Om, seriously, no smack, yes.
Every fanbase has a certain characterization, tho of course, it is made up of individuals who may hold widely varying opinions. But the overall tone of a fanbase is clearly ..well, there.
From a year of frequenting Cowboys boards, I can safely say the Dallas tone is reserved regarding talent evaluation, and chances for success. This seems a fanbase that shys away from hype, and always but always holds the standard of excellence of the past as it's water mark. There are exceptions, but I have also noticed the very young posters (I mean actual kids), are the ones who tend toward homerism. The Boys fanbase on the whole is moderate, respectful of opponent talent, and imo, perhaps a little too down on some of its own players, a bit unwilling to factor in normal development process, and not yet convinced of what it has in a HC. :p
I have actually bemoaned the absence of homerism at times. Even the more ridiculous variety of it has a positive outcome, as it tempers the negativity. All the same, it's an extremely rational, low keyed fanbase, imo .
The most delusionary time of the year for every fanbase is offseason, before injuries and other forms of reality set in, but even then, the tone on Boyz boards I found subdued. At first I thought the emotional flatness was due to the lack of offseason moves, but clearly it seems stemming more from the "prove it to me" sentiment of Cowboys fans. The "walk the walk" ethos that permeates the fanbase.
I haven't visited enough Skins boards to make any such claims about the general ambiance everywhere. (could so re Jets *we eat our young, Phins, Pats, Bills and Jints fanbases tho, and possibly Raiders and Falcons). But the environment at Extremeskins is night and day from the atmosphere on most Cowboys boards.
Of course, there are assorted pessimists, fatalists, realists, chicken littlers and other more critically motivated fans at your site. And a nice scattering of folks like yourself who analyze with both head and heart (the best combo, imo) But the overwhelming feeling there is "talk the talk", not waiting to see who can walk it.
Really, OM, if aliens landed today at cowboyszone and extremeskins, they'd think they had landed on TWO different planets, so contrary are the general perspectives.
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