Open Letter: December 26, 2016.
December 26th, 2016
Hello all; this is another in a series of open letters
urging Miami Beckham United (MBU), David Beckham’s project to launch an MLS
club in Miami, to consider talking to Bill Edwards and the other owners of the
Tampa Bay Rowdies, as an alternate backup plan if the Miami situation does not
work out. As I mentioned in my last letter I am documenting some of this letter
writing campaign in my blog (“support
your local football club dot blogspot dot com”). This is my seventh letter;
the first letter was September 7, 2015. As anticipated, Bill Edwards has
recently announced (this past Dec. 6th) his intentions to move the
Tampa Bay Rowdies to MLS, and expand Al Lang Stadium. No word, still, on the
Miami Beckham United situation. I imagine that many things may be decided in a
few months time, or later this year at the latest, that may make this oddball
letter writing campaign of mine obsolete; at this point I am mainly interested
in promoting the Tampa Bay Rowdies move to MLS, and if something happens on the
David Beckham front that might impact this, great, but this quixotic project of
mine is probably nearing its end whatever happens. And now a bit of good news,
and bad news, all in one:
Report: Spring
Referendum on Al Lang Lease Extension a Possibility
A vote to extend
Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards’ lease to manage Al Lang Stadium could be
coming sooner than expected.
Charlie Frago of the
Tampa Bay Times reported on Thursday that St. Petersburg City Council
Chairwoman Darden Rice has scheduled a meeting on January 5 to put the matter
up for a public referendum in late April or early May, with Edwards picking up
the $250,000 price tag for the special election. Edwards is seeking to secure
at least a 20-year lease for the waterfront venue, a necessary step in his
proposal to expand Al Lang to 18,000 seats as part of his bid join Major League
Soccer. [...]
Another interesting
aspect to the report is Rice’s suggestion that the council consider using its
leverage in the lease negotiations to stipulate the Rowdies drop Tampa Bay from
their name and pick up St Pete instead.
I along with other Tampa Bay Rowdies fans must protest this
suggested name change in the strongest possible terms. The Tampa Bay Rowdies
were the very first professional sports team in the Tampa Bay area (1975) and
were so named because they represented the entire Tampa Bay area. Every other
professional sports team in the area with major league ambitions has been named
“Tampa Bay” for the same reason. The name Tampa Bay Rowdies has a proud 41 (going
on 42) year history. The very first Tampa Bay Rowdies game, on Valentine’s Day,
Feb. 14, 1975, was played indoors at the old Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg,
where the Dali Museum stands now. Whether playing in Tampa or in St. Pete, the
Rowdies have always represented both sides of the bay, and the entire Tampa Bay
area, and not just one city. Changing the name of the team would alienate and
antagonize lifelong Tampa Bay Rowdies fans, and undermine Bill Edward’s efforts
to increase ticket sales and season ticket holders throughout the entire area,
especially in Hillsborough County, as part of his efforts to push for an MLS
expansion slot for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. There is no reason to destroy over
four decades of history, identity, and tradition simply because the stadium
happens to be in St. Pete, especially considering that the Tampa Bay Rowdies
name and trademarks had to be bought back from a third party a few years ago.
The Rowdies belong to the entire Tampa Bay area and should keep their proper name.
As the Al Lang Stadium expansion is going to be privately financed, team name
changes really should not be up for discussion. I travel 1,300 miles to St.
Pete to watch the Rowdies (when I can) and I spend money in St. Pete; Rowdies
fans in Hillsborough travel a shorter distance but also spend money in St.
Pete; their opinions should not be disregarded. I hope this was not a serious
proposal; let us hear no more of it.
Turning back to the topic of the Tampa Bay Rowdies bid to
join MLS, and David Beckham’s apparent lack of success so far in Miami, the
following comments by Kartik Krishnaiyer make for interesting reading:
Could the Tampa Bay
Rowdies replace David Beckham’s Miami as MLS Team #24?
On Thursday, Major
League Soccer announced the list of the 10 locales that are in the running for
Major League Soccer clubs 25-28. Miami which was originally slated as team 20
or 21 has slipped to 24 and from the outside view is nowhere closer to securing
a team than they were in 2013 – and rumors persist that David Beckham is close
to pulling the plug on the area.
Tampa Bay was named
among the 10 locales by MLS on Thursday and as we discussed on December 7, the
bid to bring the top soccer league in the United States and Canada to Downtown
St Petersburg is a sure-fire winner. On Thursday Rowdies Chairman & CEO
Bill Edwards said:
“It’s
great to know that less than two weeks after announcing our #MLS2StPete
campaign, Major League Soccer is acknowledging us as one of the potential
expansion cities,” stated Rowdies Chairman and CEO Bill Edwards. “Bringing
Major League Soccer to the Tampa Bay Area by 2020 is my goal.”
The Rowdies formal
bid for an MLS team was announced on December 6, but the side which currently
plays in the lower division United Soccer Leagues has major advantages over
many of the other nine finalists. In Bill Edwards, the Rowdies have an owner
whose net worth probably meets MLS requirements unlike most of the other
interested cities and clubs. The Rowdies have a solid stadium plan which is far
ahead of each of the other potential new MLS markets with the possible
exception of San Antonio. But unlike San Antonio, whose facility is far from
the center of town, the Rowdies Al Lang Stadium is right on Tampa Bay in
Downtown St Petersburg. Finally, the Tampa Bay media market is the largest
single one that does not have an MLS team currently – with the league
increasingly concerned about lagging TV ratings this market makes sense.
Since Miami continues
to be a struggle why should Tampa Bay with an existing club, a real stadium
plan and a capable owner step right in? As was written here a little over a
week ago (with some revisions):
It is important to
note while arguments can be made for Miami as an important MLS market, the
Tampa/St Petersburg TV market is actually larger than Miami/Fort Lauderdale. It
is also critical to note that between 1975 and 2016, the Tampa Bay area and
Miami/Fort Lauderdale areas have had pro teams in the same soccer leagues for
25 seasons. In that period only three times did the southeast Florida team
boast higher attendance than the Tampa Bay-based one. This includes four
seasons in Major League Soccer (1998-2001), where Tampa Bay led Miami in
attendance three of the years, and nine seasons in the NASL (1975-1983) when
Tampa Bay led Miami or Fort Lauderdale every single season.
Miami is more of a
global branding opportunity than a soccer-crazed market. Major League Soccer
has survived for years without a Miami team, and now is thriving despite the
debacle taking place under the palm trees in southern Florida. But Tampa Bay’s
stadium plans – a waterfront vista in St Petersburg probably represents
something far more “Florida” than anything Miami can conjure up. This is also
exactly what MLS wanted David Beckham to produce – a waterfront vista, but he
was unable to secure the community and political support for the project.
While the Tampa Bay
market “failed” once before in MLS, that was a different time. A fear about
cannibalization of the audience from Orlando which is nearby could be real, but
the rivalry implications (Orlando City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies already have a
robust rivalry fostered at the lower-division and US Open Cup level) probably
offset those concerns. A “war on I-4” rivalry would be far bigger for MLS then
an organic club like Orlando City battling a manufactured and largely plastic
club like Beckham’s Miami entry promises to be.
MLS has to likely add
a 24th team in 2018 or 2019 before the next round of expansion begins in 2020.
With LAFC entering the league in 2018, the idea of the Tampa Bay Rowdies
replacing Miami as team 24 to begin league play let’s say in 2019 should be
strongly considered.
Players, coaches, and other people involved in pro soccer in
Florida over the past four decades all seem to agree that the Tampa Bay area
has been a much better supporter of pro soccer than Miami has been; comments
from Twitter:
Kartik K @kkfla737:
“If MLS is serious about downtown stadiums, rewarding soccer fans and promoting
clubs they'd drop Miami for St Pete/Tampa in a heartbeat.”
Kartik K @kkfla737:
“@joedratnol long history of supporting American club soccer at all levels
(unlike Miami). Bigger TV market. Willing owner. Better stadium.”
Kartik K @kkfla737:
“I've long said the Tampa Bay market deserves MLS more than Miami. More
American soccer fans, better support. MLS has a choice to make.”
Thomas Rongen
@TRongen: “Having been in both as a player and coach, I have to admit with a
heavy heart that I agree”
Ray Hudson also agreed with comments similar to these
recently on Sirius XM Channel 85, favoring Tampa Bay over Miami as having
better support for pro soccer. Given that Ray Hudson, Thomas Rongen, and Kartik
Krishnaiyer are all pretty much Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/South Florida people, this
is an important observation coming from them.
We won’t know what exactly is going on in Miami, or not
going on, until something definite is announced; I write these letters on the
slim chance that David Beckham, Simon Fuller, Tim Leiweke, etc. could look at
the Tampa Bay Rowdies as their MLS investment opportunity if Miami does not
work out for them. Adding David Beckham’s “brand” to the Tampa Bay Rowdies MLS
bid would be a huge shot in the arm for publicity and marketing for the MLS
Tampa Bay Rowdies and would help the Tampa Bay Rowdies to recapture some of the
magic of the original Rowdies era circa 1975-1984.
I am also writing these letters to do my part to keep the
original Tampa Bay Rowdies legacy alive; I have been a fan since 1975. Preserving
this legacy and identity and tradition is very important; the addition of the
NASL legacy clubs in Cascadia (Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Vancouver
Whitecaps) and California (San Jose Earthquakes) have done a lot to give MLS
greater depth of history and tradition and identity, by tying MLS back to these
1970s era teams. The addition of the Tampa Bay Rowdies to MLS would do the
same. American soccer has a long history, going back to the 1880s, but we keep
burying and ignoring our own past, and trying to reinvent soccer in this
country over and over again rather than building on traditions from generation
to generation. We have a chance with the Tampa Bay Rowdies to help correct some
of these past errors. I also helped with the write-in vote to keep the Seattle
Sounders name; this is a principle I believe in across the board and not just
for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
The recent/ongoing mess with the current NASL is a reminder
of this past. I did not care for a lot of what the owners of the revived New York
Cosmos did, but one thing they did do right (and this is probably a legacy of
Peppe Pinton, who preserved the Cosmos trademarks, history, trophies,
memorabilia, etc.) is have an actual New York Cosmos club historian who
recorded and preserved the history of the New York Cosmos, and kept fans
informed about Cosmos history. For instance the Cosmos club historian reminded
us this past year that the Tampa Bay Rowdies have never defeated the Cosmos at
a Cosmos home game (ie, never defeated the Cosmos in New York or New Jersey).
Unfortunately with the Rowdies change in leagues and the second demise of the
Cosmos, the Rowdies may never have a chance to rectify this injustice! But most
of us wouldn’t even have known about it had the Cosmos not had their own club historian.
Perhaps the Tampa Bay Rowdies could have a club historian
once they are in MLS? It would help current management for instance to remember
which jersey numbers have been “retired”. Personally, I am against retiring
numbers in soccer – especially numbers 1-11, as these were, and still are, to
many fans, the numbers of the actual positions that players play, and can’t
really be retired without damaging the spirit and historical legacy of the
game. Better to retire, say, the jersey as such (the combination of player’s
name and number) and put a plaque up with the shirt number and player name in a
Hall of Fame, but allow the actual number to continue to be used by players
with different names. If you keep retiring numbers, soon 1-11 will be gone and
everyone will be wearing ridiculously high digit numbers; this is not part of
soccer tradition and really makes no sense for a sport with very limited
substitution. A club historian could also be useful in helping to remind
current management to stay true to the legacy of the Tampa Bay Rowdies when
deciding such things as marketing and branding of the team. The green and
yellow hoops (especially on the sleeves and socks) are an important part of the
Tampa Bay Rowdies identity. Too many sports teams nowadays make changes for the
sake of change, and to cash in on sales of jerseys, but in doing so dilute
their own brand identity. The New York Yankees are the gold standard in creating
and sticking to a brand and a consistent look: pinstripes are as essential to
the Yankees identity as their logo is. So also with the Rowdies logo and the
green and yellow hoops. You can change kit design every year or two but it
should be variations on a consistent theme, and not wild changes for the sake
of change (and to sell more jerseys), that make the team look like pretty much
every other soccer team out there, while undermining the team’s brand identity.
Bill Edwards has come under criticism from fans for some of
his decisions over the past year or two, but without him the Tampa Bay Rowdies
probably would not exist today and would certainly not be making a serious bid
for MLS; in my book that makes him the most important Rowdies owner since the
original owner of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, George W. Strawbridge Jr.; Gary
Shelton seems to agree:
Is Tampa Bay’s best
all-time soccer performer … Bill Edwards?
Edwards, a habitually
dissatisfied man, is the George Steinbrenner of his sport. Like Steinbrenner,
filled stadiums and pretty good does not quite cut it. Like Steinbrenner, Edwards
wants his team to be the talk of the town. Like Steinbrenner, he believes in
spending money to make money.
Take Joe Cole. Given
that the Rowdies missed the playoffs this season, you could suggest that Cole –
as wonderful as he was – wasn’t worth the money. But to Edwards, he was. He was
a star, a marquee player, the straw that stirs the drink. You get the feeling
that Edwards wants more Coles, not fewer.
Then there is the
MLS. Edwards might have been happy with the NASL if it had been more functional.
But it wasn’t, and Edwards began to flirt with the MLS. Now, he’s on a 10-team
expansion list. He has media market size in his corner. He has history. He has
a fan base. If he can get Al Lang expanded, he’ll have the stadium. Given that
the 10 media markets that are bigger than Tampa Bay already have MLS, he’s a
good bet.
Ah, and the stadium.
This is where Edwards’ vision is particularly lovely. He sees Al Lang growing
to more than 18,000 season seats, which would indeed make Saturday night a
party and fill downtown. And he sees it with no cost to the taxpayer. If it’s
free, is it for thee?
All of which would
make the Rowdies more vital, and the sport more enjoyable. Who has made a
bigger impact on the game locally than Edwards?
Oh, it will cost him
some cash. Better players would be needed. Stadium improvements. Nicer
restrooms, he has said, demonstrating his attention to detail.
But Edwards sees this
as his legacy, and bully for him that he does. Bully for us, too. Call it Bill
Edward’s golden gold.
Speaking of the stadium plans; I, like many soccer purists,
would like to see the old Al Lang Stadium torn down and the field be reoriented
so that you could get a proper soccer stadium built around it. But, the
recently revealed plans aren’t bad, and I understand that Bill Edwards has
reasons to do things this way. I have practical and aesthetic observations to
make, however. I have sat up in the top of the baseball stands behind 3rd
base (harbor side), and the light poles there block the view of the Mahaffey-end
goal. Ideally there should be no obstructed view seats in the stadium.
Aesthetically, the plans looks like two stadiums (one new and one old), instead
of one, unconnected to each other. Fix both problems, by taking out the light
poles around the old stadium, and adding a roof that matches the roof on the
new stadium, with the lights hung under the roof. That would eliminate the
obstruction of the view and also give the stadium a more unified look. There is
probably enough room to put the new roof over the old concrete roof on the Al
Lang stadium, without having to remove it. Also add seats in the corner between
the old and new stands, and a concourse to connect them, so you really have one
structure instead of two. Also I assume from the renders that the berm will be removed,
to allow the goal line and touch line to be moved closer to the old Al Lang
stadium stands. This is good, but in so doing the roofs of the dugouts would
probably interfere with the sightlines. It might be a good idea to remove the dugout
roofs and fill in the dugouts with more seats, except for the tunnels. The
tunnels could still be useful and could remain. Well that’s all for now. #COYR
#MLS2StPete #MLS2TampaBay #Rowdies2MLS
No comments:
Post a Comment