http://www.suntimes.com/output/telander/cst-spt-rick12.html http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sports_story.asp?intID=37937120
Season too long? http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...corner,0,7839434.story?coll=cs-fire-headlines Fire coach, players up for awards http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...awards,1,2129703.story?coll=cs-fire-headlines Also, for anyone who is interested, Sir Alex Ferguson will be in town today promoting the upcoming tour http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...united,1,4496989.story?coll=cs-fire-headlines
Season too long? I don't think so. And attendance has been pretty good for the last few games of the season, so there is no real evidence that interest has waned because of it. Although I do agree that soccer is running up against some stiff competition right now because of football, basketball and to a lesser degree hockey, I think soccer should hold its own and keep the season this long. People are going to freeze? In late November, it will be chillier than normal, but the fans can handle it. I think soccer has done well to steer clear of the world series. Believe me, Chicago's team is getting some coverage now because they are winning, but there is no competition form baseball. Imagine if the Fire had their run during the baseball playoffs with the Cubs this year. Would we have even seen any articles in the major papers?
My response: Hi Rick, Thanks for your column on the Fire today. Jim Curtin is a fan favorite player with underground appeal. As a defender, he doesn't have the glamor of Damani Ralph, but his solid play and regular-guy attitude have endeared him to a lot of us fans. Check out his occasional columns on the http://www.chicago-fire.com/ site if you need a pick me up sometime. One little correction, although the Chicago Fire have been around for six seasons (since 1998), MLS has been around for eight seasons. Thanks again, Jeremy
I totally agree. I have seen articles all across the country saying the MLS season is too long, but playoff attendance (aside from the Colorado/KC) series has been solid. I guess the ultimate factor is MLS cup. If it sells out and the TV ratings are higher than last year, I'd call the season extension a success. I'd like to see some stats on how average playoff attendance has compared to last season, and I completely expect big crowds at NSF and SJ this weekend. I though the Playoffs were better covered nationally this year than in any previous year. I think what we see here is the American sports writer: 1. running out of ideas to jab at soccer with 2. trying to apply American sports rules/ideas to soccer. On #2 - This is the same mistake the league made when it began. Eventually it has moved to a more european game, season and playoff and has gained fans in the process. World soccer fans are used to a long season and American sporting status quo has proven not to work with MLS.
MLS falls off EVERYONE's radar screen (except us ) during the off-season. Why would they want to make that longer?
Good. Somebody challenge him by saying the Fire could kick his ass and maybe that game in NSF could be a friendly between ManU and the Fire.
I'll try, if I can figure out where the hell he's going to be. He's not going to be at Nike town. I just called them.
Is it me, or is there a Fire Bandwagon forming amongst the press of Chicago? 'Gee, Chicago has a championship team...oh, it's soccer...well, I guess something is better than nothing. And maybe if I write about them I will be a trendsetter...' It is possible that soccer coverage, in the world of the Chicago press, is a popular trend? Or are these guys just jumping on the fact that some team in Chicago is actually good?
I have the feeling that the word from the higher ups of the Chicago Press scene would like some positive news. The Fire are respected as an organization and it's a good story to tell. I also think that the 2 30K games at SF didn't hurt anything either. Bandwagon jumping it is, but I doubt it will last.
I didn't mean to sound like "Soccer coverage has arrived and is here to say," just that right now coverage of the Fire has extended beyond its usual lines and reporters and it was awful sudden. Come the offseason we won't hear from anyone other than the usuals and even they will only write once a month. That being said, I am glad to see the press picking up on such a great situation and a great team and gettin the news out to the people of Chicago.
About a month ago, if you remember, Telander wrote an article during the WWC where he wrote: "who watches men's soccer, anyway?" I sent him a response saying that I did, and suggested him doing a column about the Fire because they're the one Chicago sports team being run the right way. And here it is. Unfortunately, I think it's a coincidence since I don't think he ever saw my letter.
It is bandwagon jumping, but I'll take it. And it's kind of obvious why it's happening...two basic reasons. One, the team is winning. Two, the other Chicago teams aren't. You can only dissect the Bears and Bulls so much, the Hawks are for all intents and purposes dead in this town, and college football has given us nothing locally. Also don't overestimate the fact that the Bulls and Hawks were off yesterday and the Bears had their day off from practice, so there wasn't much to cover. Even Channel 5 was at practice yesterday. But, like I said, I'll take it.
We need to do our best to let these writers know that we appreciate and even more importantly, that there are many readers out there interested in this coverage. I passed along and email to Christopher Malcolm and he responded quite quickly and appreciated the notice. CCMalcolm@tribune.com A few years of positive feedback from our community (and increased coverage, of course) can nudge this thing into a new gear.
Gotta give Telander his props, but how can you have a general purpose article on the Fire without mentioning DaMarcus?
I definitely agree with most of what you say, but I would argue the Hawks situation. They are actually a pretty good story right now. Horrible front-office, but team is playing through the drama and doing quite well. Don't look now, but they are 2nd in the Central. However, this just strenghtens the belief that the Fire are indeed making real progress in regards to visibility. I would also dare to say that being back at NSF has provided some fuel for some of this press.
That's the Hawk's problem....nobody is looking. Their attendance numbers are plummeting fast, they are loosing money Hannover Fist (it's always a good day when you can work in a Heavy Metal reference), and the impending lockout will likely crush them. And I think most folks would attribute these problems at least as much to Wirtz's holy war against televising home games as anything else. I can almost see more redwings games here than I can see Blackhawk games.
Exactly. Send Telander an email of gratitude for his article. telander@suntimes.com The media are finally embracing a winner. Lets let them know we appreciate it and keep it up!!
Because, as good as DaMarcus is, he's just a part of the story of the success the team has had this season.
You need to sit on the sunny east side. My kids had to take their coats off. I'm chosing to interpret this article as a random act of interest (e.g. a positive thing).