👇THREAD. #ShieldDebacle https://twitter.com/velk/status/1318934370229637128
Part of what Tobias wrote got me thinking about supporter groups, so pardon me while I go on yet another #ShieldDebacle related thread of unrequested word vomit.
Listen, I know what the response will be from SG people when they read something that says “I kinda just assumed this would happen” or “I expected this thing would continue to exist” when it comes to something you’re involved with or something you’ve helped establish.
I know that your first inclination is to get angry and bring out your keyboard gunz. I know that because I’ve been there, man. I’ve been a member of many supporter groups, and I’ve helped establish a few traditions here and there during my time. WANNA HEAR A STORY? GOOD.
I was standing in the Nordecke one evening, about ten minutes before kickoff. Someone taps me on the shoulder and points to a girl standing in 139, and says “she wanted me to tell you that you forgot to put out the flags.”
THE NORDECKE FLAGS. WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

I hate them. They are awful.

For years I laid out hundreds of flags in the Nordecke before every game, and then collected them all back up afterwards. Sometimes I had help. Often times I didn’t. It’s a horrible job.
And it’s not just a pre and post match job, either. Those flags take an absolute BEATING, and a ton of them require maintenance and upkeep in between every. single. game.

The zip ties break. The grommets pop out. They rip. They get burned by smoke bombs. Hours of repair.
Most weeks I would spend a few hours every Friday afternoon fixing the flags and laying them out, and would then try to get most of the Nordecke banners hung afterwards. They also get destroyed (by wind and the elements) and require maintenance before every game too.
I’d try to get all this stuff done on Friday’s so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it on Saturday morning and afternoon. Just trying to enjoy Crew gamedays as much as possible and not worry about doing manual labor, that kind of thing.
Now all bets are off when any number of outside forces prevent you from getting those banners hung and those goddamned flags laid out. This specific game had two outside forces: Rock on The Range and monsoon downpours.
When any concert happens at the stadium, everything Crew related needs to be removed from the Nordecke area and stored somewhere else. RoTR had concluded earlier that week, and rain prevented me from getting everything back out of storage afterwards.
The rain stopped just before kickoff, so I just didn’t have time to repair the flags and lay them back out. No big deal, one game without flags in the corner. It was actually pretty nice to not deal with them for an entire home match. We’ll survive, I told myself.
So when I was informed that I “forgot to lay out the flags”, I told her to tell her friend that I hadn’t forgotten, I just didn’t have the chance due to the concert schedule and the rain. She said “okay thanks” and left to go inform her friend.
30 seconds later she’s back, and says “she told me to tell you to go get them, and to lay them out anyway - that’s your job, get it done.”

MY VISION BLURRED AS I BEGAN TO SEE ONLY THE COLOR RED THANKS TO THE BLOOD THAT WAS NOW SHOOTING DIRECTLY OUT OF MY EYE SOCKETS.
How dare this person take the hard work I put in for granted, and then DEMAND things of me when forces beyond my control prevent me from doing that hard work ONE SINGLE TIME EVER?

To say that my feelings were hurt would be an understatement.
The point here is that doing supporter group related shit is 96% of the time a thankless job while you’re doing it.

Because the payoff isn’t immediate, and you don’t see the difference you’re making while you’re doing it.

That’s by design. It’s SUPPOSED to be like that.
You know what the payoff is? The payoff is watching that tradition continue to happen after you’ve stopped doing it. It’s seeing that group continue to work together after you’ve stopped leading it.

Taking something, nurturing it, and passing it along is what this is all about.
There are more defunct supporter groups than anyone has time to count. And that’s okay, groups come and go. Your challenge when you’re a part of one is to attempt to facilitate an environment that is sustainable and built for the future, and MAYBE you’ll someday watch it thrive.
So when you see anger or outrage because of something your group did or didn’t do, try to remember that someone is simply noticing a thing that you’re involved with which they value, and they want to make sure it continues to happen.
You’ve signed up to fill a role that can feel thankless at times, but I promise you that if you work hard and fix your mistakes, someday you’ll watch from the sidelines as a group that YOU HELPED BUILD reinforces that foundation for the next generation.

That’s the payoff. ✊
You can follow @Morgan_Hughes.
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