Las Vegas is viable

So far, I've been concentrating on the organized crime and mafia roots of Las Vegas for the 'inspiration and theme' of the supporters' club crest, colors, and songs I've been playing with.

Name: The Las Vegas Mob Supporters' Club
Major colors: Black/Grey pinstripes
Minor colors: Red, Green, White (inspired by the Roulette wheel)

Proposed Crest:


Key crest elements: I've got a list of what inspired all the stuff on the crest and its symbolic meaning and all that jazz. I can post that too, but its quite long.

Club songs: So far I've systematically rejected the usual suspects for Vegas based teams. You'll hear no suggestions of "Viva Las Vegas" or "Luck be a Lady" from me.

I'd like to further caveat that I want an actual anthem - a rousing or uplifting song which reveals higher truths about the nature, sanctity, or morality of a group, body, or cause as an expression of identity. Ex: Liverpool & Celtic's "You'll Never Walk Alone." West Ham's "Forever Blowing Bubbles." Portland's "You are my Sunshine." These are songs that under the right circumstances, will bring even the hardest of men to tears or cause them to hug a stranger out of joy.

I've been focusing on the Rat Pack, particularly Sinatra. That era (in my opinion) contains some of the best songs ever written - easy to sing, meaningful, and easily identifiable. Almost every single recording he did is considered to be the definitive recording of that particular work - even over some of the other all time greats like Ella Fitzgerald. And best of all, Sinatra is synonymous with Vegas without being as 'in your face' as something like "Viva Las Vegas."

Anthems I'm fond of:

Sinatra
"Come Rain or Come Shine"
"The Impossible Dream"
"Always"
"All my Tomorrows"
"I've Got the World on a String"
"When You're Smiling"
"You'll Never Walk Alone" <--If you haven't heard Sinatra sing it, you're missing out.

What do you think of the mafia direction for a supporters' club? It ties in nicely with Vegas' history and would be quite unique in MLS as far as I can tell.

I do rather like the idea of a desert inspired name/crest/colors/songs etc but I'm afraid it might be kind of hokey if its poorly executed.

Also, the notion of a state-wide Battleborn/Great Basin supporters' club is appealing to me personally, but I know people up here in Reno might scoff at it - San Jose is about 4-5 hours compared to 7-8 hours to Vegas by car. Also, Salt Lake City is a part of the Great Basin, so that might be out the window - we don't have a monopoly on that term, technically speaking.

PS - I've got a facebook page with more stuff on it. Its set to 'invite only' right now, but I'll go change it. Could be much easier to have deeper discussion on a supporters' group there without completely derailing the viability discussion here on BigSoccer.

 

HA! Thanks for the strike-out on the last name. Purely light-hearted joking.

But Great Basin FC actually has a really nice ring to it. The more I say it the more it seems like a legitimate title.


And how about this for a goal song/anthem (it even has a old-school chant sound to it):

"Home means Nevada
Home means the hills,
Home means the sage and the pine.
Out by the Truckee, silvery rills,
Out where the sun always shines,
Here is the land which I love the best,
Fairer than all I can see.
Deep in the heart of the golden west
Home means Nevada to me."

 

The supporter club name and crest are top-notch, sir. It has a Vegas feel to it without it being tacky and the name is so appropriate and fitting you'd think the supporter club had been around for years.

 

I hereby declare that if someone legitimately starts a supporter club in efforts to get an MLS club (a la Sons of Ben) I will begin the Northern Nevada branch.

 

This is Las Vegas, not Philly.

 

I'm sorry that you guys have such an aversion to "Viva Las Vegas." It would be a kickass default chant, IMO.

 

When you live there (did for 18 years) you hear it constantly... or see it on a billboard. Or hear it from a tourist (or even worse, when a tourist says "Vegas, baby!" Damnit, you're not Vince Vaughn )

Basically what I'm saying is it gets old. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad with a couple hundred (or thousand) chanting it.

"Vivaaaaaa Las Vegas" *CLAP-CLAP... CLAP-CLAP* "Vivaaaaaa Las Vegas"

Okay, not bad. My issue is playing the actual Elvis song on the speakers as a goal song.....

 

I'm going to be honest. I've been at a couple events in Vegas and when they play Elvis - A little less conversation, whatever venue that place gets rocking. I've joined in on a couple of those.

I'm more of a hip-hop fan but I love Elvis Gospels songs. I don't mind adapting some Elvis songs into chants, or chanting things like Viva Las Vegas. What I fear is the the club name or badge being something Las Vegas cheesy.

 

I was playing that song before my first ever trip to Vegas many moons ago.

 

Viva Las Vegas might be okay as a cheer if the ownership group deems that should be the team's official song AND they let supporters do all the singing of it. I just think its severely over-used in general and it would make me cringe every time a goal was scored if they piped it in.

I'd prefer something more meaningful and far less blatant as a supporters' club anthem.

I do like the thought of Elvis (but not as much as Sinatra) as the source material for an anthem. I associate him more with Memphis than Vegas, but I'm probably an outlier in that regard.

 

Yeah, I can see playing it over the PA getting pretty old pretty quickly.

 

Here is a proposed Code of Conduct of The Supporters' Club. The name of the group will be changed when there's an official name, e.g. "The Mob" etc.​

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Do you like the idea of a Code of Conduct that would be standard practice for all members of the future Supporters' Group to accept? Are there any articles you'd want to see added, redacted, or amended?​

 

I like the sound of "Silver State FC," I think it's cool and original.

Being from Texas, I like the sound of those... Although I wonder how it'd fair considering what happened with Houston 1836, which I think is far better than the pinko commie 'dynamo' name

And now that I mention Houston 1836, what about something like 1905 Las Vegas?

 

Explaination of Symbolism​

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Roulette Wheel:​

The wheel is a reference to the gambling roots of the city and represents the long odds of an MLS team being started as a result of our actions alone. Zero is displayed at the bottom because it represents what the supporters' group started with - nothing. No stadium, no team, and no presence in the community.​

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Death's Head:​

The skull, formally called "Death's Head" in heraldry, is representative of the passion for the cause we hold in our hearts - a passion that only Death itself can take away. The skull wears sunglasses because proper protection from UV radiation is critical in the desert. (Aside: I'll concede that the shades provide only a tenuous link at best, but they look awesome. If you can come up with a better justification, great.)​

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Olive branches:​

The olive wreath is a universal symbol of peace that represents the committment to non-violence, excepting cases of self-defense, taken up by members of The Mob. We are here to support our causes, not injure those who support causes of their own. White and Silver are also the colors of peace in heraldry.​

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The Fedora:​

The fedora is a style of hat that was popular with members of the organized crime syndicate known as The Mob, an important shaping force in Las Vegas' history. While the supporters' group does not condone crime, we wish to similarly influence the direction of the future of Las Vegas (in a sporting capacity at least) and emulate the highly organized approach The Mob used to build its size and effectiveness. ​

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Motto - "veni, imbibi, cantavi"​

In English, it means "I came, I drank, I sang" and represents the goal of members of The Mob Supporters' Group at games...show up, have fun, and proudly cheer on the team. Latin is used because it is a play off of Ceasar's famous line "veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered.") My Latin is not very good, so I'm not sure if it's "I come, I drink, I sing" or "I came, I drank, I sang" but the roots are correct at least.​

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Major Colors: ​

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Green - Hope, Loyalty and Love.​

That's how we always feel about our cause. Never give up, always stay true, and do so because you feel it in your heart.​

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Blood Red - Strength in battle (red) and victory (maroon).​

We always want to see the players we cheer on play hard and come out winning!​

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White and Silver - Peace.​

Hooliganism is for lesser fans who can't get their point across without violence.​

 

I just want to say top work CrazyMikeLV

 

So it seems we have a majority (of an admittedly rather small sample size) who are favorable to the following:

• Crest design
• Colors and Motifs
• Code of Conduct
• Organizational goals:

1. Work to bring pro soccer to Vegas​
2. Support any pro team that takes up here​
3. Promote grass-roots soccer in Vegas through volunteering and philanthropy​
4. Be "supporters" not "hooligans"​

What's next on the list then?

• Do we like the name "The Mob" and the theme this has taken so far?
• Does anyone have a well-formulated alternative Supporters' Club name/crest/colors/motifs scheme to present for consideration and on what timeline?
• If we go with the Mob angle, is the motto "veni, imibibi, cantavi" something we like? Does anyone want to propose an alternative?
• What will our Anthem be? Does anyone have the background to write and record our own song, or should we pick an existing song?
• Are we going to try to make this happen before the Aug 5 World Football Champs tour game between Juve and Real, or is this a longer term project that doesn't particularly care about that game?

 

• Do we like the name "The Mob" and the theme this has taken so far?

I like it. I've dwelt on this for the better part of a decade as one of my favorite things to daydream about. This combines the best of all worlds in my opinion - the "Mob" connection is a nice nod to local history, but its still popular enough of an image the world over that it has some mythical appeal. It lends itself well to tifo without being hokey, and as long as we're tasteful and non-violent, it won't be offensive or culturally insensitive.​

• Does anyone have a well-formulated alternative Supporters' Club name/crest/colors/motifs scheme to present for consideration and on what timeline?

I like the idea of something to do with the desert, but I'm firmly behind the "Mob" scheme for reasons outlined above. If there is a second Supporters' Club someday (The Galaxy has 4 by comparison?) there are other directions left to explore. Either way, I want to see people voice opinions and put stuff out there and let democracy do its thing. I know "the Mob" is one of my dreams, but it shouldn't be the only option just because I was first to speak up. That's silly and goes against every fiber of my character.​

• If we go with the Mob angle, is the motto "veni, imibibi, cantavi" something we like? Does anyone want to propose an alternative? Should it be in Latin or English?

I also think "Go Down Gambling," "Roll the Dice," or "Wish Upon a Star" (or their Latin translations) would be good mottoes, but honestly they just don't demonstrate what a supporters' club actually does. A derivative of the Code of Conduct like "To Sing and Serve" or "Club, Community, and Peace" or their translations may also make excellent mottoes. That goes well beyond my current Latin ability though.​

• What will our Anthem be? Does anyone have the background to write and record our own song, or should we pick an existing song?

I've fancied going the Sinatra route. He was synonymous with Vegas for spans during his career and had deep connections to the mob through the Gambino family. That hits on both fronts thematically. Throw in the fact that he exemplifies what is perhaps the richest and most lyrically interesting period of American music and I think we've got a winner. Many of the most famous English soccer anthems come from this period as well, so there is some precedent for success. ​

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These are the ones that I most fancy, in no particular order:​

"Come Rain or Come Shine"​

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"Always"​

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"All My Tomorrows"​

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"The Impossible Dream" (I think this is my favorite at the moment)​

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"For Once in My Life"​

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"I've Got the World on a String"​

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OetrRox4Vd4​

"You'll Never Walk Alone" (It deserves an obligatory mention even if its a bit cliche)​

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF51NEV0WTU​

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That being said, Elvis is another strong candidate for source material for an anthem but I'm afraid I'm not well-versed enough in his recordings to be of use - a lot of his more famous stuff that I'd be familiar with seems a little too pop-y to be serious anthem fodder. We can do Viva Las Vegas as a song, but I don't want it to be the anthem. I feel anthems should be a bit deeper on an emotional level. ​

• Are we going to try to make this happen before the Aug 5 World Football Champs tour game between Juve and Real, or is this a longer term project that doesn't particularly care about that game?

I'd love for it to be set up by then as a legitimate group, but I don't think it can be done in time to get a "The Mob Supporters' Club" section - I'm sure seating has already been assigned considering that tickets are already on sale. Applying for non-profit status and getting recognized at the local, state, and national level is expensive, laborious, and time consuming, and even with a team of lawyers would likely not be possible in the 66 days remaining til the game. It might be nice to be far enough along that the game could be used as a marketing tool to get more people involved though. That'll require sponsors, lots of legal paperwork, and a bylaw infrastructure far enough along to accept members efficiently.​

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EDIT: Sorry about the formatting on the links. BigSoccer seems to be dictating that, not me.

 

Possible Latin mottoes:

Saltare cum diabolus per pallida lunae.

or my favorite,

Numquam fricabis alterius rheubarbarum.

 

That is fantastic news! Climate controlled dome is the smartest thing they could have done. And it's a great placement as well.... far enough away from the strip but incredibly close to tons of neighborhoods (if I'm picturing its placement correctly. Anybody have a map?) and of course the campus.

Now it's up to you guys in the south to organize a group to make some noise at the Madrid v Juventus match. Also, as a nice touch, show up in suspenders and fedoras to match the style of the supporter group

 

Sounds like great news. Climate controlled is the way to go, no question.

Wondering about two things, though: Is the playing surface going to be artificial, and assuming so, will that be a limiting factor in the stadium's ability to attract friendlies and International competitions?

 

It's got one! Search for "The Las Vegas Mob Supporters' Club"! I've only got 2 members as of now, but I'm hoping that between this stuff on BigSoccer, my college soccer activities, and good old friend to friend networking it'll take off.