Bucks trying to bring a bit of MLS to the NBA

There is no Major League Soccer team in Milwaukee. Apparently, the Milwaukee Bucks would like you to think there is. Or at least that there’s going to be. Or maybe just that there will be the kind of atmosphere you’d imagine would be at one of those soccer matches you’ve heard so much about.

How else to interpret these campaigns the Bucks have recently launched, recruiting “100 super fans who possess an over-the-top enthusiasm.” In order to help recruit these “super fans,” the Bucks are prominently featuring images of various soccer supporters groups. There’s a picture of Timbers Army on their site announcing the auditions -- yes, auditions -- and the Bucks used images of Sporting Kansas City’s Cauldron as well as Hertha Berlin supporters in tweets.

Does this all seem a bit ... random? Well, allow them to explain:

This all appears to be a descendant of “Squad 6,” a fan group former Bucks center Andrew Bogut kickstarted by buying 100 season tickets back in the 2009-10 campaign. They were apparently reasonably successful, making a habit of taunting opposing players and generally bringing more of a collegiate atmosphere to the much more conservative NBA arenas.

But being loud and clever might not enough to make the cut. No, the Bucks are looking for something more over-the-top:

Fans are encouraged to come decked out in Bucks gear from head to toe, with their faces and bodies painted, and equipped with signs and noisemakers, as well as anything else to display their Bucks pride. There is no limit to creativity, which is what will make the Ultimate Fan Squad such a strong and successful group.

Never mind that holding auditions and encouraging fans to turn themselves into living cartoon characters runs a bit counter to the “authenticity” that soccer supporters tend to strive for, since at least the Bucks are attempting to be creative. In that vein, they hopefully aren’t planning to use “Ultimate Fan Squad” as the official name of this group.

Here are some suggestions:

Jabari’s Jabronis: Jabari Parker has yet to make his NBA debut, but let’s not let that stop us.

Turn Down for Buck: One simply cannot go wrong when looking to Lil Jon for inspiration.

Buck Wild: There is no explanation necessary.

Parker’s Posse: Oh man, Dazed and Confused was so good.

The Deer Cheer: Too on the nose?

Brew City Zoo Croo: Because nothing says wild and crazy quite like “zoo” and of course you gotta get creative with the spelling.