No, it looks to be "FC Sans Australia" No, but you would think the FO knows the web address of their own $&*%(&^ team! I hope this isn't a FO person...it may explain why things are in the shape they are.
It's no secret that I am among those most upset by the possibility of changing the identity of the Colorado Rapids. With that as preface, let me offer a few things that I believe we can find substantial agreement on: 1. Regardless of the final name, KSE has seriously blundered the rollout. Among the most serious blunders are missing the self-proclaimed deadline and failing to respond openly to the firestorm of criticism by many existing ticket holders. 2. There has been significant criticism of the possibility of a name change on BigSoccer and by BigSoccer posters. This is reflected in the poll results, message posts, private conversations, and reported e-mail exchanges with KSE. With the possible (and speculative) exception of a few potential stealth posters, the RFO has remained silent in the face of intense criticism. While the reasons for the RFO's silence are speculative, the fact of the silence is beyond dispute. 3. Reported e-mail exchanges with the RFO have produced responses worthy of the Oracle of Delphi. To date, not one unequivocal answer has been provided by the RFO. 4. E-mails to KSE have not been met with any known responses. 5. A significant number of dedicated fans and season ticket holders do not like the prospect of any name change, except possibly for a minor change to "Colorado Rapids FC." 6. To a certainty, at least some of those fans will cancel season tickets or demand refunds if the name is changed. How many tickets may be canceled is open to speculation, but the certainty of losing some season ticket holders is beyond argument. 7. Had the marketing blunders been made by a lower level employee acting without authorization, KSE would have fired that employee and issued an immediate press release assuring its existing fan base that the blunders did not reflect management policy. No such press release has been issued. 8. Upper level management decisions at KSE ultimately are made by one person. His initials are E.S.K.
However a significant number of fans have expressed approval of the name change as well. Myself for one, with the caveat that I'd prefer black/blue or green Rapids, but if the colors are changing (which they are, without a doubt) then change the name too. Given that the number of actual Rapids fans posting/voting on BigSoccer is a very very small minority of the Rapids audience, and even they are split, I'm not sure KSE can, or should, draw anything from their opinions of the new name. Now they should be able to figure out that their PR campaign on this one is a horrendous blunder, which just about everyone here agrees with.
No. We are in the United States of America, where people have the right to choose whether to spend the equivalent of a mortgage payment from their hard earned income to purchase season tickets from an owner who treats them and the sport itself with contempt.
I disagree. I'm assuming Charlie or Jeff aren't the ones who keep putting out press releases with incorrect domain names. As far as I know, no one's been fired for repeating such a basic mistake. I don't think you're getting the point. In the US it's a registered trademark. Those other teams may have been around long enough that they're grandfathered in or simply have rights to it in their respective country because they had it before Arsenal had registered it. Remember, the idea of soccer being a business, let alone a global one hasn't been around for anything quite as long as these clubs like Arsenal have existed. Or if in they're in China, they just need to bribe the right officials... but that's another story.
IIRC, all last season RapidFire e-mails referred to our site as Rapids.com even though that's not our URL. Lazy shorthand and inaccurate, yet it was never corrected all year. Orrrrr, maybe they're trying to get us to start unlearning the old URL so our brains can make way for the new URL, FC Earth. P.S.---I just have to mention how much I loathe this: "Today's World's Game Week Announcement." Today's readers' possessive words' confusions!!! ArrrrggghhH!!!
A little OT sorry for this, but please, please, please have the new kit ready within a decent timeframe (RFO if you're reading,because we know you are). I know many have stated their frustration before. Not only has this been the biggest ---- tease already, but making(delaying) the merchandise rollout, to me might be unforgivable. Please have this in order and organized.
*(WARNING, RSL OPINION TO FOLLOW) I really didn't think you guys needed a name OR color change. The dark blue and black is classic football style, and the name to me was fine. But, it seems as if they are both changing. It could be worse. The kits colors have a very traditional look to them, and Arsenal Colorado to me actually sounds pretty cool. Will people accuse the team of posing Euro squads? Of course they will, eff em. We (RSL) posed both the colors and name from Europe, and now we all love this team. You guys are going to keep loving your team as well, no matter what. Just focus on the positive: BRAND EFFING NEW STADIUM, image shake-up, new owners, new energy, new era for soccer in Colorado.
Scrambling to fix the problem and therefore use "Arsenal"? Or scrambling to come up with another name (oh lord...)?
Will people really stop rooting for a team because they dislike a name change/rebranding?? I root for Houston Dynamo and hate the name with its shout out to the secret police...
Well, for the record from all that has been revealed in the logo, we at least know the colors for sure. Claret, sky blue, and two shades of gray almost identical to those used by Club Canada. And you can zoom in on the flash animation to get a clearer picture of basically all the logo, sans the name.
That's assuming the web page colors are the actual colors. Normally one could assume that but this is a team that repeatedly doesn't know the URL for it's own web site. God knows if they're even getting their new colors right. I wouldn't say stop but it could be the difference between season tickets and 1/2 season tickets, buying a new jersey right away or just waiting until whenever I stumble across one in my size on clearance 2 years from now, et al. I think the key is to remember it's not so much black and white as a matter of how much black versus how much white. And for the team that could be on factor between having a decent turn out of fans next summer or despite a new stadium yet again having too many sub-10k games.
While you are correct in that you have every right to not renew your tickets in protest, don't you think it may be a bit overboard for only a name change. If find it much more disturbing that the owner and FO seem to care little about the team. I think they are beginning to show their ineptitude more and more. At first I scoffed at the idea that there was a delay in naming the team Arsenal was due naming rights. How could the FO be so stupid as to not have a single person think about the legality of the name. Well, now I think it seems quite plausible, given the laissez-faire behavior we see in many other things. That is a much stronger reason to not renew ones tickets.
When the dust settles, there will be an improving soccer team playing in a brand new, spectacular stadium. People will get over the name change after a little grumbling and everybody will move on. People canceling season tickets? I doubt it.
The name change is the latest in a long line of antics by the owner of the franchise. He has little understanding of the history or traditions of soccer, but plenty of understanding of how to get other people to part with their money to his profit. (Give it five years, and ask Commerce City and Dick's Sporting Goods.) It is one thing to invoke a new name when a franchise relocates. It is another to trash a team's identity in front of its fans to provide some quick curb appeal while playing Flip That Franchise. Care to trade owners?
Very well said Ft Collins. Except..I said it before and I'll say it again...not ownership but the owners right hand man who is a lou$e.The F.O. needs a make-over. Traditions? If he could get away with it the team would be rebranded every home game to start "fresh" and gather new "fan$" Wanna a new name? how about The Colorado Plush Toys? yeah yeah I know...oooh thats harsh.Well sue me.Despite how I sound though I would love to have my comments thrown back in my face 5 years from now after seeing the Rapids Organization succeed very very well. cheers.
"TODAY'S WORLD'S GAME WEEK ANNOUNCEMENT" appears to be the same as yesterday's. Of course it's early so maybe someone will show up after while and add a "96"* to the bottom of the logo and update to 'YESTERDAY'S WORLD'S GAME WEEK ANNOUNCEMENT'. Also is anyone else having trouble getting "rapids.com" to open? I had to go to their old site: coloradorapids.com. ;>) * Or maybe just the 9 (or the 6)?
And I think your first paragraph is the key...the BigSoccer community is a very small minority of the Rapids audience. I have friends and co-workers who hold season tickets, and they simply have little to no idea about what is spoken of here - and they simply don't care...other than to say that sure, they'd prefer one color scheme or another, or they'd prefer one name or another, but the reality is that they go to the games because they enjoy going to soccer games and would prefer to support their local pro team. As for the whole Arsenal Colorado FC thing, its likely one of a couple of things....either it was a teaser gift by the Rapids front office to the very very small community in BigSoccer (knowing how painfully small the group is that will see it), or it was somebody in the Rapids front office (or otherwise) messing with the people in BigSoccer. Is the PR campaign a horrendous blunder? To the 30 of us who read BigSoccer's Rapids board daily, I suppose it is. But the vast majority of season ticket holders and potential fans probably do not read BigSoccer, so I think its a "if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it...does it make a sound" kind of thing. They handled the roll out poorly. Enough people to probably utilize, if you were counting, each and every one of your fingers and toes saw the poor roll out. Did it make a sound? I would venture a guess that since the media has barely touched this story (and I do mean barely...one or two news reports about a rumor, and then complete squashing is barely handling it), then KSE, as much criticism as I may have for them at times, has a grip on this situation. I bet that whatever the truth is, KSE stepped in and made sure that this story was embargoed...come on...a story that a professional sports team is changing colors AND name, just after winning the league all star game? I would say this about KSE in handling this situation...when Coke had their mess with "New Coke" (way back when - remember, on the one hand, New Coke was a major major mistake at the time, but it also got Coke so much free media, it was beyond belief), the CEO said something like: "we're not that smart, and we're not that stupid" I would say that the same thing is probably true here for KSE. Look at the free buzz among BigSoccer fans, at very little cost. Talk about bang for the buck. And if they decide for whatever reason to not use Arsenal? Oh well, it was just a strange rumor on BigSoccer anyway. And I would bet that a few weeks into the season, once everyone is used to maroon and Kronke Blue, and either we are used to the name "Arsenal" or we are still the Rapids, and we are wondering why we still have Kirovski, Mathis and Gargan on the team, that this subject will be an interesting curiosity or foot note to a more eventful off season that virtually nobody at The Richard will be talking about.
SO now the announcement of the week at least has some international flavor. Going to Mexico, going to UK (Arsenal maybe????) and then game with a Spanish team. Sounds cool no matter what the name of the side. http://www.coloradorapids.com/News/newsdetails.asp?ID=2263