It seems that my recent facebook and Twitter scolding of Blue Jay fans has touched a nerve amongst some of the folks who actually support the Blue Jays. Well, despite the fact that I did not intend to insult the few who actually support the team, perhaps it may light a fire within some folks and get them to up their efforts…
As a few people pointed out, Toronto is a hockey town. This is a fact that will never change. However, we claim to be a world-class city in all respects, and from what I can tell, this comes with the caveat of “if it is successful”. We are not a town that creates a buzz for itself...it has to be forced on us. The bulk of us will ignore something until someone else tells us it is good. Why do you think so many musicians have to go elsewhere and achieve success? It is at this point that everyone in Toronto will start boasting, “oh, they are from Toronto you know” with that smugness that makes my skin crawl. Sports fans in this town are no different, and Jay’s “fans” are the worst of all. I was stunned last year when I attended the home opener vs. The Tigers…the place was rammed full of people…notice I said people, NOT fans. This became clear when these people felt it necessary to start yelling at people for wearing Tigers jerseys and hats. They were trying to be hardcore fans and came across as ignorant, shouting personal insults at players and behaving like morons…Magglio! Magglio! I can still hear it ringing annoyingly in my head.
Trying to take a positive from the experience, I was hopeful that my brother and sister in law were right; the Jays mattered again. However when I flipped on the game the next night, it did not even look like the same park…empty seats as far as they eye could see and the vacuous echo ringing louder than the crowd. I don’t say any of this to be mean; I just want to make that clear. The entire thing breaks my heart. This is the beginning of the end of this franchise. They are quickly becoming the Florida Marlins and that is disturbing to say the least (the Marlins draw about 600 people per game). Baseball is the cheapest ticket in town, so why all of the empty seats if the team actually does matter?
I have asked a number of people over the last few days, all of who claim to be genuine baseball fans if they were excited about the new season. Each of them instead of speaking optimistically about the quick start openly complained how it just isn’t fair that they have to compete against the Yankees and Red Sox every year, and how given those teams huge payrolls, the Jays never have a chance. I suggested that if maybe any of them went to games and showed their support, the team might not be so awful. Nope, its all because of the salaries of their opponents…how weak is that? Doesn’t Roger’s, who have openly stated they will increase the payroll, own the Jays? Maybe if the empty stadium wasn’t quite so empty the parent company would not mind sinking some money into it? I mean, you don’t become successful in business by throwing money into a black hole, which sadly the Jays have become. Secondly, if ANYONE went to the games than perhaps it may be easier to lure some decent free agents or even keep ones that we have. Admit it, they would look a hell of a lot better with Roy Halladay and Cris Carpenter at the top of the rotation instead of Shaun Marcum and Ricky Romero despite the promise the latter two have shown so far this year.
This is why I feel all those who attend opening day, drink their faces off, act like total idiots and never attend a game again for the rest of the year should be ashamed of themselves. As quickly as you build hope for a successful year, you take it away through your indifference. In the same way that the media blames Leaf fans and their unconditional love and support for a terrible team as the cause of management’s ineptitude/indifference towards actually building a winning team (why bother when the fans come anyways?), I blame the indifference of so called fans of the Blue Jays for not showing them the unconditional love and support that is necessary to encourage ownership to commit to building a winner again, and to create an atmosphere that players want to be a part of. Have we all forgotten 1992 and 1993 and how amazing it was to feel a part of something special? It was pretty great when Toronto were the ones buying championships. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it just isn’t fair…boo hoo!
It was unconditional love and support that brought a winner in the first place, maybe its time to show your commitment to winning. Set the tone and create the atmosphere. That kind of enthusiasm is awfully contagious. If half of the people wearing Jay’s hats and jerseys actually went to games I would not have had to even write this, but evidently that is just a trend, not a sign of actual affection. When the economically ravaged fans in Detroit can average 37000 a game, there is no excuse for Toronto to not be equally that mark, especially with neither NHL or NBA playoffs coming to the ACC this year.
There are some true and loyal Jays fans left out there, but they can’t do it alone. They need some of you fair weather opening day attending whiners to buck up and help make the Skydome a fun place to be again before it gets to the point where the Jays are forced to move, which judging by the ghost town atmosphere of the last two home games, isn’t as far down the road as we all hope…
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