Yeah, I just feel so sorry for a company that rakes in billions of dollars annually. Poor poor people.
What he meant to say is that he feels sorry for the 8 year old Taiwanese girls who are going to have to work OT to get the new jerseys sewn in time.
I almost went for that in my response, but didn't for whatever reason. I'm glad someone latched on though.
Overall I think this is a good thing. Metrostars was astupid name. The only negative is that my "Throw The Metros Down The Well" scarf is now obsolete. Oh, and I hope this deosn't backfire. I see Red Bull sales in DC taking a dip.
I dislike the name. But, it doesn't surprise me at all here in the states or anywhere I quess, an american did buy ManU. I think it should be frowned upon by all american sports fans to prevent a trend of this here. If we can't look to NewYorkers to give the finger to such careless corporate branding, who can we look to? The money is great for the league. The investors are great for the league. NY now has a owner that can push to get coverage of it's team and MLS in the media outlets it buys adds with. It has the power to put some team referance on the Red Bull product that is seen everywhere. It's getting a SSS! As for adidas we should all be picking up something to show some support for a company that has showed support for MLS. It is only our collective consumer power that makes any diffrence anymore, only when the corportations see thier changes as bad for the bottom line will they listen.
The funniest part of the whole situation - Metrostars itself was a corporate name. The most corporate name in American team sports. The Mighty Ducks is slightly more obtuse, the Connecticut Sun (WNBA) at least a little more subtle. When the Grizzlies were moved to Memphis, they were almost renamed the Express (for FedEx). It's not ideal, but it's also no tragedy. As a Metrostars fan for as long as there were Metrostars, I'm pretty comfortable seeing the crappy old name go in favor of the crappy new name. At least Red Bull is doing something for the team.
The sale of Metrostars to Red Bull is fantastic news for the club and for Major League Soccer! This level of commitment is unprecedented. And it is exactly what MLS needs to get to the next level. The timing could not have been better. Not only does the league gain another investor/operator with experience in European football. But the additional investment that Red Bull has made in purchasing a 50% share in the new stadium in Harrison, as well as purchasing the naming rights, should insure that the project keeps moving forward. Which is absolutely critical to the overall growth and success of the league. I realize that a lot of Metro supporters don't like the name. And I can't say that I would like the change any better if it were my club. But this level of investment in our league can't be taken lightly. And at this point MLS does not enjoy a guaranteed existance. So for the good of top flight soccer in the USA we need to embrace this change. Official Club name: Red Bull New York Nickname: The Red Bulls Learn it, love it, live it!
It is good to see new investors, especially those with soccer experience, coming to MLS. It appears there is potential in this country. As far as the corporate name, I think it was only a matter of time before this occured. I am very surprised that other leagues haven't gone to corporate logos on their uniforms. This may be professional sports putting their foot in the water to see if American fans are warm to the idea.
I think having a large corporate sponsor will help the club overall. Plus it's better to break the MLS up into individual ownership and move AEG out as much as possible. Look at what they did to the Quakes. That became quite a mess. I think it was a good decision.
There's another corporate hold on the league that needs to be reconsidered. Adidas now has the whole thing. Puma and Nike are shut out. I like Adidas but still the teams should be allowed to work out their own sponsorship deals.
I voted 1 only because Red Bull invested in the MLS, otherwise it's a zero. Yeah MetroStars was a corporate name but at least it wasn't so blatantly corporate. I even kinda liked the old jerseys minus the MetroStars across the front. They reminded me of Milan. Red Bull NY is pure and utter trash. I hope that name dies a thousand horrible deaths, each worse than the previous one. I am not going to a game and start chanting for a sports drink that I'll probably never drink, for a company that has little to do with the NY area other than some New Yorkers drink that stuff. I'll still support the MLS, I'm just going to ignore Red Bull NY. I may have been a little kid when they were still in existence but, where have you gone NY Cosmos...
I don't like the name at all and the jerseys are going to be terrible. They should have kept the Metros colors and just used the Red Bull logo. Imagine what Djorkaeff is thinking about now..... My sympathy for all Metro fans
I vote 1. The $ are the only thing keeping it from being a 0. I hate what RB did in Salzburg and I hate it now that they are doing it in my former backyard. I look forward to the day when they start kicking out people who wear their old Metro jerseys/scarves.... I'm just not cynical enough to be happy to see what little "purity" (for lack of a better word) remained in sports tossed aside. I'd rather have taken 1/4 the money and kept the name. Oh well I never drank RB anyway so it's not hard to keep skipping it now, and I'll save the cash to road trip to DC, Clb or Chi instead of Harrison.
New and uncharted territory always will make people nervous. I disagree with naming teams after products and corporations, but recognize the "business" side of things. If a corporation buys an MSL team, they are investing in the future of the MSL as well as the team. Perhaps, as a result of this change, we will see more interest in US soccer from those with big money. Big money means better promotions, higher salary cap (better players) and (possibly) a better experience for fans. Following this line of thinking leads to a stronger MSL. The MSL needs all the help it can get as prime US networks refuse to even recognize the "beautiful game".
i think it's great, the new uniforms resemble the European style ones with jus the red bull advertisement on them. Plus the new soccer stadium they'll be playing @ in NJ.... and yeah i said it, an actual soccer purposed stadium, this has to mean good things for the league. i can't wait for the new season to start and to see new york in action, even though i'm still rooting for the revs to win the cup this year.
My advice to those hating the name why not refer to it as RBNY. I hated Real Salt Lake, but RSL I like. Hell RBNY could be the new hip logo. Kinda like DKNY. Only with soccer.
Then we can allow our school names to be purchased. No more boring Wahington or Jackson highs. Now we get Target and Nike High who have much cooler marketing plans than those stuffy Dead Prez. Speaking of, why not pipe that great channel one into our stadiums pregame? You have a captive audience! The future is looking bright. ...drunk post disclaimer...
There are other people named after companies, but the fact is that none of them have been this blatantly obvious. They could name then the New York Bulls or something like that, but as far as I'm concerned, they might as well be Macdonalds New York. Feel free to put your logo wherever you want it, name everything else after red bull, but a team's name is a team's name, and it should stay that way. Isn't that right Houston?
In the short history of MLS soccer, it is better to expect change....rather than expecting status quo..... The weather in the sky over MLS is changing fast..... so why not keep the flame of love of soccer weather-proof ?
I was upset at first, but i realized its okay because i'll still refer to them as the metrostars...no big deal. Its sort've like if they rename a highway, you'll still refer to it by its old name and most people will understand. ie. Interboro renamed the jackie robinson.