Dear Mr. Mansueto,
I know Nelson Rodriguez is set to have his second Media Roundtable of the season on Wednesday, but the person I wish to ask questions to is you.
First, what exactly is your current role with the Chicago Fire? I know you have bought a 49% stake in the Fire and that you are a vice-chairman. That announcement was made on the day the Fire dropped a 4-3 decision to Philadelphia Union with former Fire player David Accam scoring the match winner over one year ago (July 11th). The Fire would go 2-9-3 in league play after that loss.
During that time, there was a deep rift between the Supporters Groups and Nelson Rodriguez over the latter’s decision to blanket ban all season ticket holders in Section 101 due to the actions of a few fans for repeated violations of the fans code of conduct whom they claimed they could not single out. Then, they issued one-match bans to other fans who protested the decision during the match against Toronto FC by using technology to single out individuals who marched into Section 101 to protest. There has been peace since, but the club are also 22% behind last year’s attendance pace which is currently good for 24th place in Major League Soccer.
My second question would be if you have a role in the Fire’s attempts to move back within city limits? Are the Fire going to play at Soldier Field in 2020 like many speculate they will? Is the long-term plan ultimately to build a stadium in the city? While I mention that Bridgeview is partially to blame for the currently situation, the majority of the blame falls to the club. Fans will flock to go see a winner. The last time the US Women’s National Team visited SeatGeek Stadium, they filled the place up.
The Chicago Southland is not as barren a place as some people think. There are a lot of communities south of the Loop who would gladly support the Fire in Bridgeview and are not burdened by Stevenson traffic. The Fire have not done nearly enough to market towards them.
Third question: Are you planning to re-brand the club? Mr Rodriguez seems to be heading in that direction. I’m willing to guess that the focus groups did not include fans who have followed the club from its inception in 1998 like myself. The reason the club was called the Fire was not so much after the disaster itself, but for the city’s rise from its ashes. Ask Peter Wilt about that one. It is my belief that re-branding the club under current conditions would be an insult to those who have been following the club since the beginning and prefer not to be re-branded as something reactive as say, “Chicago City”.
I’ll be honest here. There are plenty of fans who wished that you bought at least 51% of this club if it meant Andrew Hauptman were no longer in charge. There were fans who were hoping for a team in a lower-division to be created within city limits because they either had enough of Hauptman’s mismanagement or wanted something closer to home. Heck, some even wished Tom Ricketts would buy the Fire. Ricketts did sign a letter of intent to be a majority owner of a USL club that Sterling Bay were hoping to bring into its Lincoln Yards project.
The fact of the matter is that this club needs some major fixing and it is hoped be many among the Fire faithful that you are the person to help bring that about. Many among the faithful also believe that two of the main problems are Messrs. Hauptman and Rodriguez through their mismanagement.
When you bought your stake in the Fire, I mentioned that what was going on during and after that loss to Philadelphia was what you now had to deal with. Whether that means ultimately taking over the club itself one day or provided much-needed business acumen to a club that sorely needs it, the one thing you cannot do is stand on the sideline while the Fire continue towards being a “dying franchise”. The ball is now in your court like it or not, and fans are interested in seeing what you are able to do besides allowing the club to set up a temporary shop in the Wrigley Building.
I’ve been covering this club for 16 seasons and was a season-ticket holder since the beginning (and decided not to renew that ticket for this season). This club desperately needs a change in philosophy and culture to succeed and be relevant again in the Chicagoland sporting landscape. No amount of rebranding can hide that fact that team needs help either from you, yourself, or someone external to the current front office. Absent the latter, that leaves you.
Sincerely yours,
Dan Gaichas
Prost Amerika
