Alright, i want everybody to email these writers, for the Miami FC vs. Tampon Bay game.... This rivalry is gettting heated and need it to be on paper this week, so fans can come out the following week... We have to mention how this is going to be a big game, and the beginning of a new rivalry.. I want to see more people than ever in that stadium and all South Florida fans.. We have to rep our team, this is going to be a game that any casual soccer fan will watch, its a classico!! I want everybody to email these writers and tell them how important it is for us South florida fans to rep this rivalry and match for May 1st, how they are talkin smack, and direspecting south florida.... Lets get it done we have two weeks, as a Miami fan i dont want to half ass this, we all have to email these writers... Chk1 im on your side, when i see you fustrated with the team, well this is our chance to get Maimi FC on the map... they need to know this is the team that will becom ethe strikers... Lets get it done, Im mad tired of these tampa fools, and if you saw the pst i put that scared them away, then you can see how soft they are!! Peiter, Julio, Ed, Antique, corey bro's, all the ultras, all the maimi fans, striker fans, legion, lets write to these guys... If only one person does it they wont do it, its has to be in the masses... lets get it done... Here are the emails of the writers for Miami Herald and I dont know for sun sentinel but i know its jeff rusnack, i would like to also post here the writer for the Palm Beach post as well... Come on guys lets get it... MIAMI FC TU PAPA!!! ADAM H. BEASLEY abeasley@MiamiHerald.com MICHELLE KAUFMAN mkaufman@MiamiHerald.com Jeff Rusnak Whoever has his E-mail
I will get the sports writer for the Palm Beach Post. I will write all these guys and talk about this CLASSICO/rivalry that has developed and there hasn't even been a game yet! Tell them that there is a professional socer team in South Florida called Miami FC Blues in the new NASL/USSF D2, and that if we get enough support in South Florida there very well be a MLS team someday soon! I will send the same to all the other sports writers that you listed. Maybe one of them atleast will write something worth while and in support of Miami FC and soccer in South Florida.
Here is the Executive Sports editor of the Palm Beach Post: [FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]Nick Moschella nick_moschella@pbpost.com I will be writing him along with the others listed. I will post a copy of the letter/ emailI write. If THEY(TRAFFIC) won't, WE WLL! VAMOS MIAMI FC! [/SIZE][/FONT]
Question: Do you think it's that Traffic hasn't tried to contact the newspapers or that the newspapers simply don't care about a minor league soccer team?
A little of both probably. Since I seriously started following MFC(discovered they existed) in late 07/early 08, the Sun-Sentinel has eliminated the "Soccer" section of it's sports page on the web, and the weekly soccer columns by Jeff Rusnak are now gone from print almost entirely and buried on the web, if published at all. The Miami Herald went from slim to nil coverage to decent on the web when the FCB bid for MLS happened, but that has since tailed off and the majority of their soccer coverage has been posting AP articles about Euro soccer and MLS. They throw us a blog post here and there but no serious game recaps or anything like that. We're not talking ads here, just simple reporting on the team would be nice. That shouldn't be the responsibility of the team IMO. Yes, interest in the team drives what gets published, but what gets published drives interest in the team. It's a two-way street.
IM sure they haven't... They like to do everything either half asses or not at all... I did ask them to wear there light blue Uni on opening day and they did not, some fans here would have liked that very much and yet they didnt do it... Believe me when I say they really dont care to much about marketing, they depend on the ultras for advertising...
I'm not talking about marketing, I'm just asking about getting the scores/stories in the newspapers. You can send out as many press releases as you want, but if the newspaper doesn't care, you can't do anything. When Cleveland was in USL2 we never got really any coverage in the media. I could get us some air on the Fox affiliate because I worked at the station. If the media don't care about you, you can't do much to change their minds.
I disagree. What a club CAN do is print their matchday program. In it they can reach many of their fans - in doing so they can call out the local media by name - channel and publication. It is amazing what the power of print has. In addition, online campaigns can bring to light the ignorance of the local media. I would suggest starting out amicably, but if there is no response - turn up the heat. The Constitution of the United States allows any citizen to write in private AND in public as long as they do not lible or slander (use provable mistruth). Launch your own campaign - you would be surprised how turning up the heat - use photos of the ignorant sports casters - call out politicians before election time and make your opinion known. Make sure you get your fact in order - use their own ignorance against them - challenge them. Fight for your freedom and your interests. It is YOUR team, it is YOUR city. E Pluribus Unam !
Here is the email I wrote to the Palm Beach post sports editor, Mr. Moschella. I will email this same letter to the other emails listed previously. Interesting, let's see what happens. I am a fan of the Miami FC Blues(www.miamifc.com) who play in the new Division 2 North American Soccer League(www.NASL.com) under agreement with the United States Soccer Federation(www.ussf.com). I know that soccer isn't a very important sport in South Florida with the Marlins, Panthers, Dolphins, Heat and UM dominating the sports scene. However, there is a big population of soccer enthusiasts that support Miami FC and the possibility of a MLS team returning to South Florida. Miami FC even has a enthusiastic, active and dedicated supporters club, The Miami Ultras (www.miamisoccerfan.com). We the soccer fans of South Florida strongly believe that if we can get enough enthusiastic support along with a substantial fan base for Miami FC, that there will be a MLS team in South Florida once again!! The current management company of Miami FC Blues is Traffic Sports(www.trafficsports.com). Traffic Sports have put together a good team this year, that so far is undefeated against some of the best teams in the USSF 2nd Division. The unfortunate reality is that Traffic Sports does no marketing or advertising of their product, Miami FC Blues, besides on the Miami FC website. There are a lot of soccer fans that know about Miami FC and support them as much as possible, there are even more soccer fans in South Florida that don't know about Miami FC. I, along with other Miami FC fans truely believe that if your newspaper puts the scores and standings and a little sentence or two about the last Miami FC game along with the next scheduled game on a continuous weekly basis, in the Sunday edition. This small task by your newspaper would enable Miami FC to get noticed more, which in turn would get more people interested in Miami FC Blues and soccer in South Florida. Publicity of this nature as small as it would be could grow the enthusiastic support and fan base for Miami FC and soccer in South Florida, enabling South Florida to once again attain a MLS team. So as a Miami FC fan, I am asking if it would be possible for your newspaper to post the scores, USSF D2 standings, a small sentence or two about the last Miami FC game along with the time, location and opponent of the next game on a continual weekly basis in the sports section of your Sunday edition. The next home game is May 1st, 7:30PM at Lockhart Stadium. Miami FC Blues play against FC Tampa Bay Rowdies. This is a classic 'classico', a huge state rivalry so far! and there hasn't even been a game played between the two teams. This is FC Tampa Bay Rowdies first year in the D2 USSF. Thank you for your time and consideration regards, CKH1 - A Fan of the beautiful game and Miami FC VAMOS MIAMI FC!
ckh1 - while I applaud your enthusiasm, I have to admonish you for your tone. Firstly, soccer IS important to not only south Florida, but state wide as well as the nation. NEVER put down the sport your support. NEVER assume that other sports or activities are more important than the one for which you are passionate. Secondly, you must be sure to acknowledge the crux of the problem. Although Miami FC may not be, Soccer or Futbol is bigger than the Marlins, the Dolphins or the Heat put together. What Traffic sport has failed to do is capitalize on this fact. I know first hand that Miami FC's public relations are sadly dismal and lacking any knowledge of how to market in America. A letter to them has a better chance of being heard. If not, then let them fade away. However, as a member of the Ultras supporters group, you can make a statement by not attending a match or protesting during one with banners, chants and newsletters. As for your letter, I am afraid it will fall on deaf ears. What purpose does the local media have to cover matches that have fewer than 200 people ? (remember - all games are now live on the internate - so there is no bluffing here) A solution: You have to make it an event. You make it happen. Remember, one hundered people at a soccer match is NOT news, but 100 people at the steps of town hall IS news. 100 people during the evening is hardly noticed - but 100 people at rush hour is bound to be seen. Be smart -be proud. I salute you - as a fan of the game. POWER TO THE PEOPLE'S SPORT. Viva la futbol !
I agree with you. Why not try a letter to them from the Ultras? Perhaps it will fall on def ears, perhaps I will get a response, whether it is favorable or not, we will see. But atleast I tried as a fan of football/futbol/soccer in South Florida and made MY voice and opinion heard. The more voices and positive opions for soccer in South Florida the better! So whatelse are WE Ultras doing? Every little bit can help.
Just another critique of your letter. I would try to watch out how you phrase some of the stuff. What you're asking them to do is give the team free advertising. You're not asking them to cover the team because they should (and they really should cover the team), but to cover the team so it can get more fans.
If MFC/Traffic isn't going to market the team then I guess we have to. I've made up a flyer for the May 1st Rowdies game(and will probably make one for every home game from now on). The Ultras are going to physically and digitally distribute, but I'll post the jpeg here so anyone from So. Fla. who visits BS can grab it and send it out in emails or on facebook etc. Just click on the image and then click it again in the pop up to get the full size version. It's sized to print doubled up on a 8.5" x 11" sheet, so if anyone wants to go nuts and actually print some go for it.
you want marketing, here is my 2 cents: 1. Change the name to Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 2. Get rid of the pro-latin aspect, I think it alienates a lot of fans in Ft. Lauderdale. 3. Strikers. Strikers. Strikers.... the only way the re-invent soccer in South Florida.
I agree with everything but number 2. Ft. Lauderdale isn't much less "Latin" then Miami is. Heck just a few miles east of Lockhart in Pompano Beach is one of the biggest Brazilian communities in the US. If you don't play up the Hispanic market you're leaving out those fans. Granted, they have been hesitant to embrace the domestic US game here, but to ignore them entirely would be very foolish. I think you call the team the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers because that's a history you can build on. It's not a "traditional" soccer name, but it's been supported in the past and if the team lasts long enough and is successful, the Latins will come around. I'm pretty confident that by season's end all Traffic will have to do is look north to you guys in Tampa to see how well bringing back an NASL name in all it's glory can work.
Miami FC looks a lot like Clearwater Galactics a team that has been heavily promoted by the Hispanic community, they once where going to build a 25,000 seat stadium, except the problem is they don't have enough fans and since the Rowdies are back have been silent, also the Scientology factor doesn't help the team a bit. http://www.galactics.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98&Itemid=152 If any team has a agenda of promoting one group of people it's wrong and that's what Miami FC has done, and you are right Hispanic fans living in FL support their native clubs and it will be hard to convert such fans, that's why Miami FC is failing and they have to look back at history. We already have a "nostalgic" league NASL all they have to do is look beyond the blinders. Miami: Hispanic population 65% White 11% Ft. Lauderdale: H. population 9.5% White 64% Tampa: H. population 16% White 64% http://www.hellofortlauderdale.com/Census.Cfm http://www.hellomiami.com/Census.Cfm
I also like how in that letter, which was terrible, his only concern is getting MLS back. MLS MLS MLS Way to go dumbass with basically shouting out you aren't interested in supporting a D2 team. Knowing how many of the lolultras wish for MLS and don't really want to support D2 soccer, its sickening to think that you have an outside shot at an MLS franchise if someone like Beckham wants to live out his days in S. Florida. Your city doesn't deserve it, your fans don't deserve it and you'll be just as embarrassing to MLS as you currently are to D2 soccer. If the Miami fans made a concerted effort to build up support for the team and made it clear they are there to support pro soccer regardless of what level it's played at, then cool. But so many Miami fans are so obviously only concerned with skipping right along to MLS. You don't even deserve the team you have. I honestly do hope that Traffic pulls out all the stops next year, because we in Tampa don't want our brand new rivalry to go away as soon as it appeared. But let's be honest, worry about supporting the pro soccer you have instead of crying over your spilled milk about the pro team you lost and dream of getting back again. Miami "fans" , as sad as ever.
Rusnak replied and said he was going to put a little something in this weekends newspaper. We'll see. Its something.... Thank you all so very much for the constructive critiques. Why don't you write a email to them, and see if you get a response. It is one thing to carry on and bullshit in here, which is completely worthless! It is another thing to actually try and make something happen out there! how many of you have actually emailed the newspapers? what can it hurt? They wil either disregard you, like they have been. Or actually get a response like I did. You'll get nothing from doing nothing. Atleast try and get something.
Very nice! Can you do this for every game? I printed this out and hung it a few places in my office and on campus. I need to get my employees to use the 5 season tickets I bought!
Yep I'm probably gonna do one for every game moving forward. If you go to miamiultras.com there is a link to a pdf version that's already set up to print two a page(plus it's a high res file, better printing results).
I put this on my blog and I'll be heading to the kendall soccer park to pass some of these out all week. I heard from miami fc that close to 300 Tampa fans are coming down. For the occasion Miami FC has new sponsors that will give us a major Tailgate with Free beer and vodka to welcome the Rowdies. btw if you haven't heard Miami FC has a practice game this Sunday April 25 when they play against local pro-am team Universitario de Uruguay at Tropical Park. Kick off is set for 4 p.m. This will be a great opportunity for all Fans to come out and see MFC for FREE.
Damn 300 Fannies coming down? Oh man that game is gonna be good im going to print some of those out and put them up around the city...
while I'd love it if there are 300 Tampa fans down there next week, I have to admit this sounds a bit hopeful. However, we can really only account for the Mob members and people from certain other organizations that we know have shown alot of interest in things like the bus trip, etc. At least one 50 seat bus is definitely full, and potentially a second will be needed by next weekend if the orders keep coming in for seats. How many people already in Miami that will come to support Tampa (which we know of a few already) and how many people drive down themselves is completely up in the air. I've spoken with several people at random events that say they plan to drive down and I'm sure they will be bringing family and friends. So we'll see. If I had to give a realistic guess though, I'd say 80 to 100. It isn't as if we are invading. Anything like 300 would be pretty ridiculous and make me extremely excited for our home opener.
Once again, nothing in The Palm Beach Post about NASL, MiamiFC. Just MLS, EPL and Bundesliga. Anything further south? We shall keep trying!