Tuesday, October 25, 2011

#SKCchat Transcript 10/25/2011

Host: Brad Shapiro (@BradShapiroKC)
Topics: No real topic but really more of a chance to talk with Seth Sinovic, Left Back for Sporting Kansas City.  He was great answering lots of questions from all sorts of angles.

Note - No Tweetchat next week since Tuesday the KC Cauldron is telling us to get ready for something big. (And Monday is Halloween and Wednesday is the game!)

Learn more about #SKCchat here.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Gameday Recap: Game 34 at DC United


Oct 22nd at RFK Stadium

Result: Win (Clinched first place in the Eastern Conference!)
Sporting KC 1 (Besler) - 0 DC United

Referee Report via RefRefs

Ad Astra SKC Gameday Preview Compilation

Links to Recaps: (links added as they get posted online)
    Man of the Match Selections:
    • Jimmy Nielsen (KC) - Daily Wiz KC - Justin Mayhugh - (@The DailyWizKC)
    • Matt Besler (KC) - Down The By Line - Mike Kuhn (@DowntheByline)
    • (not released yet)- The Oz Blog - Bryan McBeth - (@I_am_McBeth)
    From DCU sources:
    Match Video Highlights (from MLS)
      Get Microsoft Silverlight
    Post-Game Interviews (via MLS)
    Get Microsoft Silverlight
    MLS Highlights via YouTube:

    Twitter Photos:

    Friday, October 21, 2011

    Potential Chants: Say Say Oh CJ!

    Name of Song/Chant: Say Say Oh CJ!

    To the tune of:
    Say Say Oh Playmate

    New Lyrics:

    Say Say Oh C...J!
    Come out and play with me!
    Just bring your energy!
    Run hard for ol' KC


    Right down the pitch now
    Get a-round their back four
    Please score more goals for us
    Forever more more more more more!


    Chant Origins:
    Say Say Oh Playmate is a pretty well known playground song used in hand clapping games.  This makes it easy to find a beat that can be slowed or sped up according to the desire of the fans.  The familiarity of the rhythm and melody should make adapting new lyrics pretty easy.  It would be great to chant when he makes a great play, comes on or off the pitch during a sub or of course after he scores (after the crowd noise dies down).  And we really need some more player specific chants because just saying the name and clapping 5 times doesn't really demonstrate the appreciation we have for our players (although it is easy to adapt and remember.)


    A Sample if you are unfamiliar with it (we would go much slower!)
     

    Heard at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park: Never
    Heard from other MLS supporters groups: None - an original!

    Why it works: original lyrics, already popular playground song, easy clapping rhythm fast beat, call and response for those who don't get the majority of the lyrics
    Why it might not: Never been done before

    Got an idea for a chant? Submit it to us!

    Thursday, October 20, 2011

    Gameday Preview: Match 34 at DC United




    October 22nd at RFK Stadium

    Previous 2011 match
    Sporting KC 1 - 0 DC United at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park August 21st, 2011 - Recap


    Referee Preview: Alex Prus via RefRefs.com

    Links to Previews: (links added as they get posted online- check back often)
    From United Sources
    Previous Match Video Highlights (from MLS - Microsoft Silverlight)
    Get Microsoft Silverlight
    Previous Match Highlights (from MLShighlights2011 - YouTube)



    Twitter Rosters
    Sporting Kansas City - #SportingKC - #SKC (rare)
    DC United - #DCU

    Social Media Match Up
    Facebook
    DC United 52k defeat Sporting Kansas City 43k
    Twitter
    DC United 35k defeats Sporting Kansas City 18k

    Wednesday, October 19, 2011

    Gameday Recap: Game 33 vs New York Red Bulls

    Oct 15th, 2011 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park

    Result: Win (Jumped to first place in the Eastern Conference!)
    Sporting KC 2 - 0 New York Red Bulls

    Referee Report via RefRefs

    Ad Astra SKC Gameday Preview Compilation

    Links to Recaps: (links added as they get posted online)
    Photos
    Man of the Match Selections:
    • Graham Zusi (KC) - Daily Wiz KC - Justin Mayhugh - (@The DailyWizKC)
    • Graham Zusi (KC) - Down The By Line - Mike Kuhn (@DowntheByline)
    • The Whole Sporting KC Team - The Oz Blog - Bryan McBeth - (@I_am_McBeth)
    From NYRB sources:
    Match Video Highlights (from MLS)
    Get Microsoft Silverlight  
    MLS Highlights via YouTube:

    Wednesday, October 12, 2011

    2011 Sporting Kansas City Fan of the Year Nominations Open

    We have seen a lot of passionate support this year for our Sporting Kansas City. Many long time fans back to the days of the Wiz and Wizards and many many more new fans discovering the team (again?) for the first time. There have been a lot of memorable moments in the stands this year and lots of people behind the scenes doing great things to make the passion stronger and stronger for our team. So with all of this great support we would like to find out who is the 2011 Sporting Kansas City Fan of the Year? To give you an idea of people you might consider, here are a few memorable people from the crowd.

    Is it the blue man?
    Maybe it is this guy?

    Or her?
    Or this kid?
    Or maybe it is you?

    These are not any of the nominees (yet), because we can't be sure who it is until we hear from more people. So for the next 10 days (until Friday at 11:59 CT) we will be accepting nominations for the 2011 Sporting Kansas City Fan of the Year

    Please send an email to FOTY@adastraskc.org with the following info:
    • Name of person you are nominating (If you don't know the name send me a picture of the fan, and we will try to identify them)
    • Why you are nominating them in less than 300 words
    • Self-nominations are ok
    After we get all your nominations, we will sort through the choices and pick 5 fans and share their stories of why someone has nominated them to be fan of the year.

    Eligibility: Must be a Sporting Kansas City fan age 0-109 years old, not employed/contracted by Sporting Kansas City.

    Prizes (so far*):
    • Grand Prize: $50 gift certificate to Sporting Kansas City stadium store, 2 tickets to game of your choice in 2012 in the South Stand
    • Runner-up: $25 gift certificate to Sporting Kansas City stadium store
    • Other three nominees: $10 gift certificate to Sporting Kansas City stadium store
    *Prizes accumulated from personal donations. If you are a player, Sporting KC rep, local KC business or super fan that wants to donate prizes to this fan-run award, please email christian@adastraskc.org

    **Note that this is not an official Sporting Kansas City event. But that doesn't make it any less important. It depends on your participation. It is done only to encourage more passion for SKC.

    Gameday Preview: Match 33 vs New York Red Bulls

    October 15th at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park

    Previous 2011 match
    Sporting KC 0 - 1 New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena April 30th, 2011 - Recap

    Referee: Kevin Stott (Via RefRefs)

    Links to Previews: (links added as they get posted online- check back often)
    From Red Bull Sources
    Previous Match Video Highlights (from MLS - Microsoft Silverlight)
    Get Microsoft Silverlight
    Previous Match Highlights (from YouTube)


    Twitter Rosters
    Sporting Kansas City - #SportingKC - #SKC (rare)
    New York Red Bulls - #RBNY - #NYRB

    Social Media Match Up
    Facebook
    New York Red Bulls 122k defeat Sporting Kansas City 43k
    Twitter
    New York Red Bulls 25k defeat Sporting Kansas City 18k

    Friday, October 7, 2011

    What Sporting Club May Become

    When I first heard about the idea behind Sporting Club and the rebranding of the Wizards to Sporting Kansas City, I was really excited about all the potential.  So far the front office has done a good job of really concentrating on the team and the stadium, which is very smart since that is the leading brand.  But it has also left other people wondering if there is really more to the grand idea of an umbrella athletic organization.  Let's look at what Sporting Club has laid out for us so far.

    Kansas City Blues Rugby Club: Announced in May 2011, this affiliation is only recently starting to gain more attention with the planned rugby match after the last regular season MLS match against the New York Red Bulls. Officially they are a founding member of the Sporting Club Network.  This connection may help get larger rugby tournaments and potentially international draws to Kansas City, which may help grow the sport as they get ready to be in the 2016 Olympics.  Will Soccer fans embrace Rugby?  Chances are good especially if it is given a grand stage like LSP.



    Turner MotorSports (NASCAR Nationwide Series) While right now this seems to be a one-time cross promotion it does give a glimpse in how creative Sporting Club is willing to be in finding cross-promotion that works.  Sporting Kansas City has a one-time sponsorship of a car and driver in the 2nd tier race (Nationwide) at the Kansas Speedway.  Obviously this is playing to the home crowd, so I wonder if they will have a booth at race weekend selling season tickets, or signing people up for free memberships to Sporting Club.It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future for any local races, but with NASCAR rides hurting for sponsorships with the tough exonomy, this may be a great buy!  The estimated cost for a one-race primary sponsorship in the NNS is $25-50,000.

    Sporting Kansas City Juniors Affiliates Program: Working to develop a good pipeline of players in addition to getting out in the soccer community this seems like a no-brainer.  This Academy/Development approach can help find more home grown players and is being modeled successfully in Europe already, as well as some MLS teams.

    Speculative Potential

    None of this is inside information, all speculation, but what could Sporting Club become...


    Hockey Team: Long shot...but the Sprint Center is still lacking that Sports Anchor that would make the Power and Light district more successful.  The NHL has always said it wants local owners.  But this is probably not going to happen.  Maybe a potential affiliation with the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL, but they have already partnered with the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League

    Junior Hockey Teams: What may be less risky but still beneficial to community outreach and loyalty building is getting Sporting Club to partner with some of the junior hockey programs like the Kansas City Stars.  With the changing of Pepsi Ice into an indoor soccer facility there is a lack of sheets of ice in the area.  A big sponsorship and promotion of a winter sport may help keep Sporting Club first of mind all year round.  Even if the affiliation helped some with travel or equipment costs that would go a long way to reaching a demographic that could easily turn into a soccer fan (says the hockey fan writing this post).


    Basketball: Probably not an NBA team (see the hockey team section above), but maybe a D-league team that plays in an arena eventually built on land near LiveSTRONG? (With a sheet of ice) or the Independence Center?  Some guy named Greg Heineman (sounds familiar...) owns the Sioux Falls Skyforce.  I think this is a good possibility in the near future pending NBA contract disputes of course.  I think WNBA is less likely without the presence of a NBA team and given the competing schedules with MLS.

    Baseball: Could Sporting Club align more with the T-bones and work some effective cross-promotions that helps both teams?  Maybe but doubtful given the competing schedules.  But I could see a once a year deal to pair up tickets and food for a baseball/soccer double header.  Just make it a day out at Village West. Would the T-Bones ever become part of the Sporting Club network formally? Probably not.

    Individual Athletes: I think this is the lowest risk, highest gain of all the choices.  This is really the model that Red Bull has done very well with.  By sponsoring individual athletes/personalities in various niche sports with passionate followings and a taste for the extreme it makes for high YouTube views and free advertising for Red Bull drinks.  But what could this do for Sporting Club, since it really isn't selling a product like Red Bull?  Well it could draw even more attention to Sporting Kansas City, gaining fans all around the world and not just Kansas City.  Eventually it becomes a recognized brand not for any product it sells, but for quality athletes who want the exposure that Sporting Club could provide for them.  In the beginning, there may be need for payment of the athletes to wear Sporting Club gear*/logos, but if the network exposure is built well enough, you could get athletes asking to be a part of the club without any compensation other than exposure.

    Sean Malto
    Some local athletes to consider: 8-year old skateborder Evan DohertySkateborder Sean Malto Tennis player and US Open Mixed Doubles champ Jack Sock, are three that come to mind that have been featured in the news lately.  I am sure there are other great runners, mountain bikers, drivers, base jumpers, volleyball players, gymnasts, and more in the area that could benefit from more exposure in the Sporting Club network. We just have to go out and find them. If you know of any comment here!

    *Since Sporting Club/On Goal is technically a different trademark from Sporting Kansas City I presume they would not have to partner with just adidas and they could partner with Under Armor, Nike, reebok, whomever they choose.


    Tennis: Maybe the Kansas City Explorers?  Although they also play in the summer against the MLS season, they have such a short season (2 weeks) it could work. This could be potentially open to rebranding as well.  Getting some soccer fans down to Barney Allis plaza or maybe putting a tennis court on the LiveSTRONG pitch might be fun.  Although no chanting during the game. Shhh!!  Maybe partner with Jack Sock on the team.  Buy local!

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011

    Potential Chants: Go! Sporting Go!


    Name of Song/Chant: Go! Sporting Go!

    To the tune of:
     Horto Magiko (from fans of Greek team Panathanaikos)

    New Lyrics:

    PROLOGUE then (VERSE - CHORUS) x3
    (about 90 seconds)

    Prologue: (Arms outstretched bouncing, chanting slow with emphasis at the end)
    Goooo!!!! Sporting!!! Gooooo!!!
    And we want everyone to knooooowww!!!
    We are herrrre, to win the cuuup!
    And we will never ever stop!

    Verse: (clapping, chanting faster and louder)
    I SAID NOW GO!!!! SPORTING GO!!!
    WE ARE HERE AND WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW!
    THAT WE ARE HERE, TO WIN THE CUP!!!!!
    AND WE WILL NEVER EVER EVER EVER STOP!!!!!

    Chorus: (call and response, jumping with no clapping)
    SPORTING (SPORTING!) -- KC (KC!)
    FOREVER BLUE AND WE LIKE TO JUMP AND SING (JUMP AND SING!!)
    SPORTING (SPORTING!) -- KC (KC!)
    WE WILL CHEER YOU ON TO FINAL VICTORY!! (TO VICTORY)

    Original person suggesting: Ojsgillt (Big Soccer) Adapted by Christian Sinclair

    Soccer fans chanting Horto Magiko version:



    Learning version with new Sporting KC lyrics: (admittedly uninspiring with one person chanting, but this is to teach the lyrics)


    Chant Origins:
    The chant is well known among soccer fans to belong to Panathinaikos Soccer team in Greece.  The song essentially compares the undying support and love of the team to the love of drugs.  Obviously we have changed the lyrics a little bit.  Other MLS supporter groups have done this with varied success, probably secondary to the complex lyrics, song structure.  This is obviously not one to pick up while you are at the game, but one that needs practice and a little memorization before the game.  But after seeing the version above at a BASEKTBALL game, there should be no reason with a little effort this couldn't be done at LiveSTRONG Sporting Park!

    Heard at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park: Section 102 June, July, August 2011, reportedly tried in the Cauldron with alternate lyrics in past
    Heard from other MLS supporters groups: Houston Dynamo Texian Army, Seattle Sounders Emerald City Supporters, Toronto U-sector

    Why it works: original lyrics, already popular soccer chant, strong support for the team, incorporated arm movements, fast beat, call and response for those who don't get the majority of the lyrics
    Why it might not: Not well know to any American fan, multiple verses with subtle changes, used by other MLS clubs, arm movements

    Monday, October 3, 2011

    #SKCChat 2011/10/04

    Tuesday Nights at 8-9p (Central)


    Host: Kris Colvin (@KrisColvin)
    Topics:
    1. TBD
    Learn more about #SKCchat here.

    Last week's #SKCchat Transcript

    Sunday, October 2, 2011

    Gameday Recap: Match 32 at San Jose Earthquakes


    Oct 1st, 2011 at Buck Shaw Stadium

    Result: Draw (Still in first place in the Eastern Conference!)
    Sporting KC 1 - 1 San Jose Earthquakes

    Referee Report via RefRefs

    Ad Astra SKC Gameday Preview Compilation

    Links to Recaps: (links added as they get posted online)
    Man of the Match Selections:
    From Crew sources
    Match Video Highlights (from MLS)
    Get Microsoft Silverlight
    MLS Highlights via YouTube:

    Fan videos from the park: none found yet