Kutler's Rant

One summer night back in the late 1990s, when the Phillies were playing listless baseball in an old concrete cavern that had outfield fences constructed of Plexiglas and plywood, my dad, mom, brother, and I decided to take in a game. These were the days when the Phillies were lead by Rico Brogna and routinely won about 75 games annually, always finishing at least 30 games behind the Braves. (Both Rolen and Abreu were on these teams, but everybody always booed Rolen and Abreu moped around Right Field with a red glove, so Brogna was the fan’s choice as de facto leader. That’s Philly for ya.) If memory serves me correct, the Phils were getting drubbed in usual fashion behind the outstanding effort of starter Matt Beech and the game was pretty much in the books by the sixth inning. Fans in Philly almost always stay lively until the end, even if it is mostly robust booing, despite the fact that the team is getting crushed. The crowd this night, however, was oddly dead. Not even Doug Glanville’s mustache could get anybody excited. I remember that the only thing that got anybody out of their seat and making noise was when the Jumbotron at The Vet displayed the names of bands “Fastball” and “Matchbox 20” on the screen and instructed fans to cheer for whom they wanted to hear between the next inning. I think the cheers were loudest for Fastball, due to their baseball connotation namesake, and to this day my dad still asks if any modern band he hears on the radio is Fastball, hopefully as a joke.

What’s the point? For a change, it is not that the Phillies usually suck or that Doug Glanville had great facial hair. The point is- when did terrible pop music and other unnecessary dribble become so intertwined in the fan experience at sporting events? And whatever happened to the organ?

In today’s modern sports environment, every moment where play is stopped has been overtaken by a multi-pronged media blitz. Electronic signs around the venue flash and change every split second, enough to send an epileptic into a fit. Cameras scan the crowd until they find to someone put on the stadium’s big screens who will wave like a lunatic for everybody. And, of course, some over-hyped pop song such as is piped loudly over the speakers, causing someone to get up and dance like and idiot because “they love that song.” That person will also show up on the big screen and everyone will watch her like zombies, forgetting there is an actual game being played.

This is typical of the modern sporting event where we fans are constantly bombarded. Has our collective A.D.D. really become so bad that we need to be entertained non-stop at games? Do we need loud multimedia forced on us at all times? Yes, I understand that sports are a form of entertainment and that we go to games to be entertained. These sensory stimuli are supposed to add to the entertainment value, but, I ask, do they really?

Speaking for myself here, but hopefully also for others, I miss the days when everything was just about the game. I think this is why I bemoan the loss of the organ from sporting events so much. In days past, one would go to games with others and have conversation with them during stoppages of play. If you went by yourself you would talk to those around you. Meanwhile, the organ added to the atmosphere while playing in the background. People heard it, but were not overwhelmed by it. It rose in volume when it would serve as a catalyst for various “Let’s Go!” or “Charge!” cheers. Nowadays, loud pop music drowns everything out. You have to shout next to the person next to you just to talk during stoppages. And God forbid if your team is carrying momentum into a timeout, working the crowd into a frenzy. The deafening tones of “Sandstorm” will soon drown that out. And if your team limped into the timeout then maybe you’ll get “The Sweet Escape.” But, are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?

All this has had a very negative influence on fans. It has largely conditioned crowds to react only when prompted to. Like my “Fastball” story illustrates, much of the time it now takes a cue to get a crowd reaction. A flashing “Make Some Noise” sign brings people up out of their chairs, but only for a few moments. When the crowd does happen energize itself from the play of the game, the music and the flashes and the Jumbotron soon take over, numbing people back down. The fan experience has become so artificial that the action of the game is not good enough anymore. I believe this is why we are seeing a lot less of what was taking place during last year’s NBA playoffs at Golden State. The Warriors run created an energy there that was fantastic, causing TV networks showing the games to continually display the crowd decibel meter during broadcasts. Although it was cool to watch, those Warriors game broadcasts sadly underlie how a genuinely raucous crowd is a rarity to be witnessed these days. If you watch replays of older classic games, you can almost feel the crowd energy at the venue, an energy created by people reacting to the game. Now if a crowd gets into a game analysts make a big deal out of it. Sure, there are loud crowds everywhere these days, but they are prodded along with loud music, super flashing scoreboards, and Thundersticks sponsored by Best Buy. I wish it weren’t so.

So with all this I must tell you that I am going to a game tonight, a big one where the crowd should be excited. No doubt it will, but alas I am resigned to that fact that within the first ten minutes I know I will hear “Hollaback Girl.” There is nothing like Gwen Stefani to fire a crowd up. If only we could bring tomatoes into the games to hurl at the guy who controls the music. Now that would be entertainment.