Article: Supporters Outside the Fort

Discussion in 'New England Revolution' started by patfan1, Jul 28, 2012.

  1. thecastigador

    thecastigador Member

    Oct 31, 2006
    Boston (JP)
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Members of the SGs hate each other? and we haven't been proactive?

    Oh Big Soccer, you never disappoint... oh, wait. The opposite of that.
     
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  2. patfan1

    patfan1 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 19, 1999
    Nashua, NH
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You know you miss this! :D

    It's always great to see someone just throw out stuff as "facts."
     
  3. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Monty and Fran are boxing in the Undercard during "Irish" Mickey McFinnigan's match.

    Or at least, that's what I heard
     
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  4. RevsFanDan

    RevsFanDan Member

    May 24, 2005
    North Shore
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Oh dear!

    Come to a few games....get to know people. Listen to the conversation. Be a third party. Always listen. When you're comfortable enough, express your views. Take in the feedback. Inevitably, frustration will sit in and you'll have a few more beers and hopefully get a good buzz to make you smile.

    Nothing you can say will turn people into a protesting mob. I mean, really, these people were basically attacked one evening and some stormed out..There was even a protest game. As soon as the fort cleared out..do you know what happened??

    People streamed into it and took over the spots that were just vacated. Most of the people at the game didn't even know what was going on...too comfy cozy in the morgue, blood letting!
     
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  5. CottageRev

    CottageRev Member+

    Jun 13, 2010
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    I was at that game (not in the Fort) - and man that was one of the weirdest sports experiences of my life, I've never heard a stadium so quiet. It didn't help that Feilhaber got red-carded and Philly rang up 3 first-half goals for a totally and utterly deflating, boring game.
     
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  6. patfan1

    patfan1 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 19, 1999
    Nashua, NH
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And hearing Feldman announcing (once down 2-0) that the stadium was stunned into silence. :rolleyes:
     
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  7. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't know, I remember up until the 16th minute of that game (we were down 0-1) and then the rest is a blur (caused by more-than-a-few adult beverages). For all I know, we came back to win
     
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  8. rkupp

    rkupp Member+

    Jan 3, 2001
    Maybe we were watching the game.
    A little hostile maybe? If you think he's full of b.s., why get into it?

    Someone new comes into this forum and maybe shows some naivete and they just get hounded back out again. Nice.
     
  9. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Saying there's a problem, saying that the SGs don't do enough, and then not doing anything yourself isn't naivete, it's douchebaggery
     
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  10. RevsWesternMass

    Jul 30, 2012
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have never once said I would never do anything myself. I am a member of one of the SG's and I am willing to help the cause.
     
  11. Rangers Rob

    Rangers Rob Member

    Mar 30, 2007
    United States
    Club:
    Glasgow Rangers FC
    Many seemed to think it was just about "swearing". :rolleyes::mad:
     
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  12. RevsWesternMass

    Jul 30, 2012
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That was the major issue with it. I wish we could get that message across to the mainstream soccer media.
     
  13. shanary

    shanary Member

    Aug 18, 2008
    BOSTON
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Then bring it up to the leadership, bring it up to your fellow members, don't think that the people here that don't go to games are the only people who think and or are trying to make some statement or change.

    Have you ever tried to make something happen that a majority of supporters will go along with? It's like herding cats. I have tried a few times and failed but was successful with the help of others with the Fortgate walkout, which only happened because there was a tidal swell of anger and dedicated/influential members of all 3 groups working on a plan behind closed doors. The key to that was working well with others, and working with people who knew each other and were willing to work together. As far as I can tell I don't know you, and no one else around here does either. You've come in barnstorming about how people should be doing things better, aren't doing enough and everything in between. You are not making a good case for yourself in gaining support for the plans of what should be done, that you don't have, but that others seemingly should.

    You yourself acknowledged that the Revs PR staff keeps an eye on these boards... and you are 100% correct. That being said do you think we're dumb enough to talk about these kinds of plans here? No, so don't assume these things are not talked about elsewhere. To get into those conversations it takes trust and a reputation and some leadership skills among your fellow supporters. There was a reason the Fortgate protest went as it did and why it was planned in secret. I sincerely wish you luck in helping to organize some sort of new movement to effect change in the Revolution organization, but if this is your starting point you got off on the wrong foot.
     
  14. CottageRev

    CottageRev Member+

    Jun 13, 2010
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    I like the post, but I maintain that even if all three Supporters' Groups held a month-long hunger strike outside Gillette, nothing would happen because the Boston sports media do not take the Revs seriously.

    You need major league coverage to get major league fans and that just isn't going to happen with a sports media that's so parochial in its worship of the Sox and Pats that the Bruins needed a Stanley Cup and a SECOND sports radio station to get put on somewhat equal footing. You could argue even the 17-time champion Celtics' coverage is lacking compared to the Sox/Pats during the regular season. The Revs are even deeper in the hole because they have zero league championships (I can't imagine what would have changed if they had won the '02 Cup) and have been marketed as a minor league team since 1996.

    That jerk Globe reporter's tweet is exactly how the Revs are perceived, not just because of the minor league atmosphere but because nearly every media personality in Boston is basically some version of Andy Gresh, Tony Mazz, or Dan Shaughnessy.

    Supporters' potential impact is extremely limited - here are the ONLY things that can fix fan perception.

    1. Kraft leans on the Globe/Herald/CSN - denying Pats coverage if the Revs aren't given [x] amount of visibility. Despite having an enormous position of strength in this matter (in the age of the Internet and infinite ESPNs, remaining paper readership and non-live event viewership would drop to near zero), Kraft refuses to do this for some reason.

    2. Improve television and ad production - demote or fire homers-on-anesthesia Feldman and Causey and replace them with authoritative (not even good, just commanding) presences in the booth. Again, in the case of Feldman at least, probably not happening. The ad production has improved, but not to the level of the bar set by RSL and Portland.

    3. Expand the marketing department and develop a strategy that encourages a "fan" (not a Supporters', a FAN) culture. I loved that scarf giveaway Vancouver did at the start of their inaugural season, just simple stuff like that demonstrates the unique appeal of soccer fandom. To be fair, their social media/web presence is decent/good but for live sports you need to use the more traditional channels to reach your audience.

    3a. Replace Lizz Summers, PLEASE. For crying out loud, I have friends with graduate marketing communications/MBA degrees from great schools, forced to take $10/hour internships in this economy, and the Revs' freaking communications director consistently shows absolutely zero interest in/knowledge of the team and a complete lack of appreciation for her position, IN PUBLIC. It's an embarrassment to the team, honestly. Get someone competent/knowledgeable and vested in their position to handle how the Revs present themselves. Even if you don't want to take the trouble of interviewing, just promote Lemieux or something.
     
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  15. revsrock

    revsrock Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    Boston Ma
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Everything you said can be done except this one. The NFL and other owners would not allow it to happen.

    NFL would come down hard on him if he cut out the 2 major newspapers. IF he did that I am pretty sure the NFL would just hand the credentials to the newspapers themselves. The NFL is about having all the coverage they can get and blocking out 2 major newspapers for the sake of an MLS team would not go over well.

    CSN is under Comcast which owns NBC, which is a major partner with the NFL.
     
  16. huskydeac

    huskydeac Member+

    Mar 31, 2009
    It's not about cutting access, but Kraft can certainly give preferential or additional access to certain local news(tv or print) in exchange for say highlights or articles about the Revolution.
     
  17. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Conspiracy theorists should not be taken seriously
     
  18. RevsWesternMass

    Jul 30, 2012
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This would be nice, but the idea that Kraft is going to do anything different is a stretch. Like I said before the only way the team gets more coverage is if something major happens or maybe the team plays better.

    Most MLS writers are usually writing about the visiting team to Gillette because they likely get more hits.
     
  19. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Emphasis, mine.

    Where was the coverage when we were the class of the League?
     
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  20. RevsWesternMass

    Jul 30, 2012
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sadly when the Revs were good the only good writer was Frank Dell'apa. It seems like outlets have improved on the internet and there are a few good writers out there. If the revs ever get good again there will certainly be coverage at least nationally, but who knows about the dying Globe/Herald
     
  21. rkupp

    rkupp Member+

    Jan 3, 2001
    This strikes me as very naive. You're asking for Kraft to risk an extremely favorable relationship with the local (and national) media, for the sports team that is incredibly successful and popular, to try and boost the Revs? Not only would it be self-destructive, it would totally backfire - shifting more of the publicity to the level of ridicule.

    Just because the media was a very warm and positive relationship with Kraft and the Pats now, doesn't mean that they can't also turn and be very negative and vindictive. Just look at what's happened to the Sox/Henry and the media.

    Once the late Will McDonough felt Kraft crossed him, he never missed an opportunity to toss him under the bus. You think the current media egos would do any less if they felt Kraft was coercing them into increasing coverage of the Revs?
     
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  22. huskydeac

    huskydeac Member+

    Mar 31, 2009
    No one cares what the local media says in Boston. They care if the team is winning or losing. Everyone hates the Red Sox right now because they suck, they fired a hugely popular manager, and they signed absurdly large, long term contracts to crappy players. The Boston media has been trying to make stories out of nothing for years, but no one wanted to hear it because they loved the team. The only reason this has changed is because the team is completely unlikeable and they aren't very good.

    You think local media is going to turn against the Patriots and all of sudden Danny from Revere is going to stop watching the Pats? No. More than likely some news channel with half a brain will agree to shows Revs highlights, that channel/paper will start getting more 1 v 1 interviews and Danny will start watching their news/reading their paper instead of one of the other 3 options.

    The local media would risk losing 1000% more than Kraft would.
     
  23. metoo

    metoo Member+

    Jun 17, 2002
    Massachusetts
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    I think the lack of Revs coverage also has a lot to do with the slow, sad death of the newspaper industry. I looked at a Sunday globe recently, and couldn't believe how thin it was, compared to when I used to deliver them back in the '80's (when paper boys were actually boys on bikes, not adults driving around), it's not much bigger than weekday papers were then. In the short window after MLS had started and became somewhat established, before newspapers started to decline due to the internet, the Revs actually had better local coverage than most teams in the league. Someone mentioned that FDA was the only good reporter covering the team, but have we forgotten Gus Martins at the Herald?

    As reporting staffs have gotten cut to the bone, we shouldn't be surprised that a team without much attendance and no 'buzz' isn't going to have much coverage. Though it's also true that everybody thinks that the subject they care about should get more coverage, as evidenced by a comment from a few years ago, in the middle of the summer, between camps, when NOTHING was going on with the Pats, yet someone wrote somewhere complaining that there should still be more articles in the Globe about them.

    Yes, there are many curmudgeons in the media, but it's not exclusive to sports. I see this as being similar to what happens in science for example, when new ideas such as plate tectonics, which turn out to be correct, have to wait for the established scientists to die off before they be come accepted. I just can't wait for the Frank Defords and Gary Callahans of the world to die off, the latter of whom I first became aware of when he said he was sure that all but 3 of the tickets for the USA-Ireland match were given away, when his own paper was reporting that it was a record for game/event day sales for Schaefer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium (man do I hate that guy).

    Taking soccer out of it, in general, I'd say that news outlets tend to report news that people want to hear about, as opposed to what is most "newsworthy". Afganistan and Iraq got lots of coverage at first, but after a while, even though they were still very important stories, they didn't get as much coverage, because people didn't want to hear about it. As you said, the Bruins and Celtics weren't getting much coverage after both declined in the the 90's, and those are teams with long histories of great success, the Celts with championships, and the Bruins just used to be HUGE (they sucked in the 60's, but had much better attendance than the Celts, who were winning all those banners - Boston used to be a true hockey town). But when they started winning again, people started following them, and the media covered them more.

    So I guess what I'm saying is, I wouldn't blame the papers, they're doing what they always have done, but on a much smaller budget. So the onus is just that much more on the FO to create a buzz and build the reputation of the team. If they could create some interest/excitement, aka buzz (I wish I could get another term for this idea, but nothing comes to mind), then it might start to build on itself with more attendance and coverage, leading to more buzz, and more attendance... I'm no marketing person, so I don't know how they could do this, but I wonder if the reputation of the team has fallen so far that the only way they could make a real splash and draw some attention would be to build a stadium (an exciting idea which may or may not have been mentioned on this board before).
     
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  24. revsrock

    revsrock Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    Boston Ma
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They do that already and the rumor was back a few years ago, who ever got Patriots Monday on Radio had to take the Revs.

    Well that is not the truth now because Patriots Monday is on WEEI and Revs are on Sports Hub.

    With the fact the CBS has:

    AFC TV Rights(thru 2022)
    Patriots Pre season games
    Patriots Radio rights
    A restaurant at Patriot Place
    Patriots All Access TV show with 1v1 interviews with Players and a talk and analysis with Belichick
    Patriots Game day pre game

    I would say CBS Boston gets the treatment and is locked up for years so what could Kraft bribe TV/Radio with
     
  25. huskydeac

    huskydeac Member+

    Mar 31, 2009
    So they don't actually do that? I have no idea what their contractual obligations are with CBS, but it seems like an obvious move to throw a clause in which gave the Revs some sort of publicity/air time. It's quite apparent nothing of the sort was done, which I find amazing if Kraft had the slightest interest in growing the Revolution market.
     

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