The Outfield

[FootyLovin]

I'm hoping having Marcelo Claure in the ownership group will make us less bloodless, too.

This!

Here's hoping.

 

[ZYanksRule]

A key factor in the dynamic may have been the lack of our own park. It's really tough to gain traction on the back pages as a vagabond club. A nice, shiny, ultra-modern stadium right across the street from a rollicking Citi Field could be just the ticket. At least that's what I'm hoping.

I, personally, don't think having our own stadium will make traditional media suddenly start to cover this team. I don't think it will happen in this market. The papers are all too set in their ways and no one in positions of authority even know soccer exists. Those sports departments are all about the big-4 sports, and they barely even cover hockey. You think NYCFC is getting coverage when you can barely find Rangers coverage? Forget it.

 

[Marito]

If you don't already, I'd recommend the Blue Balls pod, Trey features on it. It's the only NYCFC pod I listen to, I look forward to it every week

The pod is great, but it sometimes takes them two or even three weeks to release a new episode

 

[KevinJRogers]

I, personally, don't think having our own stadium will make traditional media suddenly start to cover this team. I don't think it will happen in this market. The papers are all too set in their ways and no one in positions of authority even know soccer exists. Those sports departments are all about the big-4 sports, and they barely even cover hockey. You think NYCFC is getting coverage when you can barely find Rangers coverage? Forget it.

Which is why I say I'm hoping.

But there's something else to consider: location. We could see a coattail effect from being part of the Related Companies project, plus neighbors with the Mets. And that would be doubly true, or more, if Uncle Stevie gets his giant casino project greenlighted (and I'm almost certain he will).

If we were off on our own somewhere we'd have to make it on our own. But at Willets Point, we're right in the heart of the action.

That can only help. I hope.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Which is why I say I'm hoping.

But there's something else to consider: location. We could see a coattail effect from being part of the Related Companies project, plus neighbors with the Mets. And that would be doubly true, or more, if Uncle Stevie gets his giant casino project greenlighted (and I'm almost certain he will).

If we were off on our own somewhere we'd have to make it on our own. But at Willets Point, we're right in the heart of the action.

That can only help. I hope.

Yeah I don't think I agree with that premise. It's not like baseball reporters will see there's a soccer stadium and decide to cover our game. I don't think the location has anything to do with media covering us. They are just old-school and don't think soccer rates.

 

[KevinJRogers]

Yeah I don't think I agree with that premise. It's not like baseball reporters will see there's a soccer stadium and decide to cover our game. I don't think the location has anything to do with media covering us. They are just old-school and don't think soccer rates.

Oh, I wouldn't dispute that. Things might not change at all. Papers only have so much space. They won't expend it on us unless they think it will drive circulation.

But what drives circulation is "a happening." And if we're in the middle of some hot action, it might — emphasis on might — be enough to get us some more coverage.

That's just a hope. Here's a certainty: if we stayed a vagabond team, we were never going to break through.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Oh, I wouldn't dispute that. Things might not change at all. Papers only have so much space. They won't expend it on us unless they think it will drive circulation.

But what drives circulation is "a happening." And if we're in the middle of some hot action, it might — emphasis on might — be enough to get us some more coverage.

That's just a hope. Here's a certainty: if we stayed a vagabond team, we were never going to break through.

We have seen some incremental gains with the NY Post. They don't cover every game, but they do cover big moments for our club and have for a few years. Considering they are the sports paper of record in this city, it's a start.

 

[mgarbowski]

I don't think news coverage will make much difference.
I agree the decade long lack of a stadium hurt, and cannot much fault CFG for not getting it done sooner. I don't think the location will help (near other action and events) nor hurt (semi-remote as city sites go). If somehow they had managed to get it done on that west side pier, that would have really helped, but I doubt that ever was realistic.
And this is all opinion.

 

[KevinJRogers]

We have seen some incremental gains with the NY Post. They don't cover every game, but they do cover big moments for our club and have for a few years. Considering they are the sports paper of record in this city, it's a start.

That's one of the reasons I have some hope. If they covered us a little when we were an itinerant club, maybe they'll cover us more when we're in our own park. We're not so small time anymore.

If somehow they had managed to get it done on that west side pier, that would have really helped, but I doubt that ever was realistic.

It almost certainly wasn't realistic. But had it happened, that might have been the best location of all.

As it is, I'm super happy at Willets Point. I had my eye on that exact spot all along.

Now I just have to make it to opening day.