This isn't directly Aztex related, but it sure brought them to mind again for reasons I hope are obvious. Hopefully as obvious, more so the old Aztex than the new ones. Your Favorite Team Doesn't Give a Damn About You Something that fans of professional teams of all stripes should keep in mind?
It's a good point and definitely Aztex 1.0-related, imho. Though in our defense, I think there are some differences between the specifics of an NFL franchise and a D2 soccer club. It's easy to look back and scoff at fans, and think they let themselves get too invested for their own good. But I bet Chargers fans rarely raised a pregame glass at the table next to their team's owner (and his wife & various friends) week in and week out. And I doubt that the Chargers (or the Oilers, the Colts, the Browns, etc.) had fans volunteering to work most of the game-day roles at the stadium. Similar with chatting with the coaches and players at the bar after the game, knowing everyone in the front office on a first name basis, etc. etc. Also, and maybe this is delusion on our part (maybe even just on my part ), but I think there's a bigger role for fans in soccer. Again, maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought that's why we're called "supporters" instead of fans. It's a more active role, it's more participatory, more invested. That doesn't change the fact that any sports team is a business. It has to be sustainable, at least, or it can't continue. I won't get in to the Aztex 1.0 thing, whether that would have been sustainable in Austin, vs. whether it would get the club to MLS or whatever. I've been over that so long I barely remember it. </sarcasm> But here's my point. I take the lesson of that hilarious article this way: "my favorite team doesn't necessarily give a damn about me." I honestly believe that the smartest teams will be best served by giving a damn about us. It's in their interest to be loyal in return, to treat fans right. If nothing else at all, that's just good customer service in any business. Sometimes that's not easy, sometimes hard choices and sacrifices, have to be made. Perhaps it's like good environmental practices for a company: it's not always easy, but it's right, and it's best for all parties in the long term. Especially in soccer, and especially in lower divisions, both places where the visibility is higher and the team-to-fan relationships are closer, giving a damn about us is one of the best investments a club can make. All that said, I must admit: I'll always hold a little bit of my full fandom & commitment back now. Just because a team should be good that way, doesn't mean they will be.
Actually at this point I'd say it's Big Soccer that doesn't seem to give a damn about us. How about changing that logo guys? EDIT: I can personally guarantee at least one premium membership renewal on the day that the logo gets changed to the current one.