Dear Preds Fans,
This is probably hilarious, since I'm a Blackhawks fan, and now knowing that I doubt any of you would read this. But if you are, I just wanted to say a couple things.
I remember the first game I went to here in Nashville. I was so excited to finally go to one, since I grew up going to ones back home in Chicago. I remember my friend at the time reminding me it always gets a little rowdy, but I didn't think anything of it. Hockey is an aggressive sport, so of course it would but I didn't think it would be like what it was.
I remember when they showed the Hawks players on the screen and every single time a new one appeared, the whole crowd would boo. Although that wasn't the worst of it all. It was the when the cheers began. Whenever the preds would score, they'd do their chant but when the words, "you suck!" came out, I was shocked. Then when they began singing Crawfords name like like a song, that would make him "mess up" I got even more irritated.
Where I come from, we celebrate our victory with pride. The Chelsea Dagger plays when we score, and we all jump around. There are never words cheered in that song where we put the other team down. I get that hockey is aggressive, trust me, coming from a girl who was raised on this sport, I know. I also know that cheering, "you suck" every time you score isn't something to be proud of.
When I started wearing my hawks gear to class, people would yell at me, throw a couple slurs, try to put some stats my way about how the preds are better, how any team is better than the hawks. I thought they were just jealous. I've just never seen people hate something so much and go out of their way to comment on a damn logo on someone's shirt.
I am in no way saying that preds fans are horrible people, because they are not. I am not trying to shame every single one of you either, because I know that not ALL of you do this, but what I am saying is that this is a sport. It's not life or death, and I know we get heated but putting other people down to the point of poured beer on your body at a game, or being flipped off no matter where you go because of another teams logo, or yelling, "you suck" at players who have proved themselves winners.....just isn't appropriate.
I sat next to an older woman last week during the third game during the play offs. She was a preds fan of course. (Mostly all of them are in the Bridgestone, since the arena doesn't allow Chicago residents to buy tickets when they are playing the hawks). We chatted the whole game. She said she had never sat next to a hawks fan like my brother and I. I replied telling her touché. When the preds scored for the first time that night, she cheered but once they began saying the "you suck" part she sat down. I stared at her in confusion. She told me that ever since fans began adding that part, she would not participate.
Before I go judging every preds fan, I hope that you take time to realize what you say when you do your chant. I hope you think of that older woman and the class she had with in herself to realize it was wrong.
Your players have done well this season, and I wish them all the best! A good player, is a good player. It's just a fact, and the best team to win will win. I just wish you all understood that too.
From,
A Blackhawks Fan
