February 6th, 2018
Hello
all; this is another quick open letter as part of my campaign to get the Tampa
Bay Rowdies into MLS. As will be clear below, I am just mailing this to the
owners of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Columbus Crew, Miami Beckham United, and MLS
executives.
Below
in bold is just a blog post which I typed out the other day, digesting the
latest MLS news, and expressing my general frustration with the lack of news
coming out of the Tampa Bay Rowdies currently, on the #MLS2StPete front.
So,
don’t take this too seriously, but enjoy it (or not) in the spirit which
engendered it – i.e., mid-winter’s blues, and lack of news.
Also, I
would like to take a moment to congratulate David Beckham and the other owners
of the Miami Beckham United project, for their recent announcement. I hope the
letters that I have been sending did not annoy you all too much (if they were
even noticed); my purpose wasn’t to steal Miami’s team from you but rather make
more people aware of the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
My own
suggestion for the new team name would be AFC Miami. As many of you no
doubt know, AFC stands for Association Football Club, a name that was commonly
used by British soccer clubs to distinguish themselves from clubs in the same
city that played other codes of football (i.e., Rugby Football Clubs or RFC);
Association Football being the official name for the sport (from the original
Football Association established in 1863). Soccer itself is just a nickname
derived from the abbreviation for Association: Assoc.
Fans of
AFC Wimbledon in England have also suggested that the AFC abbreviation could
stand for “A Fan’s Club”, which in their case, would be an appropriate name, if
you read up on the history of that club, and how it came to be.
“AFC
Miami” also has the advantage that it scans very well if you break the
syllables down into a chant, which is what the fans will inevitably try to do.
It just works: “Ay-Eff-See-My-Am-Eee”. Try it for yourself. I think you will
agree that it just works.
Musical chairs; or the great MLS
SSS NIMBY relocation/expansion swap meet, flea market, fish fry, bbq, gossip
roundup & sewing circle.
https://supportyourlocalfootballclub.blogspot.com/2018/02/musical-chairs-or-great-mls-sss-nimby.html
So, I have been watching the MLS expansion/relocation circus
and letting my imagination run riot.
Beckham's Miami MLS team has been announced, but the local opposition to the Overtown stadium still hasn't been dealt with. Interesting to see how that works itself out.
FC Cincinnati is still working on their stadium situation. "Councilman Mann: Neighborhoods must have a say in FC stadium site" (see link below); so this situation could go on for a while and delay FC Cincinnati's move to MLS, which gives the Rowdies an opening.
MLS still wants Sacramento to get more and/or bigger investors, which also gives the Rowdies an opening.
MLS obviously does not like Detroit's idea to play in a concrete domed NFL stadium, instead of an open air soccer specific stadium (SSS), which gives the Rowdies an opening.
The Columbus to Austin proposed move puts San Antonio on hold, which gives the Rowdies an opening.
Finally, as shown in news links below, there's lots of local opposition in Austin to an MLS stadium, so, that potentially scuttles or delays Anthony Precourt's plans to move the Columbus Crew to Austin, Texas. That could also potentially give the Rowdies an opening in their MLS bid, if Bill Edwards plays his cards right and things fall together in a particular way (I'm wildly speculating, below, here, but hear me out).
I haven't commented much on the Columbus to Austin situation, as although I hate it, I did not want it to muddy the waters of my main project here, which is getting the Rowdies into MLS, i.e., #MLS2StPete #MLS2TampaBay #Rowdies2MLS ... but now is a good moment to comment: #SaveTheCrew ...
MLS has used American and Canadian soccer supporter culture to grow its brand; it has implied that soccer is indeed different from other North American professional sports; but this business of letting Anthony Precourt buy the Crew with the intention to move them to Austin, ruins that narrative.
If MLS wants long term growth and support, it can't move teams on a whim like this. NFL can get away with this, but MLS can't. It is very short-sighted.
Now, if the move to Austin falls through, Anthony Precourt has also potentially upset the situation for himself in Columbus, if not also undermined the situation for the Crew in Columbus as well.
What would happen if the Columbus to Austin move does not happen? Would Anthony Precourt want to sell his shares of the Crew to remove himself from a bad situation in Columbus?
Some of the guys on The Unused Substitutes podcast (IIRC - or maybe I read it on reddit or somewhere else, and my memory is playing tricks on me; that is what happens when one listens to podcasts and browses the internet at the same time; in any case...) joked about Anthony Precourt moving the Crew to St. Petersburg and rebranding them as the Tampa Bay Rowdies (i.e. either partner with or buy out Bill Edwards).
As they were quick to add, and I agree, that would be bad. We want the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS, but we don't want to steal someone else's team to make it happen. To reiterate: #SaveTheCrew ...
There is another option that occurs to me: Anthony Precourt sells his shares of the Columbus Crew to local Columbus and/or other investors, and uses that money for an expansion fee for a new MLS team somewhere else, i.e., in the Tampa Bay Area, so that he buys into Bill Edwards' #MLS2StPete ownership group and takes the Tampa Bay Rowdies to MLS.
Now, Anthony Precourt is an oil guy and probably he would prefer an MLS team in Texas, if this idea were possible he could also buy into the San Antonio FC ownership group and take them to MLS.
San Antonio FC are owned by the San Antonio Spurs, though, and they probably do not want to have a partner, especially not if Precourt insists on being the majority owner, which seems likely.
I know that some people (i.e., Rowdies fans, members of Ralph's Mob, etc.) assume that Bill Edwards wants to be in charge of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS as majority owner, but due to his age, he is probably more concerned with his legacy in St. Pete and in the Tampa Bay Area, rather than in just running a major league sports club.
In other words, if Bill Edwards gets #MLS2StPete with the Tampa Bay Rowdies playing in MLS at Al Lang Stadium (however reconfigured or rebuilt), he's secured his legacy in St. Pete and it matters less who the other owners are, or who is majority owner. Or so I suppose (yes, I'm just spitballing here; this is my own idea; and I obviously have no inside information).
Why would Anthony Precourt want to do an MLS deal for the Rowdies in St. Petersburg? Well, it isn't Texas, but St. Pete has the same hipsterish vibe as Austin (people mostly aren't aware of St. Pete's relatively recent changes, but it is a fact); the hipster/millennial demographic thing is partly what attracted Precourt and MLS to Austin in the first place, and when the Rays move out of St. Pete, as seems very likely, the Rowdies would not be sharing St. Pete with any other major league teams (which is also what makes Austin attractive to MLS), and the Tampa Bay Area is also a much bigger market than Austin.
And, unlike Austin, the situation in St. Pete is all set up and ready to go, right NOW (with the Al Lang Stadium site already approved with an 87% 'yes' vote from the public, and with the full cooperation of local politicians and business leaders and neighborhood groups, etc.), and thus does not have the issues currently dogging and delaying other markets trying to move to MLS.
Also, the Tampa Bay Area's close geographical proximity to the Orlando and Miami markets is another plus, and not a negative thing at all, as anyone who has been paying attention to the intense local Florida soccer rivalries should be well aware of (going all the way back to 1975). Maybe a bit too intense at times.
With Beckham's new Miami team in MLS coming along in a few years, we could very well see some famous names coming to play in MLS in Miami (Messi and Ronaldo maybe, and other well known players) due to Beckham's influence.
Because of this, owning an MLS team only 4 hours drive away from Miami, in the largest TV market (Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, the #11 TV market) that does not currently have an MLS team, is an opportunity that should make potential MLS investors sit up and take notice.
The Tampa Bay Area being that geographically close to Miami means being much better placed to take advantage of Beckham's Miami situation (more scheduled local rivalry matches, more traveling away fans, more intense local media coverage, etc.), with all that that implies.
Having more local rivalries helps Beckham's Miami team as well, and would boost the marketing ability and visibility of the Tampa Bay Rowdies (locally, nationally, and internationally), which has greater potential being so geographically close to Miami, than other potential MLS markets have, who would not be able to take advantage of that kind of close geographical proximity to Miami.
Also, if one is trying to attract famous international footballers to play in MLS, and a designated player (DP) spot is not open for them in Miami, well, St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area are close enough to Miami as to make the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS a very tempting alternative.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies also have the additional advantage of being a well known American soccer brand going back to 1975, which is still recognized internationally by older fans, especially in the UK.
What is currently lacking for #MLS2StPete, apparently, is that MLS wants a larger, richer ownership group for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and also seems to want a more ambitious Al Lang Stadium rebuilding plan (or so it seems to me, reading between the lines), i.e., not just adding to the existing structure, but building a complete new SSS from scratch on the old Al Lang Stadium footprint, which will take longer and cost more money than Bill Edward's existing #MLS2StPete proposal; and as a totally new Al Lang SSS structure would cost more money, that's another reason for taking on additional investors for the Rowdies.
Maybe Anthony Precourt could be sold on the idea?
I never hurts to ask.
I can already hear the REEEEEEE!!!-ing coming from some of the Ralph's Mob supporters reading this, who don't like Precourt for what he is trying to do to the Crew, and who would not want him as a Rowdies owner; but, if my wild proposal here actually came to pass, it would both #SaveTheCrew and also make #MLS2StPete happen, killing two birds with one stone as it were.
Besides, some of the current (and former) Ralph Mobsters don't like Bill Edwards, either; but as long as the ownership group gets the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS and puts enough money into building a quality SSS and putting a quality, winning team on the pitch, they will learn to live with it.
Of course, all of this crazy speculation of mine may all be moot if Anthony Precourt actually gets a new SSS built in Austin, or in Columbus, but all that is up in the air at the moment.
In any case, Bill Edwards really needs to get more big investors, and soon, while this window of opportunity for MLS expansion is still open; hopefully, he can find some big investors who are also local Tampa Bay Area people, but at this point I'll take anyone, if it gets the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS.
The Rowdies landing Anthony Precourt as an investor certainly sounds like a far fetched idea at the moment, but stranger things have happened.
So until Bill Edwards makes some kind of announcement, I throw stuff like this up against the wall in case some of it sticks.
It's February, there's no real Rowdies news, and I'm bored.
Pictured below: upset Ralph Mobster setting forth his reasoned objections to this, my lighthearted proposal.
Beckham's Miami MLS team has been announced, but the local opposition to the Overtown stadium still hasn't been dealt with. Interesting to see how that works itself out.
FC Cincinnati is still working on their stadium situation. "Councilman Mann: Neighborhoods must have a say in FC stadium site" (see link below); so this situation could go on for a while and delay FC Cincinnati's move to MLS, which gives the Rowdies an opening.
MLS still wants Sacramento to get more and/or bigger investors, which also gives the Rowdies an opening.
MLS obviously does not like Detroit's idea to play in a concrete domed NFL stadium, instead of an open air soccer specific stadium (SSS), which gives the Rowdies an opening.
The Columbus to Austin proposed move puts San Antonio on hold, which gives the Rowdies an opening.
Finally, as shown in news links below, there's lots of local opposition in Austin to an MLS stadium, so, that potentially scuttles or delays Anthony Precourt's plans to move the Columbus Crew to Austin, Texas. That could also potentially give the Rowdies an opening in their MLS bid, if Bill Edwards plays his cards right and things fall together in a particular way (I'm wildly speculating, below, here, but hear me out).
I haven't commented much on the Columbus to Austin situation, as although I hate it, I did not want it to muddy the waters of my main project here, which is getting the Rowdies into MLS, i.e., #MLS2StPete #MLS2TampaBay #Rowdies2MLS ... but now is a good moment to comment: #SaveTheCrew ...
MLS has used American and Canadian soccer supporter culture to grow its brand; it has implied that soccer is indeed different from other North American professional sports; but this business of letting Anthony Precourt buy the Crew with the intention to move them to Austin, ruins that narrative.
If MLS wants long term growth and support, it can't move teams on a whim like this. NFL can get away with this, but MLS can't. It is very short-sighted.
Now, if the move to Austin falls through, Anthony Precourt has also potentially upset the situation for himself in Columbus, if not also undermined the situation for the Crew in Columbus as well.
What would happen if the Columbus to Austin move does not happen? Would Anthony Precourt want to sell his shares of the Crew to remove himself from a bad situation in Columbus?
Some of the guys on The Unused Substitutes podcast (IIRC - or maybe I read it on reddit or somewhere else, and my memory is playing tricks on me; that is what happens when one listens to podcasts and browses the internet at the same time; in any case...) joked about Anthony Precourt moving the Crew to St. Petersburg and rebranding them as the Tampa Bay Rowdies (i.e. either partner with or buy out Bill Edwards).
As they were quick to add, and I agree, that would be bad. We want the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS, but we don't want to steal someone else's team to make it happen. To reiterate: #SaveTheCrew ...
There is another option that occurs to me: Anthony Precourt sells his shares of the Columbus Crew to local Columbus and/or other investors, and uses that money for an expansion fee for a new MLS team somewhere else, i.e., in the Tampa Bay Area, so that he buys into Bill Edwards' #MLS2StPete ownership group and takes the Tampa Bay Rowdies to MLS.
Now, Anthony Precourt is an oil guy and probably he would prefer an MLS team in Texas, if this idea were possible he could also buy into the San Antonio FC ownership group and take them to MLS.
San Antonio FC are owned by the San Antonio Spurs, though, and they probably do not want to have a partner, especially not if Precourt insists on being the majority owner, which seems likely.
I know that some people (i.e., Rowdies fans, members of Ralph's Mob, etc.) assume that Bill Edwards wants to be in charge of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS as majority owner, but due to his age, he is probably more concerned with his legacy in St. Pete and in the Tampa Bay Area, rather than in just running a major league sports club.
In other words, if Bill Edwards gets #MLS2StPete with the Tampa Bay Rowdies playing in MLS at Al Lang Stadium (however reconfigured or rebuilt), he's secured his legacy in St. Pete and it matters less who the other owners are, or who is majority owner. Or so I suppose (yes, I'm just spitballing here; this is my own idea; and I obviously have no inside information).
Why would Anthony Precourt want to do an MLS deal for the Rowdies in St. Petersburg? Well, it isn't Texas, but St. Pete has the same hipsterish vibe as Austin (people mostly aren't aware of St. Pete's relatively recent changes, but it is a fact); the hipster/millennial demographic thing is partly what attracted Precourt and MLS to Austin in the first place, and when the Rays move out of St. Pete, as seems very likely, the Rowdies would not be sharing St. Pete with any other major league teams (which is also what makes Austin attractive to MLS), and the Tampa Bay Area is also a much bigger market than Austin.
And, unlike Austin, the situation in St. Pete is all set up and ready to go, right NOW (with the Al Lang Stadium site already approved with an 87% 'yes' vote from the public, and with the full cooperation of local politicians and business leaders and neighborhood groups, etc.), and thus does not have the issues currently dogging and delaying other markets trying to move to MLS.
Also, the Tampa Bay Area's close geographical proximity to the Orlando and Miami markets is another plus, and not a negative thing at all, as anyone who has been paying attention to the intense local Florida soccer rivalries should be well aware of (going all the way back to 1975). Maybe a bit too intense at times.
With Beckham's new Miami team in MLS coming along in a few years, we could very well see some famous names coming to play in MLS in Miami (Messi and Ronaldo maybe, and other well known players) due to Beckham's influence.
Because of this, owning an MLS team only 4 hours drive away from Miami, in the largest TV market (Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, the #11 TV market) that does not currently have an MLS team, is an opportunity that should make potential MLS investors sit up and take notice.
The Tampa Bay Area being that geographically close to Miami means being much better placed to take advantage of Beckham's Miami situation (more scheduled local rivalry matches, more traveling away fans, more intense local media coverage, etc.), with all that that implies.
Having more local rivalries helps Beckham's Miami team as well, and would boost the marketing ability and visibility of the Tampa Bay Rowdies (locally, nationally, and internationally), which has greater potential being so geographically close to Miami, than other potential MLS markets have, who would not be able to take advantage of that kind of close geographical proximity to Miami.
Also, if one is trying to attract famous international footballers to play in MLS, and a designated player (DP) spot is not open for them in Miami, well, St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area are close enough to Miami as to make the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS a very tempting alternative.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies also have the additional advantage of being a well known American soccer brand going back to 1975, which is still recognized internationally by older fans, especially in the UK.
What is currently lacking for #MLS2StPete, apparently, is that MLS wants a larger, richer ownership group for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and also seems to want a more ambitious Al Lang Stadium rebuilding plan (or so it seems to me, reading between the lines), i.e., not just adding to the existing structure, but building a complete new SSS from scratch on the old Al Lang Stadium footprint, which will take longer and cost more money than Bill Edward's existing #MLS2StPete proposal; and as a totally new Al Lang SSS structure would cost more money, that's another reason for taking on additional investors for the Rowdies.
Maybe Anthony Precourt could be sold on the idea?
I never hurts to ask.
I can already hear the REEEEEEE!!!-ing coming from some of the Ralph's Mob supporters reading this, who don't like Precourt for what he is trying to do to the Crew, and who would not want him as a Rowdies owner; but, if my wild proposal here actually came to pass, it would both #SaveTheCrew and also make #MLS2StPete happen, killing two birds with one stone as it were.
Besides, some of the current (and former) Ralph Mobsters don't like Bill Edwards, either; but as long as the ownership group gets the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS and puts enough money into building a quality SSS and putting a quality, winning team on the pitch, they will learn to live with it.
Of course, all of this crazy speculation of mine may all be moot if Anthony Precourt actually gets a new SSS built in Austin, or in Columbus, but all that is up in the air at the moment.
In any case, Bill Edwards really needs to get more big investors, and soon, while this window of opportunity for MLS expansion is still open; hopefully, he can find some big investors who are also local Tampa Bay Area people, but at this point I'll take anyone, if it gets the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS.
The Rowdies landing Anthony Precourt as an investor certainly sounds like a far fetched idea at the moment, but stranger things have happened.
So until Bill Edwards makes some kind of announcement, I throw stuff like this up against the wall in case some of it sticks.
It's February, there's no real Rowdies news, and I'm bored.
Pictured below: upset Ralph Mobster setting forth his reasoned objections to this, my lighthearted proposal.
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