The Ninth Man

Mark Hodges
Thursday August 16, 2001

Who is the “ninth man?” In the AFL, the term is defined as the collective entity created by the fans who give their home team an advantage, simply from their own enthusiasm. Some have nicknames for their arenas: Nashville has the “alley” and Orlando has the “jungle”. But ask anyone who the most boisterous and rowdy fans are, and you’ll hear all about Arizona, Orlando, and those good old AFL Barnstormers.

This season, another group of fans deserve to be in the elite, yet there has been very little talk of them: The fans of the Grand Rapids Rampage.

Grand Rapids is quickly becoming known as the “Green Bay of the Arena Football League,” and not just because of the fact that the Grand Rapids is the smallest market in the league. The Rampage also has been building strong local support. Although the Van Andel Arena is the smallest arena in the AFL, Grand Rapids has drawn much better crowds than Florida, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Buffalo, and other much larger communities.

The rabidity of the fan base in Grand Rapids is evident. From “The Herd,” the Rampage’s active and successful booster club; from the deafening noise that the fans make when the opposing team has the ball, especially last week against Indiana; from “The Horny Corner”, a complete section of crazed Rampage fans who create havoc every game in the south end zone; and from the led cheers and unified crowd reaction, including “the wave”.

The insanity of certain select fans is also quite notable. It can be seen in the face of Don Beemer, who spends over an hour before each game painting his face like the Rampage mascot – including horns, a neck shield, and hooves like a real rhino. It can be seen in the delight of John Baker, who beats a stuffed animal that is similar to the nickname of the opposing team once for every point the Rampage score while his section counts the poundings. It can be seen in Jeremy Bennett and Rick Maddox, who wave a giant Rampage flag at every game. It can be seen in the dozens of people who bring cowbells, horns, whistles, and whatever noise-makers they can find.

On Sunday, Nashville has a lot more to prepare for than the quarterback antics of Clint Dolezel and an aerial attack that includes five receivers who have caught more than 50 catches this season. They must prepare for a compact building overflowing with noisy, rabid, standing-room-only fans. Some of the best fans in the AFL.

 

The opinions expressed in the article above are only those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, opinions, or official stance of ArenaFan Online or its staff, or the Arena Football League, or any AFL or af2 teams.

Mark Hodges Articles
Quarterback Controversy in Grand Rapids? 4/11/2002
An IPFL Scouting Report 9/17/2001
Mayberry, Green Bay, Grand Rapids, and Glory 8/19/2001
The Team Concept According to Michael Baker 8/17/2001
The Ninth Man 8/16/2001
A Community Celebrates 8/15/2001
The Rampage Most Valuable `Player` 7/27/2001
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