Monday, July 23, 2012

SoB Summit Review at Kildare’s – 136 Perspective


SoB Summit Review at Kildare’s – 136 Perspective

Sunday night, the Sons of Ben held an open forum Summit for all members to attend and express their feelings about what works, what doesn’t and potential changes to make things better.  A total of 80 people RSVP’d for the summit, but only 30 people showed up (including elders).  Definitely a much smaller number of attendees than anticipated, but for those that showed up, there was some good content brought to the table for discussion.

Matt Ansbro opened up the night by thanking those of us that attended.  Of the 30 people who attended, Jack Craighead, Jesse Lorenz, Chris Gough and myself represented the 136.  (If anyone else was there as part of the 136, I apologize for overlooking you here this morning.)  Matt reiterated the fact that the Sons of Ben is a non-profit, volunteer organization.  And, again, thanked all those that lend a hand to make the Sons of Ben what they are.

The night’s first topic of conversation was chants.  This is obviously one of the biggest conversations held not only on 136’s page but throughout the River End:

YSA: We all hate it but there are clusters of people who do it.  Mostly the newbies that come into the section and don’t understand that this chant has been removed from our repertoire.  Spread the word.  If you hear someone beginning the “OOOOO”, tell them to stop.  If you hear YSA, let them know this is not an SoB supported chant.  There were discussions of creating a new goalie chant to replace it, but nothing was established at this time.  Additionally, starting the “OOOO” to get others to do the YSA out of personal entertainment is frowned upon.  Someone from 136 was called out by name at the summit.  I won’t finger point here, but you know who you are.

Our Chants Are Boring: The SoB are looking to upgrade the website and create a portal for chant submissions.  Previously, the way chants were being shared was through social media (Big Soccer or FB threads) and it became rather tedious to keep up with what everyone was suggesting.  Numerous people would surf the interwebs (Justin Lee’s name was brought up) to look at what was shared and some of those chants have been implemented.  But that forum isn’t the most effective.  From what I understand, the SoB plan to have a portal created for submission with the opportunity for other members to see/hear the chant ideas and vote for what they like.  Makes it a bit more democratic.  This is in process.  In order to do this, the SoB need web designers so if you’re an HTML guru, touch base with the Elders.  In the interim, if you have a chant idea, share it.  There are plenty of people that can get it to the capos.  If it’s catchy, they’ll use it.  If not, keep trying.

We Chant the Same Thing Too Long: This is a catch 22.  There were representatives from non-TRE seats at the summit last night that talked about their game day experience.  Folks in other parts of the stadium seem to catch on to what the SoB are doing by the 3rd round of a chant, but then we usually stop.  If we maintain the chant, the rest of the stadium may get involved.  I think we can all agree that full stadium involvement would be awesome.  At the same time, repeating a chant for 10 minutes is unrealistic.  So there were discussions of getting the words up on the LED, putting song sheets on the seats throughout the stadium, better communication that the songs are on the Union page, etc.  Some of these may work, some not.  Finding the happy medium of song length is something the SoB are working on.  But the one thing everyone, TRE or not, can do is sing.  “Just keep singing!”

Obsessive Cursing: To the knowledge of the Elders, the FO does not have an order out to throw anyone out of the stadium for cursing.  The FO wants environment.  The SoB bring that.  Security is a 3rd party with their own orders from outside the stadium so there are three different ideas of what is going on in the stadium.  Come, sing, cheer and help keep TRE passion going for 90 minutes.  Straight F-bombs or C-bombs are not frowned upon, but at least make a better effort to show some creativity and string it together in a chanting fashion.  If for some reason anyone in TRE gets grabbed by security for cursing, immediately alert a capo or an Elder.  They will send someone as a representative to buffer between the ticket holder and security.  At the same time, if you throw something, the SoB will not defend you.  Moreover, you will likely be suspended if not season tickets revoked.  Additionally, if you stubhub and someone is tossed for these reasons, you still risk losing your seats. (More on Stubhub to come).

Racial/Homophobic Slander: Fortunately, from my vantage point atop 136, these are not things I hear.  But it is brought up so it’s obviously happening somewhere.  If it’s you, stop it.  If you hear someone near you saying it, scold them.  There are a mix of people in TRE and throughout the stadium and when one person screams this, it affects everyone.  If you are not the type of person to be vocal to someone and tell them to stop, alert someone else.  Talk to the person next to you, tweet the SoB, visit a capo, do something.  If you do nothing, you’re part of the problem.

Drums: SoB are looking at bringing more drums back into the sections.  This is not definite but something that has been discussed.  They asked if we like the snare to which most hands were raised.  There was also an inquiry about the brass that has been hit or miss in the section.  Unfortunately, that person doesn’t always come to matches.  I would suggest that if you are a drummer or a brass player that would be willing to play music during the matches, reach out to the SoB.  Nothing definitive was established last night.

Capos and Section Reps: Folks in 134 and 135 indicated that they can’t always see the capos in the middle due to lack of height (apologies to those under 6’ tall).  Not anyone’s fault, but the sight angles make it difficult.  Discussion was there to bring capos back along TRE from 134-140 to help keep the chants cohesive.  Previously, one person was put below and that often resulted in someone(s) complaining about the person and having them removed.  Talks were to place 2 or 3 people together at the base of each section to increase numbers so one person isn’t singled out.  As the stadium grows, larger capo pads are a possibility, but for now, we have what we have.

Four Leaf Clover: There’s a 50-50 split on this chant.  It was started on day 1 and won’t be going anywhere.  No further discussion was had.

Keep the Chants Philly: Zolo and Oh Philly U are original to the city and difficult to be ripped off by other clubs.  So for those of you who like to create chants, keep it Philly focused and difficult for other clubs to replace one word to make it their own.
I may have missed something on chants, but this was the bulk of what was being discussed.  It took almost 2 hours to get through chants alone.  If you have an inquiry about chants that is not discussed here, pose the question.  I didn’t take notes last night so this is all from memory.

There was a short discussion on potential Stubhub tickets being sold in TRE.  PA State Law allows an individual to sell tickets in any fashion they like, so PPL cannot prevent anyone from selling their tickets on Stubhub.  Any tickets sold in TRE must disclose the nature of TRE as a standing section.  Any misrepresentation of the nature of these tickets leads to a potential of the tickets being revoked.  At the same time, if anyone comes into TRE and presents misconduct, not only does the individual risk being banned from the stadium but the ticket holder as well risks that same ban.  Stubhub is a means to sell tickets.  The only suggestion is to sell your tickets via the member portal, through section pages or directly to your friends that sit around you.

After a bathroom break, the group moved on to TIFO and other game day experiences:

TIFO –

Similar to the portal for chants, portals for tifo are going to be made available.  Ideas are always accepted.  Corey stated he’s a little fried at coming up with new ideas each week so if anyone has one, be sure and put it out there.  The only thing to keep in mind is that tifo takes time and requires space.  An overhead tifo requires about 35 people and two 12-hour days to complete.  Sunshine and minimal wind are also a must since the organization currently does not have a warehouse to do any of their work.  So keep your mind forward thinking on tifo and present suggestions a few weeks in advance if possible.  This lends time to purchasing the materials, getting the labor together and having quality days to get the work done.

Tifo isn’t free.  The SoB started out the year with 300 blue and gold checkered flags.  They currently have 50.  Tifo is not to be taken home.  It should be brought back down to the platform to be stored and used again the next week.  If you took any of this tifo home, please bring it back.  No questions asked.  If you see someone trying to leave TRE with flags, stop them.  The more tifo we lose, the less we have.  SoB is not planning to continue to replenish the stock just so people can continue to steal it.

The Elders are working with the stadium on ideas to continually improve expressive tifo in TRE.  Ideas of flag poles being mounted atop the section so that the angles are improved and more of the stadium can see the banners.  Unfortunately, the cost is rather hefty ($10k+) so those types of discussions are on-going.

Tailgates –

Attendance at tailgates has fluctuated over the last 12 months.  Everyone seems to be in agreement that the Teber Lot was the ideal location; especially when the SoB was able to provide beer for the ‘gate.  Unfortunately, the Lot is no longer available for tailgates and offering alcohol is a financial liability that the Sons of Ben cannot take upon themselves.  So, for now, the tailgates are taking place in Lot B by the pods and they need to be a strict BYOB.

The question was posed as to why people do not attend.  I, myself, indicated that there is a group of 30 that hang out in A Lot together.  This is what we have done since day 1 at PPL.  It’s our ritual.  More folks indicated similar responses.  Suggestion was made to have special guests “host” the tailgate to bring people from different lots to participate. 

What would get more people over to the current Lot B space to march in 45 minutes prior to the match?  Best suggestion: Bass Drum.  The FO won’t allow the drum to be brought inside the stadium at that point so it was suggested that the drum be brought to the gate.  Drum can remain outside while being beat, the members can march in, continue the chant and the bass drum inside the stadium can pick the beat up.  At this point, the drum outside the stadium can be returned to the pods.  This may or may not increase the volume of people on the march, but the bass drum is definitely loud enough to make folks aware.  A bullhorn was also suggested along with Corey on top of a U-haul truck.

Finances –

Garrett is the treasurer for the Sons of Ben.  The group is classified as a non-profit organization.  Our $35 annual dues provide us with a scarf as well as full year membership.  The remaining money goes into a pot to help cover costs on tifo, free tailgates, etc.  No one on the Sons of Ben Board is a paid employee.  It is all volunteer work.

Question was made about the $35 being claimed on taxes at the end of the year because of the SoB being a 501(c).  Short answer, no.  You receive a scarf in exchange for your $35 so you cannot claim your membership as a tax deductable donation.

Question was raised about SoB Membership and Supporters Section tickets.  Currently, the requirement to buy season tickets in TRE is that the person buying must be represented.  In my situation, my brother and I both are members but we have a total of 4 tickets under my one account.  There are some folks who have one membership and six seats.  The proposal was to require each seat to have a paid membership to go along with it.  This would be two-fold: increase the funds the SoB have to do bigger and better things each year; prevent people from buying one membership, six seats and stub hubbing their seats.  No firm decision was made at that point but there was concern with implementing this rule because of the transfer policy on tickets.  Some of us share the tickets with friends or bring non-SoB friends along to grow the experience at PPL.  The feeling was that this would be more harmful than good.  But it is something to be looked at.

Roadtrips –

Kelly talked about current trips. Folks felt the recent travel to RBNY was successful (except the result).  Travel is still scheduled for Montreal and DC yet this year.  Issues with the roadtrips are individual delinquency on purchasing their tickets.  Kelly is required to provide final numbers to the bus companies and the stadiums in advance so submitting your request to attend in advance would be appreciated.  Additionally, volunteering to help with registration for the roadtrips would be appreciated.  Getting everyone checked-in at PPL, bus captains, ticket distribution, etc.  One person cannot be responsible for 300 people.

Timing of the trips is based on expected time of arrival.  Traffic cannot be determined.  Tailgate time may be too long (DC last year) or not long enough (RBNY this past weekend) but, again, traffic can dictate that timing.  An idea to send a bus of volunteers a half hour in advance to get set-up to help speed up the process once the rest of the buses arrive was suggested.  This may help upon arrival.

There was also a word to the wise on road trips: It is a league policy to remain sitting in your seats for 40 minutes after the final whistle.  This is to prevent opposing support from any potential conflict in the concourse.  If you bitch about waiting, now you know.  If you hear others bitching, please share the rules with them.  They obviously didn’t read the rules for the roadtrip in their email.

SoB Board Elections –

Elections are something being looked into at this point.  2-year terms; working cooperatively with the current position holder; open voting forum for all members.  Elections are being discussed but nothing has been finalized.  The only thing that everyone was in agreement on is that in order to get your name on the ballot, you need to be a volunteer.  Participation within the organization is a requirement.  If you volunteer and work cooperatively with those that have been around since 2007, the vision that was established then will continue to be carried through.  More on elections to be shared as information is available.

All in all, it was a productive night.  Unfortunately, only 30 people showed up, but those that did had insight and brought constructive information to the table.  I tried to bring all of the 136 topics to the table.  Most of them were brought up by others so the ideas or concerns held in 136 are not specific only to our section.  If you had a concern that was not noted above, please ask.  It may have been discussed and I failed to report on it here.

In closing, if there is one thing I can share it is that of participation and communication.  Obviously, only 30 people attending a forum for a populous of 2000+ doesn’t quite work.  Understood, some people had work, live too far away or had other obligations that prevented them from attending.  But that’s where the communication aspect comes into play.  The Sons of Ben are going to continue focusing on communicating via all of their social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, website and email).  This is an on-going work in progress.  At the same time, as members, we need to communicate in return.  And often, the best form of communication is participation.  If you truly want your voice to be heard, do it in person.

Hope this was beneficial to those that were unable to attend.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Trading on the black market


Everyone seems to have their opinions on Nowak, the FO and the roster changes.  Most everyone is angry that our Captain was shipped out of town.  And most people are still scratching their head asking, "why?"  It's easy to point the finger at management touting stupidity as the driving force behind the changes.  But what if that has nothing to do with it.  What it there are cosmic forces involved behind our team's control.  In walks the conspiracy theory.

The growth of MLS is based on the overall strength of all the teams involved.  As the league expands, passion for the Game needs to expand with it.  If there is dominance by 5 or 6 teams and the other 10 are hanging on to life support, the league will suffer.  Worse, it could fold.  Enter the puppetier.

We look at the two big changes for the Union that took place in the last five months.  Le Toux goes to Vancouver.  He's French; Canada speaks a lot of French.  He scores goals which get the fans involved and excited.  His jersey sells to helps with revenues as well as visual marketing throughout the region.  Now Danny..goes back home to Chivas.  They have no fan base.  Danny is a fan favorite.  Has flare both in his game as well as his personality.  He gives a personality back to the defense.  In both cases, you have 2 guys that were shipped out of a city with an already die-hard fan base to 2 teams that need this shot of B-12.

So who's behind it?  Garber.  And why?  Because we struck a deal in the off-season for the rights to host the All-Star Game.  Back room hand shake deals happen all the time.  The good of the whole is always far better than the success of its parts.  It's a win-win for everybody.  Philly still has a solid franchise.  We're hosting the ASG.  Vancouver and Chivas strengthen their teams and the league as a whole takes a step forward.  Baby step, but forward all the same.

"But if Garber was behind the trade, why did it take so long to pull the trigger?"  Because Nowak and the FO were playing the upper hand.  If the league wanted this trade to happen, it was on our terms.  Nobody knows what kind of allocation money was provided to the team.  It was stated that the league was involved in the Danny trade and the league determines whether the allocation money is fair and just.  That all stays under wraps.  The smug look on Nowak's face during his press conference led me to believe he was in control of the shots.

Now this is conspiracy theory, folks.  Don't go getting your panties in a bunch because I'm offering up a different twist on the story.  Le Toux for a box of donuts and Danny for a set of used tires doesn't make any sense to me.  But this does.

Time's yours