I mean, seriously. The Union marketing machine first mentions something about a gameday drum line. Now, the latest "Countdown to First Kick" email talks about a juggler team. Are they prepping us for our version of the Crewzers or ChivaGirls? I wonder if Phil E. Union could shed some light on these developments for us.
Sounds to me that they are not in touch with what fans here really want. Fans want a winning product. The more gimmicks they add, the more it looks like grasping at marketing straws--and worse, the more minor league it looks. Keep it about soccer and run the club like the professional outfit it is. A drum line? There are enough drums in the stands already. Rather than putting time and resources into these marketing schemes, perhaps it would be better to allocate those resources to things such as scouting, development, and bringing in talent. Side shows such as the ones mentioned above, in my view, only serve to distract from the gameday experience. Playoff teams put butts in the seats in Philly, not gimmicks.
God I hope not! Hell, Phil E. Union was way beyond anything I thought I'd ever see. Leave the Gameday experience alone!!! It is fine the way it is! FYP
I guess it depends on what they're juggling. Puppies? Chainsaws? Torches? Burning puppies holding chainsaws? AWW YEAH!!
Are we really surprised about this? I mean, Nick the Sack is the same guy who thought "Camp Day", where you play a game at 1 in the afternoon on a weekday in August on artificial turf in the Meadowlands for the benefit of summer campers, was a good idea.
High school/College drumline at games - Whatever, don't care. Nice gesture I suppose. Union investing more than $1 on their own drumline - Stupid and pandering to super casual fan. Also the "juggling" act is just gonna be Freddy doing stepovers and balancing the ball on his head.
How is a drum line or jugglers different from any other gimmicks that the team has to get people to show up early and keep them happy? As long as the gimmicks don't interrupt the 90+ minutes of the game, what's the difference? Various people and groups are honored on the field before each game. Certain privileges are extended to supporters groups, large groups that buy tickets to a specific game, season ticket holders, junior supporters, etc. There are various gimmicks at halftime, there are bands and pick up soccer games Toyota Plaza. Marketing is about making a product appeal to the masses. Different things appeal to different people. I agree that cheerleaders, drumlines, jugglers, etc. that appear on or near the field during the game may detract from the experience. But, I could care less about cheerleaders, drumlines, jugglers, etc. that perform pre-game, post-game, at halftime or in the concourse. If they somehow get more people to show up at the games, all the better.
And that is the main point for the FO. They know the hardcore supporters (most BS posters) are going to show no matter what. The marketing department is not focused on these individuals. Rather the focus is on people who may come to watch the game, but are not repeat customers. Granted it would be nice to see the Union have support like the Sounders, where it looks like every individual in the stadium is a diehard, but that's not the case. Until then, be prepared for more BS like this to appease the common fan.
if the "jugglers"are some sort of cheerleader or ball girl, then i say. HELL YA, who would be against seeing hotties in skinpies? It also takes nothing from the team, do the flyers ice girls or the eagles cheerleaders make those team less legit or willing to win. NO WAY. if however, the "jugglers"are actually jugglers or some version of a side show, THEN we have a big f'n problem. the is lame & schticky. NO BEUNO.
Could not agree more. During the game - please just say no. Before the game, after the game, during half time - sure, why not?
I think that's the difference. As it is, the team has quasi-cheerleaders in the Major Molly's Army. When you boil it down, they're (mostly) pretty girls who help to market the team. The difference between the Major Molly's Army and, say, the cheerleaders for Columbus or Chivas, is that the Molly's are not obvious during the game. Two other thoughts: 1. When people (and especially kids) "perform" at sporting events, their parents/friends are required to purchase tickets. A drumline with 10 or 50 people gets 1-2 (or more) additional people to purchase tickets for a game. That's a nice benefit if the seats would otherwise be unsold. 2. The Union has cheerleaders in the true sense of the word in the SOB's. More so that the Eagles' cheerleaders, the SOB's actually lead cheers.
Yeah but if some of the residents of TRE where to wear something like the Eagles Cheerleaders do it could be rather disturbing.....
Just be thankful that they're jugglers, and not Juggalos... Just looking at that picture makes me want to take a shower.
That is quite an assumption for the front office to make. For how many people/families would the deciding factor between attending a professional soccer match and staying home truly be the presence of a drumline and jugglers?