I found this interesting ... maybe you will, maybe you won't. Personally, I think this continues on the same train of discussion we've had repeatedly ... the Revs aren't marketing to the right people still.
That's an incredible article. I've only glanced at that site from time to time, but looking more closely at it, they do a great job covering the Revs. The problem gets "solved" when the people who stand at standappropriate times far outnumber those who wish to sit. When I went to Pats games in my youth (80's), the whole stadium stood for every third down. And the people smelled like real fans, too. In my enlightened opinion, the Revs need someone charismatic to take over soccer operations, maybe even buy a piece of the team. He would need to be a likeable, charismatic media whore who is constantly promoting the team. The scary thing is the perfect person to fulfill my grand vision is Alexi Lalas. I'm not sure if he's made enough to buy into the franchise, but he sure can do the soccer stuff better than Burns and even haters such as The Big O like him. The FO can continue to hawk their tickets, but I think a figurehead talking up the team to whoever will listen is something the Revs haven't had since, well, Alexi Lalas.
Without getting into the "real fan" argument, I remember going to BMO Field for the first ever Revs game in 2007 and every time the action went down into the other end, the entire stadium stood to look. Mr. Weber King turned to me and said, "This used to happen at home, believe it or not Seamus." To me, the problem is there's no middle ground. The team has its Fort people, precious few interested casuals who don't sit in the Fort, and the daytrippers at the one or two games they come out to every year (and the last group makes up the vast majority). They get upset when people stand and cheer in the way I'd be a little annoyed if someone got up and was getting loud at a Sea Dogs game. I have to agree. People in high positions with this team fall on their face when the rare opportunities present themselves to promote the team in the "regular" Boston sports world. Jonathan Kraft, in his numerous radio appearances, cannot be bothered to mention games happening the night of the interview or manage to keep the hosts (in some cases, former employees of his) on topic. Mike Burns has the personality of a toll booth operator at 5 AM. Brian Bilello means well, but repeats the company line like a Disney robot (read any interview he's ever done, the same phrases and excuses come out in nearly the same order). The Revs need someone like Drew Carey in Seattle. Like Chowda said, a cheerleader- a public face of the team.
Bobby and Jonny Kraft don't want boisterous fans. Loud and passionate fans... ...make too much noise ...drink too much ...scare away families ...swear in front of the kiddies ...are upset when the team sucks ...complain when ownership doesn't spend money ...complain when management is pathetic ...care too much
I actually wouldn't agree with that. They fail to do one thing most journalists should, which of course is to stay unbiased. Which of course happens with most sites on SB Nation. I have a hard time reading biased work because they can honestly say whatever they want. I would say they do a good job capturing fan culture or something like that. It seems that is something fans can rally around, but their actual coverage is awful.
Another article ... this time from ESPN, about supporters. This line I think kinda says it all about Kraft.
This article exactly fits my experiences when sitting in 109 and 110. There is a base of "fans" who are actively anti-supporters. I have no clue what the motivation is for this -- much similar to the fans in the article, my only interaction with these folks involved argument (and profanity, in my case anyway).
Yeah, you are right. What was I thinking issuing an actual compliment. Everybody stay away or you too will also suck.
Just stating that they tend to give biased information. Therefore it is Revs Fan Coverage not Revs Coverage ( in terms of journalism). There is a lot of it out there.
WAIT!!! I forgot that it is most likely a good thing that The Bent Musket is a bunch of fans. If they aren't with you they are against you right? Just like all of the other conspiracy's... Again I am not saying that The Bent Musket is bad, but that they are labeled as a blog from the fans perspective. I still read it, but only certain types of stories.
I have a cousin who brings his daughters and their friends to a few games a year, and when I see him at family gatherings he never fails to mention how he can't believe how people in the Fort get so riled up for something like MLS soccer. He's a massive "other" Boston sports fan (including face-painting Bruins guy in the '90s before he got married and had kids). He just can't put the Revs in that category. He's told me in the past he's had to explain to other "soccer dads" that no, the Fort aren't paid or in any way reimbursed by the team. I wouldn't call him anti-supporter (he always mentions how much he thinks the banners and scarf-waving are cool), he just can't wrap his head around the idea. I think the rest of the stadium is a group of people who have similar opinions to varying degrees of severity, including at the extreme end- "Sit down and shut up, or go sit in the Fort!"
Most people who go to Revs games suck. That is pretty obvious just by having ears and eyes. I appreciate what the people in the Fort try to do. I'm glad they have fun, too. But the shit atmosphere at Gillette is always going to remain, and nothing the supporters groups do will ever change that.
Yeah the world is against you. The narcissistic attitude could never make the best out of a poor situation.
There have been many, many games over the past 17 years where that has been arguably the biggest reason to go. It's a lot of fun supporting your team vocally in that manner. That's one of the reasons I love doing road trips, as well.
My wife and I used to sit behind Revs in 2010 in section 109. We would definitely get the stink eye for cheering, yelling, and standing up (the most severe offense). I heard that when Seattle offered their original ticket packages they had an application where you could pick your seats based on the type of fan you want to sit near. That is, the seating chart showed available seats and an indication of what type of fan sat in the seats that were not available. I believe that you set your own fan type to describe yourself when you chose your seat. There might be three (or more) types of fans, for example: A) Fans that stand and cheer/yell all game B) Fans that stand and cheer/yell at times C) Fans that prefer to watch the game without standing, cheering, or yelling. I was hoping that the Revs might have tried something like this when they opened seats on both sides of the field. They did not. Maybe they will try something like this if they ever build a new stadium? I really think it would help improve intra-fan relations and the atmosphere. They would probably want to keep a section (or two) or parts of sections for group sales. They could also leave The Fort as general admission, but label all seats as being type A listed above.
So are you one of those who just stand in the fort with your arms crossed or are you someone who doesn't even go to games anymore?
Color me surprised... You really help the fan base out by boycotting games and sitting on Big Soccer whining about how bad the owner is. That will get a lot done....
Gets the same amount done as handing money over to an owner who continually provides a terrible product and makes a mockery of the game.
No it really doesn't. Fans need to adapt and stand up. Yes it sucks at the stadium and it isn't likely to change soon. Yet what needs to be done from the fans is to show even more passion and bring more in. The FO is doing better despite all of the negativity of fans... It is not going to happen overnight.
And yes the FO is far from perfect. Marketing has done a little better, Burns has done better, PR/Communications has sucked, and the new Pres has connected better.