Photo by Lorianne DiSabato

As MLS fans, we often fail to realize how lucky we are that our clubs offer us a wide variety of fan experiences.  If we are attending a game with a soccer newcomer or our kids, we can sit in the more traditional American sports seating sections and watch the action from our seats.  If we yearn for a more European hooligan atmosphere, then MLS can provide a passionate, inspired fan section where even the most mild-mannered professional can show their undying support for their club.  The beauty of the fans section is that every team has them: original clubs like DC United provided the roadmap for MLS fandom to the new high-profile groups like the Philadelphia Union.

At times, however, the passion of the fans and club management will clash and the idea of appropriate devotion become murky.  We saw an example this offseason when Toronto FC supporters led a revolt against the team’s (mis)management to encourage them to stop raising prices while failing to put a quality club on the field.  Who owes what to who is an interesting debate.

This weekend, the relationship between New England Revolution management and supporters reached a boiling point.  For a full (but biased) account I recommend the profile on the fan site The Bent Musket as well as accounts on these other sites, but in essence The Fort was told to tone down their swearing during the match.  In particular, management wanted one phrase stopped that the fans chanted at opposing keepers.  As the post recounts, The Fort was slowly cleared out during the match to the point where by the end of the game it was pretty much empty.  Of course any time there are narratives like this, the accounts have to be taken with a grain of salt but it looks like the relationship between the team’s most hardcore fans and the ownership is reaching a straining point supposedly over conduct.  I would also stress details are still emerging, and we will update this account as they emerge.

But an essential question is illustrated by this incident: in the debate was over language and the club asking the supporters to tone it down, who is right? Should a club tell supporters what to chant?  In Europe, it is common for ownership to speak with fan groups and try to prevent offensive chants, but this is primarily in cases of blatantly racist chants.  Swearing is just part of the game; you can’t go to a Serie A match without a referee being called a cuckold or worse.  In England, some of the best chants rained down upon opposing players are much worse than what The Fort yelled at keepers.  Like most sports, soccer is all about passion and the desire to influence opponents by intimidating them, and preventing may be taking away an important part of the game.

Conversely, in a country where soccer is a niche sport, it is important that families and casual fans find a welcoming atmosphere.  So often, non-soccer fans imagine English hooligans as the average soccer fan and look down on attending professional games.  Additionally, practically every American child plays soccer at some point in his life and are perfect marketing targets for any MLS team.  Parents are not going to want to take a child to a game where they can learn new words, so management is conceivably justified in trying to maintain a clean language environment.

So what do you think: are the New England Revolution justified in trying to clean up The Fort’s language?  What obligation does ownership have to creating a “family friendly environment”?

Today is the last day of Interleague baseball for this season of MLB.  It ends coincidentally on the same day as the final of the Confederation Cup.  As great as the Confederation Cup has been for Soccer, Interleague play has given baseball a great boost as well.

MLB scheduled its Interleague dates to start right after the finals of the NBA.  It is a great move for baseball because it rejuvenates its fans and transitions sports fans by refocusing their attention from basketball to baseball.

MLB has begun to master its technique for giving Interleague baseball the spotlight in the crowded sports calendar and has accentuated the rarity of matchups among teams by having in-state, intra-city rivals playing one week and the next week having World Series rematches, as well as other oddly encounters. 

Drama has followed baseball’s good moves.  Anyone watching Interleague play in the last two weeks will have noticed that there has been an unbelievable amount of highlights, history and walk-off wins.  The steroid controversies, ticket prices and other problems with ego-driven players that has plagued baseball does not seem to be effecting the public’s will.  Baseball is coming through this Summer in better position than originally thought by many critics and it seems to be weathering the financial storm. 

It is also no secret that MLB is working all the angles of college baseball.  The college World Series played out tremendously this year, as its format has begun to take on more tradition and more recognition with each year that passes. 

Make no mistake about it, Soccer is competing with baseball for the American sports fan’s dollar.  More than any other sport, baseball is a thorn in the side of the growth and popularity of U.S. pro Soccer because it is a constant scene stealer.  This is a reality mostly because of the timing of the seasons they play. 

But, there is no doubt to the fact that the Confederation Cup has boosted Soccer in the consciousness of the U.S. sports fan.  It proves the U.S. is nearing equal footing with the best in the world. 

What effects will possibly winning Confed Cup and winning the Gold Cup have on recruiting new fans for the struggling professional leagues, MLS, USL and NPSL?  Will the boost from the Confed Cup and upcoming coverage of the Gold Cup help the U.S. pro leagues with attendance in general? 

Attendance should rally not only due to improved international play, but also because of hotter temperatures and better weather across the country. 

Of course, if there is no improvement in attendance or television ratings, no worries.  Soccer purists have it figured to be only that ’the public needs to have patience’ as these professional leagues develop.  After all, they are such young leagues. 

Sometimes though, it seems as if  U.S. pro Soccer can’t catch any breaks.  On the heels of the success of the USMNT in the Confed Cup comes the unfortunate link of AEG, a huge part of MLS and its future, to the July-planned Michael Jackson concert series in England.  What impact will Michael Jackson’s death have on AEG’s financials and what transferrence will be felt in MLS ? It appears certain there will be some sort of significant fallout, as AEG was way deep into its commitment with the King of Pop.

In order for Soccer to make it to the U.S. sports fan’s main menu, it must play a schedule that has both sense and purpose.  An American professional soccer league must begin play every year 1-2 weeks before the Major League baseball season begins and it must end its regular season 3 weeks before the start of the NFL season. 

A professional league must make every attempt to take advantage of the U.S. sports calendar so that soccer can get the limelight needed to reach diehard U.S. sports fans.  Every ounce of sports spectating in America, including awards shows, is scheduled to a specific time in the year in order to gain a place within the public’s eye.  

When there is a hole or dip in the sports schedule, like the MLB all-star game, soccer must fill the spot in a big way.  This year and in past years, professional soccer has not scheduled games on baseball’s all-star break.  This is an error in judgement from those who are the decision makers for professional soccer.  Professional soccer should always try to maximize its exposure in the sports spectator calendar, especially on days when no other major U.S. sports are being played. 

There are few holes left in the sports calendar, but tradition doesn’t need holes in schedules.  Tradition can bring professional soccer to its rightful place on the U.S. sports calendar.  Tradition should be that professional soccer always stays one step ahead of both baseball and footfall.  Placing its regular season on the U.S. sports calendar for the months of March, April, May, June, and July, with its playoffs in August, will stabilize and solidify professional soccer’s niche in the sports spectator marketplace.

Professional soccer in the U.S. from March to August should build towards a 40-50 regular game season.  The schedule must find consistency from year to year and only allow interference from the most reputable tournaments(i.e. USOC, CCL).  Clarity in the schedule and more games means more opportunities for pro soccer to make a lasting impact with U.S. sports fans.

The perfect start to the 2009 season would be the first day of spring, Monday, March 23rd.  Monday Night Futbol would be the perfect anecdote to keep the fans engaged and enthused over a 20-week professional soccer schedule. 

The schedule should permit for play Thursdays through Mondays.  Friday nights will see a heavy schedule.  Saturdays will see a heavy schedule for day and night, while Sunday will see a heavy schedule for day and late afternoons.  Monday and Thursday nights will see a lighter schedule. 

Teams should prepare to travel for 2-3 game sets (against the same team) over a 3 to 5 day period, similar to professional baseball.  There should be games to view on television from Thursdays through Mondays all over the country.

Scheduling is the most critical element to ensuring that soccer gains the most exposure possible.  Groups of games must start one after another.  By staggering the start times, fans watching on television, should be able to see games in a consecutive manner.  Start times need to be prepared long in advance.

In order for Soccer to find the success it seeks in the U.S., it must make changes to the traditional rules without changing the integrity of the sport.  Soccer can be that viable alternative for sports fans in the U.S. if it plays with American rules and also promotes the game to fit U.S. sports fans expectations, not the expectations of soccer enthusiasts.

The game of Soccer, like all other American spectator sports, must be tinkered with from time to time in order to maintain its entertainment value for the newest generation.  But, the sport must not be altered significantly to where it is not recognized as Soccer.  The integity of the sport must be kept intact (10 on 10 where no one touches the ball with their hands and one Goalkeeper for each side).

In sport, it is common for rules to vary from country to country.  FIBA, the International Federation of Basketball plays its games under its rules, including a trapezoid key (paint).  The U.S. adheres to these rules during international play and reverts back to its own rules for play in the NBA.

All strategies for delivering the product must adjust to the spectatorship landscape of the U.S. sports fans.  If done with an American flavor, soccer can be an enduring spectator sport in the U.S.  It has the ability to provide unique drama, escape and entertainment.  It is definitely possible to raise the American consciousness for the appreciation of Soccer and it can become the 4th most dominating spectator sport in America. 

Soccer needs to be serious, competitive, fun, and unapologetically American.  The rules changes and marketing schemes must take responsibility in perfecting the art in the sport.  They must make sure that the skill involved in the sport is showcased and that every match is played with contemporary sports drama and theatre.  Action, tension during the contests and common sense in the rules must take precedence so that every game has the potential to rise to the occasion and be an unforgettable sporting spectacle.

There is a lot that must be done for American soccer to succeed.  Sports fans in the U.S. expect more from their spectator sports.  They are different than sports fans from other parts of the world.  They are more sophisticated and they have been spoiled.  The greatest moments in the recent history of sports have occurred in American sports or with American athletes.

The sport has been built-up significantly over time at the youth level and upwards through high-school and college levels.  But, in order for professional soccer in the U.S. to derive the most amount of fan support possible, the marketing must become event-driven and reach the diehard sports fans.

Soccer can become a fabric of the American sports fans environment just as football, basketball, and baseball have consistently achieved from year to year.  Soccer must think progressive in their rules amendments and consider what makes 4th down, the 3 and 2 count and the last-second shot so appealing to sports fans.