Posted on 09/27/2006 9:34:33 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
DO FANS HAVE RIGHTS? Brian Ward,
a member of the Daily News consumer panel, said he wouldn't call it rights exactly.
"But I think ownership has to give a city a reason to root for the team," wrote Ward, of Blue Bell. "That doesn't mean they have to be good every year, but at least know that they want to win as much as the fans do."
That helps segue nicely into what happened in Baltimore last Thursday, when a group of fans paid their way into Camden Yards and then loudly left the afternoon game at 5:08, a tribute
to former Orioles player Brooks Robinson (No. 5) and Cal Ripken (No. 8).
Led by Nestor Aparicio, of a sports-talk station in town and son of a Hall of Fame shortstop (Luis), the walkout drew
national attention to a franchise that hasn't
finished above .500 since 1997. Aparicio said Peter Angelos, the principal owner since 1993, needs to get the message that fans see his franchise as badly managed and "un-fan friendly."
"Believe me, it was not hard finding protesters," said Aparicio, noting the group will announce tomorrow what they're planning next. "I wanted to do one day, one event [last] Thursday and let that be it. But I can't do that. This means too many things to too many people."
One obvious way to express displeasure with a team is to just stop patronizing it. That's what has happened in Baltimore, where available tickets to Camden Yards used to be impossible to find. Not anymore. This year's team drew just over 2.1 million in 2006, the lowest attendance in the 15-year history of the ballpark. Aparicio, noting the group sold 1,500 "Free the Birds" shirts last week during the protest, said he feels that the message needs to be amplified.
"I know we're not going to rest," he said. "This is a city that lost the Colts 25 years ago. We're not going to sit back just to wait for
[Angelos] to die or sell the team."
For more Info / For the Freeper Record: Here's another article and some fairly informative video:
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.