I think you are missing the point. No marketing person is going to make the assumption that people are coming to see a drumline or jugglers. Its about keeping people entertain from the moment they walk in to the moment they leave. "Sure, you are coming for the soccer game, but we are going to entertain you with more then just that and because you had a great overall experience with everything, we think you will come back" is the thought process. Welcome to today's modern sporting event! Case in point, if you were from another country or planet for that matter and you attended an NBA game, a part of you may not realize that the basketball game is the main attraction with everything else going on! From the jumbo-tron to the dancers to the gimmicks during timeouts, those 3 hrs are much more then just a simple basketball game. To diehards basketball fans, it may be like "WTF!" But to a family looking for a entertaining night, it may be "that was a lot of fun; let's do that again!" And obviously, it must work, as it continues to be done.
No, I really do understand the point you are making and you articulated it very well. What you're describing is the short-attention span, media-saturated, instant gratitfication culture we live in that unfortunately needs stimulation at all times. It's the fill-in-the-gaps-with-something mentality to enhance the overall experience, particularly the family crowd or fans who have less emotional investment in the team. My over-arching point, however, is that the experience of sports fans in Philly on gameday is primarily influenced by level of entertainment provided by fun teams to watch...and fun teams to watch are the ones whose games mean something. They are competing for championships or at least playoff spots. That is the ultimate deciding factor for the vast majority of fans as to whether or not they come back. Other major factors that seem to influence people are easy of transit to and from the stadium, parking issues, ticket prices, and stadium experience (bathrooms, sightlines, friendliess off stadium staff, food). Also, a lot of people say they enjoy the simple atmosphere that the supporters groups bring to the stadium due to its relative uniqueness in American professional sports. The singing and chanting is found to be an attractive quality even by many casual sports fans who visit the stadium. So, there are many things that go into enhancing the gameday experience that do not necessarily require the additional gimmicks you see at the minor league level where wins and losses mean less to the experience.
And I agree with everything you just posted. The problem right now in Philly (unlike in Seattle or Portland, etc) is that we currently do not have enough fans to fill the stadium that are coming for the points you make. Unfortunately, our average attendance went down from 2011 to 2012 (and that was based on tickets sales; many here would agree that announced attendance and people in the seats where significantly off for many games in 2012) and I would suspect the number of STH for 2013 dropped as well. My personal preference would be for the FO to work on putting the best team out there and let their play bring people in. Yet, I think the problem is that a good part of the FO doesn't care how they get the individuals in the gates, just as long as they come through. And for a family that is coming to a soccer game because the kids are interested in the game and not so much the parents, all the specifics you make on what the deciding factor for coming is 2nd to "if the family had fun and was entertained for those 3 hrs" while they were at PPL park. If that answer is yes, then most likely they will be back, regardless if the team is winning or losing. That, unfortunately, is completely opposite of us diehard fans and our reasons (mostly) for going.
Personally, I find those sort of things make those sports unwatchable, and I hope the Union would not go the same way. MLS is still somewhat of a niche this country, and it should continue to grow organically through the supporter group culture. Appealing to the casuals will only go so far.
Agreed, the family entertained for two hours idea obviously is geared towards children. I do get that--I understand how the front office is attempting to appeal to a broad range. But attendance, as you certainly understand, wouldn't be an issue if the club did not regress in its performance. They are losing on the early momentum built from being new in town when expectations were understandably low in terms of winning. Sports fans here like winners, or at least teams who give the fans hope by making every effort to put the best team out there. I think this one of the primary reasons why a team like the Flyers do not ever struggle with attendance year after year. Though they have not won the Cup in decades, the front office has consistently strived to put together the best teams from the players they acquire to the coaching staff they hire. They remain competitive for that reason and the fans have renewed hope and interest almost every season. I suppose part of the frustration for a few of us seeing these things is that we do have some questions about the full effort being made at the top to fundamentally improve the team. When these kinds of questions linger, adding gimmicks to the gameday experience can come off to some of us as a sort of annoyance, and perhaps worse yet, an FO indifference to the frustration seen on the field. The only real way to sew deep seeds in the fanbase and ensure filled seats is to do it the traditional way: win.
I actually get the point. I may not agree with it, but I get it. In their eyes: Soccer is not as popular as say football. So they need to market it towards say families and groups. Those people may not all enjoy the game as much as we do. This is something to keep them enertained. Does it take away from the true aspect? To us as true soccer fans, yes. Does the front office care if it is "true" soccer fans or fans who will go for the experience? No. They want to fill the seats. That's how their idea is. If say a dad who wants to take his three kids to a game does, and the kids enjoy the time, he may be influenced to buy a partial season plan. Look a few years down the road, those kids may want to purchase a season ticket. They are setting themselves up down the road to fill seats. By bringing in families, and making it a yay its oh so fun aptmosphere, they believe they are filling seats in the long run. Personally I just go to watch the game, support the team and......drink. But if this crap isnt in TRE, I could care less (I say this now, before I see them in person). (Sorry about my rant)
Minor league baseball is the perfect example. It's really, really boring to watch. But, if there's enough other "stuff" (fireworks! playground! run the bases between innings! catch a hot dog from a giant hot dog gun!) people may show up. Contrary to what many people here believe, a lot of people would put MLS in the same category as minor league baseball. In my own household, my older son and I will watch soccer wherever and whenever. My wife and younger son could care less. We drag them kicking and screaming to one or two Union games a year. Throw in some cheerleaders, jugglers, juggalos, Super Mario theme (younger son), opportunity to get a free Nordstrom gift card (wife), etc. and they will go to more games.
what's cheaper? getting a couple of cheerleaders and a drum line with some comp tickets or a couple of hundred $ to whomever, or have to spend thousands or hundreds of dollars (outside the budget provided by MLS) for a DP or better quality players just to fill seats. The sixers fall into this because they have no star, lots of games, especially weeknights, way more seats, higher salaries etc. but when you go to a sixers game people care more about the shirts being bombarded with a sling than the game. and all the other gimicks out there. The U tried last year with their giveaways but I think they mostly missed the mark. The Open Cup Cup that looked like it was paper made not plastic, the macmath growth chart, and maybe the best one, the team picture. HAHAHAH. I think they should have a great atmosphere outside but not make it or have it just to sell extra tickets but rather to have it so that the experience is all that much greater. What they should do is to try to sell packs (more), like family 4 packs that includes hotdogs, soda etc. Or extras freebies for 20+ tickets. things like that. They could also build the training facility and have kids activities there before the game, tours etc. but oh yeah... I forgot! As has been said by others in a way better form that I could ever do, If the Union put out a team, that was attractive and won games, or at least attractive playing, the demand for seats would be there, no gimmicks needed.
I like to think that with time (and a couple of winning seasons), Philly has the right type of fans that we will be at the top of the league with fan support each season regardless of the previous season outcome. Unfortunately, we just are not there yet and probably will have to endure this gimmicks for a few more years just to help fill seats.
Of course this is true. It has never been one of the top four professional leagues in this country. But that is a stigma of sorts the league has been fighting to rectify in the minds of many for a very long time--a fight it needs to continue. I'm willing to bet there are some casual sports fans who attend their first Union game expecting that minor league feeling walk away with a different impression after experiencing the stadium atmosphere and intensity.
I say we pay the kid who did the corner flag power slide at halftime to do that before, at halftime, and after every game.
God. Cheerleaders would horrible. It's degrading, misogynistic, and an insult to my intelligence. Besides, I think we should try attracting people who like the sport, not guys desperate to see tits.
This raises a good point. Is the team looking for jugglers who juggles balls, scarves, flaming things, etc. with their hands or jugglers that juggle soccer balls, flaming things, etc. with their feet? If it's the latter, it could be interesting.
Who knows, maybe someone from the FO was combing through old BigSoccer threads and found one of our old "Name the Team" threads circa 2007 where one of the early front runners for team name was 'Toothless Nut Jugglers'.