Green Men Inducted into ESPN’s Hall of Fans

Two of the Vancouver Canucks’ biggest supporters have all other sports fans green with envy, writes Ricky Rothstein.

Sully and Force, the two fans who dress in green spandex suits next to the visiting team’s penalty box at Canucks home games, have been inducted into ESPN’s Hall of Fans. The Green Men are one of four total inductees in the inaugural class, although there was a bit of confusion as to whether both Sully and Force were being recognized in the beginning. The pair insists they will both be a part of the induction ceremonies at ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. campus on Sept. 19 as ESPN looks to bend the rules to welcome in four fans, instead of the originally planned number of three.

It’s a major honour for the duo that prides itself on distracting Vancouver’s opponents with acrobatics while exciting the Canucks’ crowd. They began attending Vancouver games in the green suits back in 2009 and have been a fixture in the stands ever since. “It’s really cool knowing that making it two or three years in spandex has paid off and that people recognize the fandom behind it all,” Sully told Metronews.ca. “It’s just really amazing to follow up Ryan Kesler’s appearance last year in the ESPN magazine, we’re going to have a bit more clothing on, but we can’t promise that,” Sully added. “It’s going to be something that we can share with our fans back home here. We started doing this because of the fans and we’ve always done this for the fans.”

Several thousand fans applied to the Hall of Fans and judges narrowed the field to 10 finalists before an online vote determined the top three, which turned into four. Only two fans outside of the Green Men will be inducted in the first class – University of Alabama softball fan Emily Pitek and the Baltimore Ravens supporter Captain Dee-Fense. When they’re not hassling opposing players, the Green Men have also raised more than $15,000 for local charities.

Follow Sports Interaction on Twitter.