Kraft only supported a second team for a little over a year, begrudgingly, while making it clear that he would not hold the team for much longer than that, even though he was capable of helping more since his first team was the only profitable team in the league's first few years, meaning he was the only original owner to not have sacrificed much of anything. Yes, that was quite a bit less than Hunt and AEG.
This league is like playing whack-a-mole. Once one problem gets sorted out, another crops up. The Revs are a sinking ship. DC is barely hanging on, and I foresee major issues in the future if that franchise isn't solved. NY to a lesser degree. My own Chicago makes me nervous now and again. The fact is, MLS 2.0 puts the older members to shame, and the differences could not be more glaring. I just don't think today's fans will put up with the crap some teams keep trying to push down our throats anymore, when they see how good some of the franchises have it.
Just throwing it out there: The difference in temperature between Seattle and Foxborough was by only 6 degrees. And Seattle ended up with over seven times as many fans as the only other stadium to use the same NFL/MLS venue concept. The New England Revs are surely in trouble. Any team in MLS 2.0 with less than 10,000 in a game not named San Jose is in trouble. I only say that about SJ because at least they have a stadium deal, have a shot to legitimately turn things around
what kind of trouble? financial trouble? i kinda miss the people who said the wizards attendance was too low when they were at CAB, and CAB was sold out. buck shaw seats 10,525, so <10k really just means they didn't sell out. the revs aren't in an ugly situation rent wise, so they're probably in less "trouble" than chivas or dc.
I'm really hoping that, like their brethren in Kansas City, these numbers are being kept artificially low by stadium capacity and quality. They might want to take a few cues from Sporting, though. Freshen up the crest a bit, sign a DP, maybe new uniforms, be really aggressive in fostering supporter culture and getting the club's name out there. I don't know how much of it they do now, but if they're drawing 8,700 at any point, my guess is not too much. As for New England, nothing needs to be said beyond "it's New England." I think the upper management issues will continue as long as Kraft owns the team. The league has changed radically in the five years since Beckham arrived. I have to think there will be pressure from MLS at some point either to get things together or sell. The league is going to need the Boston market going forward.
This isn't necessarily true. At 16,000-20,000 a game, the Revs were one of the few MLS franchises that occasionally reached profitability in MLS. However if they dip below 10,000, I could definitely see Kraft accepting huge losses, which would be a first for him when it comes to the Revs. At numbers that low, he'll have to sell or scale back expenditures (reduce stadium personnel, shrink stadium capacity smaller than 18,000).
For the folks bitching about New England, the Revs have a higher attendance average after three games this year compared to last.
No. What numbers are you looking at? So far, the Revs have averaged 9821 this year over three games, which is less than the 10014 they were averaging at this time last year.
Chivas do need to fix their attendance woes too, and a new stadium and possible rebranding would help that. But they aren't going through the best of times either. DC United need a stadium deal now more than any other team in MLS in order to survive, but even in possibly the worst stadium condition in all five major American leagues, they still manage to have a stable fanbase that supports them. The Washington market has done a good job of not abandoning their team despite their current circumstances. The Revs though, they're in worse trouble than any other team when it comes to fan support. They're in an NFL based stadium and getting worst attendance numbers than the only team left in MLS playing in a temporary stadium that seats less than 11,000. Their brand is hurt worse than Chivas USA (didn't even know that was possible). And we hear more hope on new stadium news coming from DC United's front office than from the Revs (didn't know that was possible either). There's no way in hell the Revs are making a profit this season at the moment with the numbers they're currently having
You might be right but it is not clear to me. The league pays all the salaries for the salary cap. The local teams pay for salaries above and beyond the cap of which we will likely find the Revs don't go over very far. The Revs kick in 30% of the gate to the league which means they are paying less than most teams to the league. They have a nice shirt deal. They pay no rent. Heaps is likely to be the lowest paid coach in the league. They have a tiny front staff and an even smaller marketing budget. They may not be making money at a 10k average but I would be surprised if they were losing more than ~750k a year.
You are incorrect with your information. The first three games last season for the Revs brought in the following attendances 12,914 against DC 7,114 against Portland 7,970 against RSL Here are the links to the match reports which include the attendances. http://www.dcunited.com/recap/2011/03/revolution-hold-back-united-in-whistle-filled-affair http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2011/04/timbers-tie-revs-earn-first-ever-mls-point http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/2011/04/rsl-2-revolution-0 For an average of 9,333 which is lower than the first three games this season.
The thought just occurred to me: If the Revs attendance dropped to zero, would they still be profitable for Kraft? And I couldn't immediately say "no". Would love to see his books. It's an interesting exercise in how to use your resources to make money.
I think you can immediately say no. They bring in between $3-4 million in ticket revenue alone each year. Then you need to add in parking, concessions and merchandise. While I think they are making money averaging 12-13k a year, I do not think it is in the $4 million dollar range, which is what they would have to be making if you thought they would still be profitable with 0 attendance. Of course if you did have a 0 attendance, your ticket sales staff and marketing budget should also be significantly smaller one would hope
Any consideration of Revs' profitability has to consider increased traffic/profits at the Kraft Mall on Revs game days.
Any analysis of an I/O profits HAS to consider SUM. SUM sold a 1/4 share to some investors last year for $150 million. https://soccer.fakesigi.com/mls_closes_sale_of_soccer_united_marketing_providence_equity_llc.html Kraft might or might not make money specifically on the Revs, but its a combination of the Revs, SUM, Gillette Stadium, the mall next door and who knows what else.