Chicago Blackhawks fans

Paul Gonzalez said:Hey Bad Boys... I could use a little intel regarding the group's mindset and identity back during the nineties...
The terrace aesthetic in the late eighties and early nineties was incomparable to what followed in the mid-nineties. To be clear, banners back then actually followed an order; you knew which ones were the main statements, and they stuck to the era's specific ultra trends regarding typography, without all those messy patches... Looking at old photos, there was this massive surge around 1994 where every neighborhood, small town, and city started mass-printing patches without any sense of hierarchy or rules. In some shots, certain banners only seemed to surface for a single match—like a local group from a tiny suburb, for instance. Then, from 1996 through 2000, you see those American flags with various slogans everywhere, especially during away trips to Miami, Budapest, Bratislava, or even Milan...
I’m curious about the reasoning behind this sudden shift in the terrace "aesthetic." Was there a change in leadership, or did everyone just stop giving a damn? Back in the early nineties, looking at old photos, the group had a genuine supporter culture vibe. It would have been nice to see that spirit revived around 2004—at least regarding the layout and design of the banners. This current look feels incredibly amateurish. For instance, during that era, the Bad Boys didn't even bother with scarves. I say this because I know plenty of veterans from that time used to travel to Italy for matches; they followed the scene, watched foreign games, attended the big derbies... You can't exactly call the group "ultras illiterates" back then. I just want to know why we drifted so far away from that authentic ultra style we had in the early nineties...

I've been working on a fan culture retrospective for quite some time now, so I could use some insight into the American scene. For instance, it's interesting that the first small banners started appearing with the Demons, as did the scarves... though it's equally curious that those Burberry checkered caps first showed up with the Bad Boys around 2001 and 2002, becoming an absolute staple for fans across the country just a few years later...

Paul Gonzalez, trying to pull off a supporter retrospective—even one as long-running as yours—is a massive uphill battle if you’re just relying on random internet photos or old fanzines. It’s even tougher when you weren't actually there on the ground during the chaos...
It’s hard for me to weigh in on how things used to be back in the old days, since I wasn't exactly hitting the stadiums back then. Aside from the Demon crowd in the 90s, even the Armada used to rock that Italian bar-scarf look and those tiny little banners...
It’s much easier to build a cohesive visual identity—think banners, merch, or zines—within smaller groups. In massive crowds, the sheer volume tends to swallow up any individual sense of quality or awareness...
Back in '96, when I was working with my buddy Šalov, we had this massive debate over whether to go with a striped bar scarf or one featuring a logo. Since I used to follow the Supertif scene and kept a close eye on the trends coming out of Italy, I was really pushing for that classic three-color striped look... while my friend was dead set on just printing "Dinamo - Purgers" on it.
Honestly, his joke about the scarves was just a deflection because he was fighting to get the club's name back and wanted more highly visible Dinamo gear out there. If we had focused on making bar scarves, we could be bragging about having them back in '96 instead of five years later... personally, I couldn't care less about that stuff. I don't get caught up in the optics; what actually matters is how the group performs on the road, on the streets, and in the core elements of support. It's not all about the "makeup"...
Back around the '93/'94 season, you could see it happening on the old South Stand—fans were finally ditching those foreign club scarves to make room for gear that actually represented our own colors and groups. That whole trend of long, beautifully designed Dinamo scarves was really kicked off by the crew from the BBB Fan Club over by the south end...
There was a certain charm to those old American flags featuring local neighborhood or branch office names... a distinct style that just isn't around anymore...
Back in 2000, I personally hauled around this massive 5ft x 3ft blue banner held up by two wooden poles... though after the absolute chaos outside the stadium, the security guards wouldn't let me through with them. It featured two cartoon dogs stacked on top of each other with a soccer ball floating above them, captioned "Where's the ball?"—a little play on that "Where's the Bone?" line from those old cartoons everyone loved back then...
I have witnesses and a photo of the stands, so frankly, I didn't "upload anything to the internet," which means it doesn't even exist... If they had used PVC poles instead of wooden ones, you’d be able to see it much more clearly on Meazzi...

I could probably go on forever about these visual fan identities, but I’ll save that for another time, Paul Gonzalez...

Aaron Ramirez49 said:The first ones to start rocking those bar scarves back in the States were the Bad Boys; they had them made way back in '91. They also pioneered that whole thing with the small 2x2 flags in '94, which they basically just lifted from the English... sorry for the off-topic tangent...

It’s the same old song and dance, as if they’ve been canonized just for that. Sure, they’re a distinct group and deserve some fan respect, but let's not start treating them like saints... they have plenty of flaws of their own...
Since you’re bringing up those old-school bar scarves from the '91/'92 season, we might as well mention that only a handful were actually finished over in Italy... Back then, they were mostly focused on the hype—sending photos to Supertif and getting coverage in the old Ciao Tifo...
That specific group of characters was being driven by the "Matoš" crew, whom Igor Todorović described quite vividly in your men's magazine, GQ...

That’s just one big, endless joke... View on imgur

Within the United Force group, there was always that one witty crew rallying around the Matoš banner—named after the old interstate route, much like the Inter City Firm back in London. There were about ten of them, heavily inspired by the Monti Peyton crowd, and they all worshipped at the altar of one man: Ivica Gvozden, a guy who spent most of his career warming the bench over at the local stadium... A few songs were dedicated solely to his legendary status: "Down with the benches and the shackles! Falcons can't be bound, and Gvozden is the Grey Falcon—quick feet, sharp eye!" Or perhaps: "Lightning, tiger, laser, thunder! Strike, Gvozden, strike, with all your might!" Even the group's anthem doesn't fall short when it comes to sheer absurdity and wit...
Yeah, yeah, that’s the spirit... the Matoš brigade, the pride of the city, snacking on pistachios while wearing bright yellow pants... absolute madness, pure insanity...

Even within the big four supporter groups, you’d see individuals rocking those modern Italian-style striped scarves, but they usually just blended into the crowd rather than standing out like the guys in smaller crews, such as the old U.F. squad. Personally, I think the best fan scarf from the old Yugoslavia era belonged to that Joint Union subgroup out of Željezničar...
The guys at U.F. started rocking those small banners at matches back in the fall of '94. They didn't pick them up from the English scene, either; they actually grabbed the idea from the Hellas Verona supporters. After their main group, the Brigate Gialoblu, splintered in '91, several smaller factions started pushing those compact 2x2m flags—similar to what the English were doing back in the 80s. It became a huge trend among the right-wing groups in Italy during the 90s, mostly because they were desperate to distance themselves from that classic Italian ultra aesthetic...

In my experience, the groups that really nailed that visual aesthetic were the Demon and the Armada back in the late 90s... whereas over here, it was all about U.F. starting from that '94/95 season, once they actually found their footing and started building a distinct identity to pull in new fans in the city—basically carving out their own space away from the old-school diehards or the Ultras...

EVERYONE IN MIAMI this Sunday, our European run is officially dead in the water... http://badblueboys1986.blogspot.com/...ir-europa.html

This might be a bit off-topic—though maybe not really—but I was digging through some old sports archives from back in '91 and stumbled upon this little snippet from a summer article around July or August. It basically said something along the lines of "The young entrepreneur Zdravko Mamić is drawing closer to the Maksimir Blue Salon. Having recently had his lifetime ban from 1988 overturned following those incidents after the game between NK Sesvete and Trešnjevka, the final obstacle has been removed... blah blah"

Does anyone actually remember what went down there?..

lonebadger6 said:This might be a bit off-topic—or maybe it isn't, who knows—but I was digging through some old sports archives from back in '91. Found this little snippet from some summer month, maybe July or August, where Zidakov writes something along the lines of: "The young entrepreneur Zdravko Mamić is getting closer and closer to the Maksimir Blue Salon. His lifetime ban from 1988—stemming from those incidents after the game between Sesvete and Trešnjevka—has finally been lifted, clearing the last hurdle in his path... blah blah blah."

Anyone actually remember what went down there?

Now that sounds juicy enough that someone should really dig into this... Come on, you history buffs... let's see what you got.

Aaron Ramirez49 said:The first ones over in the States to start rocking those bar scarves were actually the Ultras back in '91—they made them themselves. They also pioneered that whole thing with the small dual flags back in '94, which they basically ripped off from the English fans. Sorry for going off-topic here...

They probably just took a page out of the English playbook.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2mry69y.jpg

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Found it... turns out it wasn't Trešnjevka, but Jedinstvo.

Anyway, this first comes up in early July during the preparations for that USA vs. Mexico match—you know, the one where they were selecting American players from overseas—which never actually happened. The coach for the US was supposed to be Ćiro, who claimed he’d have Zdravko Mamić helping him run the show...

Then, by mid-July, that young entrepreneur and "club friend" Zdravko Mamić offers up 250,000 bucks to buy out Ćiro's contract from PAOK, right after Marković stepped down.

And then, August 30, 1991:

The well-known soccer official from Sesvete, Zdravko Mamić, who was hit with a lifetime ban from the sport two years ago, has had his punishment lifted. To recap, back on June 25, 1988, there was an incident during a game between the Sesvete Zone and Jedinstvo involving an official from NK Sesvete, Zdravko Mamić. By being cleared of what was undoubtedly an excessive penalty, Mamić is now free to operate as he pleases, and word on the street is he's already eyeing the technical director position over at NK HAŠK...

If anyone is actually planning to look into this with the FBI or whatever agency handles this stuff, they should probably account for the possibility of typos in the report... since it says "two years ago" but cites "1988," even though the text itself is dated 1991. So, if nothing happened in June of '88, maybe it actually happened in June of '89...

I sincerely hope you are seriously considering organizing a protest very soon to demand new elections and structural changes within Dinamo!
The timing is perfect; the atmosphere among both the media and political circles regarding the football crisis has reached a breaking point. Capitalize on this moment. Since current results are nonexistent, gather four captains and the local leadership to organize a demonstration on match day against either Rijeka or Celtic!
I am certain you have been contemplating such a protest for months, perhaps even years, but now is the absolute peak window to act. Seize it!

On a minor note, I spotted a flyer around town serving as an invitation to a Cibona game.

It featured imagery of bulldogs and slogans about resistance... in my opinion, it missed the mark. For upcoming matches, just use the headline "Dinamo at Cibona" alongside the Dinamo Futsal crest instead of bulldogs and rebellion. I believe the purpose of your outreach is to invite all Dinamo enthusiasts; the hardcore fans don't need those kinds of calls to action anyway.

Richard Rogers38 said:Just one small critique—I spotted a poster around town promoting the upcoming Cibona game.

All that stuff about bulldogs and resistance? In my opinion, you're totally missing the mark. For future games, just put "Dinamo at Cibona" on there alongside the Dinamo Futsal crest. Skip the bulldog imagery and the "resistance" slogans. I assume the whole point of these posters is to rally all the Dinamo fans, and let's be honest, the hardcore supporters don't need posters to tell them when to show up anyway.

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Richard Rogers38 said:I’m really hoping you guys are actually serious about putting together a massive protest very soon to demand new elections and a total overhaul at Dinamo!
This is the moment to strike; between the media coverage and the political pressure surrounding this football crisis, the atmosphere is ripe. You need to seize this opportunity—these results are unacceptable. Get four captains and the local leaders together and organize a demonstration on the day we play either Rijeka or Celtic!
I know you’ve probably been sitting on this idea for months, maybe even years, but honestly, now is the perfect window to make some noise. Don't let it slip away.

Just one small bit of feedback: I spotted a flyer around town acting as an invite for the Cibona game.

The imagery used—all that "Bulldozer" and "Resistance" stuff—felt a bit off to me. If you want to actually grab people's attention for future games, just put "Dinamo at Cibona" and use the Dinamo Futsal crest. Using symbols of rebellion feels misplaced; I assume the goal of these flyers is to draw in everyone who loves Dinamo, and frankly, the die-hard fans don't need a propaganda poster to show up.

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analogstag16 said:👍

Man, just more trauma from the old stadium.😁

Take it easy.

Kavga, Prolom, briskmarlin—thanks for getting back to me. I'm totally swamped right now, so I'll probably hit you guys up early next week with some questions—and I'll definitely try to post some pics too! 👍

Richard Rogers38 said:Just one little critique: I saw a flyer out in town calling for people to come to the Cibona game.

With those bulldogs and resistance stuff on there... honestly, it misses the mark. For future games, just put "Dinamo at Cibona" and use the Dinamo Futsal logo. Skip the bulldogs and the "resistance" imagery. The whole point of these flyers is to pull in anyone who loves Dinamo, and let’s be real—die-hard fans don't need a poster to tell them when to show up.

Look, Dinamo Futsal exists because the fans did—specifically the BBB crew (and all the Dinamo supporters who clearly know the bulldog is our symbol, since I see it everywhere from my neighborhood to the rest of the state)...

The club was basically born as a way to fight back against the takeover of Dinamo and to bring the fans back together. That Omega symbol—that symbol of resistance—became our thing. Most people who actually go to games or follow Dinamo know exactly what that sign stands for.

So, I don't see any reason why those symbols shouldn't be on the posters. People who want to come will show up. If someone stays home because they're hung up on some stupid graphic, they weren't planning on coming anyway.

Problem solved. Thanks for your concern...

How can you all be fighting over posters when the goal is simply to get people to show up to the game in Miami? As Mukte says, just keep things moving. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt if you actually walked around the city for once instead of sitting at home behind a keyboard, typing on forums until 6 AM. May you all suffer the consequences of your actions... and I truly hope your internet gets cut off.

So, who are these posters actually for? Is it just for the people who were already planning on showing up anyway?

For those who don't bother checking the news online🤣

gentlemarlin102 said:Milwaukee Wave was born from the fans—specifically the BBB crew (along with Dinamo supporters who clearly know they belong to the BBB and carry that Bulldog symbol everywhere from their local neighborhood to the outskirts of New York City)...

Milwaukee Wave basically emerged as a way to fight back against the occupation of Dinamo and to bring the fans back home. That Ω symbol became their mark of resistance, and anyone actually following Dinamo knows exactly what it stands for...

So, I don't see any reason why those symbols shouldn't be on the poster. If people want to show up, they will. If they don't, they'll just use some stupid excuse because they never intended to come anyway...

Problem solved. Thanks for your concern...

👍

I’d just add one thing for the armchair activists and protesters: Milwaukee Wave is a protest in its own right.
It’s a protest by the fans, whether it's at the Salad, Madison Square Garden, Night Spring, or during a Los Angeles Lakers game.
It’s a protest by Dinamo fans against more than just the corrupt club management; it’s against Cvrk, the Americans like Vrbanovica whose "Dinamo Holy" banners were blocked by stadium ads, Marcinko who turned his back on his own roots back in '81, and even the USSF. It’s a strike against every bottom-feeder including Zidak, Olivari, Kruselj, Jurisic, Junaci, and those other fake Dinamo chroniclers. This isn't an invitation for their support.
It’s AGAINST the idiots out West clapping for Hajduk’s progress against Unireae just to boost some coefficient, not a call for support.
It’s AGAINST the happy-to-go zig-zaggers, not a call.
Every single time the BBB shows up to a Dinamo match, it’s a middle finger to every layer of garbage out there—from the board and the cops to the refs, the media, the city hall, down to the tiniest follower who just drifts wherever the trends tell them to.
Bravo to the messaging.

Jesse Campbell said:Last night at Night Spring was incredible. I was actually surprised by the turnout; seeing that many people show up to push the team toward a win was refreshing.

The Cup belongs to us!

Get up and get moving! Everything that moves—get it up!

Everyone to Draženov Dom!!!!!

Is the shirt too big? 🤣 I’m not even going to touch the join date. 😁

There’s nothing quite like that raw, heartfelt energy during a Night Spring match. Especially when the crowd starts shouting, "Come on, New Yorkers, hands up and sing..." 😲 🙏
I’m expecting even more this Monday—a packed house and pure, unadulterated madness.

analogstag16 said:Who are the posters even for? People who are showing up regardless?

Look, James Smith48 nailed it...
Anyone coming to a Milwaukee Wave game already knows exactly why they’re there and what this club stands for..
The people who actually want to show up but have no clue what they're getting into? They'll figure it out once they see it...

And yeah, if you're one of those clueless West Coast types still blindly following some "great leader," this invite isn't for you...

Honestly, I don't even know what we're talking about here, this is just stupid...

Up until now, nobody was even watching indoor soccer (personally, I'd "never heard" of it either)... we're basically SECOND DIVISION in the indoor world... hey! 😁
If we pulled about 4,000 people to the Salad, that's 4,000 people who actually get the sport... if those 4,000 tell their parents, wives, girlfriends, kids... we're looking at at least 8,000 people easy... whoever's involved just needs to keep spreading the word and hype everything up... 🙂

Seriously, I'm actually worried the arena won't be big enough 🎉😁

boldeagle20 said:Is the shirt too big? 🤣 Not gonna touch that join date 😁

At Night Spring, it’s all about that raw passion, especially when everyone starts shouting "come on, NYC, hands up and sing..." 😲 🙏
By Monday, I’m expecting even more—a packed house and total madness.

It was a struggle joining this group. I've never been one for that whole socialist-collectivist vibe. 😁

The shirt fits fine. It's not a tailored suit, it doesn't need to be perfect.

🐔

Richard Rogers38 said:I really hope you guys are seriously considering organizing a massive protest very soon to demand new elections and a complete overhaul at Dinamo!
The timing is perfect. The atmosphere in both the media and the government regarding this football crisis is primed. Use it. These results are pathetic. Round up four captains and some local leaders and organize a demonstration on match day against Rijeka or the Boston Celtics!
I’m sure you’ve been mulling over this protest for months, maybe even years, well, right now is your golden window. Take it!

One small critique: I saw a poster in the city calling for people to attend the game at the Los Angeles Lakers arena.

It had those Bulldogs and "resistance" slogans on it... personally, I think it missed the mark. For future matches, just put "Dinamo at the Lakers arena" and the Milwaukee Wave crest. Skip the Bulldogs and the talk of resistance. I assume the goal of these flyers is to rally all the Dinamo lovers, and let's be honest, the hardcore fans don't need an invitation.

Richard Rogers38 said:I hope there is some serious consideration being given to organizing a protest in the very near future to demand... With the elections approaching, what kind of changes can we actually expect to see at Dinamo?!
Now is the time for it. There seems to be a growing consensus among both the media and government officials regarding the current crisis in American soccer. Is anyone else noticing this shift?Take advantage of this moment while we have these results. Why not get four captains and the local leaders together to organize a protest on match day against either Rijeka or the Boston Celtics?
I'm sure you've all been thinking about this protest for months, if not years.So, now would be the perfect moment to protest. Why not take advantage of this opportunity?

Just one small critique: I saw a poster around town advertising a game for the Los Angeles Lakers.

With those Bulldogs and that resistance theme, I feel like we missed the mark. For the upcoming games, wouldn't it be better to just use "Dinamo at the Lakers" alongside the Milwaukee Wave crest? If the goal is to bring out the passion of everyone who loves Dinamo, isn't it true that the die-hard fans are already there regardless?

Reading this thread every morning gives me a massive headache; even the one next to the fan page isn't any better. How does everyone manage to carry on with this much hostility? It seems almost impossible.

It shouldn't just be about one Bulldog; it should be about 180 of them. The whole point of these calls to action is to get people to show up to the game. If someone doesn't plan on coming, they won't come because of a thousand different reasons, not because of the Bulldogs. At the end of the day, without the Bulldogs, there wouldn't even be a club, would there?

Things go south during the junior match, and within half a day, everyone just stops talking about it. Yet, here we are, acting like a Bulldog incident happened and obsessing over people using phones in the stands for fifteen days straight—all because of the same group that didn't show up to a single protest until now. Why is that?

How's everyone doing today?

Does anyone actually have an issue with Bulldog bypassing Milwaukee Wave? He’s honestly one of the few people in this city worth paying attention to, mostly because he’s one of the only ones who actually stands by his convictions.
As a supporter, wouldn't you want the BBB to protect Dinamo's honor? In five years, I hope we aren't the ones looking embarrassed whenever someone mentions Dinamo, or constantly trying to prove we're fighting against corruption within the club. Why focus on the Bulldog instead?

The Bulldog is everything. Just keep printing those posters; if anyone can't handle it, they can go watch an FC Barcelona replay instead.

I honestly don't even know what I wrote to trigger such a massive reaction from these clowns.