Heat campaign for their fans to be less awful

[StartOrien]

http://deadspin.com/5690156/

This is from Deadspin, written by Eric Freeman now of BDL. This is getting to be pretty ridiculous. Its a whole campaign (including promo videos) for fans to be less awful, including reducing concession prices before game in an effort to get people to show up on time.

Here's a good excerpt:

To be sure, the Heat haven't started this season as they were supposed to — particularly at home — but Miami has sat on its hands even during championship runs. In 2006, Heat crowds didn't bother to make much noise for Wade and Shaq, and the Florida Marlins haven't caught on with local fans despite winning the World Series in two of their first 11 seasons. In most cities — in Cleveland, let's say — this run of championships would constitute a golden age for local sports. In South Beach, they're teaching their fans how to cheer.

Maybe the crowds will improve — after all, the fans haven't had very long to warm to their new acquisitions. But if the Heat faithful can't get excited about Pat Riley gifting them a contender over the course of a few days, what exactly will change their approach to the team? There's been a good deal of criticism of the Big Three for acting as if an NBA title is an entitlement. Yet the fans are even worse, acting as if this roster is an everyday fact of the NBA instead of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

[indeedproceed]

When I was doing the game preview for the Heat game I was at the NBA.com heat site and saw the "Fan Up!" thing. If rooting passionately for a team you don't play for, while shelling out hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year in ticket prices/concessions/whatever isn't considered irrational and crazy, than I don't see why this should be nuts. One thing it is for sure though, is sad.

PS (and if you don't get it, you just weren't there): Baron Davis has been awful, Antawn Jamison is having his down year, Greg Monroe has been atrocious, and Hedo Turkoglu is one of the worst rotation players in the NBA.

Meanwhile Joakim Noah is making a pretty spirited effort to take defensive POY away from Dwight Howard, and Omer Asik has been playing better than anyone thought he would. 

What's that? Mike Miller is out until Janruary and Von Wafer sucks? Jeez. Fine than.

[StartOrien]

Signature adjusted!

[StartOrien]

I do wonder if this is something that these guys have thought about since:

Every team is getting up for them, during away games they're being boo'd incredibly loudly for the first time in their careers, and they're returning to a fan base who needs to be encouraged to show up on time and stay for the duration of the game?

And as an NBA Fan, we're getting a little slighted IMO. It's fun to hate these guys, and I think it would be even better if they had a loud/obnoxious fan base to hate as well.

[wdleehi]

Well, this inspired me. 

[Lucky17]

When I read this thread's title, my first reaction was, "Oh good, another NBA-related article by the Onion."

And then I discovered that this is actually real. And I laughed.

The NBA. Where "lessons on how to bandwagon properly" happen.