I wasn’t sure the direction this post was going to take, because we’re getting into the dog days of summer and the Oilers haven’t played a game in almost 4 months. Rookie and training camps are still a ways off, and Oilers Twitter is a cesspool of negativity and scrapping, so this is the time when bloggers have to dig for content. Instead of finding something obscure to write about, I went through some of my old tweets to see if there’s a story somewhere.
Turns out there is.
Since The Trade (you know the one), there’s been a real divide between Oiler fans. I touched on it briefly last month, but here’s the relevant excerpt:
On the one side, there are people who are upset (whether that be mad, sad, disgusted) about the trade; on the other are people who are over it and just want the team to win (or who hated Taylor Hall and have wanted him gone forever). The split isn’t new by any stretch, but the chasm between the camps is wider and deeper than ever.
Even today, 5 weeks later, the Hall trade is still the dividing line between two factions of fans, and instead of coming to a place of understanding, there’s an awful lot of sniping between the two groups. Something that I see an awful lot of is the idea that some fans are too negative about the team (or at least certain aspects of it).
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
I went back through my own tweets and pulled a sample of things I said about Oilers fans this offseason. (It’s a very small sample, despite having much material to work with.)
I’m fascinated that some of the Oilers hockey people I follow can’t stand some of the others.
— Megan (@mig14) May 13, 2016
This is maybe the most interesting thing I’ve discovered this offseason. In talking to Twitter friends (both online and offline), I discovered that there are groups of people that simply do not get along. The reaction to the trade has significantly altered my perception of some Oiler fans, and I’ve made a conscious decision to remove them from my timelines.
Considering that we’re all fans of the same team, it’s still kind of jarring when there are such widely disparate opinions (of players, management, transactions) that I’ve seen arguments (and subsequent subtweeting) break out in my Twitter feed.
@Archaeologuy@MrMikeEaton Oiler fans are the best and worst part of the Oilers
— Megan (@mig14) May 29, 2016
Not only are there fans who disagree about the big things surrounding the team, we have a group of fans who resort to personal attacks on other fans as if to say “you’re doing it wrong”. I have my own feelings about things that have happened this offseason, but I won’t begrudge anyone the right to have their own opinions. //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Some other fans can’t seem to figure that out; these are the people to whom #SOFTDO applies. Most recently, I saw friends of mine fighting with each other about whether or not someone was being too negative in his opinion of the team, and whether that means that the more optimistic fans are better than the pessimists. Our own Kjell Iverson wrote about true fans, and I’d recommend reading what he has to say.
Some of y’all are so salty about the Oilers. I love it, but aren’t you tired?
— Megan (@mig14) August 1, 2016
If you’ve read anything I’ve written over the last year, you’ll know how I feel about Taylor Hall (in general, and in relation to the trade). That said, I’m at a place where I’ve accepted that he’s gone and that someone else will be in his spot on left wing. I don’t like it, but I’m good with it (at least until it hits me on opening night that he’s not out there). I’m not about to tell anyone how to “fan”, or that they need to “get over it”, but I can’t help but think it must be exhausting to be angry about something 100% of of your control.
Maybe Oilers Twitter Isn’t So Bad….
This team sucks and this trade sucks, but I’ve still got all of you, and not even the Oilers can take you away. I love you all.
/end— Megan (@mig14) June 30, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Despite the divisions between factions being solidified, I’m still so grateful there’s a community of passionate Oilers fans out there. This team has been so bad for so long that I can’t imagine what will happen when they’re out of the basement; Oilers Twitter is a disaster but I’m not sure we’re ready to cheer for a good team. Until they’re better, though, I’ll look forward to live-tweeting and complaining and lamenting the loss of players long gone.
We may not be fans of a good team, but we’re good fans of a bad team and I think that when we finally get to cheer for a Stanley Cup winning team, all of this will be worth it.
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