Well, if someone were to ask what comes to mind when you put the words Sports and Seattle in the same sentence, I'm guessing one of the following four "fizzles" would come to mind:
1. the lame duck departing Sonics (what a long and painful goodbye...get them out of here already)
2. the successful but hardly known Storm (yes, it's an actual WNBA team here in Seattle)
3. the lame but always hopeful Mariners (and even here, the optimism is waning)
4. the somewhat successful Seahawks (although when will it be "our day"...who knows)
Well ladies and gentlemen...you now have a fifth option...the Seattle Sounders FC are on their way... according to their web site only 300+ days and counting! But how will the latest in major league sports franchises be received here in Seattle, not exactly the hot bed for major league sports to date! Will there be more excitement and fanfare than this non-sporting town has ever seen before or just the typical passing interest in whatever new is happening in the city?! Me thinks it might be too soon to tell.
If how the league and team leaders have been marketing the Sounders FC (that stands for Football Club for those of you scratching your head) over the past several months is any indication, this may be yet another bumpy ride. It's been several months since MLS announced Seattle as ther recipient of an expansion team and we've already had a handful of polls to make the community feel a part of the team. Yeah, like that ever works!
The first was a poll to name the new franchise...meanwhile most everyone knew the name was likely already decided upon from the very beginning...after all we did already have a soccer team in Seattle called the Sounders...shocking, I know. Then there was the poll to determine team colors which, again, most everyone already knew would have green as a base color (we are the Emerald City, after all) and likely some form of blue like our friends the Mariners and Seahawks...and then there was the poll on what was the next most important thing to focus on...apparel? coaching staff? player recruitment? I'll let you know the winner of that one once they announce it.
So while 'attempts' have been made to include the fine people of Seattle as part of their decision-making process, let's just move on and start actually building a team...and excitement...and support (at last count Facebook had barely 3000 fans signed up for the Sounders FC Group)...until then, the polls are just ways to fill a lot of empty time...and this consumer and marketing professional doesn't buy it for a second. I love this city like it's my home town...but how to build and support a major league sports team is DEFINITELY not a strong suit!
I will reserve my final opinions until I see how the season ticket selection process, talent recruitment and apparel design activities unfold...but for now, I'm giving the Seattle Sounders FC organization a C+ at best...which in my estimation, doesn't qualify as a "pop"
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4 comments:
And what's with that lame logo? We love the Needle, but give it a rest.
Guess we will just have to wait and see how things go. Check out this recent article to see some of the many other moving pieces the Sounder FC are working on… http://www.theolympian.com/sports/story/439468.html
I understand that the recent activities to involve the public do not mean much but the one thing that I think will be interesting to see unfold is a few years down the road. That is when season ticket holders get a say in the hiring and firing of both the coach and general manager.
Also, I am really excited that Qwest Field will finally have a use during the summer..... Bring on the sun!
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