Speaking of which, it was funny, in that football episode. That was way back in 2001, during the time when Paul (Jensen Spencer) was taking drugs or something. The AD told a bunch of extras to make a lot of sound out on the field. And every time the camera would film near Paul, they'd shout "You're a wanker, Jensen!" At that point, the AD would stop everything and say something like, "Guys... no, no. You can't say that! You can't call him Jensen on camera. You have to call him Paul.' Then he just went right back to what he was doing! So they oblidged and started shouting "Your a wanker, Paul!" instead.
Heh, well, I thought it was funny.
As for the negativity from fans; it's also good to remember that for all the bad stuff that's said, the good things still outweigh them. It's just easier to get caught up in the negative feedback because it hits you harder. That makes it seem like there's more of it; although that's rarely the case.
Most people have intial reactions to things that DON'T feel right to them, and they feel the need to state them so somebody hears their concerns. Whereas if something DOES sit comfortably with them, then it doesn't trigger a need to report anything, and they're just happy to resume playing. We all do it when we see things we disagree with in movies and other games. It's just human nature, I guess. For example, look at the AG thread on Al Emmo; two of the first posts already start out along the lines of "I hate..." This is to be expected. No matter how good a job you do at something, and no matter how hard you try; you'll never, ever be able to please everyone. So you just make things the way YOU want, and leave it at that. If you're happy with the end result and it has met your personal ideals, and that's what's important.
What many fans need to remember is that designers have made things a certain way to fit their own vision. They understand that not everybody will like the way they did things, but in the end, the creator is making the product according to how they wanted things in their own mind. The perfect example is Star Wars fans constantly complaining about George Lucas's decisions with the three prequels. It doesn't matter if they agree with his directions or not... it's HIS story, and he wrote it the way he wanted it to go, according to his own vision.
Many people are very willing to critique things to death, but most will not put themselves into a position where they will get up and attempt a better job themselves, for fear that they will start copping the same kind of negativity for their efforts. In the end, people need to just realize that it's their purpose to be entertained, not become armchair directors. They are more than welcome to try and make their own product and improve in areas where they think you've failed -- but one thing is for certain, they, in turn will inevitably receive negative feedback too. It's part of the job description.
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) well...