Rayo OKC

[borchard]

Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, Rogers Centre, Dell Diamond, Whataburger Field, and more have hosted soccer matches just fine.

Sure, a custom built dedicated stadium is better, but it's not like using a baseball stadium would be completely unusual.

Busch Stadium has hosted several international games the past few years. And while it is not ideal to have a soccer match in a baseball stadium, it can be done, and done well.

[bradh]

Are you referring to this quote from @RetroOKC on the Energy2016 Thread?


First all, I'm not RetroOKC. Second of all, I will NOT troll on their forum, as you seem to want to do on this one.

Sorry I mixed you up. Second, I'm not trolling, I care about soccer in OKC.

[d-usa]

STILL waiting for you and other Energy supporters to answer this one. It's a simple question. What WOULD it take for you to admit that it WASN'T just a coincidence? I find it interesting that you haven't answered, but just throw my question back at me as if I don't have a right to ask it?
.

Any evidence at all would do, for a start. Maybe an article of some sort, printed on paper that you print news on, maybe from a city where said news printed on paper might have happened.

But that's just crazy Energy fan talk, so don't mind me.

[borchard]

But that's just crazy Energy fan talk, so don't mind me.

OK, I won't

[d-usa]

Second, I'm not trolling, I care about soccer in OKC.

It's pretty easy to dismiss anybody questioning things as a troll, at least it's easier than having to actually back up what you are saying when called out on it.

I haven't really posted anything bad about Rayo, and most of my posts in this thread were addressing stuff like "should we build a stadium" and "how should it be build" and "how should it be financed" and I even pointed out that despite the criticism by some that attendance of the home opener might have been inflated by giving out free tickets you can't really judge the success of Rayo until you see if they can convert these folks on free tickets to repeat paying customers. But just like you, when I post something critical I am accused of trolling.

Go figure.

[Laramie]

Sure soccer in a baseball stadium isn't the most desirable environment any soccer fan would want. Agree with kwhey that it would suck; however, It would only be a temporary situation until we get a stadium constructed.

MAPS IV (for whatever theme it will be) should include a $100 million multipurpose soccer-American football stadium. Far as I'm concerned; let's not half step--build something big enough to attract other significant events. A venue with upper deck seating that doesn't have to be used if the fan interest isn't there. Say, 14,000 lower level seats with 9,000 - 11,000 in an upper deck--range from 23,000-25,000 seats.

Whichever franchise (MLS, NASL, USL) wants to be that anchor tenant; then let them pay for the bell & whistles associated with luxury boxes and reserve chair back seats.

[d-usa]

I can fully agree with that. I wouldn't settle for playing at the ballpark instead of building a stadium, but as a temporary thing it would be okay. If one of the teams starts construction on a stadium downtown, or makes a deal with the city after the city starts to build a stadium, then I could see it making sense to start playing at the ballpark to start building the "downtown soccer team" brand.

But truth be told, as long as somebody puts some sort of nice stadium downtown I will most likely attend games there. It's not like I'm going to urinate all over their bathrooms because they didn't build the kind of stadium I talked about online or because of the team that ends up playing there.

[Lord Helmet]

Soccer in a baseball stadium sucks.

I watched SKC (well at that time the Wizards) for years in a minor league ball park. It DID in fact suck (but was better than Arrowhead IMHO). The Timbers is an exception, but only because they did a full conversion of the stadium to soccer.

[Laramie]

I watched SKC (well at that time the Wizards) for years in a minor league ball park. It DID in fact suck (but was better than Arrowhead IMHO). The Timbers is an exception, but only because they did a full conversion of the stadium to soccer.

Yes they did. Old Portland's Multnomah County Stadium was reconfigured for soccer (Providence Park). AAA baseball disappeared.

[borchard]

I can fully agree with that. I wouldn't settle for playing at the ballpark instead of building a stadium, but as a temporary thing it would be okay. If one of the teams starts construction on a stadium downtown, or makes a deal with the city after the city starts to build a stadium, then I could see it making sense to start playing at the ballpark to start building the "downtown soccer team" brand.

But truth be told, as long as somebody puts some sort of nice stadium downtown I will most likely attend games there. It's not like I'm going to urinate all over their bathrooms because they didn't build the kind of stadium I talked about online or because of the team that ends up playing there.

Yeah, I would never do that either, even though that's what everyone "heard" that I did. I was wondering how long it would take you to come back with that one. But didn't you hear? I didn't urinate on a floor? I killed a guy in an Energy shirt and stuffed his dead, lifeless body down the toilet, causing it to back up and making a "huge mess". Actually, that's about the only thing I WASN'T accused of by the end of the day.
You want to know what I REALLY did? Oh wait, you were obviously there, so you already know.
Anyway... I took an Energy schedule into the men's room, laid on the floor under the toilet, and as I was taking a leak I dribbled pee on it. I even took toilet paper and wiped up anything outside the 1in x 3in piece of paper. Of course, what I did was sitting on urine that was ALREADY THERE. But hey, don't let that get in the way of your little guffaw.
I admit what I did was childish, maybe even a little boorish. But the reaction, and the way it got handled (or not handled) was something else entirely.
The first thing I heard about it was from a guy I had been watching the game that morning with. He said the bar manager told him I had made "a huge mess" in the bathroom. WHAT?!?
I told my friend exactly what I had done. And then I started feeling a little bad about what I had done. But almost as soon as I felt that way, the passive-aggressive little memes and tweets started showing up, not from the establishment, but from Grid members.
Now I'm still feeling like I should call them, or something, and say "Hey, what do you want me to do?"
Literally about the time I am starting to type a PM to the establishment I get a notification that someone has tagged me in a FB post.
I open it and see that, once gain, someone who was NOT there but IS a Grid member has PUBLICLY posted that he "heard" from "several people" that I had "thrown schedules in the toilet and clogged it up..."?!?! And then he said, 'if this is true then (mine AND my wife's name) F$&K YOU!"......
It was right THEN that I stopped feeling bad. Like I said, I was childish. What this guy did was REPREHENSIBLE!
Publicly naming me AND MY WIFE (who wasnt even there!) for something he didnt even know was true (and WASNT!) and saying what he did?
And then I thought about how the bar handled it.
I've been going there since it opened. I've spent much time and many dollars in that place. EVERYONE knows who I am. I have never:
Walked a tab,
Got drunk and belligerent,
Broken anything,
Puked on the floor,
But did anyone contact me directly? No.
The info just started getting passed around by Grid guys who came in later, who then told two friends, and so on, and so on...It became a junior high girl's game of Telephone.
I only found out YESTERDAY that someone even was saying that I had whipped it out IN the bar and peed on the floor?!??! SERIOUSLY?
So did I dribble pee on an Energy schedule in a men's room, in a bar, THAT ALREADY PEE ON THE FLOOR? Yep
Was it childish? Yep
Did I "make a huge mess"? Nope
Did I "clog up the toilet"? Nope
Did I "throw schedules in the toilet"? Nope
Am I sorry about now? Not sorry anymore. After I was publicly told to F OFF on FB (for things I didnt do) my Give-A-Damn broke.
And this will make 5 PUBLIC social media that I have recounted this story on, the same way the "story" got passed around to begin with.

[Laramie]

Sometimes you have to let a flame burn itself out; much like letting the dead bury the dead. As long as you know the truth; that's all that counts.

You can't always control what people choose to put out there about you. Somethings you just don't dignify that with an answer.

[AP]

I really enjoy soccer but I really hate all of the soccer fans on this site. I wish Pete would just lock both threads and call it a day. I'm an Energy fan but it's incredible how petty that stupid supporters group is.

[gopokes88]

I really enjoy soccer but I really hate all of the soccer fans on this site. I wish Pete would just lock both threads and call it a day. I'm an Energy fan but it's incredible how petty that stupid supporters group is.

I had no idea people would be so passionate about minor league soccer

[elitespy]

I had no idea people would be so passionate about minor league soccer

I don't think it has anything to do with being minor league, it's soccer. I've said before Soccer culture is different than other sports, a lot of the guys I know have been following the sport since they were kids, I grew up in Germany where it was a way of life. A lot of the people in the soccer community treat soccer how OU/OSU fans treat football. Most of the people showing up to skinny slims at 7 AM on a Saturday would rather watch minor league soccer than an OU game. Most of the guys/gals there don't care about affiliation, or who the owners are but the Energy was here first, or I guess you could say OKC FC was here first and a lot of them were going to those games as well. These guys, including myself, are just excited to have a local team to support and we are gonna get behind that team and we will be passionate about it. Soccer in and of itself is about the passion for the game, it's called the beautiful game for a reason.

If Rayo would have been the first team to start playing, no doubt a lot of us would have followed that team but the fact is they weren't. Most of the members of the Grid are pretty good people, sure you have some idiots but that's every group. I hate that we all get lumped together though.

[gopokes88]

I don't think it has anything to do with being minor league, it's soccer. I've said before Soccer culture is different than other sports, a lot of the guys I know have been following the sport since they were kids, I grew up in Germany where it was a way of life. A lot of the people in the soccer community treat soccer how OU/OSU fans treat football. Most of the people showing up to skinny slims at 7 AM on a Saturday would rather watch minor league soccer than an OU game. Most of the guys/gals there don't care about affiliation, or who the owners are but the Energy was here first, or I guess you could say OKC FC was here first and a lot of them were going to those games as well. These guys, including myself, are just excited to have a local team to support and we are gonna get behind that team and we will be passionate about it. Soccer in and of itself is about the passion for the game, it's called the beautiful game for a reason.

If Rayo would have been the first team to start playing, no doubt a lot of us would have followed that team but the fact is they weren't. Most of the members of the Grid are pretty good people, sure you have some idiots but that's every group. I hate that we all get lumped together though.

I just cant understand why a bunch of grown adults can't stop taking shots at each on an internet forum. Grow up.

[d-usa]

I'm sorry you are having to go through all of that, I had no idea.

I can't believe that there are people on the internet that would go around and spread rumors and accusations about people without knowing if any of that is true. What kind of person would do something like that?

Back on topic: I have heard that the Producers Coop might be one of the locations in play for a future stadium. I think that would be an awesome location and would give a big shot in the arm to the lower Bricktown area.

[elitespy]

I just cant understand why a bunch of grown adults can't stop taking shots at each on an internet forum. Grow up.

Oh well yeah, I can 100% get behind this. It's rather annoying, but kids will be kids I guess. I'll take pop shots at Tulsa here and there but that's all in good fun. This Rayo VS Energy thing is way out of hand IMO.

[Laramie]

When someone makes one of those ridiculous (off the wall) comments you just have to ignore it; move on.

[Snowman]

I thought this tweet was interesting -

"Canadian Co. clerk says her office received 103 protests to Rayo's beer permit, setting a record during her time in office."

That is pretty useless.

A lot of time most of those kind of responses will be form letters a few groups encouraged their members to sign their name and forward on (unless they accept web forms so takes even less effort to copy/paste/submit), you also inevitably get incoherent rants based more off rumors than actual fact and conditions. Then government agencies tend to dutifully writes a response on how they listened to feedback and go ahead with what they wanted to begin with. So they are highlighting that the public is with them, even though 103 is really a tiny percentage of the public (less than half of one percent the population of Yukon, and less than eight for every thousand people in the county). Most likely they did not tweet how many were against their position, though given normal human behavior, people who like the idea or do not care one way or the other tend not to send letters to the County Clerk.

Then their is the weasel words "in her time in office", which is something slightly more than five years. There have not been a whole lot of crazy petitions for things in the area in that time.

yes i wonder if they will release the names of the people 103 people who were protesting. Were they actual residents of Canadian Co.?

Harder to say, it generally is not required and it is not likely they are going to be doing any in depth verification if they even take an address.

[jerrywall]

Ah, more implications of a vast conspiracy in this great business of minor league sports... right...

*eyeroll*

[Laramie]

Don't buy the conspiracy theory--Energy FC isn't behind any attempt to stop beer sales in Canadian County; our Oklahoma City Energy FC have bigger fish to fry.

Funk's Express Clydesdales are based in Yukon, OK. Don't think he would want his name associated with any attempts to attack Rayo OK in that area. After all, Energy FC had to get their beer sales approved for Taft Stadium; much like Miller Stadium is a district owned facility.

[Bellaboo]

I thought this tweet was interesting -

Canadian Co. clerk says her office received 103 protests to Rayo's beer permit, setting a record during her time in office.

All this tells me is that 100,000 people don't care.



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[borchard]

It GAME DAY!
Match Preview ? Miami FC vs Rayo OKC | Rayo OKC

[jerrywall]

All this tells me is that 100,000 people don't care.

And? You could say that on any issue... but if 100+ people actually objected, this going to a judge for review is 100% appropriate. And it worked appropriately. That's why the process is in place. It's really that simple, except for those that want to create libelous claims against the judge and sheriff.

[Laramie]

It GAME DAY!
Match Preview ? Miami FC vs Rayo OKC | Rayo OKC

Need a good win; an opportunity to get one in South Beach on the road.