I'm coming around to the significance and usefulness of the new design. The big empty area represents MLS' promise that Frank Lampard would play on opening day. You can also concentrate on the empty area and meditate to bring your blood pressure down when your team is screwed by the latest Rule du Jour. ------RM
But we see the point now: this way, if the base falls off your MVP trophy, it will still stand up. Obviously, this is a metaphor: if your teammates performances faltered, yours stayed strong. . . or something.
But if you make that the official logo, you effectively short-circuit all the other creative possibilities.
Not really. It doesn't stop someone from still creating their own just because a figure is in the bottom half. People find ways to creatively design their own logo for just about anything. At least with the Donovan MVP design, it just gives it a better look for an official logo for the league.
Hoe many times did you see the original MLS logo manipulated? Here's the thing; if that silhouette LD was in that bottom half from the start? It's unlikely we would have seen the outpouring of creativity with all the re-purposed logos. That window is an invitation to come play. People are engaging with this logo in ways that haven't really been seen before. Would the LD crest above have generated 36 pages of comments? Doubtful.
They probably will in time. I'll bet the first time the Cy Young Award was given out, they didn't just call it the Cy Young Award.
I don't agree. I think if they put the silhouette in there as the official logo and then still did all the different color variations for each team and maybe even left the silhouette out when used on a team jersey in their colors. I think the fans would have still done exactly what they have done with the logo. Also if the league had offered up a few different versions from the onset with different icons in the bottom, fans would have understood immediately that the bottom half was for them to put their own designs in. I think it is a mistake to leave the bottom of the default logo empty. I think having the default logo look unfinished and incomplete isn't offset by the benefits of people playing with the logo. You should want the logo to look good in the manner it will be most used and currently IMO it doesn't. Doesn't really matter what fans do to dress it up if those aren't used by the league. Basically I am trying to say I think they could have accomplished the same fan participation and still have the silhouette in the default logo. Just an opinion.
In that case you happen to be incorrect. There was no "best pitcher" award until the Cy Young Award, which was created in the mid 1950s and commemorated Young, who had just died. His playing days were a half century before that, so the powers that be could have named it after a lot of great pitchers, and chose Young because he was clearly the most accomplished. I think it's bit weird to name an MVP award after a player who just retired at age 32, and who will be hanging around for another half century at least.
Definitely odd to name it after a player who could theoretically change his mind, come back and win it himself. I guess they feel like no one else will be as deserving, so there's no point in waiting. Still, odd.
Most goals, most assists, most playoff goals, tied most payoff assists...I could see why they could think that
I can see it, too, but it just seems premature and a little forced. Certainly he's the best MLS player *so far*, but I think it's also fair to say that we hope that even better players come along soon. It's not like he has set records that will never be broken a la Cy Young.
It's just a matter of opinion, but my opinion, too, is that this is 2-3 years premature. But I suspect that doing this now is part of the behind-the-scenes war between Jurgen and MLS.
Maybe his records will be broken, but it is very very unlikely that one player will ever hold all of the records. His dominance of the league is actually pretty underestimated. What he did record-wise is amazing. Not to mention he is the all-time USMNT goals and assist leader (having almost 3 times more assists than the next guy). I think naming a big award after him now is justified and makes sense, but I do find it odd that he only won the award once. Makes me think of Kobe Bryant only winning NBA MVP once.
I think it's that this year is the 20th season, in which the league is hoping to celebrate having been around that long. And this is a league that's always kind of tried to push the fast forward button, wanting its history to hurry up and get here. I think this is one of the least objectionable things they could have done in that regard. The league feels lucky after only its 19th season and not being among the higher paying leagues of the world to even have a player who was consistently near the top of the league play out basically a whole career here, they're gonna show it off.
Especially one that is so special to MLS and USMNT fans. It's not like they made the David Beckham MVP Trophy. This is the guy that is the most recognizable and most decorated USMNT player to date. And the fact that he spent his entire career within MLS, it's not surprising they're giving back to LD.
I feel as if it would be premature if I thought there was any chance Donovan was coming back. I seriously doubt that is going to happen. For me, it is appropriate, because while there will be better players than him and his records will be broken, I don't believe there will ever be a more important player to the league.
Is it time for the Marcelo Balboa story again? (No, I don't think 'Celo was anywhere near as important as LD, but with twisted logic you could make a case given his (apocryphal?) impact on getting Uncle Phil as an investor.)