I just read this and rolled my eyes. It reads like bad propaganda - shaking my head. I honestly get the impression that he doesn't know a damn thing about the business side of sport. I'm talking any sport not just the beautiful game. Well, he got pub from Crain's so that's a feather in his hat. Comment from article- "...We're Chicago's sixth major league team..." what a dumb ass comment. Ici le link- Click here A+, Fonsos
I think you missed in your post why is it a dumb ass comment. What you quoted is factually true and is a realization of where the Fire land on the Chicago sports landscape. At least he thinks the Fire are above the WNBA, WPS, and MLL (do they still exist?) teams. If we the Fire the sixth major league team, does that mean the Fire are above or below the Wolves? His full statement, "We're Chicago's sixth major league team. We need to firmly entrench ourselves in that class." is a dumb ass (albeit, realistic) comment. We have nowhere to go but up. We are probably never going to be seventh or below. He should say, "Based on attendance (or percentage of a full stadium, revenue, etc.), we are Chicago's sixth major league team. We want to be number __ (4?, can't surpass the Bears, Cubs or Sox) within 2 years and here is how we are going to do it." He needs to show some ambition and not to "firmly entrench" the Fire's position as sixth. That is easy, since there is little room to drop further. I agree with the rest of your post. Although, reading the article, I would add that he doesn't seem to know a damn thing about the sport, period. And, I am talking about the beautiful game.
I think it *really* takes a lot to get PW so angry he walks out of a meeting or conversation. Greeley found a way to do that a few years ago. I have a feeling he repeated his "the Fire are 6th place" thing, but that time, he meant it as an insult. Guys is collecting a check. Show him the door, and fight any severance package in the courts, citing willful malfeasance.
Not that he'll have the common sense to follow the comments on this article, but I left my question: If the european following fan is part of your target market, why was there no presence at the Globe/Fado's for any of the recent CL games?
Oops, it would have helped had I expanded on my comment. It came off sounding like the mayor would after talking about Latvia culture or something. Plain ol lip service. Saying we're the 6th major league team just sounded so much like the kid brother saying "...look at me, look at me, I'm here...". It makes me ask what value he places on the product he represents. It just sounded Generic. Sadly, based on actual attendance for sporting events in the area we're very very low. I think the NASCAR event at Joliet is somewhere around 5th since they can get in over 100K for the event. Now no one's telling me there are more NASCAR fans in this area than soccer. I'm not knocking NASCAR, hell MLS should wise up and hire marketing people from it to become better. They get it. When you can sell out NASCAR in the northeast part of the country, you're damn good and hot Shi.. and someone should have enough sense to try and poach ya.
So his plan consists of sponging the crumbs of attention leftover from the World Cup and the Olympic bid? The MF'er couldn't even use local geography to dispel location misperceptions. He said "We're at I-294 and I-55", which they aren't, and if you don't commute past there it sounds it sounds far off. The question was about the distance from the city. The correct answer was "Were at 71st and Harlem" followed by "there is a shuttle from the Orange Line at Midway."
Yep, there were a couple of things that jumped out at me, but that last answer was by far the worst on many levels. The question was one of those condescending "soccer is kick ball" questions. So, his response is that we are the 6th major league team and hopefully with the WC and olympics we will grow. Garber came from an NFL background but if he were asked that he would be all over it. First, dismissing the "kick ball" notion by saying that it is a game of power, skill and speed that is the most popular around the globe for a reason. THEN you can note that it is "our job" to raise that awareness. As to the "6th" team comment -- he should avoid those games at all costs. He should note that we are THE major league representative of the most popular sport in the world right here in Chicago. If he needs to do any comparisons at all, he should note that we have a great new venue comparable in size to the UC and that in just 10 years, we draw similar crowds to the Bulls and Blackhawks. Second -- the phrase "71st and Harlem" should be burned on the minds of all Fire staff, especially the top guy. When I was a city dweller, "I-294 at I-55" was Swedish for "Close to Iowa." They should play up the address and the fact that we are a short shuttle ride from the Midway orange station. Finally, the admission that we need to seriously work on our brand kind of shoots down the idea that we don't need billboards that was being debated in the other thread. I don't think AEG ever put enough into building the brand, and now it seems that we do very little.
In honor of Diamond Dave Greeley, I think Section 8 should lead a special shout out on May 31 against Dallas: "Who's the 6th? FIRE! Who? FIRE! Who? FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"
I would gladly purchase 2 full season premier season tickets from the Fire...as soon as I see the official press release stating that Greeley has been let go. It amazes me that this idiot can find his way to Toyota Park a few times a week, to not get any work done. Seriously...show me the press release and stand by the phones.
I liked when he said: "We feature athletes that are on par or better than any athletes in North America." BTW, why are there no signs once you're off I-55 pointing you to Toyota Park? There's that split between Archer Avenue North and Archer Avenue South that could use a sign.
I skimmed this earlier and printed out for a thorough reading later. The more I read it and reflect, the more I want this guy gone. It's crap from start to finish. Wrong headed, ignorant, embarrassing crap, every response. I can't believe Hauptman hired him.
This didn't happen.. did it? he does sound like a bit of a dunce, but most business men sound that way to me. i mean.. mother f'ing bud selig man. bud selig.
At least Guppy understood the game and had a background in it. And that is about the pleasant thing I can say about Guppy, but it is better than Greeley.
Just to play devil's advocate for a second, I don't think he meant sixth as in sixth-place, just that there are six major teams (Cubs, Sox, Bulls, Bears, Hawks, Fire) and that we are the newest kids on the block. That said, it was a terrible way to phrase it, not to mention that the Fire should be doing their own marketing, not piggybacking off of events like the WC or Olympics. I still have this magnet that I got in the mail from the Fire back in 2004 or so. It's simple, it mentions 71st and Harlem, and it is clearly an ad for the Chicago Fire soccer team. But instead of running with that and making it into a billboard, they emphasized "Bridgeview", which, like the article said, doesn't ring a bell with most people. I hate to play "armchair marketeer", but simple things like that could promote the Fire and Toyota Park much more than they're doing right now. Does that two hours factor in the time it often takes to get out of the parking lot? After going through that, the last thing people may be thinking about is coming back.
Perhaps. But it certainly comes off as if he is presenting it as a ranking of sorts. The thing is, he wasn't asked to rank the teams BUT his immediate response should always, always, always be that we have the best product in Chicago. The best fan experience, the best fan value, the most exciting game in town. He needs to be the Fire's biggest cheerleader and instead in this give and take, he almost came off as an apologist.
He ranked it. He can't sell it cuz he doesn't believe in it. He can't help it, it's how he has been thinking for years. He's not a soccer guy and he can't be the team's biggest advocate. He's a suit and a desk, no heart, no Fire.
Ok, you don't expect the guy to flat out lie do you? Lets be honest, the fire IS the 6th team in Chicago, and here's the thing: it isn't even close for 5th. There are 5 major teams in this city, and the Fire is the "biggest of the rest". That's the facts. You can say that soccer is more interesting, fun to watch than any of the other 5 teams products: I'd agree with that. But trying to talk as if we compete in any way with the other 5 teams in chicago isn't accurate. The Fire isn't even a blimp on their radar. Cubs draw more in 1 game than we have all year, and they have more fans than all MLS and USL teams put together. So, yes I want the Fire to grow and be considered a serious team, selling out TP every game, but we are no where near that. Most people in Chicago don't even know who the Fire are. Thats just reality.