL STADIUM. Show me the Portland counterpart to Qwest and I’ll explain why we’re not pulling 60,000 of our own into soccer friendlies. If you want to make it an envy, you sure as hell won’t be the first. To everyone else it’s just another bogus apples-and-oranges argument under the guise of some sort of soccer equivalency. I guess I must also abhor Ann Arbor because I’ve never seen 100,000 football fans crowd into Autzen.
3. The reactions to this piece only redoubles my observation that Timbers fans are rabid in their defence of the team.
It should redouble your efforts to gain basic research skills.
4. And I hope that one article does not forever blow my credibility on these pages.
What credibility? I don’t know you and you don’t know soccer. I doubt we’ll cross paths again.
5. I stand by my words.
“I apologize for including factual errors in this piece. That’s inexcusable.” Considering the number of strikethroughs and editor’s notes already present, perhaps you’d like to revise your statement and let us know exactly which words you’re standing behind.
6. I hereby offer to sit down and share a pint with those of you who most vocally disagree. I’ll buy the first.
I appreciate the gesture, but since I drink my beers at PGE Park, I suppose I’ll have to wait until the next time the Sounders are in town to collect.
By pfunkn76 on July 27th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
I am a noob in the TA been there for 2 years (and in Portland). Lived in Seattle for 28 years. I will take PDX any day. I will still love the Mariners and Seahawks because that is who i followed as a kid Alvin Davis, Steve Largent Mark Langston. But most Seattle fans dont even know who the hell they are. I have only been in Portland for 2 years and If i ever leave. I will still be singing ROSE CITY TIL I DIE!!! I will forever love The Portland Timbers and the TIMBERS ARMY. ACES
By kkesgard on July 27th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Thanks for the plug for my work on the O-Live Blog. The Portland – Seattle rivalry is rather unique and elicits a long of strong responses. The TA are a passionate bunch because we love our team, and want to protect the good thing we’re building here. I think if you spent some time with the TA, you would find truth in some of the observations that were posted in the comments.
By Sam on July 28th, 2009 at 4:34 am
I will continue reading this website for the reason that you are not a dickhead. I agree that the article had some problems (factually), but thanks for being cool about it.
By Garrett on July 28th, 2009 at 7:38 am
@Thomas King
Bitter End. Pregame August 8, 2009. If you want to figure it all out make a friend there and let them take you to the game.
By clear eyes on July 28th, 2009 at 8:15 am
This is not a bad article and accomplishes your task, minus the factual errors, so don’t let the TA fanatics put you down with their distorted blurred vision of hate and superiority. The facts as they see it are no truer than your mistakes but theirs are intentional, and they need it, because they will always be considered by the entire US as the little sister to Seattle; and obviously for good reason.
By Mike Merrill on July 28th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Read more comments here: School This Fool.
By Thomas King on July 28th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Funny how readers on both sides of the equation found something that angers them in this piece. More shitstorm up north, where David Falk at the Seattle Soccer Examiner used the following paragraph in his piece about Portland soccer fans:
“Let’s look, though his eyes, at the huge crowds now gathering up north. Yes, Seattle may have laid out the lime-green carpet for the Chelsea game, and they may currently sell 30,000 tickets per game at Qwest, but the support seems faddish, false, fabricated. According to my calculations, the Sounders have sold approximately seven million jerseys over the past 12 months. If there’s glory to be had in sticking by a team as it grows, organically, into something healthy and strong and popular, then Portland is going about things the right way. Seattle, at least in the eyes of Timbers fans, is just soccer support on steroids.”
Looking forward to that August 8 beer at the Bitter End.