Hard hits, fights, and skills make hockey a popular sport to watch for area residents, which is why sports fans follow the Bakersfield Condors professional team.
“I’ve been to a Blaze (minor-league baseball team) game, and it wasn’t too exciting. I’d rather watch the Condors. It’s non-stop action,” said Brenden Johnson.
Condors’ games, fans say, have plenty to offer.
“The games are fun, and it’s a good family night out,” George Gard said.
“The Condors are a good team; they give the fans a good show,” said Gard.
At the Oct. 25 home game, the Condors had a coat drive.
Anyone who donated a coat got into the game for $1. Nearly 2,200 coats were collected.
Over 4,000 fans were in attendance.
“I’ve been to a few Bakersfield Blitz (former arena football team) games, but I’ve been coming to Condor games since they were the Fog,” said Tom Estrada.
As of Oct. 25, Condors total attendance ranked number one in the league, according to bakersfieldcondors.com.
“The Condors are great, not only because they are good, but they give back to the community, too,” said Junior Corales.
The Condors have a golf tournament and canned food drive to give to the community.
Giving to the community could be a reason why Condors games are so popular.
Of course, the fast pace, action, skill might have something to do with it, too.
“The games are fun to watch; I like the fights and the skills showed by the players,” said Noel Hernandez.
Free stuff given away at most of the home games and the intensity of the games is enough to get Condors’ fan Nathan Armstrong coming back. “The games are intense, and the free stuff is always great,” said Armstrong.