Note: This article is not meant to provoke, I simply want to hear the opinions/views of the other side. In addition, I wasn't a Royals fan in 1985, so I don't have that experience in my emotional memory, so I'm almost a neutral party in this case
A friend of mine (a Royals' fan) just attended the Royals-Cardinals game at Busch Stadium and received a lot of fairly derisive remarks.
They heckled my friend about Denkinger and the last place finishes, about the Royals not being a real team, and saying they should be Cardinals fans, but they're too stupid to do so, etc
So, my questions are:
1. Were those fans just being jerks/the exception?
I've heard nothing but the utmost praise for Cardinal fans in general even from visiting teams. I know Kansas City is fairly similar in its overall friendliness, but there's always that guy or group that's annoying as all get out.
A visiting Twins fan once made a judgement on the entire Kansas City area because one ignorant Royals fan made a Kirby Puckett joke, unaware he had passed away. It was actually the other Royals' fans who shut him up and set him straight.
Every stadium has hecklers if a fan from another team shows up. Unfortunately, we tend to judge the masses on the two or three people that stood out, whereas the other 5,000 people or so we interact with at least respect your choices.
I want to make it known I'm not judging all of Cardinal nation based on one person's experience. Please keep this in mind for the next questions.
2. Do Cardinal fans hold Royals fans accountable for 1985?
Yes, the Royals won the World Series in 1985 with help from a missed call.
But since then, the Royals haven't made the playoffs and have contended only once in the last 10 years.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, have had numerous successes, star players, a World Series title (not to mention many playoff appearances), and an ownership that knows what the team means to St. Louis.
Also, the Royals didn't make the bad call, neither did the fans. How many time has an umpire made a bad call in your favor, and the manager that benefited said, "No, that's not right."
Now, if the Cardinals lost their ownership, were bought by Wal-Mart, never got Mark McGwire, traded Albert Pujols, etc. etc., then by all means, the grudge of 1985 could be much more valid.
I see this is the equivalent of trying to get back at the school 24 years after the bully tripped you and got away with it.
Thanks to 2004 and 2007 "Bill Buckner" doesn't break Red Sox fans heart as much as it used to. I had figured 2006 would have a least softened the blow.
Granted, I know some Royals fans are jerks about 1985 saying, "the right call was made," and rub it in. But when you think about it, that's pretty pathetic as nothing has happened since for the Royals.
3. Do Cardinal fans really want Royal fans to switch sides?
Wouldn't this be, by definition, "fair-weather?" If the Cardinals started playing poorly for 10 years, and the Royals started playing well, how would you feel if Royal fans asked you the same question?
4. Do Cubs fans get equal/worse abuse (since lately they've been contending)?
I'm all for a little friendly competition (after all, they don't sing "Take Me Out to the Ball War"). However, I know this probably unearths a much deeper issue of how to treat fans of other teams.
Personally, I love hearing why and how someone became a fan or lost interest and interacting with them. It also makes them more human to your perspective—maybe that's what fans are afraid of!
I remember at an interleague game with the Phillies, and there was a loud, obnoxious Phillies fan whom I thought was a jerk until I started talking to him. He remarked during our conversation that if he was doing in Kansas City what opponents' fan would do in Philadelphia, they actually might get physically beat up.
"You're welcome," I said, jokingly.
Sincerely,
Wesley Johnson (a Royals fan since 1998—long after they were any good).
P.S. I'd love to hear answers in an intelligent, thoughtful manner worthy of baseball discussion, so if you are going to comment, I ask that you please do so accordingly.
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