I am making this a new thread because the other has become so cluttered, and this hasnt been really talked about there. Even if the Burn return to the Cotton Bowl in 2003, they WILL have to play several matches at a local highschool late in the season anyway. The new MLS schedule and the Texas State Fair are going to collide in Sept, and Oct. Your Burn are going to end up 2nd, 3rd or 4th on the priority list... The playoff stretch will be played at a highschool in the DFW area anyway. Many do not know this, but if last season the Burn had defeated Colorado, one or two of their next playoff games would have been at a highschool. Yup. The dates for those games clashed with the Cotton Bowl hosting football matches. So keep that in mind.
Ok, that just confused me a bit. Other than the Texas/OU game, what other games are going to be played there?
There are several events that are held in the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair.. Not only TX-OU, which the preparations for that game alone close the Bowl for more than a week. Then there is the "Classic" game between two small colleges, there is the annual high school band contest and other things including concerts at the state fair and it is not just the dates of the events, you have to take into consideration the setup and breakdown of these events. The Fair really makes games at the Cotton Bowl very messy, inconvient, and costly to the team.
This is fine with me. The playoff games have not been well attended or particularly well marketed. Have we ever broken 10,000 for a playoff game? The only one's that I can think of being well attended were the LA one's immediately after we took out Chicago. Was that 1999?
Wait a minute... Is this is the same Oman that wrote about SLC?: "I won't go on a rant about it now, but life is too short for me to spend even part of my time is someplace like Southlake. I am not even going to waste a curse word on a place like that." If you think that this is limited to playoff matches, that is incorrect.. With the new MLS schedule, this would effect both regular season and playoff matches. This will not be a single game or two. It could be several matches and a large reason why the Burn were looking to make the move to SLC for the entire season.
By the time the playoffs roll around, maybe SLC will have made up thier minds, and the Burn office will have addressed all our concerns.
2 or 3 games a year at a high school stadium = no big deal indefinite move to a high school stadium = big deal
Team having to get used to the confines of a new "HOME" field just as the playoff stretch begins? i think is a pretty big deal...
Why is this the case? The State Fair runs between Sept 26 and Oct 19 this year, and the last game of the MLS regular season is Oct 26.
Because there are regular season dates that collide with the state fair and what was discussed above..
From the schedule, there are two reg season home games after Sept 20. After adding a maximum of 2 home playoff games, the most that would have to be played in another location is 4.
??? The playoffs start 2 weeks after the State Fair ends on Oct 19. So why would their be any type of conflict between Burn playoff games and the State Fair?
I have said that this move will not happen, especially after the cancellation last night. Or are the powers that be in Southlake waiting to see what the Cotton Bowl offers?
The Burn have a home game scheduled for October 4, but not October 11 or October 18. October 11 is the date of the Texas-OU game. Usually, the week before, Prairie View A&M and Grambling State play at the Cotton Bowl in the "State Fair Classic," but neither the Grambling nor the Prairie View websites have next year's football schedule up. And this past year's State Fair had the "Big Tex Music Festival" at the Cotton Bowl on the last weekend of the Fair, which was October 19 and 20. It was a pretty big deal, with Pat Green and the Dixie Chicks on Saturday, and Los Tigres del Norte and "a blockbuster slate of Latino talent" on Sunday. However, other than those three events last year, there was nothing else at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair, and I wouldn't see why this year would be any different. (OK, I lied. There was a German choir on the Cotton Bowl steps one afternoon. The things you find out at BigTex.com...) Having said that however, Hitman is right about the setup time for the Texas-OU game. They've got to put in the temporary stands in the corners, paint the endzones, and all sorts of stuff. That was pretty much the reason why the Burn would've had to find another home field this year, had they advanced. The second round of the playoffs would've conflicted directly either with Texas-OU (if the Burn had homefield advantage) or with the Big Tex Music Festival (if not), or with the setup for either one. Having said that... Other than the October 4 home game, which would seem to conflict with the Grambling-PV game (which is a very big deal and sells out the Cotton Bowl), there doesn't seem to be a conflict between those big events and the Burn. And as vw pointed out, the Fair will be over by the time the Burn play their final home game on the 25th against Colorado.
I am down with it now, bro. I figure there will be more high school chicks there, and I can have some Lester Burnham moments.
Boooo yaaaaa That was pre-Dennis Franchione. Back to topic: The schedule has been released. How can it be released if a place to play has not been lined up? They can't just be winging it.
I don't believe that Burn management could have anywhere near the problems with UT/OU workarounds than with 'other stadiums' workarounds. Remember, most of what is 'prepared' for the UT/OU game can be put behind the end boards where the players come out. I can't believe that the logistics can't be worked out. This kind of problem PALES in comparison to the alternatives. I also think that any opposing team in a playoff situation would RAGE at the idea of playing such a game at a high school field. Even if it's a weekday game and the attendance (naturally) is pizz poor, it still kicks-the-shiz out of alternatives.
What's the big deal anyway? Revs routinely play up to six games a year on the road to start the season because of NE weather. Galaxy will play nearly half the season on the road before Home Depot is finished. So what if we end the season with 4 or 5 road games for the next few seasons while waiting for this promised stadium. The Cotton Bowl conflicts issue is a red herring.
I think the Burn is more important than those 2 tiny colleges and the battle of the bands. how about they move to SLC? but thats just my opinion, I also think we are more important than the OU-UT game
But those two colleges and the battle of the bands sells out the Cotton Bowl (or comes darn close) every single year.
The hell it is. The difference between the Razor and the Cotton Bowl, is the Razor gives a crap. The good ol boys that run the Cotton Bowl don't give dogsheet about MLS. They make more in one day on TX OU than the Burn and MLS bring them in an entire year. And while conflicts in the Cotton Bowl are NOT the primary factor, MONEY IS the PRIMARY FACTOR. If it didn't benefit the team financially, they would not be looking at it. I don't like SLC in concept, but if it happens the fans can deal with it. I hated State Fair games. Everyone else can... And oh, I predict that the crowds are bigger and more steady in SLC if they go there, than the Cotton Bowl. The Burn avg. is 13K and change. If they get the capacity to 15 or 16, they'll beat their existing average. You read it here first. Print it and put it under your pillow.