You have met a bunch of us here in Seattle in recent months ... I am the guy you shook hands with at the George and Dragon in November and sat near during the preseason game against Seattle U at Mariner High School ...
I'll give you a sec ...
Anyways ...
I just wanted to comment on what you talked about at the Qwest Field jersey unveiling ...
You discussed being a true part of the community; as in all levels of soccer, business, and all levels of this city ... I like that. A lot. But that is not what I am wanting to focus on here ...
No ... I want to focus on your comments about having "impossibly high standards". The notion of "impossibly high standards" is perhaps one of the most important commentaries by anyone in Seattle sports ownership that I have ever heard. It didn't feel like a slogan or a deliberate sound bite, it was stated matter of fact in the midst of other comments yet still stood out to me.
For decades, yes decades, soccer fans have watched their teams come and go, very often waiting during the off season to find out if there would even be a team or league. I have supported the original Sounders, Stars, Storm, Seadogs, etc ... and very often found myself wondering what it would be like to have some sort of fan level security.
And now ... we have a team that has not and will not play a game this year (yes, I still support the USL team) that is newsworthy every time it announces anything ...
Name? Front pages ...
First player signed? Front pages ...
Jersey sponsor? Front pages ...
Even KJR is paying attention ...
"Impossibly high standards"? I have spent the better part of decades just hoping to have a team from year to year ... watching players leave to bigger and better things ... I stood in the Tacoma Dome in 1992 and shook hands with the Tacoma Stars GM at a fire sale of their merchandise when they folded ... Five year contracts with sponsors paying millions of dollars? This was unthinkable last October ...
To put a winning product on the field is not a simple thing and does not guarantee business success in sports. As fans, we measure everything by wins and losses and trophies ... and we have been rewarded in Seattle ... but "impossibly high standards" very clearly includes winning yet obviously covers many other aspects of the organization ...
It is clear that the Sounders FC ownership group has a plan and a vision and I am certain I will not agree with everything you do, but to hear someone in your position flat out state that the organization has only "impossibly high standards" to measure up to ... that is exceptional ...
We are very fortunate that this ownership and management group has come together. After waiting all these years for MLS to arrive in Seattle, it is great to get solid news after solid news after...
ReplyDeleteI am still afraid I might be drinking the Kool Aid here ... but for whatever reason I think these are all real steps and that this is going to be good ...
ReplyDeleteNice. But one tip, before posting run a search for "..." and replace with "." It makes reading easier and leaves a better impression.
ReplyDelete