If All Else Fails…The Fans Are Entertaining
Come one, come all!! Week 4 in the NFL has come and gone! Some teams are on the rise and some teams are on the fall. My beloved Jets are 1-3 and pretty much define the teams on the decline group. It's early still they say. It's not over 'til it's over they say. It's going to be alright, one win can turn around the team/season! Bah, I say! I have all too frequently seen this start and it ends in a 7-9 season, maaaaaybe 8 wins with 8 losses - missing the playoffs and getting a run-of-the-mill draft pick somewhere around 17th or so. We could have kept Sanchez around for this. At least Sanchez gave us Butt Fumble and that snazzy shoelace headband he started using towards the end of his Jets career. All I am saying is that if you are like me and your team is 1-3 and on the downturn, call it was it is a lost season. BUT all hope is not lost - many of us still have our fantasy team(s) after all. The real teams that can actually make us some dough for our blood, sweat and tears. Oh wait, what's that your fantasy teams are 0-4. Oh, um my bad. I did not mean to bring that up at the same time as bringing up how bad your actual team is too.
Let's try again - BUT watching the games whether at home or in the stadium can really showcase some of the best talents the game has to offer!! I have at times this NFL season focused too much on the spousal, child and substance abuses shooting through the airwaves and NFL front offices. It's probably because those things just get me in a bitter, pessimistic mode. You couple that with summer not yet releasing New Jersey from it's back sweat inducing heat and humidity and September can be a testy time for me. Oh, the talents part, right. Watching football games from your couch or line for the men's' room at your local stadium can still showcase some of the amazing talents in the NFL…this of course belongs to the fans who dress up to see games live in the stadium!! In case you've missed these in the past, here is a quick swing through the most notable football weirdos (in my mind at least).
Kansas City Chiefs - These Guys
I was watching the Patriots - Chiefs on Monday night and I came across some pretty awesome looking characters in the stands. I couldn't find a pic of the guy who had RedXtreme on the back of his outfit but it led me to do some search for other examples and it turns out that the Kansas City Chiefs have some very colorful fans.
New York Jets - Jet Man
This story is one of the wackiest given that the Jets had a long time fan o' the stadium in Fireman Ed (first picture below). He would get on his brother or brother-in-laws shoulders, quiet the entire stadium at the appropriate times (touchdowns, key 4th quarter drives and field goals). It was great and he was great. He was at every home game and I believe he even hit the road every now and again. He was a force to be reckoned with when it came to the Jets, fans, and opponents. The stadium would erupt in unison with J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!
And then Sanchez came along with his interceptions, the aforementioned Butt Fumble and a whole slew of other on the field miscues. It boils down to this - head coach backed Sanchez, owner backed Sanchez and to show his support for the failing QB Fireman Ed switched his traditional Bruce Harper jersey to a Sanchez jersey. Many (well enough) fans thought that he had gone corporate and was no longer a true fan. This was complete idiocy and was accompanied by constant heckling which led to his eventual refusal to attend games. Thus his chant leading ended and does not seem to be coming back any time soon. Not that JetMan (I believe there are a few of them roaming the stadium) is a bad idea in general, but it's no Fireman Ed as the second picture below clearly exhibits.
And now this -
Washington Redskins - Hogettes
Moving right along, the spotlight scans the country's stadiums and lands squarely on a bunch of dudes. Not shocking really, a lot of the fans at today's NFL games are dudes. These dudes however get ready for hard-nosed football and fandom by dressing up as big hogs…in drag. Yep, grown men dressing up as pigs that kinda look like the nice old lady next door when you were growing up. I really don't know what to make of that but I guess if that's what they are in to then go for it. They have been doing it for years so I guess no one messes with them. I would find it weird though if they dressed up like pigs and chowed down on pork brats and pork ribs…kind of a weird cannibalism thing going on.
It's All About The Make Up & Props!!
This last section is dedicated to the fans who I felt best utilized the combination of make up and props. They are fierce yet painted…spikey at times yet hair is often braided. They like silver and black but also deep purple and bright yellow. Similarly contrasting styles (what?) yet equally as dedicated and intimidating! They are the Oakland Raiders fans from their Black Hole and Minnesota Vikings fans who come ready to pillage and plunder.
Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
I can't really determine how much of an impact these fans have on the outcome of their respective team's home games, but man are they entertaining to watch…especially on tv, when they aren’t sweating and yelling within arm's length of me!
Football returns tomorrow night with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Minnesota Vikings in what should be a thrilling NFC North battle. These teams don't care much for the well being of the other and that makes for great entertainment.
HAPPY WATCHING!!!
