August 10th, 2007 . 5:09 am . By: Jason Benfield

For the past week, I have been in Valparaiso, Indiana visiting the in-laws. In an effort to get away and retain our sanity, my Brother-in-law, John, and I spent Saturday away from the rest of the family. We made our way into Chicago, grabbing some pizza at Gino’s East before attending an afternoon Cubs game and then capping the evening off with the Fire-Columbus match. After the night was over, John, who is a huge baseball fan and has attended a few FCD games with me, remarked that he had a better time at the Fire game than the Cubs game. We talked about some of the differences between the experiences at Toyota Park and Pizza Hut Park, and I thought I would share some of the main points of our conversation.

PRE-GAME PRESENTATION

The Fire organization did a great job of building up the atmosphere before the game even started. As the field was being prepared for the introductions, various Fire highlights were shown on the video board. The content was interesting enough that most people around us were either watching the video, or paying attention to “Section 8″, the group of hard core Fire supporters who were in the section next to us. Either way, their attention was on the match at hand. At Pizza Hut Park, folks are mostly either getting concessions or finding something to do with their time before the game starts, not getting amped up for the game itself.

Then, after everything was set up on the field, something happened that startled me, because I have never seen it done at an MLS regular season game before. Prior to the procession of players onto the pitch, a video was run on the giant scoreboard, completely comprised of highlights of the Fire playing the Crew in the past. In between segments, phrases popped up such as “Kicking off the second half of the season” and “Trying to even the season series”. The production was as good as anything I have seen at a Mavs or Stars game in the past. Every person in the stadium was tuned in once they noticed it was playing. When it finished, a huge cheer went up as the players started stepping onto the field.

At this point, the entire stadium was locked in. The players entered the field, and the national anthem was sung. During the player announcements, the Fire had special containers that shot off a burst of flame and fireworks after the announcement of each Chicago player. Everyone was on pins and needles, awaiting the announcement of the final player. And when Blanco was announced, the place went nuts.

I can’t say enough about how classy the pregame was. The Fire organization spent the money, and did a great job. And the impact was fantastic – everyone in the stadium was tuned into the match, waiting for the game to begin. In fact, Section 8 was so flabbergasted by the whole thing that they forgot to unfurl their flag that covers the entire endline section. It was great. The difference between what was executed at Toyota Park and what goes on at PHP every week is night and day.

IN-GAME PRESENTATION

There were two major differences between Pizza Hut Park and Toyota Park in-game presentation. The first, and most significant, was replay competence. We all know that at PHP, replays are sporadic at best, and nothing controversial is shown. In addition, the replays that are shown are disturbingly late, sometimes played minutes after the original event.

The experience at Toyota Park was completely different. First, it was evident that the organization used different cameras from the ones used by the television broadcast – the video at the Fire game was much more close up on the ball. This was great, because as a fan in the stadium, I could see the wider picture of what was going on with my own eyes, but at times I wanted a closer view. The video board gave me that perspective. The in-house cameras they used really enhanced the experience. At PHP, you only get the wide perspective of the generic camera angle for TV. Second, every replay I expected to be shown was actually replayed: hard tackles, good shots, and controversial offsides. Controversial plays are never shown on the screens at PHP. Finally, the replays were shown immediately. Not after the ball was played out, and not after a five minute delay. Once a great save was made, the ball would still be in play, but a replay would be shown within seconds. Because you knew it was coming, your eyes went straight to the video screen after a great play. This really kept people locked in.

The second difference was the announcements of yellow cards and substitutions. These announcements came immediately. It was a significant contrast from PHP, where announcements of substitutions and cards can come minutes after the event. Announcements of player substitutions came while the numbers were still on the fourth official’s board. And announcements of yellow cards occurred while the referee was still making notations in his book.

EFFECT OF THE DESIGNATED PLAYER

The impact of Blanco and Wanchope were tremendous. I have already mentioned the crowd reaction when Blanco was introduced in the opening lineups. And the same reaction took place – a standing ovation – when Wanchope was announced as a sub in the second half. This was a soccer savvy crowd. There were Club America shirts all over the place. The impact of the Designated Player was felt strongly, both from an atmospheric and a monetary standpoint.

The intensity and atmosphere of the match was raised several levels higher just by the presence of Blanco. Those that watched the match on TV might say that he had a poor game. But he had a huge impact. The entire crowd was tuned in, waiting for him to get the ball. Every time he got it, some people would applaud. Others would stand in anticipation. Every single time he got fouled, all twelve times, the stadium would stand and boo or jeer the other team and encourage the ref to give a card. It was tremendous. Anytime the Fire had a free kick around the 18, the crowd would stand, and people would chant his name. It was evident that the people in the stadium that night were not talking about shopping or when they were going to get the laundry done. They were watching the game. Even the Fire’s version of “The Library” was into the game in the second half with everybody else.

From a revenue standpoint, Blanco is going to make the Fire a ton of money. Judging by the number of Club America jerseys as well as the ethnic makeup of the crowd, I would say 10,000 people of the sellout were there for the first time. There were at least 1,000 Blanco Fire Jerseys. Ten thousand people at an average ticket price of 30 bucks is 300K right there. The jerseys bring in another 80K. 15 bucks for parking at 4 people per car, that is another 30K. And everyone spent at least 10 bucks on concessions, that is another 100K. So, at least 500K revenue from folks who had never been at a Fire game before. A worthwhile investment, I would think.

THE RESULT: ATMOSPHERE

Wow. What a great environment to watch a game. A Supporters Group that fills up an entire section helps a lot – they had hundreds of streamers and let off at least 7 smokebombs over the course of the game. But the overall impacts of what the Fire organization did with the presentations and the purchase of the designated player are what allowed that energy to spread throughout the stadium. Most of the fans at the game were knowledgeable fans. They understood soccer. And because they knew soccer, their energy drove the rest. John, who doesn’t know a lick about the game, was standing the entire second half, singing along with Section 8, and having a great time. Of course, 5.50 beers instead of 7 bucks may have fueled the cause a bit, but it was a great party.

And for those of you who think that pandering to a particular audience is a waste, when it is done correctly, it has great impacts. The Mexicans around me who were at their first MLS game bombarded me with questions once they figured out that I followed the league. They recognized my FCD hat and asked me what I thought of Pescadito. They wanted to know about the other teams, and if they were signing other big players, besides Beckham, who they didn’t care much for. These were not just people there to watch a Mexican legand. These were people who were hoping that MLS was coming around. They were not being derogatory towards the standard of play; instead, they were impressed by it. They were asking questions, trying to find out more about the league because they have a respect for it now. This was not a few Mexicans showing up to watch Hugo Sanchez walk around the field and being disappointed by the overall quality of the league; instead these were people who were there to support Blanco, and looking to make the Fire their team because the league was worth supporting now.

It became clear, as I was talking to them, that in their mind, MLS had finally made the step to become a Major League. And the Fire, in particular were a Major League organization. Now the question is clear – can other organizations, including our own FC Dallas, make that same transition. It costs money, from paying people to get cars in and out of the lots quickly to enhanced game presentation to name player acquisition. But it’s worth it. And that is what it is going to get to make the average soccer fan in American pay attention to our league.

Categories: Commentary.

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