So, I RSVP'd but didn't go because: A) It was 65 degrees and I wanted to be outside, AND B) I was afraid it would all be a TV deal bitchfest and I didn't want to listen to MM's bullsh!t. So, to anyone who actually went, did I miss anything?
It certainly went a lot better than expected. Only a couple of TV questions. After the supporter group leaders addressed the crowd, a brief intermission and then a Q&A with McCullers, Precourt and Berhalter. McCullers started out by addressing the TV situation. I asked about the situation with the website not being able to handle the live streaming events...it sounds like the possibility exists of having some of that stuff on the Time Warner channel. In addition, they've been adding infrastructure to the website so the webcasts are more than one guy with a GoPro-style camera. I think they had three HD cameras at the jersey unveiling and now have the technology to be able to fade and transition between the cameras. And yes, the HD cameras are all part of the stadium upgrade. The "expanded concourses" do not refer to the concession stands moving...rather, they refer to the tarped-off areas under the stands either being eliminated or reduced in size, depending on which one you're talking about. As far as the Time Warner deal? They got hosed by FS Ohio last year with the alternate channel deal and the apparent promise of extra shows which FS Ohio never delivered. McCullers certainly did hear the wrath...it does sound like they're working on getting games into more homes, but couldn't go into details. Other stuff- TifoSweat will be back in full force. There will be various "good will" fundraisers and charity-type events throughout the year...if anyone has ideas or their own various projects and wants the Nordecke to join in, talk to your local SG leader. They'll listen. A big thanks to the people that went on the trip to DC. The next bus will have climate control and toilet paper. Yes, the players did notice the effort. There will be coordinated marches from the tailgate into the Nordecke well in advance of kickoffs. The best game last year was the scoreboard fire game against DC. The Nordecke was full and rocking well before kickoff. During the delay, Frankie went into the locker room and rallied the players with a "see those guys out there? There is NO WAY we are losing this game" speech. I think Frankie said "half-price beer" so many times And how will we get people in early? For a time period before kickoffs, beer at a stand near the Nordecke will be half-price. This is for all games. Another thing? Join the supporters' groups. You can join one, or all, but the more you join, the more cool schwag you get. You also get discounts to various businesses around town. (It was mentioned several times.) Also, feel free to check out a viewing party or tailgate or several, even if you aren't a member of the Nordecke or any group. And yes, you can join groups no matter how many tickets you buy in whatever section you locate yourself in.
It didn't end up as a complete TV whine-a-thon for one reason: McCullers started the Q&A time with a very sincere, contrite apology. Whether you think he's doing a good job or not, it's still difficult and humiliating to get in front of a crowd like that and say, "We're sorry" without sounding like a dick. It was a good strategic move - nobody wanted to immediately pick on a guy who just humbled himself in front of the team's biggest fans and his boss. That said, it's amazing to me how bad McCullers is at answering questions sometimes. When people asked about the "membership communities" (ie how they're splitting up season ticket benefits), here's how it went: - MM walks around the answer for 4 minutes, only making it worse - Original asker says he didn't answer the question - MM walks around the answer for another 2 minutes, only making it worse - Dude from YNA clarifies on why it's an especially difficult problem for some people (what if you want 'social' but want to bring your kids to 'family' events?) - Clark steps in to provide a little better answer, but mostly walk around it again and make it worse (This is where Tom was awesome, btw - he understood what to do here.) The answer is really simple: "We wanted to provide more activities/benefits, but as the season ticket base grew the cost of those events grew too (Clark finally said this after a few minutes, but it was buried in his answer). By splitting things up into communities, we can do more things for each type of fan. My hope is that you'll find you'll be able to do more things you're interested in, rather than less. That said, I totally understand the specific situation you're in - let's get together right after this and we'll make it work." It's really not that hard, people.
Like him or not, that took massive fortitude. I just heard about this for the first time via the boards here a few days ago. It makes sense. "Are you a family? You might enjoy these benefits. Are you a business with a box or six club seats? You might enjoy benefits from this column." Businesses probably don't have any interest in the Spring Soccer Festival. Likewise, a family wouldn't have any interest in a Tuesday night at a bar. -------- Essentially cross-posted from elsewhere, but also appropriate here: Houston got some praise tonight...and really, I have to agree. Ever since the 2001 MLS Cup when they won it as San Jose, when was the last time they missed the playoffs? They're never super good, but they're always consistently there.
Thanks for the responses, guys. Glad to see the Mea Culpa from McCullers, but unless the MLS Live/Direct Kick blackouts are lifted, or this channel starts magically appearing on Wow/U-Verse, then it still sucks. Houston is good every year because they have one of the best coaches in the league, if not the best. Some pretty good players as well through the years (Ching, Holden, Cameron, Clark, Davis, DeRo, etc).
I would not be surprised if we hear "Please do the following if you want TWCSN on your provider" in the next few months...maybe even less time than that. The CFO certainly has big aspirations and it seems like FS Ohio couldn't deliver. Of course, it's not the best situation, but then again, FS Ohio wasn't either. The other likely possibility is that we get Crew games via MLS Live or Direct Kick somehow but the channel remains exclusive to TW. Remember when ONN had games, but the league packages could air Crew games live? Yeah, that.
Another big thing? The various supporter leaders drafted a list of guidelines and rules for the section members...basically, don't go about being an idiot. Keep the $8 beers in the stands (seriously, they're $8 each!), keep other stuff (including yourselves) in the stands, don't fight other fans, respect the players and officials, respect security and the event staff, watch the language, etc. I'd like to see these in print and I'm sure we all will. But yeah, no one wants to lose an $8 beer to a bad call and then have to watch the rest of the game (and possibly future home games) on TV.
Here is the full transcript of Yellow Nation Army's (@YellowNatArmy) updates from the summit: Mark starts right off with the tv deal and says they are working on getting some work arounds to the blackout so more fans can enjoy #Crew96 Aces says he will rectify the tv issue... it is a priority. Crowd Question: Is more change on the way at CCS and with the organization? Aces: Yes, a long to do list but likely nothing else this year. Gregg: We are using Dayton Dutch Lions as a way to further our players development and get them battle tested. Crowd Question: Any interest in doing a full second team like LA? Aces: It has been looked at as a possible future venture. Crowd Question: Can your talk about the future crest redesign? Aces: We have quality graphic people in house and seen lots of great fan work Crowd Question: How close is the team to where you want them to be as new coach? Gregg: We are getting closer but more progression is need. Mark says stadium naming right negotiations are on going with one brand and introduction phase with a couple others. Crowd Question: What is the impact of SportingDirector? Gregg: It makes executing vision that much easier as it's all decided by one person. Crowd Question: Do you have an MLS model you're trying to follow? Aces: All of them. Each does dif things well and we can learn from them. Mark says he doesn't like any of the other clubs but respects many of them greatly. (Tongue in cheek) Gregg: Wants to develop our own identity but agrees with Aces as well. Question: Whats the deal with social/business/family members? Mark: We are trying to customize benefits so its more of a membership Clark: We wanted to get people to the events they wanted based on their interests? Unfortunately they don't cross over at this time. Clark: The division of the interest group is an effort to get attendance numbers up to Crew events as they have been low prior. Gregg: Parkhurst has a chance to be on #USMNT as long as he is on the field for us (regardless of position played) according to Klinsy Crowd Question From Yours Truly: When are we getting some delicious #Chipotle in #CCS? Mark: We're working to try & make that a reality. Mark reiterated once again near end of meeting that they are working on getting the blackout situation resolved through various means. One more from SupportersSummit: Frankie said to encourage people to get to Nordecke early beers will be 1/2 for limited time before kickoff! If u were at #Crew96 #SupporterSummit then u got a preview of our 1st tailgate theme. If u weren't then u just gotta wait till tomorrow
I think his Twitter-based defense of the TV deal is a perfect example of that. With each tweet he dug a deeper hole while also coming across as an uncaring prick at times.
I received an e-mail asking me to choose which group I thought I should be in. Possible because I added more seats to my season ticket account.
Let's be honest here. He did what he had to do. It was humble himself or lose his job by continuing to be a petulant Vice President toward the fans. Let's not give him too much credit, he wasn't choosing from good options.
Let's also not forget, McCullers straight up lied about the league blackout rules. He lied and didn't have a leg to stand on so he prostrated himself in front of the season ticket holders. He lied, to our faces, and he knew he was lying. Then when caught in his lie, he was condescending and petulant. This has a significant, current political parallel. Don't feel sorry for this man and don't give him any credit. Tighten the leash and watch out for the next deception.
I wish they would add more draft beer locations, there are only 2 close to me the one by the concession, which is always busy and the one on the stage.... a few years back every concession had draft beer, now they only have the plastic bottles...
So was there any commitment to changing the blackout situation or is it just something the fans have to accept?
I've come to accept it, I know in the foreseeable future I won't be able to watch any games unless I go to a bar...
I wasn't there so not really going to go into it too much because I don't know formally what was said. Him starting out the meeting like that is about the only thing he has done correctly with the tv deal. By coming out with a "my bad" statement and "we've heard you loud and clear" allows for him to set the tone instead of just being bombarded by the mob. It turned the group from being all: To being:
I tried to push it more at the end. I asked him to explain how the blackout negotiations played out. I then said I have no problem with the TW channel itself. Said I'm actually looking forward to being a priority, more content, HD, etc... but I represent the members of Crew Union and you can't tell me that someone who invests in this team by being a STH or invests in this league by purchasing MLS live/DK doesn't deserve better access. He said the Crew wanted no blackout. TWC wanted state wide. 75 mile was the compromise. He understands other teams have blackout exceptions for STHs and/or MLS subscribers but every deal and every market is different. They've heard us loud and clear and both the Crew AND TWC know their reputations are on the line and they're trying to rectify it. I followed up with he needs to let us know the avenues they're exploring so we can help. Should we be ores during TWC to lift the blackout? Should non TWC customers push their providers to get the channel? I said this can still be a positive deal and we want to help. He said when they get to a point where we can do stuff like that he'll let us know.
I came away from the meeting feeling better about the TV deal. It sucks. HARD. short term. Long term i get the sense that the Crew expect the Comcast deal to go through which will indeed open up other broadcasting rights. There appears to be a work around taking place. No specifics were provided but it will likely have a call to action for the fan base in addition to a check written by PSG. I think fans have a legit gripe and now the FO have publicly recognized it. In addition, TWC has recognized it though not in print. Sometimes businesses eff up. this is one of those times. but at least i think things are moving forward. Optimistically skeptical
I have never been a McCullers fan. Little things he has said and done over the years have triggered my bullscheiße meter, and I am just a mid level worker bee. I am sure the BS detectors of high level execs in the region are drastically more acute than mine, and can smell his weasely musk a mile away. It is no surprise that we have struggled so much as a club to find sponsorships and stadium naming rights with this guy as our GM/President. I imagine administrative assistants all over Columbus deflecting his calls because their bosses don't want to hear his crap anymore. "Sir, Mark McCullers is on the line again about that giant spinning sign they want to put up along 71, what would you like me to say this time?" "Oh, that puffy bastard... tell him my wife has cancer, that should keep him away for awhile." "What type of cancer sir?" "I don't care as long as he stops calling every week." "Yes sir" "Thank you Brittany, you are the breast, I mean best."
With all due respect to those who attended, I get impression MM & AP where let off the hook. Sounds like it was very simlar to the podcast. Instead of going in guns a blazin and launching verbal grenades sounds like people brought their pea shooters and shot spitballs. I can't be critical because #1 I'm not a member of a suporters group but appreciate all the awesome things you all do & #2 I wasn't there and have no idea how the tone was and the exact line of questionning. I also acknowledge that there were other issues & topics people wanted to discuss. But I just can't see letting MM off the hook easily even after his mea culpa speech on the issue. This was a huge huge baffling mistake that is going to set the fan base back 5 years and he needs to be held to the highest level of accountability for it - fired! I like the guy - I really do and I hate when people lose their jobs. But when you rise to the top and are paid to make executive decisions and lead an organization, you are held to the highest level of performance standard and if you don't meet it, then the next guy gets his chance. It's big business for big boys. Title of Crewprez is a big boy job. I do accept his apology because I think he truly knows he F'd up bad but as a result he has to go. I wish he would save some face and make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the club and resign.