Seriously Stopped Supporting?

[NYCFC_Dan]

I think it's a conversation that has to be had. Especially since activity has slowed down and you see nothing but bitching left and right. Very prominent on FB. I think people here are more understanding of a new club going through growing pains.
But the fact that people have stopped supporting is kind of sad, on their part. You know the minute we start winning they'll be back on talking about how they're a huge supporter and have been there from the start.
We don't look good. Agree. We have mediocre, if not just flat out poor players. Agree. Chances are if villa isn't in the game you won't see so much as a trickle of excitement. Agree.
Why still watch? Waiting for the day we turn it around. If that means one day it just clicks and next game they're killing it then Awesome. If it means Lamps actually showing up and DP3 making a huge impact and we turn it around, great. If it means waiting till next season and the club making a lot of much needed changes, sure.

If you stop supporting now you're just a bad sports fan in general. You're the guy that turns the Yankees/Mets game off if they're losing 5-0 in the 5th.
For the rest of us, we have a place to bitch and moan as we should and are entitled to. But I know I'm not going anywhere. I'm not happy with how we look and with some of the decision making but I'm here and I'll be here next week and the week after that.

 

[mgarbowski]

I'm not sure how widespread an issue there is of people giving up "for good". I've seen a small handful of "I'm done" posts, but they mostly seem the same variety as are routine statements that "That was the best goal EVER!" or "I don't see how anybody beats us again" or "This latest trade to get Brovsky is just more proof that Kreis is a GENIUS!"*

* I would wager money that somebody somewhere said that back when.

In other words, sports fans are prone to overly expressive exaggeration. I think most of the people who say "That's it I'm done" are just being dramatic. And I have seen many more posts criticizing these possibly phantom quitters and I have seen statements of quitting.

In fact what seems to be most prevalent are straw men arguments (not your post NYCFC_Dan but occasionally here and especially on FB) where someone responds to a post that is very critical of the team and the riposte is "So you're quitting?! Thats plastic!" and I read those and think, who said anything about quitting? Nobody brought it up but you.

I have not seen any numbers that support the idea that loads of fans are quitting. The attendance seems to be holding so far, even on "school nights." I have no idea what the TV numbers are, and even if I had them in front of me, how can you even compare a game on YES, with a game on YES that is tape delayed, with a game on ESPN, with another game that is moved from FS1 to FS2, with yet another game on UDN, which is only in 34% of households, and in another language with SAP that is spotty and English-language announcers that are absurdly bad?

Our board seems heavily populated by STHs. We're not going anywhere, although I suppose some might be thinking things need to improve before renewal time. Anyone who has gone to a game has had a great time no matter the result. I'm sure there are casual fans who might pause their attention for a while, thinking they'll check again when Villa is healthy and Frankie comes to the Bronx. Which is fine. Every team has casual fans who show more interest when things go well. I'm not much of a hockey fan, for example, and pretty much only pay attention when the Rangers do well. Which means I'm paying attention now but won't maybe some future time when they're struggling. And I'm sure the team is happy to have my interest. Yankee and Mets attendance is highly correlated with winning.
And as for activity here being down except for a lot of bitching, I don't know what anyone could expect given the team's latest results. Even if we're paying close attention to games, it's more fun to engage online when the team wins. Nobody's in the mood to talk about hair right now, and the best anyone can say right now, which I am seeing, is we don't lose by much. Which we don't , so we've got that going for us.

Chin up!

 

[franchise646]

Seriously I don't like being that dude who says this but if you are going to bail then go on. We'll be ok with out you.

 

[BxLio91]

I didn't shitpost over 3000 times just to quit on the team after a poor set of results.

 

[Albany_NYCFC]

Are you kidding me?? Give up?? I am a 49 year old life long die hard Red Sox fan..... Gutrenchingly poor seasons? Been there done that... Rip your heart out seasons? Been there done that too............ Enjoyed the glory of 3 championships the last 11 years??? Abso-freakin-lutely!!!!!!!!! I am all in with NYCFC... Our time will come!!!!

 

[typicalcity]

Give your fuckin heads a wobble anyone thinking of quitting. go and shut the door on the way out !!
You are no loss to the team,when things go wrong you stand as one .
How the hell would you have gone on supporting man city 35 years yes years of being shit not 3.5months
Man up and grow a pair ffs

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

There are only a handful of players who are really any good. And we have been without many of them for many of our games. However, the rest of the guys play their asses off for us, how can you not love this team?

 

[Gavin23]

This is my team. My first real local football club. Im going to support it through and through. Win or lose.

Screw the quitters. Screw the EuroSnobs who rather support a team half way across the world representing a city theyve never lived in or visited and a team theyll never get to see in person.

NYC NYC

 

[Drainyoo]

Fair-weather fans. Every team has them. We're no different. I'm not bothered by them at all because once the team starts doing well they'll be back.

 

[Tiger Jones]

Who said they were quitting?

Yeah, this team is pretty bad but they're actually pretty entertaining.

I still stand by what I said at the beginning of the season and it's still a very real possibility. Make the playoffs.

 

[Seth]

Who said they were quitting?

Yeah, this team is pretty bad but they're actually pretty entertaining.

I still stand by what I said at the beginning of the season and it's still a very real possibility. Make the playoffs.

I think a bad team would lose 4-0, say, so that we're tying or losing 1-0 says to me that we're just not quite there but could be darn good. But I totally agree about the entertaining part though.

 

[BlueWarrior]

If anyone expected a perfect start on a new team they are delusional.


Damn right I'm sticking with this team.

 

[hatt91]

"Win or lose we will always follow you"

Do you just sing it, or do you mean it?

I mean it.

 

[JayH]

If folks are even thinking about bailing, they weren't going to be in for the long haul anyway. These results and even this season will be merely a blip on the life of this franchise. It's ok to be disappointed about results and decisions, and gripe about them as appropriate, but if you don't feel the love and excitement for this team and this opportunity notwithstanding, then this team and experience probably just isn't the right spot for you.

 

[LionNYC]

Even the Yankees had a bad number of years. We'll get through it and win 27 MLS Cups.

 

[Amon]

Never stop supporting I just received my long sleeve sky blue authentic today. I plan on buying more merch and supporting this team til I die. My city, my club.

 

[D_RoyJenkins]

What's so funny is that the team isn't as bad as their record suggests. I've said it and I'll keep saying it, the players are starting to understand each other better on the field. The defense is bad but if they keep up with the possession style it won't matter as much. Once we start finishing our chances everything will take care of itself.

 

[TommyM]

There's a huge difference between "this squad & managers have serious issues that aren't being fixed" (or even "this squad/manager are hopeless c**p") and "I'm not a supporter any more ."

Been a football supporter long enough to know that it is mostly suffering. Yet you keep on.

 

[Davo15]

Yeah that's nuts...I'd hope anyone saying anything is just blowing off hot air. I'm not even that frustrated yet to be honest. I think there's kind of a free pass from on record this year I'm just so excited to have a team at a reasonable level of soccer that I can get to and properly support on a regular basis.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Where is this quitting talk? I haven't seen any posts here about that.

We fucking suck. It's not surprising when you objectively evaluate our roster. I have been in the "we suck" wagon for a while. I don't like it. But I'd bet I'm as passionate as anyone you'll find.

And make no mistake, we do suck. But those of us bitching mostLy do so because we care. Now, if we go through a few more years of shitty FO moves with no signs of changing strategy, I'm sure I'll lose interest. But who wouldn't. That's not just here. That's everywhere. If the club doesn't seem to care, only a fool would continue to dump their emotional and financial resources into that black hole.

We're not there. We're having a season of that. Fuck it. I like going to games still. But that shouldn't be interpreted as approval of the product.