Education of the Masses

Not shocked in the least.

But I do have to wonder about someone that's complaining about not having a pro baseball team in town.

1. Last I knew, the Express were doing pretty well.
2. From perusing her other posts, she's a downtown girl and seems to have confused Austin with Boston or NY.

One of two things will happen.

1. Aztex will play in the suburbs and that post will be the grand sum of the Aztex passing through her consciousness.

2. Aztex USL-1 will play at House Park so she'll actually notice us now and then, and she'll occasionally whine some more that she doesn't have a pro baseball game to go to while we pack the stadium and have a hell of a lot of fun.

And finally, someone that publicly labels herself 'Mean Rachel'... well, I doubt we'd hear anything positive no matter what. Hell, if she did somehow get a pro baseball team within her acceptable consciousness, she'd probably bitch about the name.

 

If she's hoping for MLB. She's going to be waiting for a long, long time. She's right about UT f***ing up all the sports team opportunities in the city though.

 

Hey now!

A) I am a native Austinite (born & raised). I love Austin. If I wanted it to be NYC or Boston, I'd move there.

B) As much as I love being called a "downtown girl" (because it sounds like Uptown Girl and I love me some Billy Joel), I try to stay aware of all-things-Central-Texas.

C) The Express is not a major league team. Sad face.

D) What's so wrong with mean? I've met a lot of mean soccer players, actually. You don't sound so nice yourself.

E) It's not whining, it's ranting. There's a difference.

Edumacate me. I'm interested to know why a soccer team is such a great asset in Austin. Truth be told, I'm never wholly opposed to an influx of handsome, shirtless young men in this town.

 

Hey MeanRachel. Welcome.

A) I think what they were trying to say above is that your expectations of the type of team Austin will land (i.e. an MLB team) are unrealistic for this market. I think UT has a lot to do with that, but the size of the city does too. But I can't blame you really. I'd like an MLS team, but that won't be likely to happen either.

B) No comment. I'm not sure if downtown girl is meant to be an insult or what, but I think you addressed the main issue in A.

C) True. I think the main problem is with expectations. Hopefully this soccer team will live up to ours. Though that won't help you.

D) I think VC was just trying to say that your blog is predetermined to have a negative outlook, based on the name. I mean, it's a rant, right?

E) True there's a difference but it can be a smudgy line.

Maybe you should come out to a game next year when they start and decide then if it's worthwhile. I'd say come out in May, but the pro team doesn't play till next year, and you don't seem the type to be entertained by the youth reserve side, which is what begins play this year.

I guess the only part of your rant that I take issue with is the way overdone characterization of Americans as soccer-haters, which is so so tired. I think you can do better. And there is splenty of fodder for it: team name, likely starting play in a high school stadium, etc etc. But the we hate soccer thing is kinda lame.

Though I have to admit, it lured us suckers in.

Cheers.

 

Knowing that ranting is a pretty common schtick for blogs and reading past that, the only outright misunderstanding I see is that she seems to be conflating the PDL youth team and the pro team, a mistake I'm afraid will be fairly common over the next year, at least.

Otherwise, she has some valid points. We've discussed amongst ourselves the whole Aztex/Aztecs thing and, as much as I'm a fan hoping for the best and things have looked good so far, I think wondering where the fans are going to come from is perfectly valid, although she's overboard on the pessimism. She even mentioned the classic American soccer problem of converting the high rates of participation into fans, but I think she just got lucky there. It's a problem that's starting to go away in a lot of places, but I'm not sure it won't still be a problem here for a USL1 team. We'll see.

Welcome, Rachel.

 

Damn.

She found me.

[place embarrassed emoticon here]

OK, you're right. I wasn't so nice. My apologies.

Welcome, and please don't let my rudeness distract you from other's sales pitches for our brand of handsome shirtless young men.

 

Good ol' Google Alerts. That's how I saw the post, too. And I couldn't resist posting a couple of responses (Hi, MeanRachel, Chris from The Aztexan here ). In fact, as it turns out, I had an Aztexan post started from a couple days ago that I felt tied in with the soccer appreciation education, so I went ahead and posted that today, too.

Anyway - props to you, MeanRachel, for following your referrer log this far, and for engaging in the debate. Respect.

As my post on live soccer touches on, it's a great time. One of the things friends I've helped to see the light always comment on is the nonstop nature of the game. No time-outs, no inning breaks. Halftime, sure, but that's it. And you can get a feel for that from watching on TV, but again, when you watch live, you get full appreciation for the energy and athleticism involved.

Another common misconception is that the two numbers in the final score summarize the game in any meaningful way. That's not really true in any sport, but I think even less so in soccer. As explained in that 3rd Degree post I referenced, a 0-0 tie can in fact be the result of an exciting and well-played game.

Anyway, as RomaWolves pointed out, it will take some time before the Aztzex are firing on all cylinders with their pro team. Not that the U-23 games this year won't be great, but it's a different level. If you happen to go to any Rangers or Astros ("Lastros", I liked that ;-) games, you might try to catch an FC Dallas or Houston Dynamo match along with. They're MLS (Major League Soccer), which is the top level of soccer in the U.S., and one tier above next year's Aztex pro team.

Anyway, thanks again for being open to discussion and edumacation.

 

I think we're pretty well past the point of needing to do anything like that. I've actually found it a bit embarrassing when any announcer does anything like that. I guess I feel like the Aztex' time and money would be better spent in other directions.

For example, our visitor (on her blog) said that some friends dragged her to watch a rugby tournament, and she enjoyed it. I think there are plenty of people around in this city now that know and love the game, and will help bring in their friends that don't know anything.

I guess I just have my doubts that anything like that would draw enough people to make it worthwhile. It seems to me that you'd need to have someone with a name or title that would bring in people.

It's relatively easy if you're UT and you're offering the opportunity to talk with the head coach. Much harder if you're the Aztex and your head coach is a short brit that no-one this side of the pond has heard of (except that guy working at the Kyle YMCA)

 

Frankly, you guys are going about this all wrong. Forget education classes and meet the coach brunches.

I'm talking: "Win a Date with the Players" bachelor auction. Oh yes.
All proceeds go to X charity. Players catwalk it at a kickoff gala called "You've Got a Nice Aztec."

You're welcome.

 

LOeffingL!

mgreyscale? Time to fire off another email!

 

I think it's a very interesting idea, some kind of Soccer 101.

First, like VioletCrown said, I don't think we'd be able to attract people with "star power". But I don't think that matters, either. The people who would be drawn by soccer fame aren't the ones who need Soccer 101.

The big question is whether people would want this kind of info. I just don't know; I can see both sides of that argument.

But maybe if it were something tied directly to an actual match, and there were some extra incentive, it might work.

For example: something like a pre-game tailgate, with a short, informal review of the crucial aspects of the game. Just enough info, without getting too far into the boring details. The goal, imho, would be to get people to where they could watch most of the game without ever wondering, WTF is going on here? Throw in some kind of freebie (t-shirt, koozie, whatever) or maybe discounted match tickets, and it might prompt curious people to check it out.

Oh, and put their seats in or near the supporters group, too.

So I don't know, would this be something put on by the team itself? Or by the supporters group? Some combination, perhaps. Run it with volunteers, but have the team provide freebies and/or discounted tickets, say.

Also, would it be fighting an uphill battle to try something like this in 2008, with just the PDL expansion team? (Wikipedia says average attendance at PDL games over the last few years is somewhere around the 500 mark.) Or would it be better to wait for the higher profile USL-1 team, and/or the extra buzz generated by Stoke's visits?

Anyway, intriguing idea.

 

Hey folks, good news is that there is discussion about Austin and the franchise. I think Mean Rachel's Male Prostitution idea is a winner. She is pointing out exactly what any business needs to do...shameless promotion at every opportunity!
Take a look at the Austin "professional sports scene" Ice Bats, Express, Torros, and now the Aztex. The Express clearly understand their place in the market hence their success. After meeting Mr. Rawlins and Mr. Heath (the coach) I think the Aztex understand their place in the market and are doing what is most logical, that is not just looking to satisfy "soccer moms" and euro expatriots. They are clearly focused on putting a superior product on the field in 09 and making sure the latino community is aware every step of the way. FYI they have rights to a women's expansion team in future years and Austin has a way of supporting women's athletics.
Austin doesn't need to be educated on soccer, it needs exactly what the Aztex are aiming to do. Superior product for the fans without the "political influence" of local associations determing the lineup. They are aiming to make product that Austin wants to be associated with. In years to come the product will be more "native" simply because it will develop certain avenues for players to grow up in the organization.
Mr. Heath is a well respected coach and more importantly talent finder. To relate to UT (Mack has never been confused with the great innovators, but you can't find a better recruiter). Well, Mr. Heath knows tactics and training, but he has recruiting skills that can match Mack's so I think we are in for a good show.

 

I agree. I don't think anyone, whether they know the game or not, wants to attend a "soccer kindergarten", explaining the rules and whatnot. Just show them it's a good time and they'll come. I think the Dynamo is the best example of this right now. Of course, the media's help in this respect is crucial. Unfortunately we don't have a homer broadcaster like Glenn Davis rooting for us at ESPN, so we'll have to figure out how to make do with what we have.

 

Maybe I'm cynical, but I think there's a significant segment of American sports fans (especially male fans) who are proudly ignorant about soccer, and pretty resistant to understanding or appreciating it. You can hear it between the lines on Sportscenter or local sports, when they have to do soccer highlights. Only the open-minded and most professional sports journalists are open to learning about soccer, and that crowd will probably do it on their own. The best way to attract fans would be to put a good, successful product on the field and market strongly to the local kids' soccer clubs. Then word of mouth will take over from there.

Just my opinion.

 

I'm still not completely convinced, but I think mgrayscale may be on to something here. It wouldn't be for everyone, but some people might really like to have this kind of introduction.

Think of a "music appreciation" or "art appreciation" class, for comparison. Do you have to attend such a thing before you can appreciate -- even fanatically love -- music or art? Of course not. But that doesn't mean that the curious, whether they already love music/art or not, might not be interested in learning more, and being able to appreciate it more than ever. Some history, some rationale, different schools of thought, different cultures, famous artists (and why they're famous), etc. All those apply to soccer every bit as much as they do music or art.

Also, look at the popularity of the "For Dummies" books (for instance ). They're not for everyone, but it's the same idea: give me the basics, from the very beginning, so I can understand what's going on.

Note that "showing them it's a good time" is every bit as important as any "teaching" would be. We're not talking about some classroom lecture, but working it in somehow with a game, whether a live Aztex match or a televised one in a bar (the easier the access to beer, the better, probably ).

 

This discussion is getting pretty tired, isn't it? Insert cliche Limey blast and follow it with some blanket statement about how soccer is a kids sport that is boring to watch. *yawn*

Perhaps Rachel's opinion is typical of the American sports fan. I get that we are trying to convince these people about why they should care because we'd like to see more then 3 people show up and support our new club. So for like the gazillionth time let's rehash this.

The "soccer" that is played by most 8 year olds involves a bunch of kids chaotically kicking a ball around a field. For the most part, the game is not physical and there are lots of ties and orange slices to prevent anyone's feelings getting hurt. Good old physical exercise to delay the inevitable onslaught of obesity that awaits most of us Americans. This is where soccer ends in relevance for most us, and we grow up to play GRIDIRON SMASHMOUTH (real) FOOTBALL or the more exciting sport of standing around for 9 innings (baseball). Therefore, soccer is a kids game and isn't really fun to watch because it's played by a bunch of foreigners with funny names in third world countries.

For those that make a half-hearted attempt to watch the game, they will find that scoring isn't as easy as putting a ball in a hoop or running around bases. Goals tend to be difficult to achieve, and are often few and far between. Most of us American kids grew up going to games with "Welcome to the Jungle" and thundersticks helping us stay entertained during the 15 commercial breaks and 5 seconds of actual play where we sit in agony between scores not knowing when to cheer. It sure isn't baseball, where you can get up at pretty much any given moment to go get a beer or hot dog without worry because you might miss what, like 3 pitches and some riveting standing around.

It's all perception and perspective. I didn't grow up watching soccer, therefore it sucks. Soccer is on TV but it's a bunch of people with funny names and the announcers are speaking a foreign language. The half-hearted attempts to bring the game here professionally has resulted in no TV coverage and small crowds, therefore the entire sport must suck. Nevermind NFL Europe's success because our football is the most exciting game in the world, right?

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion about what is entertainment. God knows, American Idol and that show with people eating leeches draw good ratings and must be the best thing on TV because more people are watching. Actually, no. In my personal experience I've had friends who I showed the game to as best I could and they loved it, others can't get over sitting there for 45 minutes. There attention spans have been conditioned for short bursts of action in between spells of doing the chicken dance and dot races.

Fair enough, I'm not about to trash someone's opinion or be some sort of elitist because I like something different. It's just from personal experience that a lot of us here are weary and somewhat hostile to these kind of stereotypes about the game we (and most of the world) loves. I'm proud as hell to be an American and I didn't grow up a soccer fan. Luckily we live in an age where technology allows us to experience new and sometimes better things not native to our regions.

Will anyone attend these games? I don't know. I was an Austin Wranglers' fan and it broke my heart to see such a fun and exciting sport go unappreciated by most of the city. Hell, basketball is probably my least favorite major sport, but I've even hit up a few Toros' games because I want to see these teams stay in Austin. My only hope is that Phil and the Aztex organization have realistic expectations. No one is claiming this is going to be some revolution that will surpass UT in popularity and attendance. Hopefully there are enough soccer fans here to fufill whatever expectation the team has from us. As much as some don't like the name "Aztex", it is unique and was in part made to appeal to Hispanics in Austin who are a necessary demographic for pro soccer to be a true success here.

BTW Rachel, do you frequently attend Express games? I go to several games a year with my dad and in a lot ways IMHO it's better to have a AAA team then a major league team. The expense, parking and traffic of a MLB game is such a headache. I can get my fill with going to 2 or 3 Rangers games a year and watching the rest on TV. Up in Round Rock you get the real baseball experience and it's not like the guys are that far below what you see on a major league field. No, you won't see Josh Beckett but if you really want to you can attend 2 or 3 games a week and not have to sit in the stratosphere.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4nQItOROYlc

Austin needs someone to do something like New Order did in 1990 for England for Italia 90.

If the Aztex can build an atmosphere that promotes pre-game festivities, post-game festivities, and some sort of watch group when they are on the road. (don't know how it would be brodcast just thinking out loud) They will be successful. The Express are successful because they have the kid zone out in right field and good seating for all. Oh and beer! Mr. Rawlins has been adamant about eventually building a soccer specific facility with surrounding fields. He seems to also be keenly aware that an entertainment venue for outdoor use is also a potential.

 

I hope we don't end up turning the game into some kind of carnival with soccer as a side-show. I would rather that we worked on building a small, but loyal following rather than resort to that. Phil brought this team to Austin because he feels that there is enough genuine interest in the game to warrant a professional team. I for one completely agree with him. After attending the information session it is clear to me that the ownership is made up of top class professionals who genuinely love the game. The only thing required to make this team a success is to field a decent team. That won't be hard to do with the talent available at low cost.

 

However, with the amount of music and movie people in this town, you'd think that Rawlins could find at least one band to cobble together something kick-ass. Hell, three or four even, in different styles.