Fan Stereotypes

[Texans_Chick]

Wrote a blog post about NFL fan stereotypes, creating stereotypes and how it was at the draft party. Some of y'all might be interested in it:

On fan stereotypes, the media, and the Texans draft party

I think I was pretty fair.

[JB]

Great read Steph! Thank you, I really enjoy your insights. I am hoping we can become a fanbase known nationally for intensity & tailgating

[Bulluck53]

Well written and I agree, when I think of Texans fans I only think of this place. Nothing I can really identify you all with at this point. That may change when I make my way down there at some point.

[spurstexanstros]

Cowboy fans are the worst in the NFL .... I think you did a great job describing them....I really think that their fans believe NFL should be changed to TCP (Teams Cowboys Play)

As for the Texans fans...(outside of Reliant) We are the "Loch Ness Monsters" of fans....you see pictures of us and every once in a while you hear from us on radio and TV but finding them in large groups is rare and getting your hands on them nearly impossible(especially outside of Houston).

[HoustonFrog]

Originally Posted by spurstexanstros

Cowboy fans are the worst in the NFL .... I think you did a great job describing them....I really think that their fans believe NFL should be changed to TCP (Teams Cowboys Play)

As for the Texans fans...(outside of Reliant) We are the "Loch Ness Monsters" of fans....you see pictures of us and every once in a while you hear from us on radio and TV but finding them in large groups is rare and getting your hands on them nearly impossible(especially outside of Houston).

See it is this stuff that gives Texans fans a bad name. The description was so far off and comments like yours make the fanbase seem petty and like there is an inferiority problem. Many good Cowboy fans are around and a many spent their lives watching them. It is funny how within the NFC East the rivalries are so steep that most fans from all the fanbases talk. All of them dislike each other. Yet people here act like Cowboy fans are all the same, the only ones that talk, etc. I mean Hook em, a Giants guy, was talking rudely about the Boys the other day. Is that acceptable because its the Cowboys?As a rival it doesn't bother me but people need to stop acting like one fanbase does it. Stereotypes, in general, are plain silly. In the long run, just like in real life, it is a few who reinforce it while there are many living their regular lives that don't support it. There are many Cowboy fans on this board, all good people, all who don't talk alot. Most of us came from the area or grew up from the 70s watching the team. Most of us are from families that watched them. Friends too. All good, normal people working and watching games. Bad seeds at games or in certain cities don't make fanbases.

Just from what I've read here from old schoolers and and from what I've seen and heard out there the best thing for Texans fans is to make their own identity and stop trying to be obsessed with being better than the Cowboys. Whether it be friendly tailgaters, etc. The team is talented and will win. Then you go from there. What shouldn't happen is having the "little brother syndrome" and always comparing themselves to the Cowboys or this random Dallas v Houston thing. The Oilers did it successfully. Alot of these thoughts aren't mine. I've actually seen alot of good Texans fans say it here. I mean look at the thread below this about the November showdown. It is looking to pick a fight instead of discuss the game. How is that a good way to do things?

[Joe Texan]

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

See it is this stuff that gives Texans fans a bad name. The description was so far off and comments like yours make the fanbase seem petty and like there is an inferiority problem. Many good Cowboy fans are around and a many spent their lives watching them. It is funny how within the NFC East the rivalries are so steep that most fans from all the fanbases talk. All of them dislike each other. Yet people here act like Cowboy fans are all the same, the only ones that talk, etc. I mean Hook em, a Giants guy, was talking rudely about the Boys the other day. Is that acceptable because its the Cowboys?As a rival it doesn't bother me but people need to stop acting like one fanbase does it. Stereotypes, in general, are plain silly. In the long run, just like in real life, it is a few who reinforce it while there are many living their regular lives that don't support it. There are many Cowboy fans on this board, all good people, all who don't talk alot. Most of us came from the area or grew up from the 70s watching the team. Most of us are from families that watched them. Friends too. All good, normal people working and watching games. Bad seeds at games or in certain cities don't make fanbases.

Just from what I've read here from old schoolers and and from what I've seen and heard out there the best thing for Texans fans is to make their own identity and stop trying to be obsessed with being better than the Cowboys. Whether it be friendly tailgaters, etc. The team is talented and will win. Then you go from there. What shouldn't happen is having the "little brother syndrome" and always comparing themselves to the Cowboys or this random Dallas v Houston thing. The Oilers did it successfully. Alot of these thoughts aren't mine. I've actually seen alot of good Texans fans say it here. I mean look at the thread below this about the November showdown. It is looking to pick a fight instead of discuss the game. How is that a good way to do things?

Frog take a look at the Cowboy fans we encounter at each and every meeting of the Texans and Cowboys--- Arrogant and acting like thier poop don't stink touting five peices of Jewelry that we could care less about. Making an excuse about September 8 2002 when we all know Yep God and Every Body you got your Star Polished By the one and only David Carr and the Texans who came to play. Not one Cowboy fan stepped up and took defeat but they just refered to Dave Campo and the Ill fated mistake that was the cowboys. Tell me if you saw it different cause I sure did not.

[HoustonFrog]

Originally Posted by Joe Texan

Frog take a look at the Cowboy fans we encounter at each and every meeting of the Texans and Cowboys--- Arrogant and acting like thier poop don't stink touting five peices of Jewelry that we could care less about. Making an excuse about September 8 2002 when we all know Yep God and Every Body you got your Star Polished By the one and only David Carr and the Texans who came to play. Not one Cowboy fan stepped up and took defeat but they just refered to Dave Campo and the Ill fated mistake that was the cowboys. Tell me if you saw it different cause I sure did not.

It didn't understand half of that. But most I knew accepted the defeat. The Cowboys did suck pretty bad then too. I know when the Cowboys won years later all I ever heard was 19-10. I also have sat here and read posts about how you used to try and pick fights at Cowboy games, etc. I know you have changed your hard partying ways but you cant sit here and talk noise all game and talk about how you used to party and pick fights and then blame Cowboy fans for your actions. People need to accept that it goes both ways on many occassions. Again, and I've said this 1000 times on here, I'm sorry people run into some bad people but growing up in Ft. Worth I didn't see alot of it over the 30 plus years and many of us cheered for the Oilers in the AFC. No one looked at it as a bad thing.

[JB]

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

It didn't understand half of that. But most I knew accepted the defeat. The Cowboys did suck pretty bad then too. I know when the Cowboys won years later all I ever heard was 19-10. I also have sat here and read your posts about how you used to try and pick fights at Cowboy games, etc. I know you have changed your hard partying ways but you cant sit here and talk noise all game and talk about how you used to party and pick fights and then blame Cowboy fans for your actions. People need to accept that it goes both ways on many occassions. Again, and I've said this 1000 times on here, I'm sorry people run into some bad people but growing up in Ft. Worth I didn't see alot of it over the 30 plus years and many of us cheered for the Oilers in the AFC. No one looked at it as a bad thing.

Frog, I understand where you are coming from. Many used to be cowboy fans. B ut since the start of the Texans, there has bit a lot of derision on the part of Cowboy fans here in Houston. Look at the Chron blogs at the stuff that Cowboy, Keal, Five Rings and others post. It is arrogance that is maddening to most realistic Texan fans, and downright criminal as far as Texan die hards are concerned.

Most Cowboy fans are apathetic towards the Texans, but the few are lound enough to drown out the many...

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

It didn't understand half of that. But most I knew accepted the defeat. The Cowboys did suck pretty bad then too. I know when the Cowboys won years later all I ever heard was 19-10. I also have sat here and read your posts about how you used to try and pick fights at Cowboy games, etc. I know you have changed your hard partying ways but you cant sit here and talk noise all game and talk about how you used to party and pick fights and then blame Cowboy fans for your actions. People need to accept that it goes both ways on many occassions. Again, and I've said this 1000 times on here, I'm sorry people run into some bad people but growing up in Ft. Worth I didn't see alot of it over the 30 plus years and many of us cheered for the Oilers in the AFC. No one looked at it as a bad thing.

It's just a jealousy thing. You can understand this coming from fans whose team has never even had a sniff of the playoffs. They have to talk about something. The rivalry is a one way street. IMHO Cowgirl fans main rivals are the Redskins and the rest of the NFC east. The Texans as a rival aren't even on the Cowgirls radar as far as a rivalry is concerned.

I hope the Texans franchise can have half of the success that the Cowgirls have had. The Cowgirls are my 2nd favorite team.

[HoustonFrog]

Originally Posted by JB

Frog, I understand where you are coming from. Many used to be cowboy fans. B ut since the start of the Texans, there has bit a lot of derision on the part of Cowboy fans here in Houston. Look at the Chron blogs at the stuff that Cowboy, Keal, Five Rings and others post. It is arrogance that is maddening to most realistic Texan fans, and downright criminal as far as Texan die hards are concerned.

Most Cowboy fans are apathetic towards the Texans, but the few are lound enough to drown out the many...

I am thankful you see that it is a few. I want to go through my thought process on this so bear with me.

I want to start with saying that I read those d-bags in the paper and they are a minority. An embarrassing minority that makes me shake my head. They are just like the radio host in SA a few years back that was at a bar ripping Texans people. I wrote him and told him he was embarrassing and he wrote back and still didn't get it. Just like people here in Houston that get fierce on Cowboy fans and who talk non-stop there awlays seems to be a vocal group that can be embarrassing.

Background: For many here this is old hat so I'll make it short. Grew up in Ft. Worth. Was a kid...0-10 yrs old..in the 70s. So football and the Cowboys were big for me mid to late 70s and moving forward. Also had the Pitt SB rivalry. At this time, my bro that is 10 years older than me went to UT. Earl was there. So when Earl came here I was also a secondary Oilers fan and had an Earl jersey to go with my Cowboys stuff. I never knew of a Houston/Dallas thing. Was even pissed as can be at the Renfro "non-catch" call. Just Texas teams and players. So basically through college..up until 1992 I lived up there and was a massive Cowboy fan who cheered for most Texas teams on the side. To me there never was any hostility and fans of the Cowboys were my family and friends and school buddies.

Moved here in 1993 for law school. Was excited to be in another city where they had sports teams and where I could adopt some secondary teams. Loved that my first 2 years here the Rockets were winning championships. Those same years the Cowboys were winning Championships. Life was good in a new city. There wasn't much sports talk and all so besides my new friends here...mostly Cowboys fans from around the state, I never saw the hostility. So when the Texans started here I was excited football was back. I told my family about the great new stadium and how football would be nice here. Even with an embarrassing 19-10 loss I was happy for this city and at the time knew the Cowboys were sucking post SB years so it was tough but cool to see.

In 2005 I came to this board because I started getting frustrated with the local team and Carr. Had no idea what was here, that there was a guy named Hulk who was Carr's brother, that people were so torn on this stuff or that people were really so bitter at Dallas or the Cowboys. My first 2-3 years here I only really discussed Texans, the draft and even disappeared during some seasons. The Cowboys never were much of a topic except 19-10. That changed the last 2 years or so where I started noticing more of a Cowboy hate, more Cowboy posts, more ragging on anything Dallas did. I was a little surprised and some of it was childish. Only then did I dive in here and there. I know many here were surprised I was a Cowboy fan. It never really came up. Many people asked me about it.

So that is my issue with all this. I never saw myself, WWJD, Starstruck, etc bait people or start flaming threads. Yet I hear non-stop about hateful Cowboy fans, to the point of obsession at times. I read antogonizing threads that are pretty over the top. It is a Texans board, so no big deal. But from an "outsider" you have to realize that it seems like an p-envy thing. I think this fuels the talk from the other side. I heard some old timers even say that here. I won't speak for them but I think many get embarrassed that there is so much vitriol for the Boys instead of just Texans talk. It also makes you wonder...chicken or egg. Did hate cause talking or vice versa. In my book, people need to realize that there is a large majority just like me, Star and WWJD...people who work and have families and who don't call shows or write to the paper...who grew up Cowboys fans..and who are good fans. The minority are the loudmouths. Considering the attention they seek they are the ones you might see out talking or on the radio, etc. It is the same names over and over in this town. So labeling Cowboy fans something just fuels the fire and makes people look bad on the other side. As I said, if you grew up an NFC East person you'd have a whole different view as I hear trash from Giants, Philly and Skins fans. Alot of bad trash. If they were in Texas you probably would do the same labeling with them. The reality is that up in Dallas...and I stream there alot...Houston isn't a subject. So to think Cowboy fans just sit around talking trash and are horrible is just not true. There definitely was a bandwagon in the 90s but there are also 40 year olds like myself that grew up in a heyday with them. I think a large, large amount consist of these diehards.

Sorry for all of this...way too long.. but I want to respectively explain how some of us see it. I hang with...if you do degrees of separation....large amounts of people, spanning years, that don't act like Cowboy in the Chron. Nothing I can do about it but act good here and try and show the other side. Just like Pats fan was lovable until they won and got over the top cocky, you are going to see some bad fans from every team that wins over the years. If the Texans win a SB I'd expect there to be a group that will throw out the SB talk.

Hope that helps from one persons perspective

[V Man]

Originally Posted by spurstexanstros

Cowboy fans are the worst in the NFL .... I think you did a great job describing them....I really think that their fans believe NFL should be changed to TCP (Teams Cowboys Play)

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

See it is this stuff that gives Texans fans a bad name. The description was so far off and comments like yours make the fanbase seem petty and like there is an inferiority problem. Many good Cowboy fans are around and a many spent their lives watching them. It is funny how within the NFC East the rivalries are so steep that most fans from all the fanbases talk. All of them dislike each other. Yet people here act like Cowboy fans are all the same, the only ones that talk, etc. I mean Hook em, a Giants guy, was talking rudely about the Boys the other day. Is that acceptable because its the Cowboys?As a rival it doesn't bother me but people need to stop acting like one fanbase does it. Stereotypes, in general, are plain silly. In the long run, just like in real life, it is a few who reinforce it while there are many living their regular lives that don't support it. There are many Cowboy fans on this board, all good people, all who don't talk alot. Most of us came from the area or grew up from the 70s watching the team. Most of us are from families that watched them. Friends too. All good, normal people working and watching games. Bad seeds at games or in certain cities don't make fanbases.

I have seen both sides to this arguement, and understand where both of you are coming from. I lived in the Dallas area for 6 years and been in SA for many more than that.

Dallas Area Cowboy fans - While living there most Cowboy fans I meet were great fans, supported their team without being rude to fans of other teams. In fact many would openly voice their displeasure with the Cowboy organization if they weren't happy about what they were doing. I personally was always treated well when out watching a game amongest the Cowboy faithful.

SA Cowboy fans- They are some of the rudest fans I have ever meet. I don't know if they are trying to prove they are worthy cause they have no local teams or what. To them, if you are not a Cowboy fan you are a loser....period. And don't even try to go watch a different game anywhere if the Cowboys are there.


Note: I have meet both types of fans in both places, but the majority seem to fall in the areas I metioned above.

[Dread-Head]

[spurstexanstros]

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

See it is this stuff that gives Texans fans a bad name. The description was so far off and comments like yours make the fanbase seem petty and like there is an inferiority problem. Many good Cowboy fans are around and a many spent their lives watching them. It is funny how within the NFC East the rivalries are so steep that most fans from all the fanbases talk. All of them dislike each other. Yet people here act like Cowboy fans are all the same, the only ones that talk, etc. I mean Hook em, a Giants guy, was talking rudely about the Boys the other day. Is that acceptable because its the Cowboys?As a rival it doesn't bother me but people need to stop acting like one fanbase does it. Stereotypes, in general, are plain silly. In the long run, just like in real life, it is a few who reinforce it while there are many living their regular lives that don't support it. There are many Cowboy fans on this board, all good people, all who don't talk alot. Most of us came from the area or grew up from the 70s watching the team. Most of us are from families that watched them. Friends too. All good, normal people working and watching games. Bad seeds at games or in certain cities don't make fanbases.

Just from what I've read here from old schoolers and and from what I've seen and heard out there the best thing for Texans fans is to make their own identity and stop trying to be obsessed with being better than the Cowboys. Whether it be friendly tailgaters, etc. The team is talented and will win. Then you go from there. What shouldn't happen is having the "little brother syndrome" and always comparing themselves to the Cowboys or this random Dallas v Houston thing. The Oilers did it successfully. Alot of these thoughts aren't mine. I've actually seen alot of good Texans fans say it here. I mean look at the thread below this about the November showdown. It is looking to pick a fight instead of discuss the game. How is that a good way to do things?

Well I was just speaking as someone who lives in a city where there are more Cowboy fans per capita than than in Dallas. I stand by my statement. They are the worst they feel that they are the New York Yankees of football. Every position player is the best at their position because if they were not the Cowboys wouldnt have them. Can you beleieve that there are some in this town who think Miles Austin is better than AJ. I kid you not it was on the radio ( and he wasnt only caller who thought so)

Every year its the same the boys should be 13-3 and in the superbowl and if they are not then you hear the vast ripping of the Cowboys stars off the el caminos in favor of Lakers stick-ons.
I can give you thousands of examples how they are the worst...but if you have been in the restrooms at Reliant and gotten hassled by Cowboy fan because the Texans are loosing and they arent playing Dallas..then you should agree with me..Cowboy fans suck.

[spurstexanstros]

I do applaud the Texans fans in the upper deck restrooms for not realizing they outnumbered Cowboy fans 10 to 1 at that game and that the exits are hard to get to because if they had..coulda gotten real ugly..that or Texans fans have class. I am guessing they have class.

[StarStruck]

I'm going to just say it like this. I have been and always will be a Cowboys fan. When I think about rivalry the two teams I think about most are the Eagles and the Steelers. It's always great to beat the Giants, and they have for the most part owned us the last few years, but I don't hate them, actually I can't really say that I dislike them. We have beat the Redskins so many times even when we were only winning one hand full of games, that it takes too much energy get the rivalry juices flowing. However, we were very united when Sean Taylor was murdered.

We Palestine folks love Adrian Peterson and he returns and spends lots of time in Palestine. There's an annual day planned in his honor and it's a big event. We love him and he knows it. However, make no mistake when the Vikings played the Cowboys in the playoffs, the fanbase was solid, even the one who organizes his event. Even when the family traveled to Minnesota he was quite gracious in inviting them to the locker room, dinner, and his home. It wasn't because he needed to gloat because they won.

I'm trying to recall, but when we lost to the Texans, wasn't that at least the third year of winning five games? Good lord, we were awful. But, I knew I wouldn't be bailing on my team, so I just had to grit my teeth and bear it.

[WWJD]

Eh my feeling is if you don't like me because I like the Cowboys we weren't going to be chummy anyway.

Judging people by their fan loyalty is just silly. I'm never in anybody's face with it. Never was. Never will be.

Lots of nice people in every fanbase. Maybe when they all get together things can get rough but I've just never taken sports so seriously that I'd want to wish physical harm on them based on their loyalty.

[JB]

Originally Posted by StarStruck

I'm going to just say it like this. I have been and always will be a Cowboys fan. When I think about rivalry the two teams I think about most are the Eagles and the Steelers. It's always great to beat the Giants, and they have for the most part owned us the last few years, but I don't hate them, actually I can't really say that I dislike them. We have beat the Redskins so many times even when we were only winning one hand full of games, that it takes too much energy get the rivalry juices flowing. However, we were very united when Sean Taylor was murdered.

We Palestine folks love Adrian Peterson and he returns and spends lots of time in Palestine. There's an annual day planned in his honor and it's a big event. We love him and he knows it. However, make no mistake when the Vikings played the Cowboys in the playoffs, the fanbase was solid, even the one who organizes his event. Even when the family traveled to Minnesota he was quite gracious in inviting them to the locker room, dinner, and his home. It wasn't because he needed to gloat because they won.

I'm trying to recall, but when we lost to the Texans, wasn't that at least the third year of winning five games? Good lord, we were awful. But, I knew I wouldn't be bailing on my team, so I just had to grit my teeth and bear it.

That's what being a fan is all about.
Rep you if I could.

[HoustonFrog]

Originally Posted by spurstexanstros

Well I was just speaking as someone who lives in a city where there are more Cowboy fans per capita than than in Dallas. I stand by my statement. They are the worst they feel that they are the New York Yankees of football. Every position player is the best at their position because if they were not the Cowboys wouldnt have them. Can you beleieve that there are some in this town who think Miles Austin is better than AJ. I kid you not it was on the radio ( and he wasnt only caller who thought so)

Every year its the same the boys should be 13-3 and in the superbowl and if they are not then you hear the vast ripping of the Cowboys stars off the el caminos in favor of Lakers stick-ons.
I can give you thousands of examples how they are the worst...but if you have been in the restrooms at Reliant and gotten hassled by Cowboy fan because the Texans are loosing and they arent playing Dallas..then you should agree with me..Cowboy fans suck.

Read my long post above. I didn't write it just to hear people repeat the same stories where they make blanket statements and turn the words of a few into a fanbase. You are the same one that blames Jerry Jones for everything so I don't expect you to understand. That is the frustrating part. You have 3 Cowboy fans in this thread that nicely explain things in a mature way and then the only response you get is this stuff. Your words don't make things any better. It is just like the thread in this section about the game. People do it to incite and then when someone gives a normal, well thought out answer there is no response because they are looking for a fight not to understand. You have fans here that have bragged about trying to start fights with Cowboy fans, painting road signs, etc, etc and here it is considered passionate or funny. If another fanbase did it they are ALL horrible. You can't have it both ways. And from living in Ft. Worth for 22 years, where everyone in the Metroplex is a Cowboy fan, San Antonio doesn't have more. Maybe there are some bad ones but not more.

Again, I can't explain it any other way except in the novel above.

[NitroGSXR]

Originally Posted by WWJD

Eh my feeling is if you don't like me because I like the Cowboys we weren't going to be chummy anyway.

Judging people by their fan loyalty is just silly. I'm never in anybody's face with it. Never was. Never will be.

Lots of nice people in every fanbase. Maybe when they all get together things can get rough but I've just never taken sports so seriously that I'd want to wish physical harm on them based on their loyalty.

F-I-N-E! I didn't want to be your friend anyway!