| | FOXBORO, Mass. -- It was fitting that the final Major League Soccer game of the 20th century was played under a stadium advertisement hawking an antidepressant. One certainly needed some Zyban after sitting through the most atrocious MLS Cup final ever staged, a lackluster 2-0 effort that saw D.C. United once again crowned champions.
It was a day that encapsulated much of the fourth season. To wit:
halftime entertainer Christina Aguilera couldn't hit the high notes, and
neither could the players. "Sorry for being a little out of breath," said
commish Don Garber as he took the podium to speak with reporters after the game. "The stage we were using to present the trophy almost collapsed."
This MLS Cup final was a fitting end to a year that often seemed like a
Chekhov comedy, without the frozen bodies. It couldn't have come too soon for anyone's taste: in the last six weeks of the season, while the players and coaches had to care, I guarantee you the media and the American sports community most certainly didn't. In fact, the words most on MLS staffers' minds were probably: "Thank God it's over."
Oy.
The end of an era, however, can sometimes signal the beginning of
something good. This game was the first -- in a game-day decision -- to be
played under the "new" timekeeping rules, which of course just bring the
American game into line with everyone else on the planet. That small note
might prove to be the most telling: Garber is serious about making the most
of what he has, and he isn't laboring under illusions.
"We've got to accept that the fans need to be trusted, and we have to
capture as many of them as we can," said Garber. "These changes aren't the answer -- getting a higher quality of play and making sure that people know who our stars are are. If we can't convince our sponsors or our network people to help us with that, then we have to do it ourselves."
Garber will get some help from the networks: between the aggressive new ESPN/ABC package that at long last provides for a dedicated MLS show on Monday nights akin to "RPM2night" or "Monday Night Countdown"; the nearly complete regional coverage from the Fox nets; and the continuing presence of Univision for the Spanish community, MLS will at last be on an even keel with other major sports.
Whether or not the league will be able to positively influence what -- for
the most part -- have been awful telecasts remains to be seen: ESPN, for one, is rumored to be looking at a shakeup of both on-air talent and
behind-the-scenes personnel. Also, Univision must not be allowed to handle
the games as they have in the past: MLS allowed former commentator Norberto Longo to rip the league too often, and the network served up the ultimate indignity to soccer fans by not even having its announcing crews travel to all MLS broadcast games. Fox isn't blameless, either: it is the weakest in terms of on-air talent (notable exceptions: Boston's Derek Rae, Chicago's Brian Davis) and frequently air telecasts that any rational person would describe as "half-assed." Just look at that final Dallas-L.A. playoff game if you need proof -- "thrown together" is too kind a way to describe what was a black eye for the network that has taken the lead on domestic broadcasts of soccer games.
The fact is, though, that MLS games haven't justified anyone in TV
allocating more than the bare minimum of money to put them on -- despite the fact that soccer still outdraws hockey on the networks, it has little history and has seen slumping numbers.
"The ball's in our court," admits Garber. "We can't ask for a better
pull-away on national telecasts, and we are steering people to Saturdays and Mondays (with the ESPN deal), so at the end of the day, we have to make things happen."
Garber is also aware that sponsors remain critical for the league. The
fact that many of the league's key partners are re-upping is good news;
however, it should be noted that the $2.5 million each announced sponsor is
allocating per year to the league wouldn't buy you a halfway decent baseball player. Still, Lego is on board and New York Life may be next.
"What we have to do now is get them more involved at the local level,
doing things like spending money on tickets," says Garber. "I do think that
this might indicate that we are generating some positive momentum, and
getting the hex off our backs."
It's no secret, however, that MLS -- despite turning a corner -- is still
way off the playing field. "We're swimming against the tide," says Garber
ruefully. "But, if you look at some of the things we've been able to put
together, we're doing OK."
One big item on the immediate MLS agenda: sale of the Tampa and Dallas franchises.
"With the turnaround we've seen in Tampa, I'm not sure we shouldn't hang on to that one a little longer and sell it for more down the road," says Garber. "But we do have to focus on Dallas -- that's a great community that we haven't fully realized."
No one is going to call MLS a sound investment -- yet. But it is clear
that it is willing to bury some of the past in an effort to embrace the
future. And it has gotten some good fortune.
Says Garber: "We've had some luck lately, and sometimes, that's what you need."
Jamie Trecker, editor of Kick! magazine, writes regularly for ESPN.com. You may e-mail him at jamie_trecker@go.com; while he guarantees he will read all letters, he regrets that he cannot guarantee a reply because of overwhelming volume. | |
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