Some (more) encouraging news from Salt Lake: Great TV Ratings, All Things Considered Any other news about TV ratings for opening weekend? From individual markets? Nationwide?
It was bad, but it probably wasn't the worst... I've seen games that boring that you couldn't blame on the weather.
With that, I find it hard to believe people complain about a few in-game commercials on ABC/ESPN. I mean come on MLS is an Anschutz dive away from being in serious trouble.....
I think it's absolutely ridiculous that RSL, an expansion team, has to play its first two games on the road. Unacceptable in my opinion. Anyways, I'm hoping that RSL can get an even higher rating this Saturday since it'll be a near-sellout crowd, no Final four or anything like that competing with it, pretty good weather, and Landon Donovan.
Yep. I think they will get a fair shake though for the home-opener, another week will help in Salt Lake - it's perfect weather today (low 60's and sunny) but we still another rain storm or two coming. The next weekend (4/16) will only increase the odds of nice weather... the best thing that can happen for RSL is to steal a win at LA this weekend and it will only help feed the "first home game" excitement. There are some factors going for the home opener - not the least of which is the fact that the biggest soccer organization in Utah (UYSA) has suspended all matches for that day and are encouraging participants to attend the inaugural home match... not bad for an organization that boasts 200,000+ participants who all like playing soccer. This Saturday when I go play soccer with my buddies (about 20 guys), I'm going to remind them of the game that night vs. LA... AND I'll be bringing flyers for buying single-game or season tickets (gotta do my part). I already know of a few who didn't have the money to buy the season tickets (college age guys) but are planning on attending a few games this year.
One thing you could do for me... Contact the mayor of Denver and have him say some stuff about how "Salt Lake is too small to support a major league team and that Utahns will always be second best to Denver..." Make sure it gets a lot of press too! This would do wonders with the local press to guarantee that there is a big showing for the game against Colorado. Cheers!
No matter how you slice it, half the teams start at home and half on the road. If both expansion teams started at home, then only four of the ten existing teams could do so. Better to share the burden equally around the league and have one home (Chivas) and one away (RSL). As for it being the first two well I do think that it's lame for any team to open with a 2-week road trip, expansion or otherwise. And I say that even though my team (SJE) gets a 2-game home series to start the season - which is also unfair. What they should have done was have all the teams that started on the road have their 2nd game at home and vice-versa. That would be the most fair scenario possible. But it's all very complicated since many of the teams don't have access to their stadia on every possible weekend during the season. At least with the 2-game road trip your fans have a chance to watch them on TV and decide that they are worth supporting. If you really want to talk unfair, it's utterly inexcusable that one of the opening day games wasn't televised (KC-Colorado). Imagine if RSL's opener hadn't been televised!
It's great that it was televised. Last Saturday I taped two hours of pope tributes. Easter Sunday I returned from vacation to find my wife had told my son to turn off the computers, so he turned off the vcr as well. Sounds like neither game was that remarkable. I did enjoy USA -Guatamala and will stay home to watch this Saturday.
Its never a good sign when the number of people watching on TV equals the number of people who can fit in the stadium. I am shocked to see youth soccer make this accomodation. Really. And I am involved in youth soccer - if you count coaching my kids U-7 team. A couple years ago when the Revs made the MLS Cup the year it was held in Foxboro - they had to beg, borrow and plead with youth soccer up there to suspend games for one week so team could attend the game. And that was the frigging champiosnhsip game.
Well if you missed the RSL game it's available on the mlsnet.com "Sights & Sounds" area - and you don't even need to load that annoying viewer window from Yahoo! All the games are there except the ESPN game (CHV v DC) and the non-televised game (KC v COL).
Well, the number actually represents the number of households watching, not the number of people. Which is a technicality, but an important one. You only need half of those households to show up if they each have two people coming. I know in my household we have 4. I think that we will be okay for the game.
Not sure how much it seats, but does anyone think RSL will sell out their opener (MLS dream come true since it didn't happen in L.A. this past weekend )?
Well...you ARE second best to us I mean our city is bigger, better, and is actually important. Not to mention better sports teams too. Didn't we just rape the Utah Jazz IN THE DELTA CENTER last week? Yeah, thought so. It's only gonna get worse for you losers next Saturday. Cheers!
Nice. You guys have to get this rivalry to the level of hatred that is Metro/DC or LA/SJ. I like what I see.
It says here the average household in SLC is 3.54. So on average that would be 84,960 people. Capacity at Rice-Eccles is around 45K. I'd say that's pretty good.
But word is they are limiting the seats to around 25k, even for the big event games like home opener and 4th of July.
Someone else made the point about "households" vs. actual people (in Utah with all the kids that's gotta be like 4-5 per household )... I don't mean this as any kind of a slame at all - really... BUT if you were from out here you'd realize that a large part of the Salt Lake population is mormon (you probably do) and that it was "General Conference" weekend which had a meeting that night from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (the first hour of kickoff). It is then not uncommon for people to go out to dinner or something after the meeting - meaning MOST people in the state weren't busy during that time... which makes 24,000 households pretty good. Add to that, the NCAA tourney and the fact that the game was so adversely affected by the weather and it's not bad at all. A better indication will be this weekend - no conflicts, good time slot, and not a lot of competition on the tube.
Just get the mayor to say it now... BUT... you really don't want to talk about lifetime record of Jazz vs. Nuggets... everyone's beating the Jazz this year (which is good for RSL, so I find myself in a unique quandry... I almost want the Jazz to do poorly ).
It was also on over-the-air TV. All the other games (including DC/Chivas) were on cable or some other form of pay TV.
Not really. Those two away games can help build up support, increase the anticipation, etc. Have a few viewing parties before the first home game, try to sell a few more season, group, etc. tickets...
Well Hickenlooper already publicly said that we should easily dominate you on the pitch, and duh, he's right. Maybe I don't wanna go over the lifetime nugs/jazz record, but I can say that we have made you our bitches over the last 2 seasons and I don't see why, with a new coach, we can't make it a 3rd season. And back to soccer, RSL having a big crowd for their home opener. It's great for the league, great for TV, great for RSL gaining exposure locally, and even greater for us to make 24,500 Utahns cry in their own home after you get pounded by us.