I wonder if the Kraft organization read this quote?

Here is the quote in Spanish, because they obviously don't understand plain English.

"Recuerdo esto con el jazz, también, él utilicé siempre conducirme
loco cuando la gente diría, ' usted tengo apoyar el jazz porque somos
afortunados tener un equipo de NBA así que la comunidad debe apoyar
al equipo. Ése no es cómo éste trabaja. La elasticidad mejor del
equipo la comunidad algo venir para. Tenemos que poner a un club que
gana en el campo, nosotros tenemos que tener estrellas, él tenemos
que obligar, la hospitalidad del juego tenemos que ser emocionantes,
él tenemos que ser un lugar de la diversión a ser -- tiene que ser
el lugar a ser."

 

Maybe they'll understand it better in Chinese...

"我记住这以爵士乐, 同样, 它总曾经驾驶我疯狂当人们会说, ' 您必须支持爵士乐因为我们是幸运的有NBA 队因此社区应该支持队。那不是怎么这运作。队更好的授予社区某事来为。我们必须把一个赢取的俱乐部放在领域上, 我们必须有星, 它必须是□制, 游戏娱乐必须是扣人心弦, 它必须是乐趣地方是-- 这必须是地方" -- Checketts (Desert News)

This is along the same lines as the theory when you see American travelers in another county, assuming that if they just say it a little bit louder, then maybe these damn foreigners will understand me

Cheers,

"Red"

 

Maybe it would sound better in Portuguese:

"Eu recordo este com o jazz, demasiado, ele usei-me sempre dirigir-me
louco quando os povos diriam, ' você have.got para suportar o jazz
porque nós somos afortunados ter uma equipe de NBA assim que a
comunidade deve suportar a equipe. Isso não é como este trabalha. A
elasticidade melhor da equipe a comunidade algo vir para. Nós temos
para pôr um clube ganhando sobre o campo, nós temos para ter
estrelas, ele temos compelir, o entertainment do jogo temos para ser
emocionantes, ele temos para ser um lugar do divertimento a ser -- tem
para ser o lugar a ser." -- Checketts (Notícia De Desert)

 

Frank, you are wasting your time. No one in Rev-land speaks Portuguese, since there just isn't enough of a fanbase in this area. But look on the bright side, starting next home game, they are going to start making stadium announcements in Swahili, just so they can reach out to an untapped market.

Tom

 

If you guys REALLY want to get their attention, maybe YELLING IT LOUD IN GERMAN would work?

"Ich erinnere an dieses mit dem Jazz auch. Es verwendete immer, mich verrückt, als Leute, sagen würden, 'Du muss den Jazz stützen, weil wir sind glücklich eine NBA Mannschaft zu haben. Also die Gemeinschaft sollte die Mannschaft stützen.' Das geht nichts! Die Mannschaft besser zur Gemeinschaft etwas für zu kommen geben. Wir müssen eine gewinnende Verein auf das Feld setzen, wir müssen Sterne haben, es müssen zwingen haben, die Spielunterhaltung müssen aufregend sein, es müssen ein Spaßplatz sein -- es muß DER Platz sein."
-- Checketts (Deseret News)

 

Re: Iway onderway ifway ethay Aftkray organizationway eadray isthay

"Iway ememberray isthay ithway ethay Azzjay, ootay, itway
alwaysway usedway otay ivedray emay azycray enwhay eoplepay
ouldway aysay, 'Ou'veyay otgay otay upportsay ethay Azzjay
ecausebay e'reway uckylay otay avehay anway ANBAY eamtay osay
ethay ommunitycay ouldshay upportsay ethay eamtay. At'sthay
otnay owhay isthay orksway. Ethay eamtay etterbay ivegay ethay
ommunitycay omethingsay otay omecay orfay. Eway avehay otay
utpay away inningway ubclay onway ethay ieldfay, eway avehay
otay avehay arsstay, itway ashay otay ebay ompellingcay, ethay
amegay entertainmentway ashay otay ebay excitingway, itway ashay
otay ebay away unfay aceplay otay ebay -- itway ashay otay ebay
ethay aceplay otay ebay."
-- Eckettschay (Eseretday Ewsnay)

 

If they haven't read the quote, I'll bet they've seen the numbers.
2+2=?

TEAM ATTENDANCE REPORT

HOME GAMES
DATES TOTAL AVERAGE
Chicago Fire 8 137,655 17,207
Colorado Rapids 8 137,921 17,240
Columbus Crew 7 105,022 15,003
Dallas Burn 7 60,878 8,697
D.C. United 8 148,499 18,562
Kansas City Wizards 8 133,235 16,654
Los Angeles Galaxy 10 228,180 22,818
MetroStars 8 145,945 18,243
New England Revolution 8 96,046 12,006
San Jose Earthquakes 7 75,163 10,738
MLS Totals 79 1,268,544 16,058

 

Why don't you give it a rest Frank.
Do you ever have anything to say about how we play in soccer match or are you just programed to bitch about management.
It's really getting OLD.
GIVE IT A REST WILL YOU

 

Not until I see that management is making a reasonable effort to properly promote and market this franchise, and save it from going the same route as the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the Miami Fusion.

As Jack Nicholson once said, "You can't handle the truth."

I guess you can't even handle actual MLS statistics that point out the obvious that you don't want to see.

Maybe you weren't around when this team actually drew healthy crowds on a regular basis, when there was a buzz about the team and a lot of interest throughout the soccer community that even filtered into the general sports populace.
If you remember those days and are willing to keep putting on a happy face and watch this franchise go down a similar path of the New England Tea Men, well that is up to you.

If it is getting so old, then why must you always respond?
Not that you ever offer contradictory evidence to support that management is actually doing something - anything - to put right what was once one of MLS's healthiest franchises, only that you don't like the criticism.
You have the option of using an ignore list. Why don't you use it just like you ignore the obvious trouble that this franchise finds itself in!

 

Thats the best thing I've ever seen you post. I didn'y know such a list/mechanism existed. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

It may be a subscriber only feature. It was for a while.

Click the name of the poster, than click view profile, and then click "add to ignore list" on that page.

Personally, I don't think Frank is nearly annoying enough to be on the ignore list though.

 

No, just a good way to ruin your day.

 

Doc, never mind that Big Frank comes across to you as a Cassandra. The days when MLS marketing efforts ulimately came down to making cultish statements about the obligation of fans to tolerate anything from poor performances on the field to front office cackhandedness in the name of "professional soccer" have pretty much ended... except by some moonlighters among the Patriots staff.

What has stopped those sorts of continuous-- not to mention arrogant-- apologias isn't, as they suppose, willful and organized "protests" among ingrate fans, but just total apathy. And not understanding that it's apathy, that there isn't much passion for or against the team and league, and certainly not for or against the way the team and league is run, is maybe the biggest miscomprehension of the many things that have gone wrong. Checketts has it 100% correct, which bodes well for the SLC team, and maybe having someone up the MLS heirarchy who tells it like it is instead of blaming fans will finally snuff out the last of that fatal line of thinking.

 

For me, the enitre trip down really sucks ..

1) Team sucks
2) Fans suck
3) Prices suck
4) Stadium sucks
5) everything sucks
6) Oh and thousands of empty seats suck

Any chance we can build a soccer specific stadium on the green line and charge $15 for an overloaded amount of midfield seats ? Like build an RFK like stadium in Brighton for 300 million.

OK I'm dreaming .. back to bed.

Beast_Ed

 

Not to burst Ol' Frankie Boy's bubble, but they [RKK and JK on down] are listening - even if they are firmly-entrenched in their Ivory Tower. Based on the convos I've had with a few there, they are concerned with what their "customers" are experiencing. After all, that's just good business.

[1] There's collective feeling that they might ease up on their Israeli-type of vigilance when it comes to their "guests." Yes, it's unreasonable to think that a spectator would be refused entrance if their pocketbook/purse/Tom Brady-style man purse is bigger than a No. 10 envelope - that's good news for Monty .

[2] You may be surprised to know this, but 2003, from a fiscal/bottom line standpoint, was the franchise's best-ever.

 

So, they made more money with fewer fans. Doesn't that fit right with what Frank's been saying?

Dan

 

Forgive the editing Dan but I picked out the meat from your statement to highlight yjem a bit.

In the long run, MLS will be a go or no go based on it's success as a business and it's very excouraging to hear that the Bottom Line for the Krafts has continued to improve. After all to have made some of the unpopular choices the've made without an improvement in the bottom line would have made no sense at all. It's encouraging to hear that they are "CONCERNED" about how the fans are experiencing their product. Good business says they will do something to improve our experience. O look forward to seeing what they do.

 

No, not in total and not exactly.

It's the same old rap. To me it seems as though his words often paint the picture that the Revs front office is filled with folks who have tails and short stubby horns (marketing and organizational staff) who report directly to Incubus (Craig), who, in turn, reports to L(o)ucifer (Imbriano) who reports to Satan (No, Sunil's more like one of the minions, a well-conpensated minion) and that the organization is in a complete and abject freefall, both on and off the field and, by extension, in the wallet.

As for me? I don't think so (at least not from the fiscal side)...

Could they better both on and off the pitch? Hell, yeah.

Do they know there's a problem? In my heart of hearts I'm convinced they do.

We all know what the problems are. Many of the issues that people discuss and talk about here and the same ones that the Patriots' fans have to put up with (Benito Mussolini would have loved having some of the guys who've worked security for the Patriots, ie Frank Mendes, etc). The difference is that the Patriots are proven winners and there's fannies filling every seat in every nook and cranny on any given Sunday, Monday, Thursday or Saturday.

The bottom line: Put a winner or championship-caliber side on the field.

Win and they'll show up and they'll gladly pony up whatever and will go away happy and sedate as sleeping babies.

 

Not to mention that 60K+ fans saw the Revs miss a championship by inches in 2002, but stayed away in droves in 2003.

 

"The problem is Dan, that the last two years have been the most succesful in the history of this franchise. And yet attendance continues to drop ..."

He's right Dan, but to a point - while the Revs have enjoyed their greates success over the last two seasons (relatively-speaking), attendance (observed or otherwise) is significantly down since the Revs lost MLS Cup 2002. Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel's back for some, but I think there are other reasons why fans have stayed away.

It's just hard to imagine that fans (old or new) would flock to the Revs should they win a championship. With respect to the Patriots, while I won't claim any great familiarity with their history, I don't believe they've been hurting for fans, even before their recent string of success under the Krafts.

Maybe we could pull some more fans back from the local ethic groups who may be soccer fans, but not Revolution supporters, but as has been shown throughout MLS, it's cultural identification that's more apt to bring the fans out, than winning.

I believe that the Krafts are listening, but the questions I have concern their motivations. Are they looking to reach a point of simple sustainability - a break even point where their interests are served, or do they generally want to see the Revolution succeed like the Patriots have, which may mean assuming a bit more risk, spending more money, hiring good people, etc.

I'm glad that a first step may be working to correct the "Israeli-type of vigilance" as Danzinho puts it, but that's only a part of cultivating a better relationship with supporters... they have to find a way to nurture and grow them as well. At this point, fans are simply being recycled - old ones being replaced with new ones. What they need to do is help foster a brand of identification that Sox fans feel for their team, Patriots fans feel for their team, and especially how Bruins fans feel about their team.

It will take a great deal of work, and will require an investment of time, money, and willingness to accept greater risk... but it can work.

The Magpie

 

Looks like 1994 was the big turning point for the Patriots. Coincidentally, that was the year that the Krafts bought the team. On February 26, one day after the sale became official, the team sold 5,968 season tickets.

http://www.kenn.com/sports/football/nfl/nfl_nep_attendance.html

Since then, it's just been a decade-long string of sellouts.

1993, the year that the team rebranded with the new logo and such was just a regular crappy attendance year for the Pats.

 

Re: I wonder how the Kraft organization is cooking their soccer books?

If the line that Danizinho has been fed is true, then we know where Enron's old accountants are now cooking the books.

So that explains the odor that eminates from Kraft Soccer Towers.

---------

Cutting back on everything will cut back on expenses.
Raising prices will eliminate some of the losses from the loss of customers.

But when actual attendance is in free fall, general interest is way down, and even the die hards that continue to come are no longer as enthralled by the experience as they once were, there is no possible way that anyone can think that those things are good for business.

But if, as Danizinho says, the real powers-that-be are beginning to notice the bleeding obvious, well, that is at least a start.

Let's see what they actually do about it?

Anyone prepared to hold their breath?

 

During any your "convos" with the Kraft folks, has there been any consideration given to lowering the price of attending a game? In particular, paying $15 to park is just ridiculously high IMHO. But more importantly, the tickets prices are also high when compared with the Revs real competition for the family sports entertainment dollar, minor league baseball (PawSox, Brockton Rox, Lowell Spinners). After taking 2 kids to the Freddie game and spending $110 for the evening ($85 on Ticketbastard tickets, $15 to park, and $10 on refreshments) to sit in a cavernous stadium with zero atmosphere after waiting 40 minutes at the Will Call window and missing most of the 1st half, I started seriously questioning the value that I was getting for paying "major league" dollars when compared to a PawSox game, where the same evening would have costed $34 ($24 tickets, $10 refreshment, free parking) to sit in lovely fan-friendly stadium with great atmosphere and watch pretty high quality baseball (Triple A is not the majors, but these guys can really play). I would guess that many families are doing similar calculations, and the Revs are losing out.