I am an elementary school PE teacher at a predominately Latino\Mexican elementary school. 78% of our students currently speak Espanol as they learn English, or are bi-lingual. The large percentage have very large families including aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas, and have very little money. This Saturday, we are bringing 300 to sit in the Kicks For Kids section. For most, just the cost of parking is above what they have to spend. The Rapids wanted to give tickets to just the needy students, but I convinced them that without tickets for their parents, they would never be able to come. My students love soccer, and every day at recess, that is the game of choice. I can only address the situation in my area of Westminster, but I think that cost is the primary reason that most of my families aren't at the Rapids matches. It isn't for lack of caring. Even 1st and 2nd Graders can tell me what is going on with Chivas, America, or Necaxa. I think the Rapids are naive to think that these people just need to be lured out to the stadium. I think they would be there now if they could afford it.
Good point of view, joe, especially coming from someone very well connected to the latino community. I think the Rapids need more than just the families though. They need the 18-35 Hispanic males who understand the game, are first generation Americans or native Central Americans, and want to adopt a new team and just might have a little disposable income to follow the team. I hope they are able to reach both groups, but it is good to hear that they were able to get 300 of you to the game on Saturday. I hope their involvement in the latino community only increases and they are able to provide the opportunities to kids all over Denver.
I agree there. I'm not poor in anyway shape or form and I think it's expensive to go games!!! I know it's a catch 22 situation because MLS is losing money ... but I think they have priced people out of the game. I know college students that say no often despite being rather large fans because of the cost.
I agree that in general the tickets are pretty pricey, but at least the Rapids do a good job of offering ticket promotions fairly regularly. I'm having a hard time coming up with specifics. Hm. Need more coffee. But maybe a lot of them are just aimed at season ticket holders. For instance, isn't this weekend's game "Bring a friend for $10"? By the way, smudgeyjoe, your story about bringing 300 fans to the upcoming game warms my heart! Major props for convincing the Rapids to include parents as well. Convinces me that the $ I give to their Community Care Foundation is money well spent. (Which reminds me, I have it on good authority that their next online auction will feature those great Pablo "Game On!" banners that have been hanging from lightposts around Denver.)
A full youth (ages 6-16) season ticket can be purchased for $135. That's $7.50 per game. These tickets are not branded with a name on them, are fully transferrable to any other youth, and can be exchanged if unused for another game. Then there's the fact that more than a few hispanic bodegas out there sell Rapids tickets at discounted prices as well. Certainly there are a number of people out there that are living on welfare (or less), for whom even a $5 ticket may be a luxury, especially when combined with getting to/from the game. Let's be honest. The main reason that the Mexican/Latino community doesn't come to Rapids games is the fact that it's mostly gringos on the field. There's a cultural perception that Mexicans/Latinos play a superior brand of futbol, and there's no point in watching if the teams on the field aren't dominated by said players. I don't think the quality of play is much of an issue. It's the attitude that MLS is not MFL, so why bother? The local hispanic media doesn't help things either. My favorite example is how time after time, when the Rapids announced a major player signing (Marquinho, Dely Valdes, Limpar, Spencer) the first question from the mouth of the local Univision reporter: "Why didn't you sign a Mexican player?" It's all a load of crap. What's the point of spending such a large amount of money and time on a group of people that could care less about MLS, the Rapids and the US National Team? Simply marketing this team differently will not change any of the reasons why they're not already coming. The only thing I could see the Rapids doing that would draw out a significant number of Hispanic fans would be if they were to sign some hotshot local player and provide him with significant playing time. Which goes back to the ultimate question as asked by others above... what is this team interested in? Bringing in players to sell tickets, or bringing in players that can win a championship?