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Crew rowdies create great atmosphere, but let’s not go too far
Monday, May 26, 2008
BY MICHAEL ARACE
Prior to this season, Crew Stadium morphed from a soccer-specific stadium to a soccer-concert hybrid. A huge stage sprouted, and it now looms like a spaceship behind the north goal, where the most ardent supporters used to sit.
After the stage went up, the Crew Supporters Union 103, the Hudson Street Hooligans and La Turbina (“The Turbine”) — three distinct fan groups once separated by rows or stands in the north end — were forced into a melting pot in one corner of the stadium. And from the first game of the season, they have combined to charge the atmosphere of the place.
Now, that section is packed to the top — and it’s tremendous. It’s making Crew Stadium one of the toughest places in the league for opponents. In this development, there is great promise. There is also potential danger.
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Crew rowdies create great stadium atmosphere
By: Walker
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This sounds like a lot of fun. I haven’t been to a game in a few years. Now I have no excuse not to check one out soon.
If these are the most diehard and regular fans … why put them in the corner?!
I mean, I get that if someone is willing to pay more for certain seats, they should get dibs on the better seats … but the stadium isn’t exactly sold out on a regular basis, AFAIK.
At OSU men’s hockey games, they used to turn the lower bowl into general admission seating after the first period and let the fans who’d gotten stuck in the nosebleed section come on down. Some might argue that that was unfair to people who paid asking price for the lower-bowl seats, but from a fan’s perspective, it made the arena experience a lot better and made the atmosphere more difficult for opponents.
I think that having the hard-core supporters in that corner has worked out really well. They own that section of the stadium, and the fact that they wrap around a corner really seems to help project their chants all over the stadium. They can be heard very clearly just about everywhere and the energy is contagious.
The atmosphere at the game Saturday night was awesome, and the soccer was very fun to watch.
The only flaw is that when the crowd files out of the stadium after the game they find themselves in a muddy field with nothing to do instead of on the Downtown streets where there are places to hang out continue the fun.
The atmosphere at the game Saturday night was awesome, and the soccer was very fun to watch.
The only flaw is that when the crowd files out of the stadium after the game they find themselves in a muddy field with nothing to do instead of on the Downtown streets where there are places to hang out continue the fun.
I can just imagine a “Wrigleyville” type area around there. That would be great.
They are LOUD! I went to the Open Cup Qualifier this evening against Real Salt Lake and even at half strength, you could hear them everywhere in the stadium. The canopy over the stage seems to focus the sound onto the field.
Aside from the Nordecke, there is “Fort Knox” on the other side of the stage. While smaller, this section is also loud and growing.
The only flaw is that when the crowd files out of the stadium after the game they find themselves in a muddy field with nothing to do instead of on the Downtown streets where there are places to hang out continue the fun.[/quote
What do you mean? There’s Lowe’s, Aldi, etc… :wink:
Seriously, though, the anticipated rise in popularity for the Crew could be an opportunity for bars/restaurants around Hudson & Summit. Unfortunately, the hike across the train tracks (nobody really pays for parking, do they?), and down from the residential area of 4th Street causes a bit of a disconnect. The 14-0 carryout isn’t far, tho (coldest beer in town!!!).
Seriously, though, the anticipated rise in popularity for the Crew could be an opportunity for bars/restaurants around Hudson & Summit. Unfortunately, the hike across the train tracks (nobody really pays for parking, do they?), and down from the residential area of 4th Street causes a bit of a disconnect. The 14-0 carryout isn’t far, tho (coldest beer in town!!!).
I’ve been known to celebrate a victory with my brother down at Ruby Tuesday.. Great beer selection and decently cheap, but I wouldn’t mind a few restaurant options down by the stadium. Right next to the light rail station :-)
MLS will investigate an incident in which a spectator at a Columbus Crew home match directed a racial slur at a black player from the New England Revolution on Saturday night according to the Washington Post.
Revolution forward Kheli Dube, a native of Zimbabwe, was celebrating his go-ahead goal with teammates near a corner of the stadium in the 89th minute. In a video posted on YouTube, a video-sharing Web site, fans can be heard berating the players with expletives and, in one case, a fan used a racial epithet.
More here and on the Dispatch Crew blog
Video in question:
Ugh, we don’t need this crap just when the team’s starting to build momentum on and off the field. One idiot will provide endless fodder for the soccer haters…
But just imagine how cool Crew Stadium might be if it were the anchor of a redeveloped River South district.
Ugh, we don’t need this crap just when the team’s starting to build momentum on and off the field. One idiot will provide endless fodder for the soccer haters…
The way I see it the idiot in question should get banned from a few matches. I’m guessing that he won’t be welcome in the supporters sections for longer than that.
lol the part about moving the smoke bomb so he could make the kick struck me as hilarious.
MLS will investigate an incident in which a spectator at a Columbus Crew home match directed a racial slur at a black player from the New England Revolution on Saturday night according to the Washington Post.
Revolution forward Kheli Dube, a native of Zimbabwe, was celebrating his go-ahead goal with teammates near a corner of the stadium in the 89th minute. In a video posted on YouTube, a video-sharing Web site, fans can be heard berating the players with expletives and, in one case, a fan used a racial epithet.
More here and on the Dispatch Crew blog
Video in question:
Ugh, we don’t need this crap just when the team’s starting to build momentum on and off the field. One idiot will provide endless fodder for the soccer haters…
You beat me to it, The Hegemo. Then again, every 2-bit soccer blogger and journalist in the country seems to have beaten Shawn Mitchell on this story. [url=http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=697825]The BigSoccer[/url] boards have been discussing this, and frequently taking Columbus fans to task for the past 3 days. We also got hammered by the Washington Post and who knows where else. There is also much talk about objects being thrown other than streamers. That is inexcusable, and I hope the supporters can weed that behavior out themselves.
So, one idiot yells a racial slur :evil: (inexcusable) at a game and suddenly, everyone commenting about it thinks Columbus is full of rednecks and neo-nazis (MLS Rumors insinuated that the crowd began chanting Sieg Heil after the goal – when it was clearly ‘Red Flag’). It is amazing to me that this one incident can wipe out so much positive press Columbus has recently garnered. Such is the power of YouTube, I suppose. If you listen closely to the video, it sounds like the person filming and the person yelling are the same. The submitter’s favorite videos include 2 which use the N-word, leading myself and many others to believe he is the guilty party. Hopefully he will be identified and banned for life from CCS. I am positive he is not a regular in the supporters’ section.
What an embarrassment! :oops:
But just imagine how cool Crew Stadium might be if it were the anchor of a redeveloped River South district.
Eh, I suppose.. But if they made that area more livable and walkable, I think it could be pretty awesome in it’s own right.
Not everything has to be downtown, nor should it be.
A hack site run by a hack “blogger” who likes to stir up crap to feed her own ad revenue. I wouldn’t even mention that site here.
A hack site run by a hack “blogger” who likes to stir up crap to feed her own ad revenue. I wouldn’t even mention that site here.
Point taken. But does anyone know what happened to her original post? I couldn’t link to it. I would rather link indirectly anyway, as the site doesn’t deserve any extra visits. Is the post mirrored anywheres?
Srsly i wouldn’t bother.. I’d rather just point people at Bill Archer and leave it at that.
Srsly i wouldn’t bother.. I’d rather just point people at Bill Archer and leave it at that.
What’s your handle on BigSoccer? I just joined as “FitzCrew”. See ya there!
What’s your handle on BigSoccer? I just joined as “FitzCrew”. See ya there!
Haha, I’m just a lurker there.. My brother is on, and I figure that’s enough. :-)
Bill is good stuff though.
I watched last night’s game v KC (WOW) and I have say I understand where some of the recent restrictions from management on the fans may be coming from. It was clearly audible when the “corner crew” was chanting “You’re a pussy” when one of the KC players was down and “you suck asshole” on the goal kicks. No one wants the Crew to lose advertising revenue or to face a sttep FCC fine.
lol those are pretty tame considering what you hear in europe :D
also TOP wrote about them this week, mostly mirroring the Dispatch story