Looks like Fisher was shamed into continuing to pay the minor leaguers under the A's umbrella. So he is susceptible to some public opinion. Of course, that probably has more to do with the number of respected baseball writers and such who called BS on him. The press that covers MLS doesn't have that kind of clout, so not sure it would work there, yet. But it's a positive sign that we can potentially get him to change positions on some issues.
Couldn’t find the “A small team” thread... MLS club-employed analytics staff. pic.twitter.com/CASPr77iL2— Eliot McKinley (@etmckinley) July 27, 2020 11 of the past 13 major trophies (I'm counting Campeones Cup & you can't stop me) won by MLS clubs have been won by teams that employ full-time analytics staff.Really weird coincidence! https://t.co/MiPfKUv02r— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 27, 2020 14 of 17 in the TAM era (which started for real in 2016). Wow who could imagine!— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 27, 2020 Has this guy heard of “Silicon Valley” lol Austin is the Tech capital of Texas. I'd be surprised/dissapointed if we can't employ something of the sort in our first season.— TwinOaksTV (@TwinOaksTV) July 27, 2020
Scrooge McDuck would probably find our ownership rather parsimonious. In addition to his record of benign neglect of his sports franchises, he's also apparently a virtual non-entity when it comes to any sort of generosity. I was curious to see if he at least spends money helping the less fortunate, and found this is in his entry in Wiki: Philanthropy[edit] Fisher chairs the board of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP Foundation), dedicated to training teachers for the KIPP public charter school network.,[1] and co-chair of the Charter School Growth Fund. So, essentially, he advocates charter schools (which drain resources from public schools), eschews any real philanthropy, and apparently feels little or no social responsibility towards people who weren't smart enough to inherit a fortune. We are just sooo lucky to have this gem of a human as our owner...
Pssst...small team is here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/a-small-team.1999055/ I have to voice a dissenting opinion here vis a vis charter schools/KIPP. I understand the "draining resources" argument (and my family has been 100% public schools, plus I was on the board of the district foundation) but in practice, they tend to be more resource efficient than public schools -- without the same bureaucracy. They often provide a viable option for kids who don't do well in public schools -- but whose families can't afford private schools Education is a disaster in this country, and KIPP offers one alternative model. Maybe not ideal, but I wouldn't knock Fisher for serving on the board. Apparently his father was an active supporter of many educational organizations, and that's probably how he got roped in. On the other hand -- don't know if it's mentioned earlier in this thread, but according to Wikipedia:
Oh god. Can we take the politics to some political forum? Because if we are all about to post our feelings about whether we should eat the rich, agree with someone else "eating the rich", or have some other feeling, that will be a mess.
I thought we put in a first of its kind for soccer analytical tracking system that the German Federation came out here to partner with us. So we collect data and don’t use it? Great
We used to have a full time analyst on the staff when Stahre was in charge. I posted this elsewhere, but during that time, a little bird told me that the analyst was running the half-time talks by showing the players analysis videos. I think we had gotten the guy from SAC, but I’d have to see if I saved any of those webpages...
I suppose this is a good time for a periodic reminder that John Fisher has never had a role in Gap Inc., other than presumably owning a lot of stock.
And some folks still think he's going to privately finance/build an A's ballpark at Howard Terminal..!!! It's either the Coliseum or, if he still know the way... .
A few years ago, we went on a trip where a lawyer friend of Fisher's was one of the travelers. He told hubby that Fisher was making money off the A's, but that he was never going to pay for the new stadium himself.
It's a LOT WORSE now that the A's are off of revenue sharing. True private financing of a sports stadia will never work in Oakland; with no huge corporate base or high disposable income needed for premium seating (see Warriors and Raiders). Would've worked (and still could) in $an Jo$e however.
Maybe they should move up the Peninsula and be the "Atherton A's"? 'Course, it would have to be like Wrigley Field (i.e. no lights for night games)...
Fisher has always had his team on an abject failure trajectory. He's never been in this game to actually win, the Fisher legacy will forever be known as "The Fleecing of the Great Bay Area Soccer Loving Community." It's been a sham since day one, it was obvious in 2008 we were going to be bare bones. Since then, the league has moved onwards and upwards, the competition has become much tougher, ambitious new teams see SJ as nothing more than a speed bump, an easy 3. Fisher has made a laughingstock out of a once proud San Jose soccer legacy. I feel bad for the coaches and players, the fans and lower echelon FO staff, the investment and commitment to succeed is just not there, and with Fisher, it never has been...2005 was really the last time the Quakes were any sort of threat to win anything (I know, 2012, the year we were quickly and easily sent packing at home by Keane, Beckham & Donovan). Our only hope is that he sells the team to someone who cares.
Greatest tax write off. Maybe he's racist and will open his mouth then be forced to sell, hopefully to the sharks owners.
We should thank him for the bare bones stadium and demand that he put the team on the market. He has no business owning an MLS team, he’s a drag on our team, the league and the growth of soccer in the US. Fisher is a sports fans nightmare. An indifferent, absentee owner who sets his team up to fail, season after miserable season. It’s a brutal situation for folks in San Jose who love the game and the team... ... and a damn shame.
Wishful thinking here: but I still say Fisher should deed the Quakes to the Giants in order to finally move the A's to SJ (which is probably what he still really wants). Oakland isn't happening for a new ballpark, Quakes probably worth close to $300 million, and perhaps Giants ownership would actually care about the Quakes product.
I don't know - orange and black for the Quakes would be a terrible reminder of the perfidy of AEG, MLS, and Don Garber...