[arkjayback]

You are the growth of this league. Fan support and display has been a huge reason why these playoffs have been enjoyable.

The Texian Army, Section 8, the Cauldron, the Nordecke, the Riot Squad, the Screaming Eagles, Barra Brava, La Norte, everybody at Qwest and BMO, etc, this is a salute. I know I didn't get everybody, but those are the ones I know. I'm looking foward to great things from the Son of Ben, Timbers Army, and Vancouver's supporters.

I'm an MLS fan overall, but I do feel a bit more fanship toward LA. However, I absolutely hate it when I see a fan base show a ton of support for their team and have to withstand a devastating loss. I hated seeing Houston lose last season, I hated seeing a sold out Rio Tinto get disappointed, and I definitely hated that OUSTANDING crowd at Toyota Park miss out on their chance to see Blanco in the MLS Cup.

Someone made a point earlier that an argument could be made that the Riot Squad member jumping out of the stands at Beckham was a turning point for the league. It blatantly announced the legitimacy of MLS fanship. I don't know if I would go that far, but it is a sign of movement in the right direction.

So I just want to say that I hope you guys continue to recruit relentlessly, support fantastically, and continue to help this league and its teams grow.

I SALUTE YOUR GREAT SUPPORT!

[FlashMan]

I'll second that.

[TommyMack]

I can't argue with anything you said...

tm
lars

[arkjayback]

Hopefully the supporters will show up great for MLS Cup also.

[KTown222]

Originally Posted by arkjayback

Hopefully the supporters will show up great for MLS Cup also.

The atmosphere of most play-off games this year is head and shoulders above those in previous years. The 30-minute pre-game lead-in by ESPN and FSC also helps to promote the game. Great stuff!

[arkjayback]

Originally Posted by KTown222

The atmosphere of most play-off games this year is head and shoulders above those in previous years. The 30-minute pre-game lead-in by ESPN and FSC also helps to promote the game. Great stuff!

Definitely. That's why I hated seeing Chicago lose so much. Their supporters put on a hell of a show at Toyota Park.

[Smithsoccer1721]

In a the American sporting landscape every other league is trying to move towards that family friendly atmosphere (especially the NFL). I feel like Garber over the last 2 seasons has seen the light when it comes to the real fan bases of each team. I am excited to continue to see the growth of each supporters group.

[njndirish]

Smith, you're on to something. NFL and the other big 2 seem to be forgetting that people are getting married and having kids later in life now (less time for family friendly events). And also the youth culture has permiated into adults in their late 20's. NHL to me seems to have abandonned all hope of being family friendly and have just stuck with making the games enjoyable to all fans, especially the hardcore. People lambast the NHL on its TV ratings, but it is a league that isn't struggling like NBA to put butts in seats of play-off calibur fanchises.

[Mutiny RIP]

I have been saying this since day one, when MLS teams such as the Mutiny were asking supporters groups to sit down and stop banging on their drums, that the league was missing a real opportunity to differentiate their product from the other major pro-leagues. Over time, teams like D.C., Chicago, Toronto, and Seattle proved that embracing rather than resisting supporters culture is the path to high attendances and fan loyalty.

Morever, these teams have proven that this idea that the behavior of supporters will drive away casual fans is complete hogwash. The teams that have the most fervent supporters groups also seem to have the largest numbers of casual fans and families in the stands. A number of casual fans have told me that the atmosphere the supporter's groups create makes them more inclined, not less, to attend matches. Fortunately, Don Garber seems to recognize this as he recently told reporters in his state of the league interview that providing a fans a game day experience similar to what they see on television from overseas is important.

Frankly, after you attend a match from inside a supporters' section, going to an NFL or NBA game seems boring.

[SilverSlimer]

Originally Posted by njndirish

Smith, you're on to something. NFL and the other big 2 seem to be forgetting that people are getting married and having kids later in life now (less time for family friendly events). And also the youth culture has permiated into adults in their late 20's. NHL to me seems to have abandonned all hope of being family friendly and have just stuck with making the games enjoyable to all fans, especially the hardcore. People lambast the NHL on its TV ratings, but it is a league that isn't struggling like NBA to put butts in seats of play-off calibur fanchises.

Is the NBA struggling? I'm not being sarcastic, I would really like to know. I know the NHL has been losing ratings for a decade but I had no idea anything similar was happening with the NBA.