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designated players
a certain brand of soccer
Ever since the news broke a few weeks ago that every anxious college student’s favorite drink mixer was buying the MetroStars, the e-mails have been pouring in. “Red Bull sucks.” “The MLS is stupid.” “What in the hell is going on?” “Will I be able to get a vodka and Red Bull at the games?” And these were the lines fit enough to print. Instead of venting, I sat back, wanting to give MLS the benefit of the doubt, wanting to be objective.
soccer on taurine
My first reaction brought thoughts of Europe. Not only is this an Austrian company who owns a European club team (SV Salzburg – I mean Red Bull Salzburg), but sponsors in European soccer are much more prevalent than in the U.S. market of professional sports. No, the companies don’t outright own the teams, but their logos are plastered so large on the jerseys that most recognize the team from that trademark than from the much smaller team logo. They also change colors at will.
Cut and paste this link for a taste of Arsenal’s past: http://www.secondhand-trikots.com/england-arsenal.php. Yet still, hideous JVC jerseys aside, they don’t own the team, and Arsenal is still Arsenal, and the MetroStars are no more. I guess we should be happy Red Bull didn’t try to buy the ports, although there may have been at least some public notice before it went down.
Tony Miguel, one of the most recent readers (and a former employee of the MetroStars) to write in, put it like this:
“The biggest problem is regarding the credibility and perception of soccer among the mainstream media. MLS is already seen by most in the mainstream media as a minor league. Red Bull New York only adds to the perception. Imagine the outcry that would occur if the New York Yankees became the New York GEICO’s. This is a desperate move by a league desperate for investors. I think in the long run this hurts MLS much more than it helps the league. The pros of Red Bull putting more money into the league are vastly outweighed by the cons of MLS losing a lot of credibility among fans and the mainstream media. Even if MLS is still around in another 10 years, it is unlikely the league will thrive.”
Don Garber and cohorts obviously feel differently. After describing the deal as the biggest investment in MLS history on the league’s website, Garber defended the action by saying, “This is not just about branding. This is about a deep, deep commitment to soccer and Major League Soccer in the New York market.” He went on to deny that this would be the beginning of trend in the MLS or other leagues.
Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz noted that it was the progressive MLS business model that attracted him. “A challenge facing European soccer right now is that teams are bringing in tremendous amounts of revenue and yet they are still losing money,” Mateschitz was quoted as writing in Soccer Times. “That is due to the lack of cost control.” He went on to write that the MLS does things “so differently that we may have to adjust our conventional thinking somewhat, but we believe that MLS, because it manages spending, is a wise business model.”
I’m not sure if that last statement is a compliment or not, but certainly Red Bull feels there is money to be made in the MLS at a time when many people seem to be waiting for it to fail. Like deciphering the words from any marketer or politician, a wait-and-see attitude is probably best, but some of the facts cannot be argued. This is a lot of money for a league short on funds. If the money keeps flowing, especially in the form of talent, I’d guess some of the detractors might sleep a bit better.
Whether it is Red Bull New York or the New York Red Bulls (isn’t one team-naming fiasco enough for one off-season? Houston, we have a problem), I think we all can agree it is a horrible name (has their been a new team name in the last 10 years in any sport that has been good?) It is, however, much too early to pass a swift and merciless judgment on to the business sense of this move. That being said (and removed from argument for the time being), one major problem remains.
That problem, immediately known to those of a certain ilk, rang out with Tony’s final sentence. After laying out vague, angry, and somewhat misplaced reasoning for the downfall of MLS, he ended by saying, “This whole move is against my values regarding sports.”
And that is where we get to the heart of the problem. ‘Heart’ being the operative word. You can go to Minute Maid park; you almost saw Spiderman webs on the bases of Major League Baseball; you can’t avoid advertisers in NASCAR, or should I say the Nextel Cup; you wait with great anticipation for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. And at the bottom of the bin, Golden Palace is paying any streaker, parachuter, or idiot in a boxing ring to paint their backs with their web address. But in none of these cases do the advertisers actually own the team. Thus they avoid the ethical, moral, or in the very least historical principles that for better or worse much of the American sporting public holds dear – except for that Spiderman stunt that almost cost MLB some heads.
“I hate my job. I hate my wife. I hate my life… but at least I have my sports.” To some, these words ring true, and when you start to screw with the sanctity of the last pure thing (of course this is all in their heads – sports purity went the way of capitalism long long ago) they have to hold on to, you are tempting disaster.
This is, I believe, what Tony means when he talks about MLS being a minor league. No Major League would allow this to happen, right? Examples are few, but proud. In 2001, FedEx, after helping lour the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis, wanted to sponsor the team name and have it changed to Express. The idea was denied. Even the Green Bay Packers, when given $500 in 1919 by the Indian Packing Company, seemed to know better than to take the specific company name. More recently, Disney took a back seat to one of its movie’s when they christened the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, as did the Mohegan Sun casino, when it went the generic route when they named their WNBA franchise the Connecticut Sun. MLS and Red Bull have less tact, but like any bull, apparently huge balls, the only difference being this bull seems to prefer the color green, not red.
So while we wait to see how this all works out, and if the fans will come out, there remains one question. Will Alexi Lalas be forced to drive around the tri-state area in one of those red bull cars? God, I hope so.
plenty of head room for that guitar
spinachdip
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 1:07pm
For what it’s worth, the Detroit Pistons were once named Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons because Fred Zollner wanted to sell more auto parts.
Of course, that was back before the NBA could be considered major league. But I think that’s the point - you don’t become major league overnight. And right now, an ownership that’s committed to growing the sport is more important than what some outsiders will think - you’re not going to change their minds anyway.
And I really don’t think soccer needs to be big time to be viable. If we can get to a point where we have 18-20 teams with 20,000 asses in seats more often than not, we’re doing okay.
What’s more important than media perception, the importance of which too many soccer fans overstate, is that Red Bull is a company that knows how to run a sports team and is putting a hell of a lot of resources behind RBNY. You couldn’t ask for much more from an ownership.
Plus, “Red Bull NY” simply follows the line of PSV, Bayer Leverkusen and, uh, Total Network Solutions (ugh) - it’s a lot more “authentic” than “Dynamo” or “Real”.
Reeder
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 1:07pm
Is this guy for real? “Imagine the outcry that would occur if the New York Yankees became the New York GEICO’s. This is a desperate move by a league desperate for investors”
Why the outcry? The Yankees are already a brand. The Metrostars were not. I’m actually thrilled about this. It actually means (1) Red Bull believes that the MLS demographic is correct and that (2) MLS is a solid place to invest.
While the desperation for investors may be true, there should also be desperation for savy marketers. I think MLS got this one right.
Kevin Joseph
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 2:03pm
One note about European kits. Teams generally do not “change colors at will.” The differently-colored shirts are generally the “away” kits, which are usually only worn when both team’s uniforms are too similar, so the away team changes. It does seem that teams’ away shirts often change colors every couple of years, but at least that’s more interesting than every MLS having an all-white kit to wear on the road, no matter if there’s a jersey clash or not.
john badley
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 2:14pm
“at will”
my phrase dictionary defines that as pertaining to the power to do as you please.
it seems, Kevin, when you say they change away jerseys every couple of years, that that is changing something at will. so i’m with Adam on that one.
and anyway - what about those hideous maroon jerseys Arsenal is wearing? Maroon, Blue, Yellow, and not a true red jersey in sight, which i thought was their team color.
if they aren’t changing the jerseys at will, how are they changing them - do the fans vote? or is their a grandmaster of soccer style with his finger on the button, forcing teams to change colors against their will?
spinachdip
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 2:30pm
The maroon jersey is to celebrate their centennial year. I believe Arsenal wore back in 1906, though I’m too young to remember myself.
In any case, they’ll be back wearing red with white sleeves next season.
Kevin Joseph
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 2:53pm
I don’t see that as changing their colors at will, however. Arsenal still retains red and white as their colors, which remain the colors on their home kit, no matter what color their away/change/clash/whatever you want to call it kit.
The current maroon, techincally “redcurrant,” shirts are a nod to the shirts worn when they first started playing at Highbury, and are being worn as a tribute to their last season at Highbury before moving to Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove. So, I suppose this means they have changed colors at some point. Through some Google digging, I found a site on their shirt history ( http://hem.passagen.se/arsenalshirts/ ), as well as the story of the original redcurrent kits ( http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s378/st65404.htm ). The first link points to 1934 as the first year they used the red shirt with white sleeves.
(I hope this doesn’t paint me as a fan of the Arse. I’m just a jersey/logo/design geek.)
Joe C
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 5:47pm
There was a decent article on ESPN about this, most notably this quote: “[T]he team was named, at least in part, after Metromedia Inc., company owned originally by Stuart Subotnick and John Kluge.”
( http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=361287&root=mls&cc=5901 )
Honestly, I just feel like this is a lot of hullaballoo over nothing. At the very least, take this as a complement. Red Bull apparently thinks the MLS can be profitable and they’re ready to put their money down.
Adam Spangler
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 7:29pm
Hey guys -
reading some news today, i found an article about Arsenal that i think relates to this whole discussion, in that it shows the money trumping sport ethos - not that that is a new topic or revolutionary idea. Wenger and Henry maybe gone next year with Arsenal looking good in the Champions League this year with tons of potential stars coming up through the ranks?
on a side note, while obviously i’d love to keep everyone here on the message boards, Nike just opened a beta version of a new community site at http://www.jogo.com. it’s a soccer-only MySpace. Maybe a good place to find a game. i’m not thrilled over the internet community hype, but in the name of soccer spreading out and all of us reaching out, maybe give it a look see. i’ll have more to say once I have some time to really check it out. Def send your opinions to me about it b/c i’m really on the fence- and as always - keep the Diary Project stories coming. i’m loving hearing about the crazy experiences everyone is having out there
Joe
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 7:43pm
Obviously, sponsors make the world of sports go ’round. The main problem I have with RBNY is the name-change. Don’t get me wrong, I was never impressed with “Metrostars”, but “Red Bull New York” brings with it a whole new level of brand pushing. I can ignore the sponsors of other teams; you never say The Oxygen Arsenal, or Reebok Bolton. No choice here, especially because the “Red Bull” comes before the “New York”, chosen I’m sure in part because it doesn’t lend itself so easily to being shortened to simply “New York” as Americans so often do.
My 2 cents on changing colors “at will”: If you consider the primary kits of the 28 (roughly) teams that have been in the Premiership, I don’t think you’ll find more than 1 change from the jerseys they wore shortly after their founding. Having seen footage of games played 90 years ago, I was amazed to be able to distinguish the teams by kits alone. It’s less frequent than you think among the European leagues.
Kyle
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 7:50pm
As far as corporations owning sports teams, I wish it didn’t happen, but it does, a lot. Since AOL has taken over the Braves they have seemingly cut player, after salary, and now Mazzone. Watch them fire Schuerholz next year. I remember seeing an article at the beginning of the 2005 season where AOL attempted to justify dropping the overall salary for the however many consecutive years in saying that the fans had caused this b/c attendance was down. I think this highlights a real problem w/ a corporate ownership in sports: you don’t get more fans by offering a crappier product. Of course, AOL has never understood this which may explain their rock bottom stock price.
I actually think naming NY the Red Bulls is stupid for the company. Had they just named them the bulls, they wouldn’t have to worry as much about the vicarious public perception of their product proportionate to the relative success of the team. They’d also forgoe the animosity and controversy involved with the sentimental notions of purity. Sponsors can switch teams in europe and in nascar, but Red Bull didn’t just buy the cow, they slapped their name on the whole farm.
Connor
on Mar 29th, 2006 - 7:52pm
in my opinion the most important thing is that Red Bull is throwing in a lot of money for the finance of the new Red Bull New York soccer specific stadium. no more of the television visuals of 6,000 fans scattered about a 70,000 seat stadium, which is a whole lot more “minor league” then just the team name.
Tim
on Mar 30th, 2006 - 9:03am
How can the Red Bull purchase of this franchise be anything but positive??? What the hell is a Metrostar anyway?
I’m ready for the Philadelphia Comcasts!
Tony Tiger
on Mar 30th, 2006 - 9:33am
Chicago Firestones!…LA Galavisions!..DC United Negro College Fund! Im ready for the worlds only balantly sold out soccerleague. The MLS? Major League Sellouts. (This comment was made possible by Kellogs and Frosted Flakes. There Greeeat!)Copyright Kellogs 2006.
Pat McHugh
on Mar 30th, 2006 - 9:48am
As a native NEW YORKER I welcome the change. I think a lot of people are missing an important point. Besides the obvious marketing considerations, I suspect the name change was a deliberate attempt to change the entire image of the team(see prior posters comments about RB understanding how to run a professional team).
Don’t forget that the Metrostars were pathetic - aren’t they the losingest franchise in the history of MLS? Red Bull understands this is their team now and there needs to be a change in the thinking from top to bottom if their investment is to ever pay off.
The best way to do this is change the name, the image, the colors and start over. Come on! lets get real, this team has been painful to watch for ten years. Believe me, I tried rooting for this team and they’ve bordered on unwatchable at times.
I’m more upset that a team that plays their games in, and plans on building a stadium to play all of their future games in New Jersey calling themselves “New York’ (I also support the “New York” Giants for what it’s worth). Once the league is more established, maybe they can address this issue and actually put a team in NY.I guess you have to pick your battles.
Mr Fish
on Mar 30th, 2006 - 2:57pm
Pat, is heading 6 miles through the Lincoln Tunnel too tough for you? If there was space in NYC proper to put a stadium, it would be done. The Jets couldn’t get theirs built, remember?
Back to soccer. As a Metros fan since day 1, the events of the past month have been nothing short of amazing. With RBNY commercials on NY sports radio and RBNY billboards in Herald Square, Red Bull has already done more to promote the team in four weeks than AEG or Metromedia in many, many years. Like the commercialism or not, Red Bull is a company that knows how to market its products. MLS is lucky that another deep-pocketed owner has asked into the league. MLS, and its fans, will be better for it in the future.
christian
on Mar 31st, 2006 - 8:45am
since i’ve starting watching soccer, and since MLS has been around i’ve been a metrostars fan, also columbus crew because Mcbride was there, and I cant wait to see what red bull can do for ,new york, and more importantly MLS, another thing it can only help us in my opinion, because other companies may see Red Bull capitalizing on the current uprising of soccer especially with world cup around the corner and it may drive other companies to become part of it.
David S.
on Apr 1st, 2006 - 10:27am
Adidas doesn’t market the MLS at all. If nike had a better partnership with the MLS, the league would be thiving, no doubt. Just look what they’ve done with “Don’t Tread on Me, “Joga Bonito”, etc. Those campaigns dominated the soccer world and took control of what Americans thought of soccer.
Blackheart
on Apr 4th, 2006 - 12:54pm
meh… MLS is a joke. The wolrd Cup just might become a joke this year. We’ll see how many cards the samba boys get for diving and tactical fouls.
“Joga Bonita” would be a great idea… too bad they hung the campaign firmly on the backs of the Brazilian National Diving Team.
I used to have alot of respect for Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney.
john badley
on Apr 4th, 2006 - 1:41pm
this goes out to the my favorite kind of guy - you know the ones who rant and rant about something and then dont have the balls to put their name on the post. well done Blackheart.
haven’t you seen the most recent commercial for the Jogo movement? it features Henry - who iast i checked isn’t related to the Brazalian team, so while of course Nike started this new Campaign with Ronaldhino, which any right minded person would do because he is the best player in the world hands dow, not to mention their best contractually obligated player, the commercials are branching out to include more players and focus more on the fun of soccer instead of any certain league of competition.
you can view all the commercials at nikefootball.com
Pay attention mr. negativity - and you might see something you like.
Ian
on Apr 5th, 2006 - 11:15am
I think the point that people are waiting for the MLS to fail is true. No matter how we feel about the Dynamo or Red Bull New York, we need to support the teams and the league. The MLS is an important part of the development of players and talent, especially for the MNT. No matter the names, I will be watching the games. BTW No one mentioned baseball’s Angels…after being bought by disney they became the Anaheim Angels, then the California Angles of Anaheim. Does that not count as blatant name change by way of sponsor?
NO matter how you feel about the sponsorship we need to support the teams and the league if American football (soccer) is going to come to be a “major league” which I believe it can.
I was recently in Newcastle and one thing that made the city so charming and I think added to the attachment of the team by its natives was the fact that St. James was in the middle of the city. The same can be said for most of the teams in England and across Europe. With the major areas of depression in Cities in the US and their outlying areas, why not buy up the low cost empty wharehouses and build in the heart of the cities, it revitalizes economy and adds to the connection. Atleast thats my own thought
James NYC
on Apr 7th, 2006 - 11:02am
#1 - At least this name / jersey is not some blatant attempt to copy a European giants look (i,e, Milan)
#2 - Its not a bad looking kit
#3 - I hated the metrostars name - and anything to break with the pathetic history of that team is a much welcomed change as far as I’m concerned
margot
on Jul 22nd, 2006 - 2:26am
The only problem I had with the name was that I thought it sounded stupid. I think that anything that can change the image of the team and help them “start over” so to speak from their past is welcome. By the way, just because Red Bull comes before New York in their new name doesn’t mean that people couldn’t call the team the New York Bulls. If enough people started calling the team that it would catch on among fans.
aldivaldo
on Apr 20th, 2007 - 1:34pm
que é este site o que se faz neste site que eu numca entrei?
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