http://www.mlsnet.com/content/03/oped1001connolly.html I'd never heard about this. It sounds awesome: Anyone seen it? I'm not sure about the following though: 25-30,000 for a stand alone Revs game?? What has he been smoking while following the women around? Would be great to see it however.
We don't have that in Dallas. We can't even get a poster of Jason Kreis in the Southlake High lunchroom. Last night Colorado was down 1-0 against Chicago. playing with 10 men and missing their 2 best players (Pablo and Spencer), albeit at home. Hard C just may have something there. With the absolute travsety that is Dragon Stadium plus 90% of a season in Naperville - MLS is doing great to be anywhere near 15,000 , especially with reduced July 4th games and doubleheaders. I just hope they get to 15,000 so any anti-soccer ignoramuses don't jump on the MLS attendance # and try and lump us in with WUSA and the WWC 99 - 03 numbers.
Re: Re: New Connolly Exactly, NR... exactly. Even folks here in the attendance threads make such an apples to apples comparison that it's difficult to see how this won't be an annoying storyline from those writers looking for, er, annoying storylines.
Re: Re: New Connolly I couldn't agree more with this statement. I think for the league to be around 15k again is great. Considering dragon and Naperville, a bad economy,etc. Also, I really hope we make it to 15k because of those smartalec sportswriters. You know they would love to tie in the attendance drop with the folding of the WUSA and make it into another story about how soccer will never make it. Of course in this story they will mention nothing of 2 out of the 10 teams playing in bad stadiums while they are waiting for new stadiums.
So, if attendance stays at 14,700, soccer-bashers will declare MLS dead, but if it's 15,000, all will be right with the world. Consider me dubious.
Actually Flashman, the Revs do quite well on the last game of the season. 96 NE v. COL ---38,633 97 NE v. NY/NJ--36,273 98 NE v. NY/NJ--24,763 99 NE v. NY/NJ--21,335 00 NE v. NY/NJ--20,419 01 NE v. NY/NJ--cancelled 02 NE v. NY/NJ--20,215 So the numbers indicate that 25-30K is definately not out of the question. Usually all the home finales do quite good, and with the Fire playing their last few games out in the new Soldier Field, we just might squeek into the 15k attendance range.
Not necessarily, but its an easy reference point for a lazy writer to use as a backdrop for some kind of decline in soccer attendance story. MLS finished last year around 15,800 +/-, staying above 15,000 gives those folks less ammo especially if they do the minimal research required to figure out why the Burn and the Fire are where they are. If and when some non-soccer writer comes out with the remarkable decline in WWC attendance in 2003, ignoring the obvious scheduling and budget issues, it's an easy marker to toss in a jab at MLS and not mention the impending stadium swaps.
Re: Re: New Connolly I stand corrected!! Though I do worry with what seems to be an increasing apathy towards your team in NE (or maybe the soccer fans are just burnt out from all the events all year), I'm not sure you will be able to attain such heights. But put me in for 22,532.
So, a women's league folding is going to be used by many sportswriters as a "sign" that the sport is dying out altogether in the US? Consider me dubious.
Actually, it's already happened, with a rash of "Americans just don't like soccer" articles already dancing on the WUSA's grave.