2011 Plans – Stay Tuned

2010 was a good year for us. We started out the season with a bang and we want to be bigger and better this year in Section 101 and elsewhere at PPL. Along with us are several other supporters groups at PPL which is a great thing for the Union and especially for supporters culture in Philadelphia. From the Tammany Saints to the Illegitimates in 133 to the Sons of Ben, there seems to be a group for every style of support.

So, what exactly do we stand for? How do you know if the Tammany Saints are the group for you?

Well, we are supporters of the game, first and foremost. We all like to have a drink or two or three, but we don’t use Union matches as an excuse to get drunk and angry while not bothering to pay attention to the match.

Some of us like to jump around and some of us like to sit, and most of us are somewhere in the middle. As long as you’re following the rules, not making the experience miserable for those around you, and not being a jerk to other Union fans, all while boisterously supporting the U, then we might be for you.

Now, I know some people reading this are saying, “You guys are lame because you’re trying to be all respectful, and stuff. Do you have tea parties at your tailgates?” But let me tell you, last season I saw way too many Union fans booing other Union fans for trying to start a wave. I saw way too many Union fans refusing to tell other Union fans where they got their sweet Union shirts from, because they wanted to be cooler than the other guy. I saw way too many Union fans yelling at children, CHILDREN!, for not standing the entire 90, and no, not in the River End where standing is a given. I saw way too many Union fans trying to start fights with visiting supporters before, during and after matches. Look, I’m all for for booing the other team and having a spirited and vociferous back and forth with the visiting supporters, but when the final whistle blows, we’re all just hard-working people getting through the week to make it to Saturday to support our team/city. We have neither the time, nor the inclination to make mortal enemies. We wear different shirts but that doesn’t mean we have to be a****les. There’s a fine line and I’ve seen people cross it. I know not everyone agrees with this, and the people who find this post ridiculous, you are the minority. There is no supporters group for this team that I know of that supports the kind of behavior detailed above.

Finally, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We have no dues. We have no meetings. We have no committees. We have no subcommittees. We might pass the hat around at a tailgate to chip in for beer/food or the occasional TS flag or banner. We might get organized enough one day to paint some tifo. We do have pretty sweet scarves and shirts, more of which will be coming this season. We do have haphazardly arranged tailgates and have a great time at matches with those who have become our friends over the last year. People who shared the above sentiments, who otherwise would never have met, convened under the Tammany Saints banner in 2010.If you have the same ideology, we’d like to have you in 2011.

So, if you’re in 101 come aboard. If you are elsewhere in the stadium, come aboard. We’re trying to put a name and form to the pervasive sentiment of a lot of the folks we’ve talked to at PPL, but without working too hard because we don’t need a part-time job or our wives, girlfriends, significant others, kids, pet goldfish yelling at us too much.

We are no better or cooler than any other group out there. But we are no worse. If you are in 133 or thereabouts, then you’d better be an Illegitimate and Defend That Corner! If you want to be in the mother of all supporters groups in Philly, with the biggest boys on the block who take the volume in the River End up to 11, then you’d better be an SoB! If you think you might be interested in what we have to say, come and meet up with us at a tailgate or drop me a line at tammany.saints@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Stay tuned for more info as we get closer to kickoff.

Until then,

Just Enjoy The Game