Posts by Sam Sullivan58

Justin Lee7 said:So you don't actually follow basketball, but hey, you claim to support both the New York Knicks and Tedeschi.

Look, I don't "follow" basketball in the sense that I’m tearing my hair out over scores or obsessing over the next game schedule. I don't know who the current European champion is, and I wouldn't know who won the NBA without checking Wikipedia first. But honestly, that’s irrelevant to this conversation. The point is crystal clear: the Dallas Cowboys aren't the Los Angeles Lakers, and unfortunately, there isn't some magical connection that automatically links me to every other club in Washington, D.C. That's why I said I hate the Los Angeles Lakers, find the New York Knicks more likable, root for the Chicago Bulls (just not in the NFL), and couldn't care less about Long Beach Water Polo. That's my stance, and it's staying that way. You guys aren't going to lecture me on a forum about who I should love or hate. Those loyalties are formed when you're a kid, not on an internet message board.

But what are you saying? You have to keep in mind that you've been funding the Dallas Cowboys for decades too. Do you love them or hate them just because they're sucking up your and my money?

Exactly. I absolutely loathe how the Dallas Cowboys drain your money and mine, and I can't wait for the day that changes. But even so, I love the Dallas Cowboys and I've always rooted for them. Meanwhile, I hate the Los Angeles Lakers, even if they finally stopped relying on taxpayer money. I don't know how else to make that any clearer.

I'm not trying to change your minds regarding the Los Angeles Lakers... it's your club, your passion, your emotions... feel free to keep following them, I actually support you in that... Just think long and hard about whether you'll bother following any of our clubs in the regional leagues. 👍

driftingotter47 said:Even if what you said is true, you basically just admitted Coca-Cola is an even more obnoxious club. It’s artificial, soulless, has zero real fanbase, and is just fueled by some local tycoon's cash. There are some real morons on this forum...

P.S. The Los Angeles Lakers would be a great spot for us to hang out and mess around...

Look, Coca-Cola is actually a rare example of a Washington, D.C. club that isn't just parasitizing the city budget. As much as they might feel "manufactured" or whatever, I still find them more tolerable than all those other clubs that are constantly sucking up my money and yours. You have to keep that perspective in mind. You aren't funding Coca-Cola, whereas you've been subsidizing teams like the Los Angeles Lakers for decades.

Henry Grant51 said:🙂
Man, if I’d known that, I never would’ve stepped foot in a Los Angeles Lakers game... I'd be dead. Let's all just cheer for Coca-Cola instead; they're the only real team representing Washington, D.C. and the whole damn country...

Look, nobody is stopping you from going to a Lakers game or supporting Coca-Cola. You can root for any basketball team you want, or none at all for all I care. I laid out my own reasons for why I can't stand the Lakers, and I'm not trying to change anyone else's mind. The New York Knicks were always my go-to local team, and honestly, they've got way more soul than the Lakers. But I am never rooting for them. I have every right to dislike that club, and that's just my take. Seriously, imagine that. You can be a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan and still hate the Lakers, or root for the Chicago Bulls while despising Long Beach Water Polo. Washington, D.C. doesn't have one single massive sports organization, so I don't feel this deep emotional tie to different clubs that aren't under the same umbrella—and don't even get me started on the local politicians.

Nobody is telling you how to support the Lakers; that's your business. The only thing actually worth debating is whether or not people should bother watching the NBA. There's plenty to say about that, but my stance is pretty clear.

The Lakers have always been that big-shot franchise from the old era. In my house, we hate them from the bottom of our souls, and that’s never going to change. Growing up in Washington, D.C., the Knicks were always my first basketball team, even though I’m not exactly a die-hard hoops fanatic. Lately, I find myself rooting for the Celtics, especially when they’re facing off against the Lakers in domestic matchups. But the Lakers? Never. Not once, and it won't happen. Honestly, watching them struggle, lose, and just deal with their own mess is my favorite part. Even if I actually liked them—which, again, I don't—there isn't enough money in the entire world to make me sit through some garbage league like the NBA. I truly cannot wrap my head around anyone who follows these regional leagues.

Even if there was a massive sports scene here in D.C. with a major Soccer Club, Handball Club, Basketball Club, or Water Polo Club... like having Dinamo Chicago... even then, I wouldn't support something like Dinamo Basketball playing in a regional league. I’d be crossing my fingers that they lose every single game, and honestly, I hope anyone responsible for getting Dinamo Basketball into that league eats dirt.

Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: Washington, D.C. is never going to swallow this regional crap. And to all of you sneaking around and supporting these mergers behind closed doors? My advice is to keep doing it in secret.

Thomas Flores7 said:There’ll probably be a huge crowd at the stadium early on because of the hype from the big owners... It’s just pure euphoria right now, but honestly, I think it won't last long. Once all the dead weight leaves the club and we see how much the actual quality of the players drops, the mood will shift. It's going to take a long time for the team to get their results back on track, and let me tell you, losing streaks don't exactly draw massive crowds.

If there’s actually any justice served once the current management clears out, this team is going to end up playing in some tiny local minor league.

You guys are back at it again with the demographics argument, but honestly, you should just shut it. This city has one decent club and one decent group of supporters, and if anyone is supposed to have a supporter section packed tighter than any stands from Munich to Athens, it’s us. There is absolutely no excuse for a major US metro area with over a million people to have such pathetic numbers. I mean, within a radius of 25 miles, you've got 1.1 million people living right there, and there's only one legitimate club and one real group—so there's no way to justify why we aren't everywhere. Like I said yesterday, the ultras basically emerged in this city as a subcultural alternative for kids, plain and simple. Once Mamić stops screwing over Dinamo, the crowds will return to the stadium in certain numbers, but I seriously doubt the fan base is going to explode. Maybe it will grow, but nothing crazy. If we just accept the reality of our actual numbers sooner rather than later, it'll be easier to deal with the disappointment when we face the real stats. As for the long-term future? Who knows. But if we ever want to see a massive movement, it’s going to take at least ten years of grueling grassroots work with the kids who are 10 to 15 right now—kids who don't even know where Yankee Stadium is today.

wanderingfox86 said:What about the kits? Even though I don't really care right now, it always bugs me when we aren't wearing blue—our primary colors—during away games or European matches whenever possible. These current ones look more like black jerseys, and I'm sure they'll come up with some other "facepalm" moment once the orange ones arrive. Does anyone know if, historically speaking, from '45 through 2005, we ever used an away kit that wasn't white?

Catch you guys on the East Coast today.

Choices! 🙂

It's about time they moved away from white. Switching up the reserve kits periodically would actually be pretty cool. Looking back at history, alongside blue, red is a foundational color for Chicago, so those should be our away colors—but not that specific shade used by the US national team. I mean something darker, like a deep blood red or burgundy, similar to the shade Paris Saint-Germain uses. Or maybe Dark Green, or Napoli blue, or even those striped reserve kits from the late eighties... Let them play around with combinations. White is just depressing; basically 90% of teams in the MLS use a blue-and-white combo anyway.

If you ask me, things really started falling apart back in 2004 during that match against Beveren at Maksimir. That was when they first banned fans from heading down to the North stands unless they had specific tickets—or maybe it was the Zadar game a few weeks prior, I can't quite recall. That’s when people started getting aggressive with everyone on their own stands, and honestly, some people still love to bring up that game like it’s some fond memory. To me, that was the true beginning of all the supporter nonsense, even if the mess we deal with now is a completely different breed of disaster. Reading through the last few pages of this forum, it seems like people are still trying to gatekeep who gets to show up to Maksimir... It’s always been our downfall and it’ll stay that way because in Chicago, there will always be people obsessed with fighting over who’s "real" and who isn't, or who’s allowed to be there and who isn't. Instead of Maksimir being open to everyone, there's always this constant scrutiny over who belongs.

As far as Mamić goes, the first red flags popped up in 2005 with that ridiculous league setup, but the real mess started after those deceptive moves involving the Mexicans and Muslims following the Ajax situation. Everything after that is just history repeating itself. Though, to be fair, there were people warning us about Mamić even thirteen years ago, but nobody bothered to listen... damn.

Haha, that’s gold. Nothing beats seeing them lift the banner to reveal the rival logo underneath while the crowd just starts booing like crazy. 😁 😁

Now *that* is what a real rivalry looks like. 👍

Jeffrey Anderson said:Anyway, my cat just trashed my keyboard. I'm gonna go give her some love now since she's actually pretty sweet despite the chaos...

😁

placidheron16 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G77a7_cq8jU check out those NFL Ultras, guys..

Hold on, you're actually complaining about this song? 😁 I mean, the beat is pretty terrible, sure, but if you just pull a few decent lyrics together, it’ll be fine. 🤷

Come on, play that song again so we can actually hear it. ☕

Brandon Hill5 said:The idiots on the panel need to wake up. They ambushed regular people in St. Petersburg, which isn't just some 2-0 blowout—it’s more like a -1 penalty for them. If you do the math, we're looking at -1 against 1, or basically 2-0 in our favor. Math doesn't lie, even if these guys do. 🧐

Look, the locals and the fans in St. Petersburg absolutely wrecked you, and you guys admitted it yourselves two years ago without making a massive scene. So why the hell are you acting like this now?!

Robert Adams6 said:if that was actually the peak (though honestly, who's actually going to travel ten hours from home🙄)

Look, if you want to wrap your head around this, you have to understand the specific mindset and deep-seated complexes held by Mexicans. It’s clearly bled over into the Russians too (though the Russians don't have an obsession with Americans, and they never will). Anyone who has even a basic understanding of the American sports scene knows how many times in the last twelve years Mexicans have followed American clubs or the national team all over Europe, even when our teams weren't even playing against theirs. At this point, it's just straight-up pathological.