Empire of Soccer Opinion on NYCFC

[MikeDatTiger]

I'm not going to link it because it's obviously troll/click baiting, but Empire of Soccer put out an opinion piece by a Wassink trashing NYCFC.

1) Wassick complains that MLS puts out press releases and has a media event for a badge unveiling. I'm not quite sure what he's complaining about. Was NYCFC not supposed to have a media event? Every club that has unveiled a logo, whether it's a new logo for a club or a redesigned logo have Media events. The New Orleans Pelicans invited the mayor when they unveiled their new name and logo. The Dallas Stars had an hour logo event attended by season ticket goers when they rebranded this year. You can probably name more. Every league takes an opportunity to get press and new kit designs/logos/etc. are clearly opportunities.

2) I can't imagine why Don Garber would have a pet project of having another team in New York. It's not like New York is an important market in the US or anything like that.

3) He says no covers NYCFC except MLS writers who have to, "wannabe soccer journos" (a category which I think includes Mr. Wassick) and a "handful of people." For some reason, does the New York Times not count? The NYT wrote a full-length article about how NYCFC's coach Jason Kreis is hanging out in Manchester and learning about City's tactics and scouting future players. Some "mere mention." Has RBNY gotten as much ink from the NYT this month?

4) NYCFC has no stadium. Neither does Miami, although Beckham has pretty drawings (and has had two media events to cover that, while we're on the point). Arguably, New England still doesn't have one. It's pretty obvious MLS wants a stadium in the 5 boroughs. As a fan of American soccer, everyone should want that.

5) NYCFC's owner's owners are involved in human rights abuses. I won't apologize for human rights abuses, but one is free to like a sports team and dislike the owner. Most fans don't like their owners.

6) "I honestly can't say." Let me get this straight. You think the franchise is a joke, the owners are human rights abusers who fans shouldn't buy merchandise from but you'd work for them? to write their articles and promote the club? WTF?

7) NYCFC is not an organic creation, unlike the Union with the Sons of Ben or Portland. Ok. Existing supporters clubs are a great feature, but why are they required? Franchises are created all the time in American sports and their creation helps spawn a supporters culture. And you know what? MLS, US Soccer need to create a passionate MLS fanbase in New York. Media contracts, attendance numbers, prestige of the sport etc. are all boosted by a passionate NY fan base.

And why isn't there a supporters culture in NY? Why is the only NY team getting outdrawn by Vancouver, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Houston even in a year where it won the Supporter's Shield? Why did Garber feel the need to put another NY team there? If there's no desire for another club in a city which hosts two clubs in every other major sport in the US, then that reflects very poorly on RBNY's efforts to engage NY in MLS and it's no wonder Garber handed the reins over to a new group of owners passionate about both soccer and New York.

 

[Vinjay]

That's a good constructive response (to such a vile article) you should post it over there.

Anyone who has also seen @soccerdesk and the podcast they posted today there should be some kind of response to that on one of their future podcasts. One thing is for sure the knifes have been out for NYCFC today. What we don't want to do is moan about the media (though in todays cases that term could be used loosely) too much and put so much energy into that. So many fans care about what the media thinks of their club above anything else and it becomes almost as tedious as the critcism itself. When it comes down to it what NYCFC fans think is the only important thing.

 

[MikeDatTiger]

Yeah, this isn't about "media hates NYCFC" as "this poorly-written troll-bait just so happened to target NYCFC." We saw it a few weeks ago with Deadspin's "Why you shouldn't watch MLS." It's just the lowest denominator of sports writing and when there are so many blogs dedicated to promulgating thoughtful pieces about sports it's a shame people write stuff like this that sounds like little more than a caller rant on the Finebaum show.

 

[Vinjay]

I'm sure Wassink's name (the EOS article writer) was mentioned by the 2 people on the @soccerdesk podcast too. How ironic that these attacks have been posted just a couple of hours apart...hmmmmm.

 

[einwindir]

I take anything this troll says with a grain of salt. He's little more than a wanna-be Perez Hilton trying to piss people off to gain views.

A year from now he'll be swallowed whole by the NYCFC hype. Then he'll try to backstep and say 'the entire thing was a huge misunderstanding".

I say we just put this cow out to pasture with the rest of them.

 

[MikeDatTiger]

I'm sure Wassink's name (the EOS article writer) was mentioned by the 2 people on the @soccerdesk podcast too. How ironic that these attacks have been posted just a couple of hours apart...hmmmmm.

Awful announcing does this great tracker about how ESPN media opinions start debating " news stories" of opinions given by other ESPN personalities, and then do stories about the media personality's response to the debate, and then debate that response. This sounds similar. Creating something to talk about.

Which is good, because it's not like there was a Manchester derby last night or that EPL title contender Liverpool has a game tonight or anything like that. Totally slow news day.

 

[Vinjay]

The soccerdesk podcast is less vile (I know Chance Michaels is going to listen to it and may respond since he did the recent FF podcast) but still an attack on the SC for all intents and purposes.. Why don't these people who's hearts bleed so much for UAE human rights not form a protest against the US government? Why target a mere football club when there's open trading between the 2 countries? Its pretty low and despicable to fake outrage over human rights to cover up the fact that people are threatened by NYCFC. You can see through their true agenda so easily.

 

[MikeDatTiger]

The soccerdesk podcast is less vile (I know Chance Michaels is going to listen to it and may respond since he did the recent FF podcast) but still an attack on the SC for all intents and purposes.. Why don't these people who's hearts bleed so much for UAE human rights not form a protest against the US government? Why target a mere football club when there's open trading between the 2 countries? Its pretty low and despicable to fake outrage over human rights to cover up the fact that people are threatened by NYCFC. You can see through their true agenda so easily.

When human rights become a mere sound bite in a fight between fans of different soccer clubs, it's totally dehumanizing to the people who actually suffer. If you really are outraged by their suffering, you don't write this article.

 

[Gene]

I take anything this troll says with a grain of salt. He's little more than a wanna-be Perez Hilton trying to piss people off to gain views.

A year from now he'll be swallowed whole by the NYCFC hype. Then he'll try to backstep and say 'the entire thing was a huge misunderstanding".

I say we just put this cow out to pasture with the rest of them.

Agree. Point #6 alone says it all.

One question.........is Wassink a Red Bull fan? Cosmos fan? Euro poseur?

 

[Vinjay]

Lets be brutally honest do people on here care deeply about UAE's record on human rights? Is it a major policy of the two governments most people from here are associated with UK and US? NO. Unlike Red Bull and Cosmos fans lets be brutally honest instead of faking outrage. I know Chance has not sugarcoated it (to his credit) but how many people have the time and energy to look into it? Are we supposed to care everytime we buy something from the Middle East incase it came from slave labor? Its time consuming enough to think about domestic matters (whether in the UK or US like me) to look over the policies of other countries. I don't agree homosexuals should be prosecuted in the UAE but what have I done about it? Truthfully not a damn thing it does not have impact on me day to day when it comes to the cold, hard truth. If you call Red Bull as an individual entity a greedy, soulless corporation that is accurate. RB management unlike their fans don't even pretend to care they blatantly didn't give a toss about Salzburg fans or the Metrostars rebranding. If you bang on about human rights because you don't like another football club that's just fake outrage.

With Middle East governments a lot of the views are based on years of religious brainwashing. That isn't anything new anywhere the church used to control the UK centuries ago but people wised up to it eventually. The Middle East hopefully as time goes on religion will become less and less of a burden on everyday lifes. When/if that finally happens freedoms will get closer to those of the UK and US but it won't be overnight. Red Bull is simply about $$$$$$$$$$ and is based purely and simply on greed not centuries of brainwashing and religious propaganda. Though RB executives at least have been totally honest about what they are and their motives. Unlike their fans.

There's so many human rights abuses globally I wouldn't know where to start campaigning.

 

[Falastur]

No point mentioning that the heir to the Red Bull business empire keeps mysteriously being too busy to attend his own court case for the hit-and-run murder of a policeman in Thailand, I guess? Thankfully for him, in Thailand it seems you can't be tried in absentia so the court case just keeps getting pushed back. How very...convenient for him.

 

[Vinjay]

In all honesty the only countries I truly care about are England (guess you could say include the rest of UK) and the US. Infact I feel closer to the US than England despite being English. Infact I would prefer the US to win the World Cup than England later this year (partly due to the benefits it would have for MLS and NYCFC) which makes me a bad patriot but its the truth. Of course there is a "special relationship" between the 2 unlike with anyone else. As for New York its always been a special place in my eyes unlike anywhere else and I regret not having visited (did go to Wrestlemania in Detroit few years ago on a rushed impulse decision when I had some decent money) Finances permitting next year I'll have the greatest reason of all to visit NY.

Even MCFC fans who have a casual interest based primarily on the connection are focused more on NYCFC than Melbourne Heart. That shows just how special NY is compared to anywhere else. Melbourne is a nice city from what I've heard but I have zero interest in the place. Don't intend to go and never have intended to go.

Anyway maybe getting a touch off topic but it stresses the point that most people in UK/US feel almost nothing towards the UAE.

 

[MikeDatTiger]

I can guarantee that most Americans can't find the UAE on a map. The only Middle East human rights abuses that make the papers (or equivalent digital media) I've seen in the last year are the ones complained about in relation to Qatar's World Cup 2022 preparations.

 

[NYCFC_NL]

I think the influence of Etihad is just good for the competition. It might inspire other big companies to get involved with the MLS. This sponsorship gets the MLS on the map and to a higher level, with more world class players but also better homegrown players.

 

[Vinjay]

I can guarantee that most Americans can't find the UAE on a map. The only Middle East human rights abuses that make the papers (or equivalent digital media) I've seen in the last year are the ones complained about in relation to Qatar's World Cup 2022 preparations.

Exactly people in the UK point out gay rights in Russia and Qatar a lot but nowhere else. Of course its got nothing to do with the fact people in the UK are bitter that they both won World Cup bids and UK didn't. The true agenda shining through is even more blatant than that of RB and Cosmos over this EOS article. For the record I probably could find UAE on the map

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

I haven't read it and don't intend to either.
One thing I stay away from is journalist opinions. Whether in the paper or online.
It's all about attracting readers, negative or positive, doesn't matter. Most of the time the more negativity the more readers.

 

[Vinjay]

Said a few times we shouldn't care about the media (though as I said used loosely with that article) as so many people consider it of utmost importance. I don't look at many supporters forums but on Blue Moon for instance there's countless treads based on what some second rate commentator might have said. I shouldn't have responded to that article myself but so far I've ignored the stupid Chivas, MCFC feeder club comments almost entirely. I happened to be listening to the soccerdesk podcast when that article was posted. It seems like it was a deliberate attempt to attack from all areas (since that article writer was mentioned by name on podcast before he posted) and when that happens its harder not to respond. Its different to reading through a few annoying comments on twitter like most days that's easy to ignore. In actuality the stuff on podcast has been overlooked now compared to that stupid article.

 

[Leo Glickman]

Human Rights Watch found that Sheik Mansour uses his sports team to launder the image of his repressive regime. This isn't just about people who don't like the idea of NYCFC (and I don't, as a New Yorker how can I like something that claims to be the baby sister to a third rate English city, but I digress), this is what serious people say about him. There is no comparison between that and someone's sponsor on the shirt, or who they buy kits from.

If MLS wants to do business with him, that's their business. But as a New Yorker, the idea that he is asking City taxpayers to subsidize his laundering operation is beyond despicable. The City Council stood up and said NO WAY to him with the Queens stadium, and they will do so again. And we will make sure that every politician in this City knows what this guy is about. Trust me on that. No stadium is getting built in Melissa Mark Viverito's district that's spearheaded buy Sheik Mansour. I know that already. Short of finding a 12 acre plot that is already zoned to allow a stadium (good luck!) NYCFC is never going to get their stadium in NYC.

Enjoy your message board everyone, I'll be leaving now. Best of luck.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/jul/30/manchester-city-human-rights-accusations

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

Hold on hold on, you're upset that people came into his country where rules have been in place as it says in that article, for centuries, and broke those rules and were arrested and punished according to those rules?
I'm all for human rights but the US breaks them regularly. Are you not aware of Guantanamo bay?
I really don't want to get into this but how about the decade plus long atrocities against the Rohyngia in Myanmar which everyone, including the US turned their backs on until the government signed a dam deal with China. Only then did the US step in to try and induce "democracy" and urged them against it and now we're getting involved and so on.
To each their own brother. The majority of the world turns their back on genocide and atrocities on a daily basis because it doesn't fall within their realm of sight.
Suddenly a team comes to new york and people care.

 

[Buckley]

MY THOUGHTS:

Hi I'm Zac, I've been following soccer for 8 years, MLS for 4. I support 4 teams, 2 of which co-compete in European competition. But I'm going to write a diary entry about how you're all plastic fans.