Wow! We made the Yahoo! home page! You may call it drinking the Kool-aid, but a chat with my sales rep earlier today help put things in focus for me.
He said that the Metros were AEG's fifth priority, after LA, Chicago, DC, and Houston. Now, under Red Bull, the team will be the top priority of its owners, who are experts in sports marketing AND are willing to spend to promote their products. I can't tell you the last time that I saw a MetroStars advertisement in a major newspaper in the NY area, on any billboard, or on TV (other than on MSG). With RB's marketing prowess, we may see an attempt at a real-live campaign designed to make folks aware of the team and get them to the Meadowlands. I see ticket offers on cans of Red Bull, posters in bodegas & supermarkets that sell the stuff. Maybe a Red Bull Bus to get NYC-based fans to the swamp. Am I dismayed over the loss of the MetroStars name? Yes. However as the minutes pass I have no choice but to be optimistic about the future of RBNY.
With the sale, Uncle Phil and Lamar Hunt's combined share of MLS clubs is down to 58%, and will be 50% next year if you read Not Doug Logan's note about Cleveland today. Is a loosening of the purse strings an inevitability? We'll see.
UPDATE: Kristian Dyer at NYNJSoccer.com has a great interview with Alexi Lalas. The highlight:
KD:What role will Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer play in the franchise?
AL: Franz has been an advisor to Red Bull Salzburg for some time and I hope he is involved with Red Bull New York. From what I've read, Giorgio seems to think that we should fire the front office staff, the players and the coaches, so he can kiss my ass.
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