Peter King Wants Texans Fans To Give Him the Verbal Beatdown

[pittbull3]

No problem, but that's not really what you said earlier:



Obviously, this has been disputed.

My point is that, with few exceptions, most fans show up in numbers when their team is winning, and not so much during 2-14 seasons.

But regardless, the point is that King stated: "The fans of the Houston Texans are not passionate."

Which is pure horse crap. While the nature of PSLs and corporate seats do change the dynamics of home games in the modern age of football, King was pointing at ALL Texans fans. And this is the crux of the matter, because the carpetbaggin' yellow-dog media always takes the opportunity to disparage the south.

This city loves the Texans, as evidenced by the logo that you see everywhere. And for a team that has never sported a winning season, the fact that you still see Texans gear and memorabilia on a consistent basis is proof enough that there is passion in this fanbase.

I'm with you on Houston having a good fan base. I do know the passion behind the real fans, because I have been with them from the beginning, and have stuck with them through the losing. I'm one who bought seasons ticket living in PGH, flew down for home games, was taken in by the Blue crew, partied, ate, drank, became merry, and adopted the nickname "PittBull" - (Pittsburgh Bull), compliments of Joe Texan! (So if there is another, point out the imposter!) Moved to Houston a year later and haven't looked back. But, I just know from my standpoint. Growing up in Pittsburgh, family 35 yr season ticket holders, going to the stadium from birth (Three Rivers to Heinz Field), even until now when back home on vacation, there is a slight difference in the air. WE WILL GET THAT FEELING THOUGH. IT's CONFIDENCE.....There is so much confidence, it takes on bravado and arrogance. They expect success and won't accept less. The city accepts it, they feed off it. And that is what makes the fan base radical in that city. As for the others, who knows. Only thing I know, when the Texans invade Pittsburgh Sept 7th, I'll be there! Texan gear, in my old section, making sure Texan fans are represented all over!

 

[Texan_Bill]

How's this for passion?

October 20, 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers v. Houston Oilers. Not only did the Oilers win 23-13, but Texan_Bill releived a Steelers fan of their 'Terrible Towel' and promptly rigged to the back of his truck and drove through the Dome parking lot....

 

[Wolf]

I think when you talk about confidence.. kinda what I gather on "battle red day" .now I have not been to reliant, but judging by the atmosphere or tone of the board and by what it looks like on TV .. awesome

I think of our fans as passionate.. and like someone said. If some of us have stuck with this team through thick and thin of 2002 and on (and even later, I don't want this to be a pissing contest of who has been a fan first)

While I think we all are passionate fans, I do believe it kicks into another level AMONG some of the fans.. some fans seem to get up for every game, some are there but boy it seems to rise a bit when it is either battle red day or playing Jacksonville or the Cowboys ..rivalries is where it is at for some.

This season I think we will see a kick in the fan department, why? because even though every game is and has been important to Texan fans whether it was a game that we just wanted to be competitive in(2002) or a game that we just want to beat a division opponent, to now , the next step.. we have shown that we can beat teams in the rest of the NFL.. we have to start beating teams within our division and get closer to a playoff spot ..What I like about the AFC south right now is how tough it is and with each game should seem like a playoff game because there is such a small room for error with a loss.. with that creates rivalries (face it Jags are are only real rivalries between fans and team (because we have beat them when it meant something) and INDY and Tenn .. even though division opponents(and yes I don't like Bud and payton), we haven't hurt them in their playoff chances so even though we might consider them rivals, to me we dont' get the same "buzz" from them like Jag fans .(if that makes any sense)

 

[Double Barrel]

I'm with you on Houston having a good fan base. I do know the passion behind the real fans, because I have been with them from the beginning, and have stuck with them through the losing. I'm one who bought seasons ticket living in PGH, flew down for home games, was taken in by the Blue crew, partied, ate, drank, became merry, and adopted the nickname "PittBull" - (Pittsburgh Bull), compliments of Joe Texan! (So if there is another, point out the imposter!) Moved to Houston a year later and haven't looked back. But, I just know from my standpoint. Growing up in Pittsburgh, family 35 yr season ticket holders, going to the stadium from birth (Three Rivers to Heinz Field), even until now when back home on vacation, there is a slight difference in the air. WE WILL GET THAT FEELING THOUGH. IT's CONFIDENCE.....There is so much confidence, it takes on bravado and arrogance. They expect success and won't accept less. The city accepts it, they feed off it. And that is what makes the fan base radical in that city. As for the others, who knows. Only thing I know, when the Texans invade Pittsburgh Sept 7th, I'll be there! Texan gear, in my old section, making sure Texan fans are represented all over!

I hear ya', man.

But, in all fairness, there are certain franchises that are simply legendary. I would put the Steelers and Packers in that category. They have long-standing traditions and rabid fanbases, and a few championship trophies in the case doesn't hurt, either. So I always give props to those teams and their fanbase, simply because that is what I want our Texans to aspire to: greatness.

It's a bit unfair to compare the 6-season Texans to those teams, though. I understand your perspective, and it certainly has some validity. We just need some success to galvanize Houston fans into the cohesive base that creates a "House of Pain" atmosphere for our home games.

Give it time, it'll happen. I believe!

 

[Wolf]

I hear ya', man.

But, in all fairness, there are certain franchises that are simply legendary. I would put the Steelers and Packers in that category. They have long-standing traditions and rabid fanbases, and a few championship trophies in the case doesn't hurt, either. So I always give props to those teams and their fanbase, simply because that is what I want our Texans to aspire to: greatness.

It's a bit unfair to compare the 6-season Texans to those teams, though. I understand your perspective, and it certainly has some validity. We just need some success to galvanize Houston fans into the cohesive base that creates a "House of Pain" atmosphere for our home games.

Give it time, it'll happen. I believe!

EXACTLY DB

 

[TexansLucky13]

I hear ya', man.

But, in all fairness, there are certain franchises that are simply legendary. I would put the Steelers and Packers in that category. They have long-standing traditions and rabid fanbases, and a few championship trophies in the case doesn't hurt, either. So I always give props to those teams and their fanbase, simply because that is what I want our Texans to aspire to: greatness.

It's a bit unfair to compare the 6-season Texans to those teams, though. I understand your perspective, and it certainly has some validity. We just need some success to galvanize Houston fans into the cohesive base that creates a "House of Pain" atmosphere for our home games.

Give it time, it'll happen. I believe!

Agreed!

Someday people will be asking "Why can't (insert team name here) fans be as dedicated as Texans fans?"

Many of us are already Die-Hard Texans fans for life, but it's hard for guys like Peter King to understand that. We love this team and we support them in their times of need and in their times of greatness. That's what makes a true fan.



P.S. - Must spread rep... blah blah

 

[pittbull3]

How's this for passion?

October 20, 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers v. Houston Oilers. Not only did the Oilers win 23-13, but Texan_Bill releived a Steelers fan of their 'Terrible Towel' and promptly rigged to the back of his truck and drove through the Dome parking lot....

Easy Bill, I still have a passion for my Steeler Teams up to 2002. That was a dismal game.

 

[pittbull3]

I hear ya', man.

But, in all fairness, there are certain franchises that are simply legendary. I would put the Steelers and Packers in that category. They have long-standing traditions and rabid fanbases, and a few championship trophies in the case doesn't hurt, either. So I always give props to those teams and their fanbase, simply because that is what I want our Texans to aspire to: greatness.

It's a bit unfair to compare the 6-season Texans to those teams, though. I understand your perspective, and it certainly has some validity. We just need some success to galvanize Houston fans into the cohesive base that creates a "House of Pain" atmosphere for our home games.

Give it time, it'll happen. I believe!

I hear you on that! "House of Pain!"

 

[Señor Stan]

Texan fans lead the division...

In letters written to this ESPiN training camp blogger.

Take that Peter King!

 

[Texans_Chick]

Because I love to make you guys laugh:

Peter King Wants You To Hate Him To Prove Your Fandom/

Be sure to click on the video.

 

[Second Honeymoon]

How's this for passion?

October 20, 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers v. Houston Oilers. Not only did the Oilers win 23-13, but Texan_Bill releived a Steelers fan of their 'Terrible Towel' and promptly rigged to the back of his truck and drove through the Dome parking lot....

That was you? you mother f'er

something tells me TB had a few that day i know i did. i was in my mid-20s. that was the 'sweet spot' of my drinking career. i remember us just destroying the Steelers on National TV during the Buddy Ryan year. O'Donnell just got his arse worked. I remember drinking more than a few Budweiser tallboys and burning a few bowls before the game in the Astrodome parking lot.

 

[Second Honeymoon]

I have visited quite a few NFL teams' websites and found single game tickets available through Ticketmaster (not a scalping agency).

So yeah, way.

you can get a ticket to anything you want. money talks and bull**** walks. some team's tickets are far more coveted but everything has its price.

king was way out of line on this one. To equate Houston fans with Arizona fans is just WAY out of line. Bud may have taken the name and uniforms, but he didn't take the passion. LuvYaBlue, HouseOfPain, all the letdowns but still believing the next year. We have earned our stripes, Mr. King. Spend less time up Brady's ass and apologize to the great State of Texas for even implying that Texans fans are similar to Arizona Cardinals fans. Shame on you, King.

 

[pittbull3]

I was talking to my dad last night and he made a valid point about the "passionate fan" rant. In some of the towns that have been mentioned, passion extends into the city. Reason being, these are 3rd and 4th generation fans. Grew up watching, cheering, seeinng mom, dad, uncles, cousins, etc tailgate, go to games, host parties, and be completely emotional each week over their respective team......Unfortunately for Houston, we may have at the slightest a 2nd generation fan, depending on the age of the kid. With that being said, passion hasn't hit yet all over, but within a certain segment (maybe 30,000-50,000), yes. The other 20,000-40,000 are no shows and corporate fans at reliant.

 

[Texan_Bill]

What I don't agree about that assessment is that pro-football has been here since 1960. Many passionate Texans fans were passionate Oilers fans.

 

[Double Barrel]

What I don't agree about that assessment is that pro-football has been here since 1960. Many passionate Texans fans were passionate Oilers fans.

Yep. I'd say that most of today's Texans fans over 35 years old were Oilers fans when they were in Houston.

I went to the last Oilers/Steelers game, too (with Jungle Bob from the TDC!). We got there before the game started, but didn't take our seats until the end of the 1st qtr. Nobody expected fans to show up (although it was probably well over half were Steelers fans). That was a fun day. Even though we knew it was a lame-duck franchise, many of us still held a passion for our team to see them at least one more time before they dumped us.

 

[Texan_Bill]

Yep. I'd say that most of today's Texans fans over 35 years old were Oilers fans when they were in Houston.

I went to the last Oilers/Steelers game, too (with Jungle Bob from the TDC!). We got there before the game started, but didn't take our seats until the end of the 1st qtr. Nobody expected fans to show up (although it was probably well over half were Steelers fans). That was a fun day. Even though we knew it was a lame-duck franchise, many of us still held a passion for our team to see them at least one more time before they dumped us.

Fun game indeed.

Found this:

A raucous crowd of 50,337 at the Astrodome -- the largest crowd in two years -- evoked memories of the days of Luv Ya Blue, the House of Pain and Buddy Ryan punching the assistant coach Kelvin Gilbride on the sidelines of a nationally televised game. It was like the good old playoff days for a lame-duck team whose two previous crowds were smaller than a memorial service for Ebenezer Scrooge.

Oilers wound up 8-8 as a lame duck team with Chris Chandelier aka Chris "Glass Jaw" Chandler at the helm...

 

[pittbull3]

What I don't agree about that assessment is that pro-football has been here since 1960. Many passionate Texans fans were passionate Oilers fans.

And I believe the passionate Texan fans number between 30,000-50,000. Just the nature of free agency and the way people jump ship. When there is a lag in a city, fans move to different teams, but more than that, those in the house that watch mom and dad go nuts every sunday, don't see it on a weekly and yearly basis either. They chose teams to follow and usually based upon who is winning at the time, how cool the uniforms look, or their favorite Madden Video game team.

 

[Texan_Bill]

And I believe the passionate Texan fans number between 30,000-50,000. Just the nature of free agency and the way people jump ship. When there is a lag in a city, fans move to different teams, but more than that, those in the house that watch mom and dad go nuts every sunday, don't see it on a weekly and yearly basis either. They chose teams to follow and usually based upon who is winning at the time, how cool the uniforms look, or their favorite Madden Video game team.

Certainly not agreeing with your estimate of 30,000 to 50,000. Attendance? Since when does that determine a teams fan base? Not flaming you pittbull - just not following your logic.

 

[pittbull3]

Certainly not agreeing with your estimate of 30,000 to 50,000. Attendance? Since when does that determine a teams fan base? Not flaming you pittbull - just not following your logic.

Texan Bill. I'm not saying we have a fan base of 30,000-50,000, but the attendance that shows up and ready to go gameday. The other 20,000 are givinng their tickets away, going to UT, A&M, Tech, or Baylor games, instead of being in their seats for kick-off 12:00pm sunday. You don't find this at other stadiums and their fan base. I personally love the dedicated fans here in Houston, and I'm one of them. But, we are ridiculed for the amount of opposing fans that enter Reliant, along with the many empty seasts that are shown on tv every sunday. The only time the seast are full, are for Sunday night events and when the cowgirls come in town. I may be all over the place, but there is a bone I have had to pick for a long time, and peter king just dug it up.

 

[aj.]

Pittbull, how passionate were Steelers fans in the mid to late 1960's when they were playing at old Pitt Stadium and in the final stages of nearly 40 years of futility and sucky teams?

 

[Texans_Chick]

Yep. I'd say that most of today's Texans fans over 35 years old were Oilers fans when they were in Houston.

I went to the last Oilers/Steelers game, too (with Jungle Bob from the TDC!). We got there before the game started, but didn't take our seats until the end of the 1st qtr. Nobody expected fans to show up (although it was probably well over half were Steelers fans). That was a fun day. Even though we knew it was a lame-duck franchise, many of us still held a passion for our team to see them at least one more time before they dumped us.

I was at that game too. It was cool and sad at the same time. I wasn't a season ticket holder, and I had played my usual Sunday morning flag football that I did back in the day. (football playing in the morning, pizza and couch sitting in the afternoon). It was rainy and I couldn't have had any more mud on me.

So I head home ready to watch the game, and hear them doing the pregame on the radio. Last Oilers-Steelers blah blah blah. And I just started crying as I'm driving home. Dangit, there's no crying in football!!!! I was so sad that Houston would never have football again. That this rivalry I watched was going to be gone forever. I grieved.

All my buds were busy doing other stuff that day, so I decided instead of watching the game byself at home and being totally bummed out, I'd call a ticket broker last second to see the price for a single ticket in the best seat in the house which in the Astrodome meant sucky because it was a sorry place to watch a football game. Selling for face, so I told him to hold it and I showered up as fast as I could and picked up the ticket.

As I recall, there was some sort of car show going on that day and the traffic getting into the stadium couldn't be any worse. They didn't have enough police officers directing things. So I got in at the beginning of the second quarter. Ended up sitting next to an Aggie-Steeler fan--go figure. He was giving Oiler fans around us the bidness because the Steelers were up. But eventually the Oilers won, and shut those PA fans way the heck up.

And then after the game, the Oiler players came to the walls and chatted with us fans. And that's how I grieved the end of pro football in Houston, and entered the sadness that was not knowing what to do with my Sunday afternoons because it just made me sad watching the NFL.

There's lots of us old Oiler fans. Now it is even easier to root for my team because it is 100% Bud-free. He is and was absolutely a mortifying, embarrasing cheap vulgarian.

This city is a football town. Once the Texans get more on the winning track, this city is going to blow up. Beating Pittsburgh on the road would be an amazing encouraging start.

Sorry I missed you, DB.

 

[aj.]

The entire '96 season was bittersweet at best (the Steelers game) and wretchedly painful as a rule. I went to all the games that year and it sucked - in part because I could see that Fisher had something special going on with a couple of young players named McNair and George and a defense with an attitude.

I don't recall the players coming to the sidelines after the Steelers game that year - which was mid-season as I recall and very well attended - they may have but I don't remember - but I do recall them doing that after the final game in the Dome against the Bengals which was nothing less than a sad funeral for me. It was as depressing as it gets as a sports fan. Players were throwing all kinds of crap into the stands .. jerseys included.

Our seats were in Section 470, Row 4, Seats 1-2, right under Bud's private box - I'm talking about within earshot and eye contact. My seat was right on the aisle and I can tell you that Bud heard and saw some really bad things that final season (not from me of course - except for maybe once) but mostly from the procession of pissed off fans coming down the steps that wanted to give him one last f-u. They finally put an usher in the front row aisle who we had to look at for several games, and checked tickets to our section constantly - in a half empty stadium - to keep people out of there. That went on most of the season. And for whatever reason, we always seemed to be exiting the stadium at the same time Bud was getting on one of his two blue hair express buses that were parked at the curb between the old Astrohall and the SE ped ramp ..... things got pretty ugly out there too.

 

[pittbull3]

Pittbull, how passionate were Steelers fans in the mid to late 1960's when they were playing at old Pitt Stadium and in the final stages of nearly 40 years of futility and sucky teams?

Thats part of my point. Until any franchise gets to winning, the passion never really begins. Passion comes with Tradition. Passion comes with Team ownership loyalty to their fan base. There were fans going to those steeler games in the 60's, my father and his crew, one of them. But, the percentage of passionate, real fans was minimal and had to grow over time. That is the stage the Texan fans are at. Once we win, it will add to the fever that comes along with passion, and it will carry over to the city. That is the reason you can go anywhere in the U.S and find "Steeler, Packer, Cowboys bars", in cities that have their own teams. People have migrated all over the country, and still kept their fan base, while those fans birthed new generations of fans. But, at the same time, you will never find opposing team watering holes with allegiance to any other team. That is the passionate fans I'm referring to. I'm sure when the oilers were around, this was Oiler country. Now, we have to contend with a split city, Texan/Titan/Cowboy fans. But that will change as we win.

Again....I'M A TEXAN Fan, but I'm looking at this thing through what has been shown thus far. We are growing and the Texan Nation is getting bigger. I'm just happy to be an original and not a bandwagon fan!

 

[aj.]

Until any franchise gets to winning, the passion never really begins.

... and the bandwagoning.

I know....let's talk about what it means to be a real fan.

That was a joke.

btw, i can't remember if I told you this but my wife's Dad's side have lived in Pitt since the 30's. They are wonderful old style classic terrible towel wavin' Italians with names like Louie, Geno, Joey, and Tommy, and one of the reasons I know that the Steelers weren't all that popular pre-Three Rivers is from conversations with them. Another is by checking attendance records from the dismal years in Forbes and Pitt.

I think you underestimate the passion of Houstonians for their pro football. If the oxidizer is winning, this fueled up, pent up powderkeg of fandom is ready to friggin explode when someone lights the playoff match, just like it did in 1978. I can't wait to experience it, because I know at some point in the future there will be a game at Reliant that tops that game in Sept 2002 in terms of excitement and meaning.

 

[pittbull3]

... and the bandwagoning.

I know....let's talk about what it means to be a real fan.

That was a joke.

btw, i can't remember if I told you this but my wife's Dad's side have lived in Pitt since the 30's. They are wonderful old style classic terrible towel wavin' Italians with names like Louie, Geno, Joey, Tommy and Fedico, and one of the reasons I know that the Steelers weren't all that popular pre-Three Rivers is from conversations with them. Another is by checking attendance records. There are people out there who think that some cities, especially in the northeast, were always fanatic in their ways. And that's not entirely true.

your exactly right, they weren't always fanatical...But they are now...

T- E - X- A- N - S, Texans, Texans, Texans!

 

[Texan_Bill]

Thats part of my point. Until any franchise gets to winning, the passion never really begins.

Point.... Counterpoint

The Oilers never really won anything (AFL Championships aside) yet 50,000+ passionate fans showed up after a loss.....(and actually did it twice).

(Look at the crowd in the background, not Mack Hayes in the foreground).

 

[Mailman]

Yep. I'd say that most of today's Texans fans over 35 years old were Oilers fans when they were in Houston.

Check.

I'll always have a deep emotional connection to the Houston Oilers. They were my first love, and Earl Campbell was my childhood hero. I have some 1979/80-era Houston Oilers memorabilia (including Ray Buck's "He Ain't No Bum" ) and old press guides that I like to pull out of that special box in the closet and get all weepy over.

 

[aj.]

The Oilers never really won anything

They won the hearts of a City and a good portion of the state, without winning a championship. And whether Pittbull realizes it or not, there are a LOT of those people, and their decendents still around - just waiting for the spark.

Like a hostage holding a newspaper, that one photo is easy to date.

• 
  September 21, 1980 - Week 3 - Oilers 21 Baltimore Colts 16

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198009210oti.htm
The last year of Bum and LYB.
That might have been the one game that Earl missed that year based on Carpenter's rushing stats.
I was a lot younger then, and sitting in the field level to the left of that view of the Pavilion - all the way around past the chute by the visitor locker room entrance.
Little did we know that in the following 3 months, Kenny King would to go to a Pro Bowl, Pastorini would win a Super Bowl ring (always a great trivia question) and the New Years Eve Massacre would outrage us all. Al Davis seriously got over on Bud with that series of deals.

 

[Double Barrel]

I think you underestimate the passion of Houstonians for their pro football. If the oxidizer is winning, this fueled up, pent up powderkeg of fandom is ready to friggin explode when someone lights the playoff match, just like it did in 1978. I can't wait to experience it, because I know at some point in the future there will be a game at Reliant that tops that game in Sept 2002 in terms of excitement and meaning.

QFT

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about what this city will be like when the Texans start winning more than they lose. This is a football city in a football state. The explosion of fanaticism will look like a mushroom cloud to the rest of the country.

Pittbull underestimates Houston, and overestimates the "fans" of organizations with winning traditions. It's not that migration has taken fans of Steelers, Packers, Cowboys around the country, it's the bandwagon that forms when teams win multiple championships.

Check.

I'll always have a deep emotional connection to the Houston Oilers. They were my first love, and Earl Campbell was my childhood hero. I have some 1979/80-era Houston Oilers memorabilia (including Ray Buck's "He Ain't No Bum" ) and old press guides that I like to pull out of that special box in the closet and get all weepy over.

Earl was/is a big hero of mine, as well. Those were special times, and the people of Houston rallied around and bonded because of the excitement of the Luv Ya Blue years.

Those days will return. It might be luv ya bull or whatever, but it's the same core of Houston football fans and their next generations that will continue to carry the torch. Peter King is just some yankee writer who obviously has a bur under his saddle towards this city.

 

[aj.]

Where are all those passionate Steelers fans? You would have thought they were chomping at the bit to see their team for the first time in '08.

(Heinz appears to be about 60% full at best at the 7 minute mark of the 1st quarter)

 

[mexican_texan]

I'm not gonna bother reading this thread I'll just say this:
I read Peter King's columns only and there's no one out there who likes the Texans as much as he does. As far as whether Texans fans are passionate, we don't compare to the Redskins or the Eagles.