Revolution Stadium groundbreaking "12-24 months" Part II

Discussion in 'New England Revolution' started by patfan1, Mar 23, 2011.

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  1. patfan1

    patfan1 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 19, 1999
    Nashua, NH
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I HAD to check her out just to confirm your fact ... and you're right. :D
     
  2. Kraft Out

    Kraft Out Member+

    Aug 2, 2010
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    if you want to marginalize the argument
     
  3. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I come to watch the soccer. If I'm the only one in the stadium and the REVs are playing great soccer I'm fine. Atmosphere is secondary. But...

    1. Atmosphere sure helps as noted from World Cup (US based and German Based), EPL, French Lique 1, Dutch games I've attended. There have even been a few REV games with great atmosphere, albeit way too few. Atmosphere helps ALOT.

    2. I have no direct stats to quote but I feel pretty strongly that many of the people in the stands at those World Cup matches, for instance, were there as much for the event and it's atmosphere as they were to see soccer.

    3. Who gets to define legit vs. non-legit. At least if you were in REV marketing you'd have to accept that reasons to come or stay away are not totally under your control. Some of them are totally out of your control. Some people will stay away because they don't feel there is enough atmosphere.

    4. Can you really tell me that if the Krafts issued a rule that the members of the Fort could no longer a)stand, b) sing/chant and c) Jump up and down or clap that there would be 0 attrition? I think that right there is people showing up for atmosphere.
     
  4. patfan1

    patfan1 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 19, 1999
    Nashua, NH
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My honest opinion ...

    I wasn't in the Fort to start off in Year 1 of MLS. I saw the people in the Fort having fun and joined them occasionally, till it became STH in the Fort in Year 2 and haven't moved since. Helping provide atmosphere for me is a big part of the game (explaining why I don't watch half the match in the first place). So yeah, if we couldn't do what we do, and I returned back to midfield ... I'd probably just say screw it and watch the games on TV.
     
    1 person likes this.
  5. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I, for one, would watch it on TV. Actually, more likely, I'd watch Liverpool on TV and take the summers off. For me, at least, atmosphere is everything
     
  6. revsrock

    revsrock Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    Boston Ma
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    All I am saying is that I find it hypocritical to whine and cry about attendance when people can't be bothered to show up. Tell your story once and be done with it, do not rehash it over and over again. Then also do not complain about 7,114 when you could not be bothered to show up.


    I am a huge Bruins fans and it would have been very hypocritical of me to complain about attendance a few years back when there were plenty of cheap tickets available. And I only went to about 12 games that year.
     
  7. RevsLiverpool

    RevsLiverpool Member+

    Nov 12, 2005
    Boston
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Second this. Atmosphere is 60/40 or 70/30 why I support the Revs in person.
     
  8. Kraft Out

    Kraft Out Member+

    Aug 2, 2010
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    It's not hypocritical to complain, because there are legit reasons why people don't want to invest time and money into a subpar product that is not easy to access.
     
  9. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Atmosphere is, at least, the reason why more-or-less everyone supports any club, team, or franchise from the stadium instead of their Living Rooms.
     
  10. Kraft Out

    Kraft Out Member+

    Aug 2, 2010
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    and when the atmosphere in a living-room/bar is equivalent to that at the stadium, then what is the point in driving 25-30 miles, wasting a couple extra hours, and spending more money?
     
  11. revsrock

    revsrock Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    Boston Ma
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes there are legit reason to not go to games. But to constantly come here and complain about only getting 7114 at a game just rubs me the wrong way.

    Just like I have not right to complain about the atmosphere in the Fort. Because due to personal medical reasons I can not actively participate in the Fort every game. So due to that I do not comment on Fort stuff.
     
  12. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Exactly!
     
  13. Kraft Out

    Kraft Out Member+

    Aug 2, 2010
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Well, that's a personal thing for you then.
     
    1 person likes this.
  14. Kraft Out

    Kraft Out Member+

    Aug 2, 2010
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Which, for me, is the case with this team.
     
  15. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sorry to disappoint but I'll probably continue to take pot shots at the attendance (assuming it doesn't magically start to grow).

    Primary reason - I think the attendance is an indicator of the teams financial health. Many disagree with that but I think there are limits to what they can do without better income and I additionally feel there is a limit to how long Bob Kraft will keep them afloat out of his personal fortune. Does lack of bodies in seats or lack of atmosphere carry over to the TV ratings? To advertising income? It's been exhaustively debated on these boards with no firm conclusion. So, I'll stick to my "beliefs."

    Secondary reason - Atmosphere as a way to make my personal experience more fun.

    Tertiary Reason - As has been pointed out some of us just have to complain.
     
    1 person likes this.
  16. revsrock

    revsrock Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    Boston Ma
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And I will continue to think if you can't bother to show up for games and take pot shots at attendance. Then you are hypocritical.
     
  17. Kraft Out

    Kraft Out Member+

    Aug 2, 2010
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Then I will continue to think that you are a sucker for giving them your money for a bad product.
     
  18. revsrock

    revsrock Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    Boston Ma
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I did for the Bruins for years. And that has turned around. Did for the Pats and that turned around.
     
  19. Minutemanii

    Minutemanii Member+

    Dec 29, 2005
    Abington MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My ST's work out to just over 10 bucks a game. Parking is free. I enjoy the games immensely. I do not feel like a sucker at all.

    Believe me, too much losing for too many years will definitely get Kraft's attention way more than whether I go or not.
     
  20. rkane1226

    rkane1226 Member+

    Apr 9, 2000
    Club:
    Stade Brestois 29
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Feel free.

    I'll let you know when I stop showing up for games.
     
  21. joegrav

    joegrav Member+

    Jun 9, 2006
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Nobody is a better fan or better type of fan than someone else just because they go/don't go to games. Maybe the investment of the day and money is worth it to you, maybe it's not. That's a personal preference.

    I will say that I have no qualms complaining about the lack of attendance and atmosphere even though I haven't gone to many games over the past 2 years, because even when there's 18,000 people in Gillette the atmosphere still sucks.

    I actually do plan on attending every game this year once Bruins season ends, though - so hopefully not for another few weeks :). I've been fully convinced by the Benny and Lekic moves (plus the sponsorship) that the Revs at least *care* about winning, whether they actually start winning a lot of games or not. That's all it took for me to get excited again... a few decent players and a modicum of effort. For others, they may be waiting on a DP or a stadium.

    Of course every Revs home game since the Benny signing has coincided with a Bruins playoff game, and my friends on BigSoccer who know me in real life know that hockey is my first sports love.
     
  22. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    However, some people are better and worse fans based on where their real alliagances lie. :D
    Hockey? Isn't that the game that girls play with the curved-ass sticks and the skirts and the ugly facemasks. Yeah, I hope that Blades wins you a Stanley Bowl or whatever.
     
  23. joegrav

    joegrav Member+

    Jun 9, 2006
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Once I've spread rep around enough, I am neg repping you, not because I'm bothered by what you said, but because it was really un-funny. :p

    Really though, if there are people who don't think that the nosedive in the quality of the product & atmosphere, combined with the stadium's inaccessibility, the emergence of high-def TV, and the increasing number of amazing soccer crowds and stadiums popping up around North America happening simultaneously isn't a legitimate reason for some people to stay home if they so choose, you cross over into the blind loyalist camp. (I'm not saying you're a blind loyalist if you go to games, only if you don't see why some people wouldn't.)

    I happen to think it's no coincidence that attendance dipped to crisis levels and the Revs finally got their heads out of their @$$ and started to sign some actual professional players.
     
    1 person likes this.
  24. rkupp

    rkupp Member+

    Jan 3, 2001
    If they don't do something about their crappy team, yes, I think they'll wear out their fans enthusiasm, sooner or later.

    One of the reasons I believe the "new team bump" is so significant is because a few years back , everyone was saying SSS was the holy grail. And, a few years later, we've seen plenty of fairly empty SSS's. Now, urban stadium is the new grail. Okay, but I'm not %100 sold. Better in the urban center than not, for sure, but I'm not totally sure it's the win-win-win than some people seem to think it is.

    Nice exaggeration BTW.
    LA and NJ are totally surrounded by "densely populated areas" - there isn't anywhere else to play - and yet, they are both in "suburbs", a similar distance from the urban core that Foxboro is.

    And, it's pretty likely that the RB's improved attendance is more a function of 1) a new stadium, 2) free-spending ownership that is piling on big-name DPs, and 3) playing quality soccer and actually winning (which is a big deal for a perennial loser). Being in a "densely populated area" is no higher than the 4th factor IMO.
    Excuse? Who is talking about excuses?
    I'm sure it is for a lot of people, but for me the game itself is the thing.
     
    1 person likes this.
  25. joegrav

    joegrav Member+

    Jun 9, 2006
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Look. You spin a lot but you make some decent points. But don't be stupid, because I know you're not stupid.

    RBNY's stadium is transit accessible from NYC. Also the area it's in is a LOT more densely populated than Foxboro is. It's right across the river from the major cities of Newark and Jersey City and is about a 15 mile drive from Central Park.

    LA is different from Boston or New York because it's a 'freeway culture,' nobody uses transit and "urban cores" aren't as important. But even then, you're wrong; Carson is 13 miles from downtown LA, and there are some decent population cores nearby (including Long Beach).

    At this point in MLS history there is a preponderance of evidence that a combination of dedicated ownership, treating the game seriously, and a new stadium in an urban setting is the way to bring in big crowds. That can't really be denied. Seattle is the only real exception because they don't have their own stadium, but they're right downtown and take dedicated ownership to the extreme.
     
    1 person likes this.

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