In light of the recent activities regarding Section 8, Sector Latino, and the additional features recently displayed at Toyota Park, including a premium food area, and additional "Premium Season Ticket-Holder" (Further refereed to as PSTH) events, I'd like to lay out next years future for the club during our new-found investor cash infusion. In addition, this soft rebrand has a lot to do with how Hauptman is extremely jealous of ATL UTD and MNUTDFC's critical success and how they went about developing their STH base: 1. Big name MLS 2.0 european's will continue to be signed at the expense of all other roster decsions. This is in revelation that PSTH recognize aging stars and buy tickets based heavily on this objective. Fire's ongoing market research has shown this. This has been shown to drive significant additional revenue for the club. In addition, because of PSTH access to club leadership, including Hauptman, they will not ever have to be put in the basket of deplorables (BoD). Thus creating fan support for continuing decline of supporter culture. Think golf clap Man City support moving forward. 2. The rollout of premium food vendors is not an accident, and in 2019, these will be paramount throughout the stadium as PSTH will drive additional revenue to the Club. 3. Based on the importance of PSTHs turning out, the Club will look to align with premium 1st rate sponsors showing them their PSTH willingness to spend in-park on consumables. In addition, Club will use PSTH individual connections to try and drive sponsorship and create business opportunities. AKA More Suits. More Man City. 4. PSTH lot will be re-paved, and tailgating options for PSTH will be food-truck and fair-food driven. Merchandise Sales Carts will be placed in the tailgating areas as you see at Sox games etc. 5. Based on S8s non-compliance and continued agitation of the front office, the current location of S8 will be rebranded and re-ticketed, as a PSTH area. (May take 2 years depending on Bridgeview's negotiation of relinquishing concession rights in that area) 6. Redevelopment of PSTH Club area, with additional PSTH events. 7. Removed access of all "blogger level media". Tribune gets a beat writer on staff to cover the club. Only Club allowed propaganda allowed to be distributed through such beat writer. 8. Significant barriers to entry implemented for cheap STH tickets such as Pay all at Once. I'm sure there is other speculation out there for the future, so I've made this thread for that.
I think I've said before that if the Fire rebrand to something stupid, I will stop watching soccer and become a baseball fan.
It looks quite plausible to me. Companies elsewhere use their market research to differentiate their best and most profitable customers from their money losers. The franchise doesn't make much money from supporter culture. Supporters sections are like Bozo's cast of thousands. 1) Cater to the casual fan with gobs of disposable income. "Hey (boss/underling), see this picture of my kid with Thomas Müller!" 5) Look for the Chicago Fire Authentic Fan Section (Harlem End) "where our most passionate supporters are our 12th man". 6) Second Star Club "membership" will grow with perhaps a slightly lower cost to entry and easy access to players & celebrities. 7) The Trib won't bother, but the Sun-Times may. I don't think bloggers get any special access anyways. 8) All at once, or partial packages to discourage supporters.
Stupider than naming yourself after a disaster that destroyed your city? We’re all used it to it now so no big deal. But let’s not pretend it’s not stupid. I doubt we’re going to see the Houston Harveys or New York Sandys anytime soon.
It’s all going to be for nothing. You can dress up a pig, but it’s still a pig. “The movers and the shakers” of this city aren’t going to turn up at Bridgeview for a midweek game. What we may get is something where large swaths of the seats are sold to corporations, which will mean lots of empty seats aside from when a “big name” team (NYC, LAFC, etc.) is playing there. Up until hauptman sold 49%, I honestly thought he was looking to eventually relocate the team when talks around “rebranding “ emerged. It’s not as if ownership has made any significant investments that would make them think twice about leaving.
It was the catalyst that changed our city from an old, rotting town to a futuristic beacon for the planet. It’s why we’re called the Second City. The first was before the fire. The second, after. It represents not our death, but our rebirth.
Interesting, I always thought the “second city” nickname originated in our relation to New York City. Looks like both answers are correct though based on preliminary googling. In any case, I’d be surprised if hauptman, nimrod, and co. changed the name because that would require effort and planning, two things our ownership has avoided for the last decade.
Guessing if they do anything it'll be a Philadelphia Union or DC United-like upgrade of the badge, which (probably unpopular opinion), I wouldn't be against. Though it probably would also mean a Union-like ditching of the white stripe too, which would suck.
They ran out the suburban families years ago when all the STH perks stopped. One of the reasons why I bailed is when they cut the STH kids get to go out on the field for the opening of the game.
This is true, of course, but still not a great endorsement for using it as the name for a soccer team that now resides in the suburbs. Most of the posts that I've seen from non-Fire fans (and indeed, the post you're responding to is from a Fire fan) associate the team name with the disaster - at a certain point that perception replaces reality and we may as well be name after the disaster. If you have to explain to people that your team name represents not the disaster that they initially associate it with (assuming they don't associate it to the stupid TV show or actual fire department) but the city's recovery from said disaster, well, your branding is probably more confusing than it needs to me.
Exactly the opposite. Naming it after the event meant that the City of Chicago couldn’t sue for the name if they left town (and they did leave) like the city threatened the Bears.
Before the Flames moved to Calgary, they were originally branded as the Atlanta Flames. EDIT: Another person who once gave me that argument also mentioned “What if New York named a team ‘The New York Jets’?” But that one’s more of a horrible coincidence.
That’s all well and good if the only reason a team chose a name was to avoid having to leave it behind if they started to play outside of city limits, but we both know there’s a lot more to it than that. Also, maybe my memory is failing me (at my age...) but I don’t think there were any “like hell they’ll be called Chicago” edicts thrown down from city hall about the Fire potentially playing outside of the city like there were with the Sox threatening to move to Addison.
The name and badge are fine, the problem is Mr. Andi Hauptman, Once he's gone Joe could run the team the way it's suppose to, without touching the name, badge and the primary jersey. The second jersey is the one the you can experiment with, so if it doesn't work it will be gone after two years (two year cycle).
WOW. It's used for male and females. So relax buddy....... https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names-andi-494795.htm http://www.aussiethings.com.au/babynames/aboy.htm
There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s just totally unknown outside of a small community of diehards after 20 years of existence. Also the fact that it’s easily confusable with other things isn’t good for “building a brand.” I posted this in the USL thread. Here’s what most people think of when they hear “Chicago Fire” in order: 1. NBC soap opera about fire fighters 2. The fire that destroyed our city 3. Chicago fire department 4. “Some team that used to play in soldier fieldback in the late 90s I think?” 5. “There’s a MLS team in Chicago, since when? Where is it? Bridgeview? Where’s that? Don’t you mean Bridgeport?”