Suckurity worse in Chicago than at GS? Options

[JBigjake54]

Isnt that the one that got ripped to shreads during the Colombia/England friendly back in 2005 ... ?

No. I am talking about the big "EMPIRE SUPPORTERS CLUB" banner that hung in front of section 140 at GS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajEAS2TkDPk&NR=1 at 1:50
Perhaps someone can post a better photo?

[onionsack]

No. I am talking about the big "EMPIRE SUPPORTERS CLUB" banner that hung in front of section 140 at GS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajEAS2TkDPk&NR=1 at 1:50
Perhaps someone can post a better photo?

I have no idea. what ever happened to that...but we need another ome.

[jamison]

Isnt that the one that got ripped to shreads during the Colombia/England friendly back in 2005 when it started to get passed around the lower bowl?

No, that was the 1st large Metro banner. It was ripped to shreds, and tossed.

We are currently on large Metro banner # 2.

The ESC banner Jake is talking about was lost after a rain game in 2006, basically the same way the Fire's was. It didn't cost $ 10k, but, still, it's gone all the same.

We do need another banner to replace it, but I think we have to look long term there and work on the banners we want to use going into Harrison. If we can get them done early and use them in GS too, fine, but we shouldn't be looking to replace banners for GS at the moment, but looking forward to next year to try to figure out how we want everything to look, and how we're going to get it all made in time.


And, yeah, back on topic, the Fire's FO "is being for suck", as my Russian friend used to say.

On Anthony's point, I think most FO's think that the 95% of fans not in a hardcore section are the people who have kept the league alive this whole time.

And, I wish it didn't have to be the case, but I somewhat agree. We- supporters- are the best part of the stadium, but no one launches a sports league in this country looking to reach the 200 of us hard core fans. The quiet types at midfield suck- as evidenced by the 2.5k of them that turned out for our game yesterday, thanks, dicks!- but without them the Hondas and Pepsis of the world never spend dime 1 on MLS, the league doesn't get launched, and we're all watching the EPL on TV waiting for Goal 2 to hit the theaters.

It is with a hard-on for the wallet of SUV driving Moms out there that this league was created. FOs enjoy the loyalty that hard core fans provide and appreciate the atmosphere, but only in as much as they can have it on terms that are acceptable to them. This is unfortunate, but real. It makes us different from Italy, Argentina, etc, where the teams and even governments will move jump through hoops just to avoid the wrath of soccer fans.

In MLS, without that ethos, each FO decides what is and what is not an acceptable tradeoff for atmosphere. In this country things like violence, disorder and even cursing are seen as not a worthy exchange for the noise & pagentry of a home end. A couple of clubs, like DC, have had FOs that get this relationship correct. Clubs like Colorado have FOs that go "yeah, screw those guys, I'd rather sell tickets to a youth team that won't give me a headache." (Read up on the Rapids supporters, they don't have it too easy either.) Then, if they want atmosphere, they just hire an intern to play mp3s during the game, wack though that may be.

I hope it works out for Fire fans (even if the Fire are rubbish), but in 10 years of going to games I've run across a lot of people who make the invalid assumption that just because our support means a lot to us, that it also means a lot to them. It means something, but not everything. You might get a tattoo of their team on your arm, but they aren't getting a tattoo of you on their arm, are they?

The Fire FO should end the racismo, but, I wouldn't be surprised the complaints of S8 fell on somewhat deaf ears. In the end, some toolbag in their FO could always just close the section and think he/she could fill it another way. It would be lame, but I could see it happening. I hope it doesn't come to that.

[MetroStone]

This is why everything that you, Anthony, Jake & others have done is so important - right now our relationship with the RB FO seems to be a positive one - the results of the LA game issues could have been very different if ESC did not handle it professionally and the FO was not receptive to a partnership - we all owe a big thank you to everyone in ESC and the FO that have made this happen

It is my fear that some of the FO's across the league will keep an eye on Chicago and interpret the changes as a success and a good idea - there is no guarantee that RB will not follow this lead, but right now my feeling from the information passed on MF and the HH that they are supportive of ESC and other groups efforts on game days - a cooperative/professional relationship must be maintained by both RB and ESC

For all the Red Bull haters out there - I can understand the isssues with the name and thinking they are only here to advertise their drink (I was not a Metro fan long enough to get the deep connection to the name/club/franchise) - but you cannot deny this FO has made strides in their relationship with ESC, the youth program, the stadium and recently the team, strides that AEG had not made - nothing is perfect, and nothing will change over night, but overall Red Bull has the team and organization pointed in the right direction

Keep up the good work off the field and keep BRINGIN' THE RUCKUS!!! on game day - I will be back in 101 at some point this season (just have to convince the kids to miss a game), but until then I, along with some others, will be singing in 133

[onionsack]

To be fair and clear....the credit goes to Erik Stover and his staff (Andrew Lafiosca, Dan Steeves and Tim Sinclair) they are the ones that proposed the new policy and the ones that took time out of their duties on gameday to see it goes smoothly.

They are the ones that took the info we provided and did something about it and went to the NJSEA to reslove things.

I went into the meeting kinda expecting to have to have a fight with them about this issue, but instead they were highly proactive and basicly came up with a solution even better than we were going to propose.

So, i have been saying this for a while, and it usually falls on deaf ears, but the current FO is light years more attentive and understanding than any previous regiem. In fact, i would almost venture to say they are one of the best FO's in terms of supporter relations in MLS these days. Every meeting we have ever had with them has been professional and courtious, and in every instance they have been willing to hear and address our concerns.

I wish more people would see that because it kinda drives me mad to read some people railing them for things without having any knowledge of what is really going on. Perhaps we as a club need to be more villigant in communicating these things to the masses. I know because of the harsh and condesending past treatment of prior FO's we are all preconditioned to distrust them..but i can tell you 100% these guys are good people and fair people that want many of the same things we do as a fanclub.

Hell, back in JUne we went in to talk about stuff and Andrew surprised us by saying he had the drawings editied to change all the stadium seating numbers to start with section 101 behind the goals instead of what they were originally numbered..(i think it was section 2 or something). We never asked him to do that or even mentioned it prior to that, they did it on their own because they knew how much that symbolisim would mean to us.

Anyway, after reading the horror stories in Colorado and now Chicago...i hope everyone really appreciates how good we have it and how much better we will have it once that stadium is finsihed.

[Metro4LIFE]

The ESC banner Jake is talking about was lost after a rain game in 2006, basically the same way the Fire's was. It didn't cost $ 10k, but, still, it's gone all the same.

Ah fuck, it didnt cost 10K but it took me like a week to make that shit along with a couple of other volunteers. I want my week BACK!