I received this in my email yesterday from my old Rampage connections. I guess this has been making the rounds in soccer media circles. These boys aren't messing around. I hear other measures are being taken as well. Dear MISL and soccer fans: This letter goes out to all of you who follow or support the Major Indoor Soccer League. Whether you support the Baltimore Blast, Milwaukee Wave, Missouri Comets, Norfolk SharX, Rochester Lancers, Syracuse Silver Knights or Wichita Wings, you have the Chicago Riot to thank for this upcoming 2011-2012 MISL season. Though the previously league-owned Riot is not taking part in this winter’s campaign, it should be noted that the MISL and some of its owners have not lived up to their side of the bargain for the past seven months. The Riot and its dedicated staff are still owed $150,000 for their efforts during the final 10 games of the 2010-2011 MISL season. The Riot was brought in just weeks before the 2010-2011 season to save face for the MISL, which was on the verge of folding. A four-team league was not viable and not attractive to potential owners. So Riot players and staff worked for close to nothing and were promised compensation for their efforts. Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale, Milwaukee Wave owner Jim Lindenberg and others guaranteed the Riot staff that those wages would be processed, but they have not. Now, ownership is sitting in far better shape after merging with United Soccer Leagues. Riot staff has taken the high road through all of this with the utmost professionalism and patience, but we have reached a point now where we have to aggressively fight for something that has been ours all along. MISL owners turned their backs on the situation heading into this 2011-2012 season, but we will not go away quietly. It might not mean much to you, but the Chicago Riot’s efforts paved the way for the MISL to have a seven-team group in place. Current ownership continues to be in debt to the players, coaches and staff of the Riot. Enjoy your respective seasons. Yours in soccer (and the reason you have a league to watch), Chicago Riot players and staff
From what I understand, Peter has absolutely nothing to do with this letter or with the effort to retrieve the money owed to the Riot players. More when I hear more.
this letter needs to be floating around because the players got screwed by the misl post it all ofer the place i say
Being a person that makes money off of jersey's and merchandise you get from players (most of it free I am sure), you should be the last one suggesting that the MISL get bashed by former players and/or staff. The MISL is money in your pocket. You need to decide where your loyalty lies.
I have only gotten a few game used items for free and they stay in my personal collection ..... I have sold a lot of jerseys for the players and I don't take 1 dime in commission for my time . I deduct pay pal fees and auction cost and or S/H cost and give them the balance . ( so you are incorrect ) I spend Thousands of dollars a year with team auctions so dont think for one scond i get it for free because I dont .... ask brownbelt he will tell you how many I win at the auction because I bid on every single one of them offered I do make a Lot of money on MISL stuff and that's because no one else has tried to do what I do Name 1 seller any place on line that sells MISL Jerseys on a regular basis you wont find one the simple fact is the MISL screwed the players by not paying them , how would you like to work for free the guys come out and perform for us fans every night the least thing we can do as fans is support them
If the league or one or more of its owners reneged on a promise to pay the players, then they should be paid. To be fair, however, we are only hearing one side of the story. Perhaps the courts or appropriate governmental authorities will have to sort this out.