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Op Ed: Wake Up

04/03/2015 1:51 PM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

We encourage Op-Eds at all times. Our latest come from Robert Cross. He is the the head of American Outlaws PDX. What's your take? His take is below in bold.

"We are the Portland, The Portland Timbers, We are mental, And we are green, We are the greatest, Football supporters, That the world has ever seen."

The Timbers Army has been the home to a supporters culture unlike any other in the history of soccer in North America. That culture has been cultivated, fostered, and grown through the years. All behind the passion and spirit of thousands of individuals. Each of whom has subscribed to the ethos of city, community, and club, or some variation there above.

Everyone who enters the North End on match day understands that they will be standing, chanting, and cheering for the Green & Gold for ninety plus minutes. Or they should ... but lately, when I look to my left or look to my right from the heart of 103, I see far too many statutes, selfie takers, and tourists. These people plod through a match with staid enthusiasm on a regular basis. You may observe them mouthing chants, going through the motions, or worse, standing idle. I want all of them to go away. Starting right now, and do me the favor of never come back.

It takes many years to build a culture and far less time for it to slip away. This is a beautiful thing we have and I don't want to lose it.

To that end, I challenge my fellow members of the Timbers Army to bring their best Saturday night. If you find yourself standing next to an aforementioned statue, politely encourage them to chant and sing. Poke them to see if they are still alive. If that doesn't work, please feel free to tell them to take a hike and go home. I believe the Trailblazers are still playing. They might be better off in a sleepy atmosphere, one that is ripe with balloon clappers and confetti falling from the sky.

I'd rather burn, destroy, wreck, and kill.

Sincerely, with a heart filled with compassion and love,

Robert W. Cross

RCTID


Comments

  • 09/28/2016 11:57 AM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)
    El Fur De Ball says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 8:37 am 
    I kept waiting for a “rah rah” a “go team go” and a “Win one for the Gipper”. #AO4Life

    Karen Gjerning says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 9:12 am 
    I chant, scream and yell at every match. So much so that the day after a match is officially my voice box’s day of rest. I sit in 106 with a regular group who are all as enthusiastic as I am.
    I do bring a guest to every game and part of my pre game instructions to them includes a discussion on what to expect (because we all know it can be very overwhelming to someone who has never experienced the Army). I make chanting a requirement of getting to come with me and I have never been disappointed. 
    But, Ill take that challenge, anyone I see on Saturday not chanting and screaming will be getting a poke in the ribs.

    Eric says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 9:29 am 
    Cheer exactly like me or GTFO!

    Yaicha Tanenbaum says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 9:29 am 
    Thank you for writing this. I wholeheartedly agree and have noticed this myself this season. Part of our job in the TA is to make people feel welcome, but it looks like it’s also time to wake people up. We don’t want the north end to turn into a fading, boring atmosphere. Let’s make sure everyone is doing their part!

    Dan Colby says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 9:47 am 
    As a Sac Republic supporter, we are currently building our community and sometimes I get down if not everyone in the Tower Bridge Battalion is singing with gusto. However, I also know how good we have it now, because 5 years from now, we might be where you are now, so I will try to appreciate the moment.

    John says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 9:56 am 
    Haven’t noticed a problem in 107. Seems like if anything it’s gotten better from last year and the year before.

    Bruce Harris says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 10:10 am 
    I agree with Robert. I try to include the folks around me in 202 join in. I print a bunch of copies of our chants and hand them out. Our family always takes new people to every match. I also scarf and patch people to make them feel more a part of the passion that is the North End. I do have to admit that some times I stop chanting if I get lost in watching the match…. I still come home after every match very horse. Onward Rose City

    Juan says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 10:14 am 
    Oh Robert, leave people alone. If this had been the case back in the USL days then 90% of the people currently considering themselves “true” Timber supporters would not be allowed to sit in the Army. Fútbol is a game of passion, true, but it’s also a game of patience and respect.
    The important thing is that we are all there, every match, supporting (in our own ways) our beloved Timbers. Happy Friday everyone and I’ll see you’ll at the game! Go Timbers!

    MIKE says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 3:55 pm 
    Support in your own way from a reserved seat. If you are in the north end, act like an army member and chant, cheer, and be barmy.

    Brendan.O'Hanlon says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 10:25 am 
    This is why I sometimes think we’d be better off reducing the Timbers Army sections to the 100s, letting people choose between the “active” support of the the Army sections and the “half-timers” of the 200s.
    There aren’t 3500 hardcore yellers there, and there never will be. The number is probably closer to 1000 to 1500, and there might be more impact to have them concentrated in the 100s.

    120124 says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 11:40 am 
    Kick out the fake fans, and those who want to watch the game! We need uniforms! Something that will let us know how legit and dedicated we are!!!

    Jamie Krueger says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 11:44 am 
    Good to see the culture of “everyone who supports differently than I do is doing it wrong” is still going strong.

    Barb says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 11:46 am 
    no not just 100s sections. When people save 57 seats for their latecomer friends I can’t get in the lower section even if I’m there at gate opening. Also I sometimes have a short person with me so lower 200s is best. I song everything but am not comfortable with the idea that I should hassle someone not singing. It’s more of an uphill battle the higher up in 200s you go but plenty of us are screaming.

    Dan says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 11:47 am 
    One thing that annoys me at the start of a match is we sing the Portland Timbers Here We Go song for 5 minutes. I think we could cut that down to a minute or two and get right into Burn Destroy. People stop singing it after a while because nobody wants to sing the same 5 words for 5 minutes. Taking ourselves out of the game 5 minutes in isn’t good.

    Ryan Heiser says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 12:56 pm 
    Kick someone out and I’ll join. Just moved up here, ready to scream n chants and destroy if I have to. Ultras!!

    Alex Moore says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 1:25 pm 
    “If you want to be Timbers Army, you are already in. Just stand and sing.”
    That is the TA I know, one of inclusion not exclusion. If you see someone not singing and chanting ask them if they have a chant sheet, have they downloaded the TimberSong app on android, and teach them as you go. I’m 106 and normally show up by myself and make friends around me. New people wont grow the North End if they are badgered out of stands by someone with a sense of superiority.
    Now if they are being a bloody tart that would rather snap chat than support the boys in green, then they should be in the reserve seats.
    “WE’RE GONNA SHAKE THE GATES OF HELL”

    matt says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 1:39 pm 
    “AOPDX” *fucking cringe*

    Daniel Higgins says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 2:18 pm 
    “This is why I sometimes think we’d be better off reducing the Timbers Army sections to the 100s, letting people choose between the “active” support of the the Army sections and the “half-timers” of the 200s.”
    Oh good, you can set up a velvet rope and everything. It’ll be awesome.

    Michael Torres says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 2:36 pm 
    You wake up, Mr. Cross.
    This is exactly the kind of exclusive, frattish, and “act the way I want you to act or GTFO” that has recently brought negative attention to the American Outlaws.
    I love soccer. The first World Cup I remember really watching was Spain ’82, and have followed every Cup since. I love Portland, and am in the 4th generation of my family living in this area. I love watching the Timbers. My family got our Timbers Axe portraits taken this year. We go to every home game we can. I am a member of the 107ist. I play in a recreational Indoor soccer team. I love sharing this passion with my 11 year old son, and watching his love of the game, and love for the Timbers grow (he also loves playing on a rec U-11 team). I have an RCTID sticker on my car. Does any of that make me any more of a REAL or better Timbers Fan, of authentically belonging to a soccer culture (whatever that is) than any other person? Absolutely not!
    Let’s be very clear and self-aware of what Mr. Cross’s Op-Ed -written with a “heart filled with compassion and love”-is encouraging: if I go stand with the Timbers Army, and some other person feels I am not participating in the group’s activities to that person’s satisfaction, I should be “politely” “poked” “to see if I am alive” and asked to change my behavior; and if I don’t change, I should then be told to “go take a hike and go home”, and maybe find a different sport more suitable to my predisposition. To quote Mr. Cross, in context: “I want all of them to go away. Starting right now, and do me the favor of never come back.” That’s not how you grow a movement and nurture a passion… it’s how you limit it.
    What makes the Timbers Army great is the community. People who love the team and the sport coming together to find joy in celebrating those things, and to share the beauty of passion. Passion comes in all shapes in sizes, and it is manifested in an infinite number of ways. THAT is the culture the Timbers Army has successfully nurtured through the years, and we need to vigilant in protecting it. The chanting and singing is just the frosting on the cake.
    “Burning, wrecking, destroying, and killing” is Hooliganism. Big difference from loving something, standing for something, coming together for something, and celebrating.
    You what makes me good enough to love soccer, be a Timbers fan, or be part of the Timbers Army? The fact I WANT to. It’s what makes YOU good enough too! That’s a beautiful thing.

    Andrew says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 4:08 pm 
    If you can still talk after a match, you’re doing it wrong. Scream your lungs out, wave that flag til your arms feel like they will fall off, hug the person next to you after a goal, throw that middle finger in the air when you see Clint Dempsey, give your all for the boys in green. The 100 and 200 levels of Providence Park is OUR HOME. Show your club how much they mean to you. RCTID.

    Wayne says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 4:24 pm 
    I know that many of the longtime TA put a lot of work into what I personally enjoy about going to Matches as P. Park, as a fairly causal fan I appreciate it. When I go, I chant and sing with everyone else but I am also there to watch the game and sometimes find it difficult to sing and chant and watch. Since the only litmus test for getting into a match is a ticket, that can be purchased by anyone with the cash, expecting everyone to chant seems like an uphill battle. Each time I have been there I have sat in different sections and observed that those not chanting are in the minority.

    Greg says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 5:11 pm 
    I am not the do what I say or GTFO type. I am the lets have some fun. Here is a chant sheet, maybe, here is a beer. Lets sing our team to victory and have some fun doing it. I figure if I do that one of two things happens. Either they join in and we have them hooked or they start to figure out that maybe the TA section simply isn’t for them.

    Sarah says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 5:20 pm 
    I’ve been witness to some drunken fans yelling and screaming being awful to some people who weren’t standing. Small kids were in the mix! I’m worried this article will encourage more of this behavior. I love sitting in the army its a great atmosphere! I just don’t want drunk assholes giving the army a bad name! But I have noticed a change in the last few games, it’s more of a social club, meeting up with friends and drinking, they aren’t paying much attention to the game. I like the spirit of this article but Think we should encourage people more than shame them. Learn the chants, feel free to ask the person sitting next to you. Hand out the chants again, or more often.

    Michele says:
    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 5:30 pm 
    on a positive note, I have noticed more people standing, up in the 200’s and outside the North End. I sing till I’m hoarse, but sometimes I need to concentrate on a play. This season is starting off very frustrating, especially after last season so all the more reason to bring it and be loud as fuck!!!

    Brendan Kehoe says:
    Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 12:23 pm 
    This article is pretty disappointing to me. I think one of the best things about a fan base/group like the TA is that it is able to bring a variety of people from different backgrounds and identities together around a common interest/love: the timbers, in this case. I understand that the enthusiasm of the TA and the culture has been formed over a long period of time and people have a right to be concerned that it might be slipping away. However, this overly pretentious response is not the way to go about fixing that. Just because you chant the entire game does not make you God’s gift to human kind and doesn’t mean you should bully other people who don’t into leaving the army altogether. I have seen so many acts of kindness in the timbers army that reach out and try to help someone feel included and comfortable enough to participate just as much as anyone. I know for many people inclusion and actively attempting to make people more comfortable can be harder than simply bullying people out of the way, but that’s not an excuse. I hope the TA can continue to bring people in and help them get excited about the timbers rather than excluding them in such a pretentious and childish manner.

    Ben Mulligans says:
    Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 2:02 pm 
    Ugh.
    Here are the things that will actually kill a supporters group:
    – Excluding new/potential members
    – Stagnation
    – Elitism
    Here are the things that this ‘op-ed’ claims are killing the TA:
    – New members
    – Social media presence
    – Appreciating the beautiful game
    Who voted for this guy, anyway?

    Chance says:
    Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 3:38 pm 
    I’ll support how I choose, but thanks for the condescending bullshit.

    Chance Hamlin says:
    Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 4:09 pm 
    Oh goodie, the Mean Girls, “you can’t sit with us” behavior is exactly what TA needs. Stop acting like children, please. You make us all look pathetic.

    David says:
    Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 11:41 am 
    Wake up on the right side of the bed.
    If you feel the urge to tell fans who are enjoying the game to leave, maybe it’s you who needs the break.

    Michael Cruz says:
    Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 1:06 pm 
    Spouse says, “all you do is yell, scream, chant and stand for 2 hours straight!”
    That’s why I leave him at home! #RCTID

    Jeromy Knight says:
    Friday, April 10, 2015 at 12:57 pm 
    I’ll say this much… As a TA supporter forced to watch the games from the frozen state of Maine, the Army always sounds wonderful on the TV!!! The singing is always loud and it was how I learned each chant without ever downloading a chant sheet. My first Timbers game was when they came to play Montreal last year. I went alone as none of my friends had passports. I was nervous to go alone, but the Army made me feel welcomed and I had a awesome time. My family is flying up to see me for this year’s game against Montreal in May. I can’t wait!! Have scarves for them all and can’t wait to show then the culture of the Army.. But the Army has carried my heart for 5 years now.. I’ve dreamed of moving to Portland since then.. and next month I will be doing this!! and when I get to stand with the Army whatever section… I will sing till my throat turns raw, and probably cry my eyes out for being so overwhelmed with joy!! This is what being a supporter is about to me.. bringing in new people to grow the army with kindness.. and having something akin to a religious experience at the games as we sing our battle hymns and provide the morale strength to the boys on the field…
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