Do you ever wish that things could be the way they used to be?
I do, but I also know that can’t happen. Yes, I realize it’s just my own selfishness that makes me long for simpler times. But I was there, man!
I was there before there were crowds of 18,000 plus at Wizards and SKC games. Before the huge video boards. Before the snappy new colors and cutting edge stadium.
Those were simpler times.
You could sit anywhere for five to 10 bucks. The stands were so sparsely littered with fans you could heckle players with elaborate chants they were sure to hear.
Those days are gone, people. With the home opener less than two months away, Sporting Kansas City is the hottest ticket in town…
There are a bunch of reasons Sporting has exploded over the past year. There’s the stadium of course, which is the biggest factor. There’s the winning, which will be the biggest factor going forward, once the “new stadium” thing wears off.
But there’s also this grass-roots movement that involves several informal supporter groups, the largest of which calls themselves “The Cauldron.” (Wizards… Cauldron… eh? Eh?).
Years ago, when the Wiz were still toiling away at Arrowhead and the players on the field nearly outnumbered the fans in the stands, there was a guy – a fanatic really – who decided to throw his passion behind this rainbow-colored crew. His name is Sam Pierron and he founded The Cauldron. With little more than some beer, a couple dozen other crazies, and a drum, The Cauldron was born.
That was then. Fast forward a decade plus later and…
Sam now works for Sporting in several capacities, one of which is as a ticketing guru. He, along with the forward-thinking ownership group, understands the relationship between the team’s biggest supporter’s group and the long term economic success of professional soccer in Kansas City.
But hold it right there; the first rule of The Cauldron is that you do not talk about The Cauldron.
“There’s no such thing as Cauldron membership, which is by design,” says Pierron. “But by any reasonable measure, affiliation has tripled [in the past 12 months], at the very minimum.”
Yes, business is booming at 1 Sporting Way. Though he couldn’t give a specific number, Pierron says more season tickets have already been sold than at this point last year. And last year, with about a month to go before the home opener they had sold over 11,000. I think the final number for last season ended up north of 12,000 season tickets sold.
Pierron sees nothing but growth heading into 2012’s season opener on St. Patty’s Day.
“I’m quite confident that, in the final analysis, our season ticket numbers will be improved from 2011,” he says confidently.
So what’re we looking at then? Maybe 15,000 or 16,000 season tickets sold in 2012? With a capacity of almost 19,000 at LIVESTRONG, you can see why Sporting tickets are a hot commodity, especially the home opener.
And The Cauldron is a big part of that.
“The power of The Cauldron has been most strongly felt as a force multiplier for any and all of our efforts,” explains Pierron. “Whether that’s working to create an authentic atmosphere inside the stadium, attendance at public events, spreading the word through social media, you name it. Also, there are situations where it’s best for us to let them run with their ideas, independent of us, because that provides more flexibility.”
Part of harnessing that power comes from the accessibility Sporting brings to the table, which includes a high level of personal interaction with diehard fans. Sporting main man Robb Heinemann regularly tweets about Cauldron events, discusses club matters with fans and local media, posts on soccer related blogs, and even throws down for a keg or three for tailgating on occasion.
Think about that; you can tweet @RobbHeinemann and he will probably answer you.
All that said, everything falls apart if the team doesn’t win. All the social media, all the bells and whistles of a new stadium and supporter’s club are mere accessories.
Last season saw Sporting win the East, and they are favorites heading into the 2012 season after adding some top players to replace Omar Bravo and provide depth at key spots. Plus, their schedule doesn’t include a three month road trip to start off.
Single game tickets don’t go on sale until mid-February, so keep an eye out if you want to get in on the green beer-soaked party.
** Above photo credit to Thad Bell**
St. Paddy’s
Opener on St Paddy
It seems like so long ago..
Remember the days that whenever there was an article about futbol in this country, all the soccer haters used to come out in full force, with some inane, baseless comments ridiculing the sport of futbol, about how it is not a “real” sport, yadd-yadda. I know it wasn’t that long ago but it sure seems like it. Well, those days are over. The soccer haters lost. It is not going away and it is just going to keep getting bigger for these reasons:
1) The “new stadium” thing does have an affect
2) The Sporting KC organization is professionally run, and cutting-edge
3) People have actually given it a chance and watched a game or two, and realized that it is the “beautiful game” it is entertaining
4) The “old guard” is slowly being pushed out as they are getting older, making room for a more open-minded, younger generation
Can’t wait until the season starts!
Soccer haters lost? What did we lose? Anytime I can avoid watching a bunch of floppers and whiners run around for 90 minutes faking injuries on their way to a scintillating 1-0 finish, I win.
Sorry
Not a hater as I would have to actually care about it to hate on soccer, but from a personal standpoint, I’d rather sit in a half-empty Kaufmann or Arrowhead Stadium watching sports I like than be part of the party atmosphere at Livestrong. For nearly 40 years off and on, I’ve tried to indulge my inner-Euro from attending a packed Cosmosgame at Giants Stadium in the 70s to rooting for Kyle Rote Jr. in ABC’s Superstars to waking up early and watching an entire World Cup match at two in the morning and it all still left me yearning for a slam dunk, some chin music, a stiff arm or a good slashing. Heck, even watching golf is more compelling to me and I hate golf.
Just remember, a crowd of 18,000 is a typical weeknight at the K even after 20 straight years of suckage, so it is somewhat refreshing to see that soccer in America has finally embraced their niche sport status as their supposed major sport takeover will forever be stuck firmly between the metric system and Betamax.
OK guys
We’ll settle this debate here and now. All of you for soccer on one side, and those against it on the other. The soccer fans will be armed with bags of urine and mullets. The anti-soccer guys will also have mullets, I guess, but instead of bags of urine they’ll equip themselves with an unquenchable thirst for dissing things they don’t care anything about. And they also get to call the pro-soccer crowd pussies when they fake a hammy strain. Fair enough?
We’ll get this thing figured out once and for all.
Okay
But my dad told me to never hit girls. 🙂
Close
The Royals might not even have 12,000 season ticket holders when you add up the 10 game packs and half seasons to make full numbers. If they can learn to even be mediocre though even this decade, obviously they’re still a bigger ticket, if an easier one.
Can’t wait!
The season is just around the corner!!!! It’s going to be a blast can NOT wait!
This is a great time of year…College basketball in full swing, Super Bowl coming up, Baseball getting ready for Spring Training and MLS season on the verge of kicking into full gear.
As far as this idiotic, waste of time argument about soccer I’m not going to get involved in a bunch of juvenile name calling banter…To each his/her own. No sport is for everybody. I love soccer, just like I love football, basketball, baseball and hockey. I’m not into NASCAR or golf, but since I don’t care about those sports, I don’t waste my time going onto articles about them to put them and their fans down…That would make me look like I was in need of a life.
Soccer isn’t, and probably will never be, on the same level as the NFL and MLB, those leagues/sports are too engrained in our culture. Soccer though is, unquestionably, gaining in popularity and becoming more mainstream, with each passing year. MLS is beginning it’s 16th season I think? Many people who hated soccer back in 1996 would have been shocked if someone told them then that MLS was going to last a decade, let alone 17 years. The way MLS is going about doing things, MLS isn’t going anywhere…It’s here to stay. People that don’t like it should just continue to do what they’ve been doing and ignore it. The only people I’ve ever seen seriously mention any kind of soccer takeover, are people that don’t like soccer. People that do like soccer for the most part, realize it’s place and are content with the slow gradual growth…And there is absolutely no disputing it’s growth and acceptance by the mainstream media. When on any given night, during Sportcenter’s Top Ten plays of the week, there are usually, coupled with awe inspiring dunks by Lebron James, long homeruns slamed by guys like Pujols and Fielder, are brilliant, beautiful goals by Messi and Rooney…To say soccer is a “niche” sport is very 1996…it also makes you appear, clearly, out of touch and in need of a dose of reality…stat!!!
Soccer getting stronger every year
Well i’m not a soccer fan myself but to each his own on that. I know a fair number of people who are fans of soccer and everyone one I know who has a kid is on a soccer team.
But if one was to stop and think and look around at the world around them they would start to notice how there is getting to be way more soccer fields around us than baseball or football fields.
Well One Thing
Is always clear in any debate involving soccer, their fans are typically more defensive than even Craig Glazer and lack a sense of humor. God forbid I would have thrown in a momma joke.
Sure there are soccer fields all over town, any runny nosed little kid can run around kicking a ball all over the place. It’s literally the lowest sport on the totem pole as far as required coordination and athletic ability for young kids. All they have to do is run around and kick in one general direction. In baseball they have to swing a bat, make contact with the ball, catch and field, throw to first, second, third and home and if they have a coach who takes it a little too seriously in some cases they even have to learn signs, which introduces a different level of learning. In football there are blocking assignments, routes to run, knowing where receivers will be so you can throw to that spot, catching, tackling, special teams, on and on. In basketball most youth coaches teach kids at least 5 or 6 offensive plays, man defense, zone defense, how to break a press, how to apply a press, in bounds plays and whatever else the kids can absorb and execute. In soccer you just have a bunch of kids running around trying to kick the ball north or south. It’s chaos. Anarchy. Total madness. There are no plays being run, no sets, except for your occasional corner kicks. Everybody’s kid can play soccer. Can they run? Can they kick a ball? Sign ’em up!
Good point Merle, however…
Actually, that is a good point. However, I have a different perspective on that. The beauty of the game is that 22 players can play with almost no equipment. At a young age it is hard to hit a baseball, make a basket, etc. But soccer is a great way to get your kids interested in sports, get them off the couch and outside, and have them make new friends. And basically, as a parent you don
But the Truth is
To make a long story short, there isn
There is extensive flopping in most sports
Punters flop and then roll around like they’re shot looking for a roughing penalty any time someone gets near them. Defenders fake injuries in order to slow down a no huddle offense and allow their team time to make defensive substitutions. How about basketball players crashing to the floor on the slightest contact in an effort to get charging fouls? That’s so ingrained in basketball it’s to the point you can hardly ever draw a charge unless you flop. And of course there are the hockey players who dive through the air after minor contact looking to draw tripping penalties.
As for the low scoring complaint, an average soccer game has a little over three goals and takes about an hour and fifty minutes to play. The average NFL game has a little over five touchdowns and takes about three hours and 10 minutes to play. That’s one score every 38 minutes or so in both sports. Of course, in soccer they don’t dress up one score by making it worth six points.
Super Dave, long story short – all those brown skins living in third world countries who love soccer love it because that’s all they have – one soccer ball for the hole village to kick around. That one tattered, dirty, decaying ball represents an escape from the harsh reality of their existence and the shit sandwich life has served them. Got cholera? Go kick the ball around, you feel better. Coming down with typhoid? Here, let’s kick the ball around before you lose all your faculties and can’t stand up anymore. Is your face covered in flies? Hold still, I’ll kick this ball right at your head and they’ll all scatter. These people can’t afford a basketball goal or baseball gloves, bats and balls. They don’t have helmets and shoulder pads, or better yet the acumen to learn rugby. Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide because of two simple reasons. One, it’s so easy a monkey could do it (or a small child in Johnson County, as we’ve established). And two, because it’s affordable. You could roll through Africa and South American villages dropping off a new soccer ball everywhere you went and that’d be like a new Chik-Fil-A opening in Overland Park. People would line up around the corner once the news got out. So let’s not act like the reason soccer is popular worldwide is because it’s more exciting. We know that’s not true. What the hell else are those poor people going to play?
Ok Merle
Ok Merle we all understand you hate soccer as well as anyone who likes it. You think anyone who likes or has anything to do soccer is a mental idiot and as well a person totally incapable of playing any other sport. And that
Its Easy?
It’s easy!!.. HA.. apparently it’s been awhile since you took a good run up and down the street for a block let alone the field and then sustained that pace for anything over a minute. Fact remains about every sport in this country gets way way too much attention our football and college athletics for starters. And world wide soccer fans are taking that losing way to far, read Egypt among other countries. Perhaps if we focused more on our kids education than their rushing yardage, goals, saves, rebounds, or batting average the rest of the world wouldn’t be kicking our asses and taking our jobs. Perhaps if these repressed countries put all that energy into rioting and trampling each other after a soccer win, or loss, to changing their political circumstances they would be better off.
Super Dave, me telling a pub full of drunk Englishmen that soccer is easy would be rather foolish. I also would not walk into an Insane Clown Posse concert, stand up on a chair and proclaim that the band sucks. But let’s not sugarcoat the facts. There are two things you have to be able to do to play soccer: run and kick. What else needs to be said?
It’s easy, what are we saying now, that they’re runners who just happen to kick a ball once in a while? Because last I checked, running takes absolutely zero skill. Endurance, sure. But skill? Come on man. Why try and make soccer out to be more than it is?
As far as your call to arms on caring less about sports and more about education and political reform, good luck with that.
It’s easy
So endurance in itself isn’t a skill? Try sprinting for an hour and tell me know how clear your mind is… When your oxygen, blood, and everything else is feeding each muscle to make you move your mind suffers. That’s the same as telling a navy seal that to sit in freezing water for an hour isn’t a skill to compartmentalize and carry out the next task. So whats our glorious football or even baseball. Run catch a ball keep running till you get hit. Baseball.. Stand in one spot swing a stick if you hit the ball run or if the ball comes at you catch it.. Basketball keep bouncing it till you can shoot the thing and get it through the hoop.. Fact is barely a sport out there is very demanding in skill until you place fatigue into the mix then skill takes on a different meaning. You proclaim soccer is skilless.. So too is Football since they have the added advantage of their hands. Cause there is barely a difference in the two games.
Luck doesn’t play a part in reform. Eventually when we turn out a generation of morons that can’t add, when or government has ran out of ways to prop up the stupid, and the money to do it, we’ll be the lowest paid most uneducated workforce on the planet working for .50cents an hour making Ipads and Ipods for China and India while child labor gets to make Nike’s and stitch clothes for wal-mart. Then our uneducated over worked masses can take pride in a sunday football game because its the only god forsakin escape from our misery brought on by our self induced poverty because we felt SPORTS was more damn important then reading..
Hey Merle
You say and I qoute ” running takes absolutely zero skill”.
Go over to Greg Halls site and tell him that since you are such an expert on the subject.
Running long distances isn’t easy, of course not, but if you’re in shape to do it I’d hardly call it a skill. We all know our own bodies and what we’re capable of. People train for those moments like any other sport, then you go out and perform. Nobody’s trying to tackle you or block you when you’re running long distance though. You don’t have to hit 95 MPH fastball. It’s you vs your own body. Pick your pace and go. Sometimes you speed up, sometimes you slow down and somewhere near the end if you have anything left in the tank you kick it in and power across the finish line. There’s strategy involved in all forms of racing. But to call the running aspect of soccer players running all over the field chasing a ball a “skill” – you’re reaching for validation. I’ll grant you that there are specific ways to kick the ball and make it hook or slice. Absolutely. But the running part? That’s just chasing a ball like a cat chasing a flashlight reflection on the floor.
This thing with comparing running and soccer to Navy Seals training is off the rails. Sitting in a freezing tank of water? If that’s the comparison that validates it all for you, I celebrate your victory. I’m not sure what you’re on about with iPads in China and Wal-Mart but you sound very passionate.
Super Dave, if Greg enjoys running marathons I wish him luck each time and hope he does well. I enjoy reading his accounts of each experience. I would still argue with GH that “running takes absolutely zero skill” though – however – racing is another story. If you’re just out to beat a personal best time, pick a pace and off you go. If you’re trying to win the race and beat other runners, yes there’s strategy involved. In the end though you’re really competing against your own endurance and pain threshold.
That’s a new one
Usually the argument is that soccer is all about skill and not enough about contact. That’s why it’s for primadonnas or whatever and we like the NFL.
This is the first I’ve ever heard about soccer not being about skill. Taking a ball down with a good first touch alone is more skillful than anything in other sports I can think of than maybe hitting a home run on a wicked pitch. Soccer is all about skill and vision. The running is the easy part for them (though it would kill 99% of us). Think about how much we hype up a guy who is good with his hands like Chris Paul or Steve Nash as being skillful. Messi does that to a ball with his feet knees and body. Why do think Americans aren’t good at soccer on the world stage? It’s because of people like you that think it’s about running.
A good first touch? You mean “kick the ball softly?” As opposed to “kick it slightly harder?” Next thing I’ll hear is that goalies use precision timing and acute hand/eye coordination to jump left or right when trying to block a ball form flying by their head into the net.
I wouldn’t know how many Americans aren’t good at soccer but it probably has something to with the fact that we’re a more advanced country with several other options besides kicking a ball around on the dirt in the middle of the village. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey…uh oh don’t forget that we’re a rich nation and kids have video games and computers…wonder if that might be more fun than going outside and kicking a soccer ball at the chickens wandering through town. Hmmm…need to do more research, I’ll get back to you.
See you don’t even know what “first touch” is. It’s none of those things. You don’t know crap about soccer but we’re supposed to take your opinion on the sport. It’s like trying to debate physics with someone who isn’t capable of simple math. See you around.
To the Soccer know it all
Guessing Merle’s athletic prowess comes from heading to the fridge for a beer and the strength to open the bag of frito’s while playing arm chair quarterback and re-organizing his fantasy football league.
Is This The Real Merle?
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1282&bih=791&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=c5jA0cCZCF96jM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ogeeku.com/members/sam/&docid=UKB9up75mNIqMM&imgurl=http://ogeeku.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/southpark-wow-2.jpg&w=417&h=321&ei=_e4uT_bDMq2-2AXVj5SVDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=385&vpy=118&dur=6858&hovh=197&hovw=256&tx=134&ty=89&sig=107398074706521242344&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=189&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Now we’re comparing soccer to physics. Just when I thought this conversation had peaked. You’re right though, I didn’t have a clue what “first touch” was, so I looked it up. Turns out I was pretty much right. Ball flying at you – absorb the first contact with a soft touch and feel. As opposed to letting it careen off your foot at 60 mph right back to the other team? Naturally, one could only hope to possess the intellectual capacity to comprehend such a labyrinthe of complexity. I suppose you could call having a good first touch a skill, but it kind of boils down to a person’s god-given coordination and touch doesn’t it? You either got it or you don’t.
Now as far as this bit with me getting accused of being a fat un-athletic beer-swilling slob, if you boys like to portray me as an artery-clogged PBR chugger who dines on Fritos and internet porn while sporting a mustard and pizza-stained wife beater, I celebrate your imagination. I raise my can of Pabst to you all. Ol
Glad you learned something I think
By your definition then name one skill in the NFL or basketball or baseball or hockey. Actually name any skill in any athletic sport.
Knowing how to throw sliders and curveballs and sinkers and split finger fastballs and knuckleballs and breaking balls and change-ups are skills that takes years to develop. Having a power arm is god-given. Not having a great arm and having to learn how to pitch is a long process. So is hitting. Some guys, take Billy Butler for example, are just born with it. Most guys have to spend thousands of hours in the cage working on their swing. You’re trying to hit a tiny round ball flying at you at 90+ MPH with a round stick. It is hands down the hardest thing to do in any sport. We won’t even get into other skills like fielding scorching ground balls, back handing screaming liners, turning double plays, catchers knowing how to call a smart game or work hitters over, pitchers perfecting a great pick-off move (especially lefties)…all these things are most certainly skills. Note: They also involve all four limbs, not just legs/feet.
I won’t even get into basketball and football or hockey for that matter either. If I have to break down and explain all the different skills involved in these sports then I’m obviously not talking to a very savvy sports fan. I’m talking to a soccer fan.
Old baseball fan checking in obviously. All of those things are about coordination, timing, putting a little more pressure on the ball here or there. Every pass, every shot in soccer has the same amount of finite control that is only learned over years of perfecting your sport. Are you really suggesting that you’re born with Messi’s skills and baseball is only mastered through years of study? Everything you mentioned applies in soccer but you’re right, you do also need to be more athletic than Billy Butler to succeed at the highest level in soccer. Catching a scorching ground ball with a glove is no different (except easier) than taking a ball down softly and getting a quick shot off, or deciding to volley it first time out of the air (like swinging a bat). I could talk Bill James, how a guy like Ty Lue makes a 15 year NBA career, any topic, any sport. You’re just too set in your ways to be open to new thinking.
There are an infinite number of ways to strike the ball in soccer. Wall pass, backheel, inside of the foot, outside of the foot, step on it and stop, shield and turn, flip-flap inside to outside, strike it with the top of your laces, curl it in, out and on and on. Every decision has a different purpose, and affects the game in different ways, and it’s all skill.
They control a ball with their feet like baseball players do with their hands, and you have no respect for the amount of skill that takes? You use all 4 limbs in soccer as well as your body, much more than in baseball and it’s not close. You’re not allowed to play the ball with your hand, but they use their hands and arms, on defense, to gain position for headers. The body is used constantly to play the ball – knee thigh shin, shoulder, head as well. I’ve even seen guys score with their ass intentionally. Go watch local KC kid Matt Besler do a throw-in – there are very specific rules in soccer about what’s legal and what’s not and Matt has turned it into a weapon that probably scored 5 goals for Sporting last year.
Not an “old” baseball fan at all. I just understand which sports are more difficult and thus more impressive to watch, not to mention more entertaining. I’m not trying to argue with you about the merits of soccer in as much as I’m just rattling off reasons it’s a complete bore. We haven’t even discussed how they run around for 90+ minutes and serve up one of those exciting 1-0 scores. I don’t care if it’s kick boxing, MMA, pinball or table tennis – I watch because I want to see SCORING. Be it a punch that scrambles a guy’s brains, a cold fisted KO, a triple bonus that earns you a free game or a hot shot that lands just inside the line, I want to see progress throughout the game. Scoring = progress. No scoring = stagnation and boredom. A football game that ends 3-0 or 7-6 is b-o-r-i-n-g. A baseball game that ends 1-0 or 2-1 is almost always b-o-r-i-n-g. People want TDs, HRs, three-pointers, slam dunks and buzzer beaters. If I wanted to watch a bunch of dudes run around without scoring I’d turn on a marathon full of eunuchs. It’s either that or your garden variety soccer match. Why do you think all those European futbol fans are always singing in unison and making up chants all the time? Because they’re bored out of their minds!
Have fun in the cauldron. It’s a beautiful stadium. Go Sporting!
Not to beat this into the ground Merle…but
I don’t really think lack of scoring makes a game boring, or lots of scoring makes it interesting. A blow-out is not really that entertaining. Watching someone throw a perfect game or a no-hitter is pretty exciting, even though it means no runs. It’s hard to appreciate a low score I guess if you aren’t familiar with a game like soccer or baseball. Honestly, I couldn’t really tell a great hockey play aside from the scoring, and that looks like a pretty skill-heavy sport, I’ve just never played or been a big fan of the sport, however, I know fans are crazy about it. Just saying, if you are focused only on the score and not the play, I think you are going to be forever disappointed by the beautiful game.
So real question as a lifelong Royals fan and a huge amount of respect for the skill it takes to hit what those guys hit. I played a lot to where the pitchers got way better than me and I never followed it seriously because I’m smart enough to know I never had it, but was a catcher and feel like I know the game.
Is it harder to try and pull off this and succeed (where Clint Dempsey doesn’t) on your one chance and probably the only ball you’ll ever see in that exact situation in your career where it makes sense to try it like that? Is the improvisation and skill worth anything extra because it’s low scoring and the stakes are often high enough that it makes the play-acting inevitable.
Or is it harder to take 1000’s of ABs and get to know tendencies to where you also are prepared for that one moment to put it all together and change the game. I’d say they’re pretty equal because that ball is tiny, the bat is tiny and the movement+speed/change of speed is incredible.
sorry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCLVwPNMgDg – Video link I referenced above. Yeah he botches it. Anyone who plays still as an adult sits up immediately and thinks “Holy crap did he just almost pull that off?” How did he even think to try it?
sorry again
Mispoke again. I hadn’t watched that in a while but it stuck with me. Just watched it closely. Dempsey didn’t really botch that. He hit it on target and it might have gone in, but was deflected out for a corner. That’s an American doing that, played all 4 years in an American college like we always tell them they shouldn’t, and spent a bunch of years with the Revs before making a late jump to England.
Dempsey finishing off Juventus with a crazy bit of skill and vision, giving Fulham the best win in the club’s 130 whatever years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZR48Cnn9FU
Even though Clint immediately said “Yes I did it”, a lot of people thought he was trying to cross it was such a crazy brilliant and skillful move in a moment when his team had to have a goal. That is why people lose their heads over this game. Just like baseball, you always see something you’ve never seen before. What this article was about is that we don’t have to worry about convincing anyone who has your problems with the game and that’s good for everyone. When you have a team Merle that you care about that gets you over the things that make you not invest time in the sport, I can tell even you might be open to liking this game a bit.