Even I have to admit, his giving a shit is great. This is all we've ever wanted. Just give a shit Bob! And it seems, even if it's just for appearance's sake, that you do. I've never expected BK to prance around town in a Revs track suit, singing soccer carols. Just wanted the owner to give a shit. It's amazing what happens when he does seem to give a shit: big crowds; successful team; happy fans; press coverage!!!!! ******** yeah, Bob! Keep it up. Thanks Bob!
So the final is December 7 th at 3:00 PM ish. Could be in LA or up in Seattle. If it's in LA, Kraft could make the game and still see the Patriots in the late game in San Diego. If in Seattle, it's still possible but would require a greater effort by Kraft to do both. It's easy to show up at the Revs game when it's on a Sat and in New England. It will be interesting to see if Kraft shows up for the MLS cup or opts for a Patriots regular season game. We know how that worked out in the past.
I've been a Kraft hater for years, but have to agree that a light bulb has apparently gone off and he genuinely seems willing to spend money on the team now--on and off the field--in a way he hasn't before. And it has paid dividends. I would love to know what the decisive moment that changed his mind was. (Personal appeal from Jonathan or grandkids?) And I wonder if it will continue...
My guess it's "timing". Kraft let others do the trial and error of name DP's, marketing et al and now that MLS has morphed into being a money maker he;s decided it;s time to cash in. Thats smart business. FWIW, I've never doubted his being fully aware of how the Revs was being managed or his commitment to seeing the franchise prosper. As I've posited here over the years, my sense was when the time was right we would see the Revs get a solid infusion of DP money, better marketing and a downtown SSS. .
It's certainly possible that he was waiting for others to trial things like SSS, DP et al.... However, that isn't what this is about. Giving a shit isn't necessarily spending money or building a stadium. It's about actually showing that you care about the team that people pay you money to watch. He didn't need to wait two decades for that "timing". Ok, I don't want to derail this with all of the issues of the past. I'm genuinely happy and excited at the level of giving a shit BK has shown recently. I hope it continues.
I think this might have been the small fulcrum point. The family was embarrassed by this. http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/03/25/bob-kraft-worst-owner-new-england-revolution/ Lets face it, he is never going to be Paulson or Heinemann where he lives for the team, but just caring a little helps me quite a bit as a fan.
I saw Bob clearly on the field yesterday with the players. Was Sonny on the field? I could not locate him.
I have to agree, it was the media finally getting on his case about being an absentee landlord. After that, all of a sudden, he started to act like he gave half a damn. I think his pride was wounded. Hopefully the media stays interested, who knows what could happen.
I agree....Mr. Wonderfull finally took some heat, as the game was growing everywhere else in the country and staying stagnant here, and he acted. For me it was the Boston.com article. I posted here when it came out, and a lot of folks read that. Folks who didn't follow soccer, or did casually, and almost all were in the "that's sad" category. No, it's only soccer so who cares stuff. I truly believe that was a turning point. Maybe Bob and sons see they can actually make this work, other than filling dates, and continue down this path. Just show you give a damn...that's all.
After the 2010 season, I dumped my season tickets which I'd had from day one. My take was that Kraft was treating the Revs as a passive investment and was spending as little as possible while the value of his asset increased with the expansion of the league and the success of other teams. I saw no reason to send him my money if he wasn't going to spend any of his own. I went to my first game in four years yesterday. I figured that, if Bob K. could loosen the purse strings and bring in JJ, I was ready to go back. It was a great day, though the seats on the second level were nothing like the front of section 110. It was also good to see BK hanging out on the sidelines before the game on a weekend the Pats are playing away. Now I'm waiting to see what happens tonight. I have to be in LA on Monday for work. If the Gals win, I may need to head out a day early if there any tickets to be had.
If it is in LA, it is a no brainer since they can do both Revs and Pats in same day (Pats play night game in San Diego). If in Seattle I could see Jon in Seattle and Bob in San Diego. MLS is having their annual big BOG (board of governors) meeting before MLS Cup and I think Jon typically represents the family at this meeting.
Yes. Jonathan was standing next to Lee Nguyen when they were on stage celebrating with the trophy. Both of them will be a the Cup final. No doubt in my mind about it.
I think the key was that next year the money from TV is going to jump. But still, in order to get them to put the money in, they had to show that it was worth it, and the Revs' had made enough progress in the last couple of years (with aggressive attacking soccer getting them back to postseason last year and a good start to this year) that they could justify the investment. I don't know how Jermaine Jones to MLS happened, but he was a perfect fit. I've never really felt resentful that the Krafts wouldn't spend money on players, I've felt more resentful at a lack of ambition for the organization as a whole.
The individual owners do not control the national tv money. It is used to help pay the salaries at the league level, that being the salaries based on the salary cap. The individual owners are responsible for paying the DP salary via local revenue streams. The new national tv deal will be a part of the revenue streams that will be considered during the upcoming CBA which will affect the future salary cap. The owners have full control over local tv money, which is what gives LA and Seattle a huge boost as they are the two pulling in good local money for tv.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2014...g-mls-c#ooid=0wa3Mwcjrwsr7iDGwSAGVc-wS9xOd_Hi Found this on mls site, feel pretty good to hear them speak.
That sure doesn't sound like owners who don't know the game or care about the success of their franchise
Kraft has certainly stepped up his game since the Boston Mag article but has done so for damage control of his reputation. I highly doubt he now all of a sudden has changed his ways and will financially and emotionally commit to this team. I think the Jones signing was just a one off but I will take the wait and see approach on that one. I gave up my season tix and pride and passion for this team at the end of the 2011 season and unfortunately have not returned since. This latest cup run has not changed that and no matter the result on sunday, I will still feel the same way about ownership and management as I did years ago. They have certainly done better in the last few months and it's good to see but it's not enough at the moment for me to believe again.
Jim Nance announced during the pats game that they will both be at the mls final and also fly to the San Diego game.
Personally I have never expected the Krafts to be great owners, I just wanted them to show a little bit of interest. They have shown me enough this year via small items and big items, that I am likely to get season tickets for next season, depending on how heavy the mid week schedule is.