We all hated to see gridiron lines at NSF in august and september so what do I see when I'm watching the hertha berlin game, yeah gridiron lines.
I could say the same thing about Barcelona, but we make the football team play at Mini Stadi, our reserve and youth team stadium.
Yep, I saw that match too, the grid lines were very faded, but you could still see them. Don't we have enough problems with our diplomacy to allow nfl to make things worse. geez.
NFL Europe, yeh I saw those lines too. NFL Europe is going nowhere. I went to the World Bowl in Scotland about 10 years or so ago. It was very strange to watch American Football played in a Scottish Rugby stadium. Want to talk about bad naming. The Scottish Claymores. NFL has as much chance of affecting soccer in Germany as MLS does of affecting NFL in America. Remember to look for the yellow soccer lines in NFL Stadiums in the fall!!
A former student of mine played the last couple of seasons for the Rhein Fire and told me the NFL Europe guys get a lot of support from a small but passionate crowd of Germans. The other Euro audiences (Scotland, England, Spain) were not as interested but the sport appeals to Germans. I doubt gridiron football will even approach MLS levels of interest simply because school age Germans don't play the sport like US kids play soccer. It'll survive in Germany as long as it is a heavily subsidized finishing school for the NFL.
The de-emphasis of the Fire in Bridgeview Stadium worries me. So far I see no Fire branding in the stadium whatsoever (save the 'days to opening day' construction incentive sign.) It seems to have declined precipitously since the groundbreaking ceremony on Nov 30 '04. That was an MLS event. In the past year the seats have lost the Fire branding, the logo has not appeared over the arch, the naming rights have not consummated, and the first major stadium event has become non-soccer. It seems something happened about a year ago which changed the relationship of the building to the Fire. What could that be? When autumn rolls around I am concerned that some level of Gridiron ball, probably playoff high school, will make a financial offer to the Village which will football line this field. We all know how incompatible soccer and gridiron are. Imposing graph paper on canvas ruins the view. The wear patterns caused by football degrade the playability of the field. Its not just linemen between the hash marks, all the players and their minions milling around the gridiron sidelines, on the soccer playing surface are destructive. Gridiron and soccer cannot be played on the same surface. Who, exactly, does the booking? AEG/Concerts West or Bridgeview? What ability does J. Guppy have to decline gridiron in Bridgeview and would he?
This is really a case of soccer influencing American football. The NFL Europe season began two weeks early this year to make way for the World Cup faster.
I've seen gridiron lines on the Estadio Tecnológico pitch. Monterrey Institute of Technology's American football team play there and share the ground with CF Monterrey. They do a very good job of fading the yard markings out for proper football matches.
Playing Devil's Advocate a bit (even though a fair amount you say is still true) :: - As far as branding; the Fire logo will be paved into the turning circle in front of the arch. it probably will be 'painted' on the Main Stand roof. On gamedays you'll see Fire branding everywhere. There are plenty of permanent installations that show who is the primary tenant; memorial brick walkway, Hall of Fame, club offices, locker room, etc. So saying there is 'none' is a bit harsh though I'd agree there is not enough large and permanent. - Can't argue the naming rights point - The first event at the stadium is technically still a Fire match -- 11 June. No matter what happens we are still the primary tenant and the place wouldn't exist without us. - The event that happened a year ago did happen but it's not what you suggest. It was the Village of Bridgeview buying out AEG and taking over full funding/control of the stadium. This has resulted in probably a lot more positives than negatives; we'd likely have dropped the roof, some of the brick, and the $2 million dollar field (at least) if AEG were doing the funding and cost-cutting. Though you can't deny PW's unjust firing was a factor at least in the way of having a lead person on the project stay in the Mayor's ear about these issues. Again, Devil's Advocate :: - The original guy pushing for bidding on IHSA playoff football and soccer to be played at Bridgeview was Peter Wilt. That bid lost to a rebid by Champaign. That said I would not be surprised to see an occasional am. football game take place at Bridgeview, high school or college. Nothing on the order of what they have at Pizza Hut Park, one or two a season max. And I'm reasonably sure (aside from concerts) the Fire has a veto power on sports events held on the field within a time frame similar to what the Bears had over us at Soldier Field. Just pointing some things out from a different perspective though I personally agree with your sentiment and feel there have been some disappointments.
And I've seen it at Pumas's stadium (in person) and at Azteca after the NFL plays their usual one game a season.
Why have veto power for sporting events and not for concerts? We've seen what concerts can do to other fields, and one of my favorite stories is the weed growing in center field at Anaheim Stadium after a concert in the late 70's. That's what I don't understand. I'm STILL of the belief that a concert can do as much damage as a football game. Now, I know I'm not a greenskeeper or a horticulture expert, but then again, neither are a lot of people on here who seem convinced that the field can handle it. I don't care if we have a $2 million field...Soldier Field allegedly had a high priced field, and how'd that work out for us? Have the concerts. But give the field more than 24 hours to recover.
I'm guessing that a lot has to do with the quality of the groundskeeping, or in the case of Soldier Field, the lack thereof.