Posts by Jose Ruiz5

ironscout10 said:Honestly, there isn't much point in trying to explain it—the numbers just don't add up, even if you look at the rest of the country...

Well, maybe that holds true for smaller cliques, but when you look at the big groups—and especially the hardcore supporters—the math actually checks out, and the reality is pretty clear. The main thing is that these guys really only show up in force for the massive rivalry games against their biggest rivals. You don't see them filling up the stands for the regular matchups—the north or south stands stay pretty quiet. Meanwhile, those fans from the West Coast tend to show up in great numbers even for minor games, and their turnout for away matches is easily the strongest in the nation.

bluewalker92 said:Maybe 250 people showed up, with maybe 150 of them actually cheering consistently... It looks like the typical atmosphere we get during Wednesday matches—the energy just isn't quite there compared to other nights..

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8...csesvete42.jpg

The one thing I can't wrap my head around—and please, I’m not trying to be provocative here, I’m just looking at the math—is how a city of, say, 150,000 people ends up with a hardcore supporter base that tops out at maybe 1,500 even during major derbies. Even then, you see the stadium sitting half-empty or only half-full during those big matchups. If you do the math, it means only about 5,000 to 6,000 Cleveland fans show up for a massive derby. In a city that size, where is everyone? And then there are the away games, where we're lucky to see 50 people in the stands on average. Can someone give me an objective explanation for this? I genuinely don't get it. These aren't opinions; they're just the facts as I see them. The numbers simply don't add up.