I appreciate the thoughts but giving FratAss more money is a bad idea. A few things I would love to see from opposing fans are a boycott, walkout or silence when the Crew visits. These protest ideas would carry more weight if the Crew were actually on TV. Another idea is if the Crew is in town buy nothing at the stadium. Money seems to be the only language MLS speaks.
There is a program aligned with #FillTheFre where you can buy tickets and donate them to CRIS (charity organization that helps kids/families...I don't know all the specifics but check them out). They maxed out all the donations (meaning every kid that could go, went) for the home opener and they are working with other groups in Columbus to expand. Perfect opportunity for out of towners to buy tickets and have locals use them.
I see where you're going, but it might have more impact if fans publicly pledged to support Columbus but not Austin (i.e. no visiting supporters groups will travel there, fans will boycott watching them on TV, etc. Fans could even threaten to boycott whoever becomes the Austin jersey sponsor.) I know people get sick of me beating this drum, but the best chance of the Crew remaining in Columbus is if the move to Austin becomes untenable.
Dropping in a word from the "enemy" camp, this below seems like a pretty solid analysis of the situation here in Austin. If you were to turn this poll around, and ask, "What are the chances that the Crew will find a stadium site and move here, ever?" I'd put it at below 50-50. And frankly, I think the only reason there's that good a chance, is because Precourt seems to have burned his bridges up there so badly that he can't stay there, so he'll settle for less favorable terms here. Personally, I'm torn, as most fans in Austin are, I think. I'd love to have an MLS team here, and I'd work to make it succeed. It's something we've wanted for years and years, and this may be our only chance in my lifetime. BUT, the way it's happening totally sucks, and PSV have … well … let's say, not looked like great corporate partners so far. Nor is Austin in a political mood to cut a sweetheart deal on this. So if the deal goes south, so be it, and I hope it works out for you. And I wouldn't presume to advise you on a retention strategy, except to say, I LOVE the idea suggested elsewhere in this thread of buying ads in the Austin Chronicle, because I'm also the publisher of that rag. (Feel free to follow our coverage at https://www.austinchronicle.com/sports/soccer-watch/ and in our News section.)
Real question is how are you publishing articles in the future? https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2018-03-23/courtship-by-precourt/ Also what are the lottery numbers tonight? I'll promise to buy a ton of ad space once I win (mainly the first 4 pages (in color) of Frankie hoisting the MLS cup).
Thank you Barbaro. I might do that survey too next month. I And I don't consider Austin our enemy. I like Austin and I understand why you want a MLS team. But as always I urge Austinites to be very careful with PSV and MLS. PSV has not been truthful, consistent or very good at their job. You could spend A LOT of money to get a turd. I fear that both cities are going to be used for a bidding war and no one will win.
Attendance this year will have no effect on the decision to permanently move or not. It could affect when the team moves, if the decision is made and ratified by the league around the end of 2018. In that case, if it is clear attendance in Columbus would really be poor, it would be worth it for PSV to play in Austin in 2019 even with very little time to set up and sell 2019 tickets.