Has there already been discussion of the possible Rapids rebranding? A bunch of people returning from the WC are saying they talked with MLS people about the possibility of the Colorado "Arsenal". Any truth to this?
What!?!? There's already an "Arsenal" in Ft. Collins. It's a women's team I believe...not that it matters. With all the Euro love with MLS team names, it really wouldn't surprise me. Most of the world thinks MLS is a joke anyway and with calling an MLS team "Arsenal", it would only prove them right (see Real Salt Lake). Also, a "Colorado Arsenal" wouldn't feel right without a horde of French playing.
Yeah, remember the last time we tried to get a french guy. Maybe Nkong could come back though, he played in France. In fairness at least there's a sliver of rationale to fall back on as the stadium is built on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. If they change the name to that it might make some sense. Nothing in this country should be "Real", we fought a war to prevent it.
So the stadium is on RM Arsenal land and not the north end of old Stapleton, eh? I don't like the rebranding. In general I'm getting sick of them in the MLS. It's the marketings gone mad thinking the team name really makes that big of a difference. Do some actual advertising and get a couple more decent players if you want to get butts in the seats, KSE. Changing the name ain't gonna do nothin' for that.
Colorado Arsenal ... sounds like a crap team that plays on an island in the Caribbean!!! I'd like calling the stadium the Arsenal ... because of the building site - but the team name??? Keep the Rapids. Most people actually know of the team already!
Youth club actualy. I hope they don't re-brand. I think they have one of the better names in the league. It wouldn't surprise me if they did though. It's not hard to imagine a KSE marketing focus group brainstorming the idea to generate new interest.
I'm not for rebranding, but calling the stadium that could be fine. I'm surprised that you'd find the word arsenal associated with the Rapids acceptable in any way.
Dunno - I think playing in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal sounds pretty spiffy for some reason. Of course it's be Qwest's Rocky Mountain Arsenal or some other corporate thing ... but still.
Ha, that would be hilarious. So the stands would be a mix of kiddies wearing the free green shirts,running around those who went out(against better judgement) and spent $65 for a black and blue strip, sitting/standing with the newbies and more of us who, again, against our better judgement, purchased the new Maroon and Periwinkle Kit.
In our case the closer equivalent might be Burnley FC, still claret and light blue but not a Premiership team. ;>)
Pretty funny comment coming from a club that can barely get a small town of 5,000 to show up for a game against Bayern.
It seems to me that rebranding is rather unnecessary. Winning is, however. If we would win the MLS Cup it rather wouldn't matter if we are branded as the Colorado Rapids, Colorado Arsenal, or the Dr. Scholl's Footies.
The EPL's Arsenal FC was named as such because the club was started by a group of workers at the Royal Arsenal. If, in fact, the Colorado Rapids rename themselves Rocky Mountain Arsenal, then the name makes perfect, logical sense since their new stadium is on the grounds of the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Isn't the point in naming a sports club to give it some local significance? It's not fair to compare this situation with that of Real Salt Lake. Just because an already established European club with a much richer history already uses the name Arsenal doesn't make this a copycat situation. Sure, Arsenal FC was probably the inspiration, but the name Arsenal isn't being chosen arbitrarily, like Real in Real Salt Lake. In this case, it actually has a point of merit. Now, Colorado Rapids isn't at the top of my list of MLS club names that need rebranding (GaLAxy wins the prize), but in this case, I think the rebranding would work. The name makes sense and has a nice ring to it. Do I think it will magically bring a larger crowd to the matches in the long run? No. But I do think that a new stadium and a new name would probably generate some initial buzz. The play on the field will ultimately be the deciding factor. All in all, I like the name, if this, in fact, is true.
Brief history of the RMA: "Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Arsenal) is located in Commerce City, Colorado, approximately 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver. In 1942, at the height of World War II, the U.S. Army purchased 17,000 acres of land on which to manufacture chemical weapons, such as mustard gas, white phosphorus and napalm to be used as a deterrent during wartime efforts. To foster economic growth in the area, offset operational costs and maintain the facilities for national security, private industry was encouraged to lease facilities at the Arsenal after the war. Under the lease program, Julius Hyman and Company began producing pesticides in 1946. In 1952, Shell Chemical Company acquired Julius Hyman and Company and continued to produce agricultural pesticides on site until 1982. Currently, there are no chemicals or chemical weapons produced or stored at the Arsenal and the site’s only mission is to complete the safe, timely and cost-effective cleanup and continued transition to one of the largest, urban national wildlife refuges."
Why doesn't MLS and it's owners focus it's efforts on the field instead of this kind of junk? The league owns all player contracts, yet I've never heard of MLS chipping some money in to hire scouts for teams. I'm willing to bet most of their employees do things like issue press releases and run focus groups to rebrand teams. (Sorry for the rant, Rapids fans)
I heard the same thing but she said to keep it quiet. Was told colors maroon with silver piping and alternate color was light blue. Was also told that Arsenal was a no go because they couldn't get the rights to the name. Then she says "Shh don't tell anybody, it's not a done deal and I've been drinking".
Yup, it is like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic so long as quality of play and attendance don't improve. If the team thinks more people are going to support them because of a new name, they have another thing coming.