The plan for the cinci stadium sure looks good. Dont worry, our stadium might get a new billboard on the 71 side some day.
So I'm trying to look at this ascendancy of Cincinnati and it's effect on Columbus from all angles.....not just from my diehard Crew fan stance. At first I was excited about Cincinnati's success and the prospect of them getting into MLS, thinking of it as a win-win for both us and them, rising tide raises all boats and such...the potential rivalry could help us attract interest. Cincys immense success on the field and in the stands, regardless of what level of soccer they play, seems detrimental though if we don't maintain a strong captivating team too. Crew are making it extremely easy for fans teetering on the fence to bail on us and jump on the Cincy bandwagon. It's easy to say F' them if they're not committed than who wants them!......but casual, fairweather fans are still ticket, merch, food, drink purchasing....stadium filling, tv viewership boosting fans.....and their money is still green. I still am hoping Cincy gets in because they deserve it and I like the idea of having geographically closer competition......but I'm really wondering what the Crew can do in the present or near future to really move the dial of fan support to stay competitive when it comes to grabbing Ohio soccer fans attention and investment. Obviously Cincy is still a novelty and it's a huge hype train.....but even if their MLS bid fails somehow.....i suspect they would still remain the highest attended USL team by far. Really hope Precourt has a plan....that benefits us....
That's fair. The Crew should have a strong foothold in their actual city before worrying about claiming turf anywhere else. I think the For Columbus branding/marketing/theme kind of was/is an attempt at that but obviously that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as the amount of work this organization needs to accomplish. What are other clubs doing off the field that we arent?
Worrying about our city? Psh, if Precourt had his way in the league office, we'd have already been moved to the Bay Area. We should just feel lucky that Garber nixed that idea before it even barely got started. I always wonder what will happen when a new MLS Commish comes in?
And does Don Garber do everything he can to keep Columbus down or did he say we couldn't lose our team? I sometimes forget if we hate Garber or Precourt or Berhalter or the referees.
Hate Garber, don't necessarily hate the refs but know they are inept, okay with some of what Ggg has done, tepidly okay with Precourt.
Don't you know this is the worst place on Earth. I can't believe I hang out, virtually, in such a wretched hive of scum and villainy
He does. Wait until all the franchises are given for the owners who bid the most money. When Detriot or Cincinnati don't get a team, sell the Crew to them. Pocket $100 million profit. I am sure we will get a nice "thank you for your years for support."
Not countering anything in the above statement, but I'd also like to offer up that once upon a time the owner of a certain midwest NASL team (use your imagination ) was interested in purchasing the Crew and moving them 180 miles away. Not certain whether it was the Hunts or the league, but he was given a definite no due to his desire to move the team.
The Indy 11 owner has been proven to be a cheap skate. I'm sure there were Multiple reasons for saying no.
Went to a Clippers game the other night. An usher showed me to my seats and wiped them off. I remember that happening year 1 of Crew Stadium. Now the ushers seem to be there only to make sure you do not sit where you are not supposed to. Last Saturday, bought the All You Can Eat ticket and had 5 people at the stadium tell me the wrong place to go. And I was supposed to have a special ticket for it, which I did not get. If I were a casual Crew fan, that experience would not have me running back for another game.