Wait, didn’t you know that the only reason we’re not on TV is because there is already a TV show called Chicago Fire? And that as soon as we rebrand we get immediate and free TV access?
But you’re dumb enough to think I’m suggesting a name change will have the singular benefit of drawing a few more fans for a short period of time, like a new coach would do? Or did you just provide another poor analogy?
In my day, they would show old All Star game highlighs. The great thing if you only had three channels to watch,
You’re bad at this. No. People are saying that the braintrust that was in charge 12 years ago amd ********ed everything up is still in charge and that will undercut the value of any potential good moves that get made.
Lol, right, Hitler and all that were perfectly tame analogies, it’s just me that overreacted... And that braintrust (I don’t know about you but I use the word brain very lightly with regards to them) isn’t going anywhere, and the name still would be “meh” to most of the people that any braintrust would want to attract no matter who is in charge, so maybe undercutting a potential good move is still better than not making any good moves at all.
The people whose interest and engagement and dollars will make or break the future of the club don't know who Andrew Hauptman is. You broke the seal on political analogies earlier, so let's add another: the NeverAndi commentariat here are like the NeverTrump Republican pundit intelligentsia. For all the media coverage they get, when it comes to mass electoral politics they speak for no one and they don't matter.
There are no confused fans. Just confused non-fans who aren’t going to give the team a second chance when they think “Do I really want to care about some team with the same name as a crappy soap opera about fire fighters?” I do; I have heard Chicagoans who are fans of other leagues (Liga MX, Ekstraklasa, EPL, etc.) mock the name to my face when I have tried to bring up the team. It’s a fine name and works for people who already like / are invested in the brand, but I don’t think it attracts new fans. Is changing the name a first priority? No, but it may help reboot this nearly dead franchise.
You know what will help reboot this nearly dead franchise? Getting rid of Andi, NRod, Pauno and all of NRod's and Pauno's horrible hires (dead weight). Yes playing in Chicago could/should help (hopefully Solder Field is temporary, unless Joe in thinking BIG, ala Atlanta/Seattle), getting the fvcking team on TV, market the team, build a training faculty, get a USL team for all the players that aren't quite ready for the first team. Having a owner that cares about his team, would be nice. Do that and I bet those confused non-fans will give the team a second chance. Oh and that crappy soap opera about fire fighters is going to be on for what another 5 years max.
These are the kind of people who would mock Chicago United FC as well. They just want to put down domestic soccer to ensure that they are viewed as having sophisticated soccer knowledge due to their European sporting focus. If the Fire want these insecure guys as fans over me, and will change the team name in a vain attempt to acquire them, then they can build the new club without me.
Fair enough. I guess I have had people question the name to me. Funny that nobody questioned the name in the first decade or so (other than people who would ask if the Chicago team was still the Sting). As for questioning the name The Fire, that has all happened in recent years, while the Fire has toiled in obscurity.
So my neighbor and I threw a hypothetical last night at the game, couldn't you extend the orange line from Midway and still invest in the area immediately around the stadium for $65mil?
No one here speaks for anyone else. And I think there’s only one “NeverAndi” around here. Perhaps you should address them directly?
This whole argument is garbage. You claim people stay away because of the name while I see new fans drive in from Michigan for games because they like Basti. These are anecdotes not evidence and certainly can’t be used as broad opinion. These stories are irrelevant. “I’ve got coworkers that don’t like spinach so no one is going to eat spinach.” This is the absurdity of your argument.
Potentially. There are existing tracks for a large chunk of that stretch that someone around here once mentioned repurposing for at least a game day train leaving relatively little construction to connect the dots. I do not know if anyone has ever investigated those costs though. I’ve said something similar about the Metra line nearby. There are already tracks that connect Union Station to the stadium’s parking lot.
No way in hell are you building a rail line that distance for $65 million. Also anyone who thinks rail companies will grant access to their right of ways is a damn fool. Metra has to fight tooth and nail and utilize the federal authority of NTB to add extra trains on established service. It would be far easier and cheaper to build downtown - and that in no way us cheap or easy.
I can't comment on what those tracks connect to . But I'm 100% confident in saying the tracks themselves are not passenger rated tracks. You're probaby looking at $25 million plus just to get that spur a passenger rating. I contract in construction management, mainly large residential and apartment complexes. About 10 years there was a committee formed by the Dekalb, Boone and Winnebago county governments to explore passenger rail service. I was one of the appointments for dekalb county. I am very familiar the logistics ( though not familiar with this particular line)
I never thought the Orange Line was a possibility, especially after the stadium location moved from 79th to 71st early on in the design phase. The Metra line, as it is already used as a passenger line, always seemed like the better/cheaper option.
This is literally an anecdote. I would hazard to guess there is a high likelihood that there are more Chicago based soccer fans willing to give the franchise a second look with a brand new coat of paint than there are out of state Schweinsteger super fans willing to come to Bridgeview to see Schweinsteger languish as a centerback in his last games as a professional. I am a fan of Chicago soccer. I don’t care if the team is called the Sting, the Fire, Chicago FC, etc. This franchise has a decade of stink on it, and it’s going to be an uphill battle to erase the minor league status associated with it to the majority of Chicagoans who even know what “the Chicago Fire” currently is (a soccer team in Bridgeview). There are some people who will compare the Fire to the Cubs or the Hawks, but that’s an oversimplification. Those two teams are in widely liked, historic American sports leagues with built-in dormant fan bases. The Fire on the other hand were only quasi-relevant 20 years ago among ~20-40k hardcore Chicago soccer fans for a ~5-7 year period. That’s what this boils down to is I don’t think only catering to hardcore Chicago Fire fans (those who fondly remember the “golden years” of 1998-2006) is a recipe for long-term success. This team has had 20 years to endear itself to Chicago and largely it hasn’t (for a multitude of reasons, starting with but NOT ONLY hauptman). I see no harm in using every tool at the franchise’s disposal to improve the chances that in our new NFL home we become the next Atlanta United rather than being another New England Revolution.
Exactly. And I’m not trying to use it as some talking point to show that the name doesn’t scare people away. Marketing the current name will most likely be more efficient and cheaper than training people on a new name just as keeping a customer is cheaper than finding new ones. These arguments aren’t anecdotes.
I mean, you'd have to do something absolutely major (and we're talking Rosemont-level major) in the site for there to be any incentive to drag it out there. The current stadium has never been enough, and the strip malls going in probably won't be either. Hell, Ford City might not be around in another generation. That stretch of the SW burbs aren't doing so well economically (though ironically, Summit was was of only two municipalities in Cook County to gain population in the last few years, the other being Evanston).
They don't know, and sadly won't care. But, when the past pattern of management incompetence is perpetuated they'll learn why Chicago soccer fans can't have nice things like lesser cities.