I happened to catch a bit of a recent MLS playoff game, and couldn't believe Commissioner Don Garber was interested in getting more fans and teams for the league. I dropped him an email to let him know what I think. To: dgarber@mlsnet.com Sent: 9/26/02 9:47 PM Subject: MORE TEAMS??? Mr. Garber, DID YOU ACTUALLY SAY THAT MLS NEEDS MORE TEAMS? I COULDN'T BELIEVE I HEARD YOU SAY THAT ON ESPN2 TONIGHT!!!! Just thought you'd like to know that you have greatly insulted the few Floridians that can still stomach seeing an MLS game. Ron Collins MUTINY FAN Clearwater, FL From: Garber, Don [mailto:don.garber@mlsnet.com] Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 11:06 PM To: 'Distance Matters ' Subject: RE: MORE TEAMS??? Ron - MLS needed more teams when we had teams in Florida. It's been the goal of the League since inception to be a 16-20 team League. Bottom line, we could not find an owner in Tampa. Though we got very close to finalizing a deal, the group that had exclusive rights in the stadium (Glazers) did not want to own the Mutiny at any cost. Even with preferential stadium rights, they looked at the 6 year history of the team and did not think they could make it work financially (even over a 5-10 year period). We were not able to find even one other potential investor over a 3 year period. There were many very passionate Mutiny and Fusion fans. But unfortunately, not enough to make the teams financially viable to the current or to to any potential future investors. Though my comments will likely not provide solice, we did everything possible to save the team and I do appreciate your continued interest in the League. Sincerely, Don Garber Commissioner Major League Soccer - - - - - - - To: dgarber@mlsnet.com 10.18.02 Mr. Garber, IT MAKES ME SICK to read your comment that you believe that MLS "did everything possible to save the team." Not once did MLS or Mutiny management even give our community a breakeven number for attendance!!! Tampa Bay and Miami are soccer-rabid regions that have produced significant attendance numbers that go back to the 70's. To blame our lack of attendance or ownership just illustrates your lack of competence and understanding. What other explanation could there be, especially considering the fact the MLS DIDN'T EVEN PUT TAMPA BAY AND MIAMI IN THE SAME CONFERENCE? I have read your self-congratulatory quotes in the press this week. It is a TRAVESTY for you to take credit for a "successful" year because you've seen a very slight attendance increase, and will break the MLS Cup attendance mark of 54,000. In fact, Gillette Stadium will not sell out even though the home team is one of the participants. By the way, is the game on Saturday or Sunday? Ron Collins www.mutinyfans.com
It sucks what happened. How about getting us a soccer venue in Ybor. I think that if someone steps forward with investment this will be great in the future, and maybe the teams demise will actually lead to something more positive in the end. Well I'm trying to find some hope!
Ron, I am an upset Fusion fan. However, I find your remarks to Mr. Garber rather conflictive and abrasive. The fact, that the guy bothered to write back to you should have made you at least a tad respectful even if you thought it was BS(which I do not entirely believe that is the case). Your reply to him certainly does not help your case. The Mutiny's problems may have been Garber's fault in some minor way, however if you want to point fingers I truly believe you barked down the wrong tree. You should have given that attitude to the Glazerss and to Doug Logan, though his signifigance has evaporated. Doug Logan is the one to blame for the grand majority of MLS past and current problems. His effect on the league is still lingering and probably continue for years to come, unfortunately. I'm not going to be a kiss-ass and say Garber is infalable, however, he has certainly has been a positive rather than the complete incompetent fool that Doug Logan was. If I were you I'd try to be a bit less abrasive and maybe a bit more political. Trust me if you ever have a glimer of hope to see the Mutiny ever again you should have Garber on your side. PS: Do you ever believe any of the other 4 major sport comissioners would have ever written back to you? Don deserved better from you. By the way, the Foxboro crowd a weak ago was pretty impressive... the attendence broke the old MLS championship record.
Also, While you diehard Mutiny fans certainly must be commended. You certainly can not throw all the blame on others. I am very sorry to tell you but it was also the lack of fans in NUMBERS that ultimatly finished off the Mutiny franchise. Now I know the Rowdies had great fans and even had a significant following while they and the NASL existed... however that success and following NEVER materialized in the Tampa Bay Mutiny. I specifically remember the Mutiny in MLS first and second years... they had some pretty respectable and attractive teams with a "younger" Carlos Valderama. Yet, that did not translate into more numbers in the stadium. In fact, I believe the Mutiny had the best regular season record that first year, yet was among the bottom 2 teams in attendence that year. With such a sad start in the turnstiles it certainly did not get better the following years... it got worse and the team itself also went downhill. The Fusion's story is rather opposite to the Mutiny. They sucked on the field and even worse administrativly throughout their first 3 years but their last year was their best on the field and showed a 50% improvement in attendence before MLS shut off the lights... a significantly worse injustice in my opinion. By the way, dispite the Fusion's problems that first year it was actually its best year in attendence with over 13,000 average I believe. I don't believe the Mutiny ever had an average attendence that high even with the better teams durring the early years. PS: If you can say there were teams that deserved to be contracted it certainly would include the Mutiny... the other one would be San Jose... after having worst attendence this year dispite it being the league champion, being one of the best teams this year and including probably the biggest US World Cup stars in Landon Donovan as its forward.
WRONG. Ultimately, it was your owner's lack of $$$ numbers that did in the Mutiny. Horowitz couldn't hang with the big boys of MLS, and decided to cut his losses. That made it all too easy for the wimps in NY to shut down shop in Tampa too.
Not to defend that rat, whoreman, but one of the reaons that he couldn't compete with the big boys is that MLS screwed him on the value of buying an empty franchise. Can you really believe, looking back, that he paid twenty million dollars for the right to start a team? Perhaps if he paid a reasonable sum of say five million, then he would have been more inclined to spend some promoting the team?
guinella box ... at least you got a response from GarberPinocchio. Some of us Fusion fans where not as "respected" The reasons behind the Contraction, where different..BUT the ultimate fault lies with Garber, mls, and mismanagement of the markets. Mutiny had no owner, low attendance, and expensive venue. MLS should of looked for a smaller venue that would of been easier to sell to a investor Fusion..totally different story..we had a great, and cheap stadium, 11,000 fans and growing, despite mismanagement. As much as we blamed Horrorwitz...MLS/Garber lies greed, blunders, and lack of knowledge killed the Fusion. The cost of the franchise, as Stuart noted, doomed Fusion from the start. MLS raped Horrorwitz the rat for 20 mil, for a 5 mil franchise, the Rat pours 15 mil more into Lockhart, and then it ends..no more help from MLS..GarberNFL new at soccer totally lost... Lets not forget one of the sticky points with Horrorwitz, was LOOSING MONEY AWAY FROM LOCKHART....San Jose, Dallas, Tampa, etc. he was putting no more money into the local market. MLS/GarberNFL, looked at the Fusion demise as a positive move to help put some quality in some of the other MLS sorry teams. MLS execs are a bunch of imbeciles, starting with Garber the liar...more blunders to follow. I wish no ill fate on MLS, just some BRAINS