FanPost

Will the Wolves Sponsor Their Own "Squad 6"?


A good question at the upcoming sit-down with Kahn would be to ask if there are plans to liven up the Target Center with some deals for fans who have more time and passion than they do money? I'm thinking specifically of something like the Bucks' Squad 6.Nba_g_bucksfans_576_mediumvia a.espncdn.com

From the NBA website:

Squad 6, the best fan section in the NBA, was created by Bucks center Andrew Bogut. Andrew wanted to keep the Bradley Center rocking so he bought 100 lower level tickets for the loudest, wildest, most energetic Bucks fans. It's their mission to make sure everyone in the Bradley Center gets into the game and so far this season it is a mission accomplished.

From ESPN's Chris Sheridan:

"We haven't had great years, and the fans have been down on the Milwaukee Bucks the last couple years, and rightfully so," Bogut said. "On a Tuesday night in winter and it's 10 degrees outside and the kids have school the next day, we're not fortunate like L.A. or New York who have tourists who will come. We don't have that, so I thought let's get some people in that building that'll keep it rocking whether there's 10,000 people there or 18,000 people. They're going to be there every game and provide a great atmosphere."

From the JSOnline:

There is a rhythm to Squad 6's routine. The entire section swerves to the introductory song as the Bucks' starting five is announced. Immediately after the opening tip, a chant begins: "Dee-fense, dee-fense."

When the Bucks score their first field goal of the game, torn papers fly in the air and rain down on the section or anyone else passing by. When an opposing player turns the ball over, the section sways in unison and points, "That way, that way."

"I've gone to games every year but never been a season-ticket holder," Kristi Schilling, 25, said. "I loved coming to Bucks games before being part of Squad 6. But aside from being affordable (free), it's a lot more fun. Here you can jump around and act like a fool and nobody cares."

Zak Grim helps organize the group and plays the drum that keeps its chants together.

"Everything originates off the drum," Grim said. "And we've got a lot of people here, so instead of yelling out, 'Hey, we're going to do this chant,' we use the drum as our key."

The demographics for Milwaukee aren't much different from the Twin Cities, except Milwaukee is much smaller (and their team is a year or two ahead of the Wolves progession). There's no reason that the Wolves couldn't work together with whichever player is still here next season to create a similar program for fans in the greater MSP area, or even run the show themselves (who knows--maybe some TWolves blogs could come together to help promote the effort . . . )