http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article211712754.html
Is this the Beckham MLS team's long-awaited name?
Could David Beckham’s Major League Soccer team finally have a name?
Nobody is saying yet, but according to an online search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a company calling itself Miami Freedom LLC applied on May 17, 2018 to trademark the following four names: Miami Freedom Football Club, Miami Freedom United, Miami Freedom FC and Miami Freedom.
Among the goods and services the trademark application lists: posters, decals, trading cards, stickers, media guides relating to a “professional soccer team”, souvenir programs, admission tickets, calendars, pencils, t-shirts, fleece tops, jerseys, hats, caps, shorts, sweat suits, jackets, scarves, headbands, infant and toddler clothing, soccer balls, soccer ball bags, toy figurines, golf accessories, Christmas tree ornaments, “soccer exhibitions live in a stadium, ”plastic films for electronic devices, computer and video game software, magnets, sunglasses, DVD’s, and downloadable artwork.
The attorney listed on the application is Thomas W. Brooke, a Washington, D.C.-based trademark attorney with Holland & Knight.
It has been nearly four months since Beckham and his partners – who include MasTec executives Jorge and Jose Mas and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure – were awarded an MLS expansion team in a glitzy ceremony at the Adrienne Arsht Center. The plan is for the team to begin play in a temporary site in 2020 and move into its own stadium in 2021.
The group has been in discussions to not build the 25,000-seat stadium at the Overtown site where Beckham bought land, and instead to place the stadium at the much larger city-owned Melreese Golf Course next to the Miami Airport. Voter approval would be needed, and the delays could mean it would have to wait until the November ballot.
Jorge Mas said recently that a team name, logo and colors were in the works with firms in New York and London but was not ready to reveal any other details.
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https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/22/st-petes-cycling-scene-is-the-best-in-the-state.html
St. Pete's cycling scene is the best in the state, study says
The city ranks top in the state and 22nd in the nation for its biking atmosphere.
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https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/22/fc-cincinnati-owner-lindner-on-mls-bid-i-think-we.html
FC Cincinnati owner Lindner on MLS bid: ‘I think we’re going to get over the finish line'
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16239476.Ian_Ayre_to_take_over_Nashville_s_MLS_club_-_that_s_a_bombshell__baby/
Ian Ayre to take over Nashville's MLS club - that's a bombshell, baby
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https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/78020/bobby-moffat-on-life-in-american-pro-soccer-in-the.html
Bobby Moffat on life in American pro soccer in the 1970s, the charm of Pele, and the NASL's legacy
In 1975, during Bobby Moffat's fifth season with the Dallas Tornado, he played against Pele in the Brazilian great's debut game for the New York Cosmos. It was something Moffat couldn't have imagined during his early years in the old NASL after leaving England at age 24 for the Tornado's 1970 season. Moffat, whose jobs to supplement his Tornado income had included door-to-door encyclopedia and vacuum cleaner sales, is in the midst of helping organize the 50th Anniversary Reunion in Frisco, Texas, Oct. 19-21, for the old NASL, which kicked off in 1968 and folded in 1984 -- after sparking the American soccer boom.
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https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/05/22/ian-ayre-nashville-mls-expansion-team-ceo-liverpool
Ian Ayre Sets Out to Build Nashville's MLS Expansion Team From the Bottom Up
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http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article211597834.html
Former Liverpool CEO Ayre hired by MLS' Nashville team
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https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/2018/5/22/17381306/whats-wrong-with-our-football-club
What’s Wrong With Our Football Club?
Attempting to unravel Impact’s decline...
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https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2018/05/22/potential-soccer-stadium-site-at-mckalla-place-had.html
Potential soccer stadium site at McKalla Place had also been identified as ripe for affordable housing
A former industrial site in North Austin could be the future home of a professional soccer team. But last year before the soccer proposal went public, the property was identified as a leading candidate for affordable housing, according to an internal city analysis obtained by ABJ. City Council never got the memo, but they may soon as they decide the fate of the public-owned site.
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https://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/International/ex-liverpool-boss-ayre-named-nashville-mls-chief-exec-20180522
Ex-Liverpool boss Ayre named Nashville MLS chief exec
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8la69i/tbrvpgh_match_ratings_unused_substitutes_my_site/
#TBRvPGH Match Ratings – Unused Substitutes (My site) (theunsubs.com)
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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/05/22/tbrvpgh-match-ratings-2/3868
#TBRvPGH Match Ratings
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8ld0tz/tbu_rowdies_u17s_win_state_cup_back_to_back/
TBU Rowdies U17s Win State Cup – Back to Back Champions! (rowdiessoccer.com)
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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/920144
TBU Rowdies Win State Cup – Back to Back Champions!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe24Q2NiwNg
Meet the Rowdies 2018 Fan of the Year
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on May 22, 2018
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xXPUNeLuWI
Rowdies Rundown - Rowdies Host The Hounds
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on May 22, 2018
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/998682387704942597
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
ICYMI: The @tbusoccer Rowdies U17B team claimed its second-straight Florida State Champion 🏆 this weekend! Congrats, boys!
Read more: http://bit.ly/2IB0Zlb
2:50 PM - 21 May 2018
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https://twitter.com/RowdiesPete/status/998918710512451584
Pete the Pelican @RowdiesPete
Campbell Park Elementary Field Day to kick off my Tuesday morning!
6:29 AM - 22 May 2018
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/998944674667794432
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Back to work💪
Rowdies are on the road this Saturday, when they face @TorontoFCII.
8:12 AM - 22 May 2018
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/998946097660915713
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
You may have won $3,000 in the #RowdiesRiches Sweepstakes! Grab your match program this past Saturday & head to http://RowdiesRiches.com .
8:18 AM - 22 May 2018
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https://twitter.com/martin_vingaard/status/999057966857904128
Martin Vingaard @martin_vingaard
Martin Vingaard Retweeted Tampa Bay Rowdies
💚💛 COYR
Martin Vingaard added,
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Back to work💪
Rowdies are on the road this Saturday, when they face @TorontoFCII.
3:42 PM - 22 May 2018
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https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/miami-freedom-mls-fans-react-to-potential-name-of-david-beckhams-club/
Miami Freedom? MLS fans react to potential name of David Beckham’s club
What is the first thing you think of when you hear, “Miami.” Is it famed South Beach? A diverse population with heavy Cuban influences? A top business and cultural hub? Fashion? Tourism? Art Deco? Nightclubs? Pit Bull? Glitz and glamour?
One thing you probably didn’t think of is “freedom” — until now.
Miami Freedom FC or some variation of it could be the name of David Beckham’s long-awaited Major League Soccer franchise, according to a Miami Herald report late Tuesday.
MLS fans and analysts quickly took to social media to offer opinions — mostly critical — of the name, which was found by the Herald during an online search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“A company calling itself Miami Freedom LLC applied on May 17, 2018 to trademark the following four names: Miami Freedom Football Club, Miami Freedom United, Miami Freedom FC and Miami Freedom,” the article reads.
Some think the name sounds like an MLS club of old (see: Tampa Bay Mutiny, Dallas Burn and Kansas City Wiz). Others said it does not sound like a professional, major-league name, like the Uniteds, Citys, FCs and SCs of the world. Some praised it for that same reason. And still others just don’t see a strong connection between Miami and freedom. (I’m in this camp as a native of New England — where reminders of the history of freedom in this country can literally be found on nearly every corner — and a 10-year resident of Florida).
Then there are those who don’t care what the name is and just want the future club to get its stadium situation together and start playing.
Where do you stand? Take a look at some initial reactions on social media and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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http://www.vindy.com/news/2018/may/23/soccer-fans-rise-up-on-twitter/
Soccer fans rise up on Twitter
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is a mere three weeks away.
Wait, why aren’t you celebrating the start of the only sporting event larger than the Super Bowl?
If you’re uninterested in the massive soccer (or football or futbol) spectacle, it’s easy to understand why.
The U.S. men’s soccer team failed to qualify, leaving many fans to turn to Twitter to revolt and rage, feeling a deep sting to our national pride.
We know this because, according to Jay Bavishi, partner manager for FIFA at Twitter, the United States is still the second most tweeted-about team (@ussoccer), right behind Japan (@JFA).
Chile (@LaRoja) didn’t qualify either. Yet like the United States, they also made the “most tweeted about teams” list.
“As you can see, despite the United States and Chile not qualifying for the tournament, excitement for this summer’s event has not waned as both teams are still among the most discussed on Twitter,” Bavishi said.
So, even after the United States was ousted from Cup contention months ago, we’re still talking about @ussoccer on Twitter. Why?
When you look back at those tweets about @ussoccer, they’re not pretty. I tend to shy away from the negative, but there was something very telling about our growing interest in soccer among those posts.
It’s no secret that the United States lags behind other countries in soccer appeal. But over the last decade, there has been a groundswell of interest based in cultural shifts – oh, and social media.
The shifts are clear: the introduction of youth soccer leagues; an influx of immigrants who brought with them a love for soccer; the introduction of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
Sure, the MLS can’t touch the other major sports in ratings and revenues, but the fan base is just as fervent. MLS fans let their passion shine social media, in particular on Twitter, where they rally support for teams, communities and causes.
I noticed this first-hand while attending the International Association for Communication and Sport’s Summit at Indiana University a few weeks ago.
During one presentation, researcher Stephen Andon (Nova Southeastern University) discussed fan reaction to the Columbus Crew owner’s plan to move the team from Ohio.
Using the hashtag #SaveTheCrew, the rallying cry for Crew fans on Twitter and around the world set on keeping the team in Columbus, I tweeted a message of support for Andon’s research and for Ohio’s lone MLS team.
Within minutes, Crew fans were sharing that post, and interacting with Andon and other fans.
One fan even invited me to a tailgate party in Columbus.
It’s clear that soccer in the United States doesn’t have the power of other major league sports. But what it lacks in money and media exposure it more than makes up for in a passionate fan base on social media.
Adam Earnheardt is chair of the department of communication at Youngstown State University. Follow him on Twitter at @adamearn and on his blog at www.adamearn.com.
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https://stpetecatalyst.com/study-st-pete-is-floridas-best-for-bikes-city/
National study: St. Pete is Florida’s ‘best for bikes’ city
Over a two-year period, the advocacy group People For Bikes created and maintained a massive database of American cities and their relationships with bicyclists.
Each city – and just under 500 were monitored – was rated on five criteria: Ridership, Safety, Network, Acceleration and Reach. Feedback from everyday bike riders, city staffers, open-source maps and publicly available data was used.
Number One in Florida: St. Petersburg (the Sunshine City was also ranked 22nd overall in the United States).
In the “Acceleration” category – indicating speedy progress towards a better biking infrastructure – St. Petersburg came in at No. 11.
People For Bikes describes the category thusly: “We measure this category separately from other factors that assess past achievements of a city (like Ridership, Safety, and Network) to showcase a city’s efforts to continuously improve and expand bicycling. We can recognize cities that are growing their bike network quickly, but maybe haven’t achieved long-term success – yet.”
“Acceleration,” the company’s research director Jennifer Boldry told bicycling.com, “is a measure of potential. Collecting data year over year, we’ll account for whether cities are actually achieving those goals.”
That was good enough for Mayor Rick Kriseman, himself a biking enthusiast, who issued a statement. “As we have been focused on making the City of St. Petersburg a friendlier place for cyclists and pedestrians,” he said, “this is great news. I want to thank People for Bikes, and most important of all, everyone in the Sunshine City who rides a bike or helps to make life easier for those on a bike.”
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