In discussing his marketing initiatives, new MLS
Commissioner Don Garber said that the league's "players have
not been exposed to the level they need to be in order for
fans to connect with them." Garber: "The average kid out
there, outside of the core soccer fan, isn't as familiar
with the faces, the people, the personalities that exist in
this league. I think that there's a very, very marketable
group of players across all ethnic groups that we need to
spend time focusing in on. ... It's a model that the NFL
never was able to capitalize on because it is an enormously
team-focused sport" (L.A. TIMES, 8/15). In Miami, Hal Habib
noted that under Garber, NFL Europe's revenues "grew" by
250% and profits "rose" by 400%. Fusion Investor-Operator
Ken Horowitz: "He's a maverick when it comes to marketing,
sponsorship and broadcast strategies. ... The league is
about money, getting enough people in the stadiums, getting
sponsors and broadcast deals. If there's a soccer person
out there with all that experience, he hasn't surfaced yet
-- he or she hasn't." When asked about Women's World Cup
President & CEO Marla Messing, Horowitz said, "Marla did an
event. It's different operating a league ... where you have
over 300 games a year, every year. ... We certainly talked
about her. But is she the right person for the job? We
obviously did not think so" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/15).
NUMBERS GAME: In L.A., Tom Hoffarth reports that MLS is
"drawing fewer" fans than NFL Europe did in '99 on a "per-
game basis." Hoffarth cites L.A.-based Amateur Athletic
Foundation researchers, which noted that an average of
17,845 fans "watched North American-style football in
Europe" while an average of 15,174 fans are "watching
European-style football in America" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/16).
BAD TIMING? In Chicago, Tom Bonen: "The midseason
dismissal of [Doug] Logan and the speedy injection of former
NFL marketing whiz Don Garber appears to be a desperate move
made by desperate men." Bonen: "Wouldn't it have made more
sense to bring in Garber as the deputy commissioner to
oversee the marketing and promotional side of the league?"
Bonen called Logan a "very effective communicator, but
perhaps not a CEO with a vision for the future. The future
of MLS doesn't have to be bleak" (DAILY SOUTHTOWN, 8/15).
