Mackenzie
Old Brightonian
Bit of a broad statement that, a bit like saying all Germans are bastards or all police were bullied at school.....but on the whole I tend to agree with you Edna.
Spot on. As well as the 2001 Wimbledon Final, I've done the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan, World Athletics Championships in Paris, 2004 Athens Olympic Games, will be joining the Barmy Army for the Durban test in SA starting on Boxing Day (it was either that or Orient at Withdean), and am hoping to make the last game of the Lions tour in a couple of weeks time.
I like the difference in attitudes between the fans of different sports. It would be as inappropriate for a football referee to ask the crowd to remain quiet when a player is in a position to shoot as it would be for tennis supporters to start a chant of 'Who's the wanker in the chair?'
Difficulties arise when people take one set of behavioural values in a sport and apply them to another. Cricket has had this issue with the arrival of a different type of spectator for 20/20 matches than those who would normally attend a 4 day county championship match.
Glamorgan cricketer Robert Croft described it this way in 2007 after he'd been verbally abused during a 20/20 game:
"Why does it happen? Well, I think it's a game that attracts a younger crowd and maybe fans of other sports who come along because their sport is not on at the time. They have a drink and then get rowdy. Cricket is traditionally a gentleman's game - players play very hard on the field but it's done in an atmosphere where fans can bring food along, have some wine or beer, enjoy the cricket and leave in a good manner. I'm just concerned it could be starting to move down the wrong direction."
As far as Wimbledon goes, some of the supporters have been queueing up overnight to get tickets to watch the games. If they're rather more reserved than might be expected during afternoon play, there's probably an easy enough explanation.
Put much better than I could have done.
It would be very, very boring if fans of all sports behaved in the same way.
Personally I love the tradition of Wimbledon, yes it may have it's faults but there's something about it like being at Royal Ascot or Lords for the Saturday of a Test Match that make it special.
I like the way as well that you have a chance of getting on Centre Court just by turning up - could you do that for an England football match, Cricket etc... I took my 15 year old son to the station at 4.45 this morning - he got to Wimbledon, got in the queue, watched some games on the outside courts and then got a 'return' for Centre and just watched Murray win.
Tomorrow he's coming to Hove with me for the cricket - tough life huh!
Just off to watch the second half of the Lions v Emerging Springboks. Man's game.
I just think they are sweet. Good-natured and harmless. Can't see any problem with that
Is that worse than dressing up to go to a football match?
For many reasons, but here are some you may wish to consider:
1) They don't sing or shout like fans of proper sports, instead they do that appalling "Murray!" clap clap clap "Murray!" clap clap clap thing that eight year old girls do while watching their classmates play netball
2) Aorangi Terrace (or Henman Hill/Murray Mount to give it it's embarrassing BBC nickname): why do the people sitting on it feel the need to stand and give a big two handed wave every time the camera cuts to them? It's like watching a non-league side playing a 'giant'- say, Southend- in the first round of the cup, where their fans are so excited by the prospect of being on TV they just can't help themselves and gesticulate frantically at the cameras every time there's a corner
3) The spectators on Centre Court who STILL think it's funny to wait until the crowd have just about stopped cheering a point in a game between Andy Murray and just about anyone, before shouting out wittily "COME ON TIM!"
I think the above just about covers it for me.
Edna is 100% Correct.
Our local tennis courts are virtually empty for most of the year apart from about a month overlapping with Wimbledon. Real Sports fans are not that fickle.
Henman hill? Cretin Kop more like, tennis and tennis fans effectivley vindicate everything that Karl Marx wrote.
Actually, instead of worrying about what the crowds are like at Wimbledon, maybe we should be addressing the much bigger problem which is.....the state of tennis in this country...(and i mean GB). 7 British players knocked out today..only Murray through .
People having a good time ?... jumpers for goalposts..mmmm
I believe the new name for the spectator area is now 'Robson Green'
Its a Grazing patch for a nerd herd, let me at em with a couple of uzi's.
Quite a few of you on this thread, mainly the starter of this ridiculous piece of garbage, are being total and utter *****.
Edna you narrow minded twat. May I ask what a "proper sport" is? because if you define a proper sport as a load of pikeys at a shit athletics track supporting a tin pot, under performing team then you are completely wrong.
That ignorant statement just really fucks me off and all the other people like me that make a living/want to make a living out of tennis plus all the fans around the world. do you know there was a capacity crowd at the club today? Thousands packed into the all England club and enjoyed themselves instead of making stupid comments on an internet message board.
Looney. "can we just sell Wimbledon to the arabs or the yanks" what like we do with half our football teams? Yes what a great intellectual comment that is. Lets sell a tournament that helps make Britain, Britain and has been with us since 1878, That all sounds fine to me.
It also seems to me that you think tennis is a "poofs" sport? Just because you don't have a load of fat, beer bellied men in a stadium yelling and constantly moaning doesn't mean this is a poofs sport. Tennis is an individual sport for much better athletes than most. These guys run a marathon every match they play (statistically) and train for f***ing hours for twats like you to call them poofs, oh and if you can name one gay professional tennis player I will... well still think you are a prick.
Football and other sports are played constantly throughout the year so for 2 weeks of 52 can we just support the British players and once more the sport of tennis!!!
They speak in French, Deuce, they score in base 15. Its retarded.
Its like Ice dancing, pointless to anyone with a brain.
BTW
Dont go dissin Edna you spaz just because your insecure in your sexuality.
*unt
And now your an even bigger *unt !