Stylez White Takes Bucs Fans To Task
March 22nd, 2011
Yesterday, Bucs defensive end Stylez White decided to be a co-host for something called “The Sports Explosion” with someone called “Heavyweight,” which Joe learned was broadcast on WQYK-AM at 6 p.m. Monday.
(What happened to Bobby Fenton?)
Strangely, the majority of the show dealt with college wrestling and “Heavyweight’s” Boston connections.
(Memo to local sports radio wannabes: No one gives a spit that you are from Boston, or insert another city. Newsflash: This is not Boston. Pay for airtime on a Boston radio station if you want to impress listeners of your Boston roots. This is Tampa Bay. Impress people with your connections to local teams.)
For some odd reason that Joe cannot explain, people who don’t watch games but are behind a mic in this market enjoy talking not about games, but about people who don’t go to games. This seems to be a favorite topic on numerous radio shows on a sports radio station with studios in St. Petersburg. It’s nearly as riveting as listening to someone spout poetically about a third baseman’s OBGYN numbers.
But set up with the opportunity, White spanked Bucs fans for what he perceived as a lack of support for the team in 2010.
“Fans call me out; so I will call them out,” White said. “I know how many sacks I had. I had 4.5 sacks. I don’t like it. I was disappointed. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t contributing.”
Home games “were tough. We’re supposed to have a home field advantage. It was disappointing that the stadium was not filled up with Bucs fans. It was discouraging.
“I understand [residents] come from up north. Why not support Tampa? I eat here. I live here. Why not support it? This is your home. It irritates me when teams from up north come here and there are more fans from the team up north. It’s discouraging as a player that you are working hard to represent the Bucs.
“The love [for teams up north], emotionally, that bothers me.”
Joe understands where Stylez is coming from but comparing this market to Pittsburgh or Chicago or even Buffalo is folly.
None of those areas has the number of transplants that this area has; not even remotely close. And let’s be honest, for many, turning your back on a team you and your family grew up with is akin to slapping your mother in the face after she cooked you a nice dinner.
Then you factor in this area’s demographics and economy. There are far, far more retirees than in virtually any other market. Retirees generally do not go to games no matter what the sport. Go to any game in any part of the country and count how many senior citizens you see compared to those in their 30s and 20s.
And anyone discounting the local economy as to why people aren’t going to games simply has their head up their arse. The vast majority of homes are underwater. The unemployment rate is horrid. Just do some homework on Google if you don’t believe Joe. So does any reasonable person believe or expect someone to shell out dough for season tickets as opposed to paying their mortgage, really?
Throw in the unemployment rate, and it’s a toxic storm for local sports teams.
Joe can see where Stylez’s frustration comes from. If people had the cash to spend on games, they would go to games. It’s no more complex than that.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:08 am
I just read the glazer q/a and the best part had nothing to do football! We might be on hard knocks! My dream has come true! I am so excited. I know we don’t need the distraction but to see our players up close like this is a once in a lifetime thing. Make this happen!!!!!
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:12 am
Oh just saw the post on this. Damn I thought it was breaking news lol.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:36 am
I agree with White. I don’t care where you come from. If you live here, shop here, eat here, work here, and send your kids to school here….then support Tampa Bay and support the Bucs! If you don’t then you just suck.
I mean look, if person X is from Pittsburgh and has been a die hard Steelers fan for years, then by all means support your Steelers on the rare occasion they come play here. BUT person X needs to be supporting their local Buccaneers the other 99% of the time. You have people that have lived in Tampa for 10+ years and still support some other team from up north. It’s stupid and the main reason our fan base sucks.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:37 am
I don’t think the market comparison counts for squat. It does in baseball certainly, but Tampa has a lot of Bucs fans. The stadium not filling up has absolutely NOTHING to do with “transplants”.
If that were the case, there would never have been a season ticket waiting list.
No, it’s economics and production playing a role here. Many people that could afford to go to games before cannot do so right now. Simpy put, if the Bucs production is not good enough, people will not stretch their dollars to get the tickets. There is always going to be something more important.
When the Bucs can create enough anticipation with the fans, they will find ways to get tickets.
Last year was great. The Bucs were winning. But many people did not go because they didn’t think it was real as a result of the easy schedule. When the Bucs start winning this year and hte fans see things coming along, then they’ll think that maybe last year was not an abnormality.
And that will fill more seats.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:39 am
@JDouble
That’s easy to say, but speaking for myself, if I were to move up north, there’s no way I would stop being a Bucs fanatic. I don’t care id its in Phillie or elsewhere, I will proudly display the colors.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:46 am
Am I the only one lost here??? What the hell does fans not showing up to the games have to do with him sucking??? Discouraging? BAH! You get paid big money to go after the quarterback, it’s your damn JOB!! Quit blaming other people on why you suck.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:53 am
@Gary
Link? I didn’t see it on the Bucs site.
March 22nd, 2011 at 9:29 am
WHAT A BUM!!!!!!! This rat bast@#% is pretty much saying that since the stands were not full it had affected his play. Thats a disgrace…
March 22nd, 2011 at 10:17 am
Styles is a serial underachiever, and a big mouth. If played as well as he runs his suck, he might be worth keeping around. i look forward to seeing him back at BestBuy full time in September.
Suck it Stylez.
March 22nd, 2011 at 11:01 am
Loved the column – here’s how I know Joe is correct about this being an economic issue, and specifically the line “if Bucs fans COULD buy tickets, they WOULD….”
…because this SAME fanbase HAVE sold out this stadium – anyone who takes the FANS to task for not showing UP to cheer on mediocre performances from middling talent at defensive end…needs to be introduced to reality.
Stylez G – if you somehow KEEP your job after the way you performed you should probably know your role and keep your mouth shut…otherwise, you may BECOME one of the transplants you talk down to.
…or possibly, the rest of us may just find out how many games unemployed wannabe DE’s attend when they have to pay for their own tickets.
You are a moron.
March 22nd, 2011 at 11:22 am
I am from Dallas and I friggin drove to Tampa in 2010 and in 09′. I came to the Dallas game and watched the Bucs lose. Guess what, I also went to the Tampa games in Dallas and in New Orleans. White can kiss my butt because I work a 9-5 just like anyone and I supported my team and what did he do in the process? 4.5 sacks? Gimme a break, he was suppose to be a catalyst and a leader for young players. Guess he didn’t do his job.
March 22nd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Keep winning, Bucs and those people from the north will go back to wearing Bucs gear just like they did in the late 90’s and early 2000s.
March 22nd, 2011 at 1:00 pm
The economy excuse is getting old. You’re telling me no one in Pittsburgh is unemployeed and 35k of them chartered plane rides down for the game?
No, they live here and work here JUST like the people showing up in red and pewter. Or I guess I should say the people not showing up in red and pewter…
As a season ticket holder, I’m sick of what the stadium looks like on Sundays as well.
March 22nd, 2011 at 1:20 pm
White hates to practice, has sucked since he changed his name and is a serial under performer(BIGMAC). There was ZERO pressure from the edge and that’s on him. He should own it instead of blaming the rest of the community.
He has averaged 6 sacks a yr for the last 4 years. He is what he is and it’s not good enough for a starter. Dom will replace him with at least 2 DE’s with more talent and he will have to compete for a backup spot…. which he will quit, lose and get cut (because he thinks he’s better than that). hit the couch!
March 22nd, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Joe says: “Joe understands where Stylez is coming from but comparing this market to Pittsburgh or Chicago or even Buffalo is folly.”
Which is why Tampa is a rotten sports town. I always do not understand why you say the above and not agree that Tampa local fan base sucks.
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Jonny:
Compared to Miami and Atlanta, Tampa Bay is a virtual Detroit or Pittsburgh when it comes to a loyal fanbase.
To the best of Joe’s knowledge, playoff games here are sold out. Can’t say that about Atlanta or Miami.
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:36 pm
TampaTwo:
Tell Joe about it! Joe just wishes this nasty excuse would fade away so he could refinance his modest St. Petersburg condo and be able to get a modicum of a raise for the first time in five years. 🙁
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:44 am
Those morons in Pittsburgh forked over huge amounts of CASH all through the “SLASH” era for one very good reason…they have nothing better to do.
If you’re going to ask people in Florida to go to a HOT stadium in August, September, and even October to watch mediocre defensive ends “phone in” their performance…
See…in Florida…we have these things…called BEACHES…and this bright light in the sky that shines almost ALL year – it’s called “SUNSHINE”…and get this…they’re both FREE.
Bottom line, if you want people to go to sporting events here – your team better be good…because they’re competing with God.
Because when you add “unemployed” to “SUNSHINE” you get “BEACHES”…morons.
March 25th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
The Sports Explosion airs Monday-Friday on WQYK-AM from 6pm-8pm. Each show is different. Heavyweight usually does his show on Tuesday, but filled in for Bobby Fenton on this particular Monday.
March 25th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
I agree with styles about what styles says, but he shouldn’t have said it. i cant see any reason to call out the fans. I listen to heavyweight all the time on Tuesday after Jp’s show and i think u may have misjudged him. He does run a Tampa based show and has been seen out on the town with BJ Upton and some of the USF football team. He’s constantly sticking up for Joe Maddon and BJ Upton almost to a fault. He defends Maddon’s decisions even when they clearly were wrong and refused to say BJ loafed it when clearly he did… I listened to the first hour of the show and it seems as if Styles couldnt talk about other sports…. either way, when we get paid again we’ll go to more games, i dont need styles to tell me when i should go.thx
-Ronnie Sterling