I don’t know if I’m alone on this (created a poll), but I think the rebrand is totally asinine. The FO has alienated the existing fans (and likely won’t attract any new fans with this slapdash abomination they put together in the 11th hour when they slammed the brakes on a full rebrand). My position is simple, either give us back the Chicago Fire as they have been known for the last 22+ years or totally rebrand this franchise and don’t insult the Fire name with this rinky-dink badge. I’m not including another bite at the soft rebrand apple because there’s almost zero chance the FO would do that after 18 months of “rigorous” market research and focus groups to come up with this “masterpiece.”
Yes, the "masterpiece": The Club’s pillars – Be Chicago. Be Football. Be a Club I would say "cringe-worthy" but I actually cringe when I imagine it coming out of Nelson Rodriguez' slimy, New Jersey, "club" (as in supporters)-insulting, mouth. This is almost as bad as the logo/badge/crest/whatever. I say almost because it is actually worse, but we don't have to see on every jersey, billboard, etc. Oh, and "We Stand for Chicago" is an awful tagline.
The choice is obvious then. Everyone would choose to keep the original branding. The point of the poll is would you take a gamble to get our original branding back with the chance that they just do a total rebrand instead or would you rather just accept the soft rebrand they’ve done now?
It's just impossible to have any sense of the bearings here without a better understanding of what the project for the entire club is. If it is just a change of venue but the same business practices and the same club president, there is absolutely no credibility to leave the existing iconography behind. Certainly maybe some runway to tinker a bit around the edges, but no sharp departures. If you're just moving the same operation into the city, you won't be attracting anything more than marginal additions to your existing fanbase who are attached to that iconography. If this is actually a night and day sea change for the bigger and better from a business and sporting perspective, a new club for all intents and purposes, then demonstrating that through the branding and putting on a new face for a new audience makes sense. What we have is the incompetent, unviable leadership of the dumpster fire desperately flinging a hideous, self-evidently mismanaged coat of whitewash on what is a death-spiralling failure of a soccer operation. I cannot believe Mansueto wrote the enormous check to leave Bridgeview with this dead-on-arrival plan for the move. I can't believe Don Garber and the league didn't throw their body in front of it. I'm in total shock. Honest to god that's even worse than the logo. Astonishingly cringe.
The problem is that you need to ask what it means. When you hear Be Chicago. Be Football. Be a Club you really need to scratch and ask what it means. And also what the hell does Be Football mean? This is America the game is called soccer. Not Football. The same goes with the logo. The fact that a Fire rep had to explain to me the connection that it had with the city is a problem. We should be able to look at the crest and immediately understand the connection it has with the city, whether it's a small point on the letter C or a 6 pointed Chicago star.
And the color scheme has zero connection to the city. At least make the badge in the cities colors, and not some ugly yellow and red.
Gotcha. In that case I would say the “FC” is already a bad rebrand and I’d be willing to roll the dice just to get rid of this awful Monstrosity. And to your side point, while I would prefer to keep the original branding I’m open to the same name with wildly diverse branding if it incorporates some ties to the city and/or the original logo. The Florian Cross is incredibly iconic. Shove something else in there if the current one is too much. The oval is fairly unique. Make it civic minded. Football? The EPL sucks. Keep it away from my club.
I would actually prefer the new semblance of still being the Fire rather then a total rebrand of name and crest etc. That aside...what we had was perfect and one of the best crest's and names for that matter in MLS.
True, but that’s a mouthful. Who’s actually going to call the team that? The team was Chicago Fire SC before that and everyone referred to the team as “the Chicago Fire.” The substitution of FC the FO did was a lame, halfhearted attempt to appeal to Eurosnobs (which won’t be enough because any good Eurosnob knows to repudiate American sports naming conventions like “Fire”).
As you say, nobody used the "SC," but the the Fire are now be called "Fire FC." Just wait. It is the URL of the website. It is used in the articles. It is going to be annoying.
I am biased. I am the fourth generation of my family to live in, work in, and make Chicago happen. My grandfather on my Ma's side was a firefighter, Battlaion Chief, who lied about his age to get on the CFD when he was a kid. Pa started on the department when they still had horses pulling fire wagons. Literally. He was at the scene of the Eastland disaster and the Iraqouis Theater fire. Members of my family have held every type of job in this town from cop working the beat on Lincoln Avenue when Dillenger got it at the Biograph to career burglar to workin' every utility in town to Federal judge. I don't pretend to speak for a one of you. I just know that, having lived this club since '97, I cannot not support this club, no matter the character, or lack thereof, or scumbagness of given individuals affiliated with the Chicago Fire Soccer Club. I, we, were here before those who currently oversee our club were here and I, we, will be here when they have finished handling their luchre and had moved on. I love our representation over these last 22 years. Deeply. I take this shit seriously. I will always support our club: TRADITION, HONOR, PASSION! Fire 'til I die!
I'm upset that we couldn't snag Lagerwey if only for the fact he looks like a distant Daley nephew waiting out his time until he can be appointed 11th ward committeeman.
If no one buys merchandise with the new crest or colors they will cave. If people buy stuff with the new crest or colors they will stand pat. It is really as simple as that. i am eager to donate money towards a giant TIFO display with the true colors and crest for the opening match next March - is somebody working on that who I should contact?