Paul McCann: 2016-17 Predators Schedule Review

I'll bite.. though I'm neither little read nor a media member so not sure I qualify. Would have loved to spend a weekend in Nashville in October or ring in 2017 on Broadway, but as the Predators have clearly demonstrated that I'm not welcome in Nashville, thinking I'll make the trip to Florida or LA this year. Honestly, it sucks - I loved the 3 trips I made to Nashville prior to the whole "keep the red out" policy was put in place. It's left a bad-enough taste in my mouth that I probably won't make a trip back to Nashville any time soon, for any reason. Guess that's what the Predators wanted, but kind of a shame this policy ever had to exist.

- First Chance for little-read members of the Chicago Media to Whine About Ticket Policies – No time to waste… start early as the Preds open the season at home on 10/14 against the Blackhawks.

- Second Chance for little-read members of the Chicago Media to Whine About Ticket Policies – December 29th

- Last Chance for little-read members of the Chicago Media to Whine About Ticket Policies – March 4th
- pmccann

Wow, just wow. Stay classy, Paul.

I'll bite.. though I'm neither little read nor a media member so not sure I qualify. Would have loved to spend a weekend in Nashville in October or ring in 2017 on Broadway, but as the Predators have clearly demonstrated that I'm not welcome in Nashville, thinking I'll make the trip to Florida or LA this year. Honestly, it sucks - I loved the 3 trips I made to Nashville prior to the whole "keep the red out" policy was put in place. It's left a bad-enough taste in my mouth that I probably won't make a trip back to Nashville any time soon, for any reason. Guess that's what the Predators wanted, but kind of a shame this policy ever had to exist.
- arobb01

Oh Well.
You sound like you are one of the hawks fans that came and enjoyed our City and rooted your team on, while being respectful of our fans, arena and town.
Too bad a few ruined it for you and others.

Oh Well.
You sound like you are one of the hawks fans that came and enjoyed our City and rooted your team on, while being respectful of our fans, arena and town.
Too bad a few ruined it for you and others.
- wrister

I cheered for my team and enjoyed the city. Getting ridiculously drunk and/or harassing fans of another team, especially in THEIR city, isn't my style. For what it's worth, most of the fans at the games we went to, both in mustard or red, seemed to be enjoying themselves and engaging in a little friendly ribbing, but I never saw anything cross that line (we can argue about whether the anthem cheering is respectful until the cows come home, I don't think either fanbase is ever going to see eye-to-eye on that one). Granted, we generally splurged on seats close to the glass, so I wasn't exposed to what may have gone on up a bit higher.

But let's be honest. It wasn't the "few" poorly behaved or rude Chicago fans that Nashvillians on here frequently reference. There are idiots from everywhere that behave in disrespectful ways (I could just as easily argue that chanting "we're going to beat the hell out of you" after every goal is more offensive than cheering for the anthem). Maybe the proximity to Chicago made it such that there were a few more idiots in Nashville on weekends when the Blackhawks came to town, but, having read many a news article and also talked to Predators representatives directly when in town for the games, this wasn't the reason the policy was enacted. Simply put, the Predators management decided they didn't like half of their building clad in the opposing color, with fans bringing different traditions with them. It was the Preds management, along with their mouthpieces like Paul, that made it very clear people from Chicago aren't welcome in Nashville. They ruined it for me.

I know most will say "Boo-hoo, poor Chicago fan. We don't want you here anyway" and that's totally fine. I get it. I remember how frustrating it was during the early 2000s when there were more fans from other teams in Chicago for most games. But, eventually, the team figured out the best way to fix this was to put a better product on the ice and cultivate a culture where the local population was fervent enough in their support of the team that tickets just weren't available for masses of fans from other cities. That's the way it should be done, rather than actively excluding anyone from an experience. I'll look forward to it elsewhere.

I cheered for my team and enjoyed the city. Getting ridiculously drunk and/or harassing fans of another team, especially in THEIR city, isn't my style. For what it's worth, most of the fans at the games we went to, both in mustard or red, seemed to be enjoying themselves and engaging in a little friendly ribbing, but I never saw anything cross that line (we can argue about whether the anthem cheering is respectful until the cows come home, I don't think either fanbase is ever going to see eye-to-eye on that one). Granted, we generally splurged on seats close to the glass, so I wasn't exposed to what may have gone on up a bit higher.

But let's be honest. It wasn't the "few" poorly behaved or rude Chicago fans that Nashvillians on here frequently reference. There are idiots from everywhere that behave in disrespectful ways (I could just as easily argue that chanting "we're going to beat the hell out of you" after every goal is more offensive than cheering for the anthem). Maybe the proximity to Chicago made it such that there were a few more idiots in Nashville on weekends when the Blackhawks came to town, but, having read many a news article and also talked to Predators representatives directly when in town for the games, this wasn't the reason the policy was enacted. Simply put, the Predators management decided they didn't like half of their building clad in the opposing color, with fans bringing different traditions with them. It was the Preds management, along with their mouthpieces like Paul, that made it very clear people from Chicago aren't welcome in Nashville. They ruined it for me.

I know most will say "Boo-hoo, poor Chicago fan. We don't want you here anyway" and that's totally fine. I get it. I remember how frustrating it was during the early 2000s when there were more fans from other teams in Chicago for most games. But, eventually, the team figured out the best way to fix this was to put a better product on the ice and cultivate a culture where the local population was fervent enough in their support of the team that tickets just weren't available for masses of fans from other cities. That's the way it should be done, rather than actively excluding anyone from an experience. I'll look forward to it elsewhere.
- arobb01

As stated previously....You get it. I have been a season ticket holder for all but 2 years 07-08. and have seats near the glass. You are half right on the get the red out ticket policy but also what occurred was season ticket holders complaining to management about the behavior and the way they were treated and harrassed by hawk fans. (and i wasn't even one of them) At every game (and i went to every one) i or a member of my family was yelled at or harrassed by one of your fans, and i witnessed it to plenty of others as well.
Note: This policy is only in place for hawk fans and we get alot of Blues and Red Wing fans as well.
As for the "chant" after the visiting goalie gets scored on....get real..that started at year one and that happens to every team not just yours.

As stated previously....You get it. I have been a season ticket holder for all but 2 years 07-08. and have seats near the glass. You are half right on the get the red out ticket policy but also what occurred was season ticket holders complaining to management about the behavior and the way they were treated and harrassed by hawk fans. (and i wasn't even one of them) At every game (and i went to every one) i or a member of my family was yelled at or harrassed by one of your fans, and i witnessed it to plenty of others as well.
Note: This policy is only in place for hawk fans and we get alot of Blues and Red Wing fans as well.
As for the "chant" after the visiting goalie gets scored on....get real..that started at year one and that happens to every team not just yours.
- wrister

Fair enough - again, guessing that proximity and a fanbase that is willing to travel are largely the reasons for a perceived increase in harassment by visiting fans. Pretty sure you aren't getting 8,000-10,000 Blues or Wings fans for those games. Most of the publicly stated reasons for the policy have been related to competitive advantage and it's no secret Preds management is embarrassed when half the building shows up in opposing colors (just like any team would be). What's interesting is that 2 years after the policy was instituted, people like Paul keep making back-handed references like the one in this article. It comes across as quite sophomoric.

As for the chant, I know it's been the tradition from day one and it's done after every goal regardless of opponent. Personally, I think it's relatively harmless, but I can see how some might find it offensive. Just like cheering the National Anthem. My overall point is that you can't call cheering the National Anthem offensive out of one side of your mouth and then claim "get real" when somebody raises a question as to whether "we're gonna beat the hell out of you" is appropriate.

Fair enough - again, guessing that proximity and a fanbase that is willing to travel are largely the reasons for a perceived increase in harassment by visiting fans. Pretty sure you aren't getting 8,000-10,000 Blues or Wings fans for those games. .
- arobb01

Apparently you aren't aware of how many Michigan transplants live down here to buy single game tickets, or are currently Preds season ticket holders themselves, but loyal to the Winged Wheel. I myself had a couple years with Preds season tickets, and it was great, but always a Wings fan first.

For Blues fans, it's not too bad of a car ride to get here, so they are always well represented.

Fair enough - again, guessing that proximity and a fanbase that is willing to travel are largely the reasons for a perceived increase in harassment by visiting fans. Pretty sure you aren't getting 8,000-10,000 Blues or Wings fans for those games. Most of the publicly stated reasons for the policy have been related to competitive advantage and it's no secret Preds management is embarrassed when half the building shows up in opposing colors (just like any team would be). What's interesting is that 2 years after the policy was instituted, people like Paul keep making back-handed references like the one in this article. It comes across as quite sophomoric.

As for the chant, I know it's been the tradition from day one and it's done after every goal regardless of opponent. Personally, I think it's relatively harmless, but I can see how some might find it offensive. Just like cheering the National Anthem. My overall point is that you can't call cheering the National Anthem offensive out of one side of your mouth and then claim "get real" when somebody raises a question as to whether "we're gonna beat the hell out of you" is appropriate.

We don't get 8-10k Hawks fans either. 4-5k is more like it, and yes, we do get that many Wings and Blues fans, but it's the Hawks fans who constantly drink to excess, provoke the hometown crowd, cuss in front of toddlers, spit on old ladies, push their way into places like the media room where they clearly don't belong and subject themselves to arrest. This is all happening during Chicago games. Our Metro PD literally sets arrest records when the Blackhawks are in town. There really is a problem here that only seems to be solved when you keep the numbers down.

There are obviously good people who are Blackhawks fans, but there are waaaaayyyy too many who aren't, and that's the problem. As a professional organization, the Predators will never come out and publicly say the real reason for the policy. I was at those season ticket holder meetings where the behavior of Chicago fans was discussed. The meeting was specifically about Chicago fans because there were so many season ticket holder surveys that mentioned the behavior. We've never had a meeting like that about any other fan base. I will say that the majority of the behavior I'm talking about seems to be from young, male fans.

The reason Paul keeps mentioning it is because the Chicago media keeps bringing it up. Not only do they bring it up, but they disable comments and don't provide email addresses for feedback. Instead they just whine about the policy. I have tons of friends in the Chicago suburbs, and they've basically parroted the misinformation they're being fed by some of these guys. If Chicago fans on the whole could show better behavior the policy wouldn't be in place. No matter what the Preds put out publicly, that's the truth of the matter.

As for the anthem, our thought is do what you want in your own house, but don't bring the clapping to ours. There's written protocol for how you're supposed to act when the anthem is played, and clapping/cheering is viewed by the majority here as being very disrespectful. There's no written protocol for hockey chants, and no one died in order to inspire the creation of those chants. Big difference between the two. They cannot be compared.

Anyway, I don't know how this will come across in writing. I mean it to be factual, not an attack.

Take care,

D

We don't get 8-10k Hawks fans either. 4-5k is more like it, and yes, we do get that many Wings and Blues fans, but it's the Hawks fans who constantly drink to excess, provoke the hometown crowd, cuss in front of toddlers, spit on old ladies, push their way into places like the media room where they clearly don't belong and subject themselves to arrest. This is all happening during Chicago games. Our Metro PD literally sets arrest records when the Blackhawks are in town. There really is a problem here that only seems to be solved when you keep the numbers down.

There are obviously good people who are Blackhawks fans, but there are waaaaayyyy too many who aren't, and that's the problem. As a professional organization, the Predators will never come out and publicly say the real reason for the policy. I was at those season ticket holder meetings where the behavior of Chicago fans was discussed. The meeting was specifically about Chicago fans because there were so many season ticket holder surveys that mentioned the behavior. We've never had a meeting like that about any other fan base. I will say that the majority of the behavior I'm talking about seems to be from young, male fans.

The reason Paul keeps mentioning it is because the Chicago media keeps bringing it up. Not only do they bring it up, but they disable comments and don't provide email addresses for feedback. Instead they just whine about the policy. I have tons of friends in the Chicago suburbs, and they've basically parroted the misinformation they're being fed by some of these guys. If Chicago fans on the whole could show better behavior the policy wouldn't be in place. No matter what the Preds put out publicly, that's the truth of the matter.

As for the anthem, our thought is do what you want in your own house, but don't bring the clapping to ours. There's written protocol for how you're supposed to act when the anthem is played, and clapping/cheering is viewed by the majority here as being very disrespectful. There's no written protocol for hockey chants, and no one died in order to inspire the creation of those chants. Big difference between the two. They cannot be compared.

Anyway, I don't know how this will come across in writing. I mean it to be factual, not an attack.

Take care,

D
- Predaceous

Hear Hear!

We don't get 8-10k Hawks fans either. 4-5k is more like it, and yes, we do get that many Wings and Blues fans, but it's the Hawks fans who constantly drink to excess, provoke the hometown crowd, cuss in front of toddlers, spit on old ladies, push their way into places like the media room where they clearly don't belong and subject themselves to arrest. This is all happening during Chicago games. Our Metro PD literally sets arrest records when the Blackhawks are in town. There really is a problem here that only seems to be solved when you keep the numbers down.

There are obviously good people who are Blackhawks fans, but there are waaaaayyyy too many who aren't, and that's the problem. As a professional organization, the Predators will never come out and publicly say the real reason for the policy. I was at those season ticket holder meetings where the behavior of Chicago fans was discussed. The meeting was specifically about Chicago fans because there were so many season ticket holder surveys that mentioned the behavior. We've never had a meeting like that about any other fan base. I will say that the majority of the behavior I'm talking about seems to be from young, male fans.

The reason Paul keeps mentioning it is because the Chicago media keeps bringing it up. Not only do they bring it up, but they disable comments and don't provide email addresses for feedback. Instead they just whine about the policy. I have tons of friends in the Chicago suburbs, and they've basically parroted the misinformation they're being fed by some of these guys. If Chicago fans on the whole could show better behavior the policy wouldn't be in place. No matter what the Preds put out publicly, that's the truth of the matter.

As for the anthem, our thought is do what you want in your own house, but don't bring the clapping to ours. There's written protocol for how you're supposed to act when the anthem is played, and clapping/cheering is viewed by the majority here as being very disrespectful. There's no written protocol for hockey chants, and no one died in order to inspire the creation of those chants. Big difference between the two. They cannot be compared.

Anyway, I don't know how this will come across in writing. I mean it to be factual, not an attack.

Take care,

D
- Predaceous

Amen.

We don't get 8-10k Hawks fans either. 4-5k is more like it, and yes, we do get that many Wings and Blues fans, but it's the Hawks fans who constantly drink to excess, provoke the hometown crowd, cuss in front of toddlers, spit on old ladies, push their way into places like the media room where they clearly don't belong and subject themselves to arrest. This is all happening during Chicago games. Our Metro PD literally sets arrest records when the Blackhawks are in town. There really is a problem here that only seems to be solved when you keep the numbers down.

There are obviously good people who are Blackhawks fans, but there are waaaaayyyy too many who aren't, and that's the problem. As a professional organization, the Predators will never come out and publicly say the real reason for the policy. I was at those season ticket holder meetings where the behavior of Chicago fans was discussed. The meeting was specifically about Chicago fans because there were so many season ticket holder surveys that mentioned the behavior. We've never had a meeting like that about any other fan base. I will say that the majority of the behavior I'm talking about seems to be from young, male fans.

The reason Paul keeps mentioning it is because the Chicago media keeps bringing it up. Not only do they bring it up, but they disable comments and don't provide email addresses for feedback. Instead they just whine about the policy. I have tons of friends in the Chicago suburbs, and they've basically parroted the misinformation they're being fed by some of these guys. If Chicago fans on the whole could show better behavior the policy wouldn't be in place. No matter what the Preds put out publicly, that's the truth of the matter.

As for the anthem, our thought is do what you want in your own house, but don't bring the clapping to ours. There's written protocol for how you're supposed to act when the anthem is played, and clapping/cheering is viewed by the majority here as being very disrespectful. There's no written protocol for hockey chants, and no one died in order to inspire the creation of those chants. Big difference between the two. They cannot be compared.

Anyway, I don't know how this will come across in writing. I mean it to be factual, not an attack.

Take care,

D
- Predaceous

I hope this response doesn't come across as an attack either, but more as a dialogue in response to some of your factual replies.

1) The 8,000-10,000 Chicago fans number came directly from Tim Wilson, who, at the time, was the Senior Manager of Premium Ticket Sales for the Predators. I see no reason why he would embellish this number - he seemed a bit embarrassed by it.

2) I've had beer dumped on me multiple times by Redwings and Bruins fans in Chicago, dealt with obnoxious and vulgar fans from Philly, had slurs yelled at me by Rangers fans many times. Maybe there have been more obnoxious fans from Chicago in Nashville than what usually shows up from other fanbases - I don't think we'll ever be able to quantify it. It's the Preds and Preds Season Ticket Holder's prerogative to pass that judgement and put in whatever policy they want. All I'm saying is I prefer the "suck it up and make the team better so obnoxious fans from out of state can't get tickets because the demand locally is too high" approach.

3) Paul went after the Chicago media completely without solicitation in this post.

4) I understand why people in Nashville may take some issue with bringing a different tradition in how the National Anthem is treated. It's fine to say, we'd prefer you leave that tradition at home. I tend to forego the clapping and screaming in visiting arenas. I've been to multiple games in Denver in the past few years and it seems that as time has passed, people have gotten that message and have not clapped or cheered despite the fact that more than 50% of the people there are Chicago fans. What I don't understand is the stubborn insistence that the clapping or cheering for the Anthem is disrespectful. It's not- you obviously know the origin of the tradition and I can't think of a more powerful way to support those who have died so that we can watch a hockey game. Again it's fine to disapprove of the anthem cheering in your building, but the argument that it's disparaging to our troops holds no water. Frankly, with the major effort the Preds management made to avoid cheering, including the lamentable "Apple Pie" reference and opting for "God Bless America," it just stirs the pot and encourages the mouth-breathers to act more obnoxiously.

5) I don't actually feel this way about it, but certainly one could argue that in the current state of sports and domestic violence, the threat of physical violence (and yes, I completely understand that "beat the hell out of you" is metaphorical) could be seen as just as inappropriate as cheering the Anthem. I'm pretty sure there are laws established against threatening physical violence.

On some of these issues, I'm sure we will never agree, and we may be so fundamentally opposed in our views that the process of the argument is somewhat pointless. What's sad, in the end, is that there couldn't be some way to find a solution without a policy that essentially prevents me from enjoying an annual trip to a city that was such a blast. When it wasn't forbidden, I would look forward to spending a good amount of money in Nashville and enjoying the hockey games, the nightlife, the music, the food, etc. Most of that could also be enjoyed without the hockey game part of things, but I don't think I'm interested in coming back after how the Preds handled it - Paul continuing to poke at the wound with passive aggressive comments just further cements that feeling. I know you probably could care less about one person's complaints, but it's unfortunate and I'm pretty sure there are a number of likeminded people out there.