Crime down in Pike’s Place has inspired local celebrity chef Tom Douglas to create a “clean up” fundraiser. How? By cooking salmon.
“If you’re going to Hawaii, you have to go to a luau,” he said. “If you’re going to Seattle, you have to go to a salmon bake at Steinbrueck Park.”
Check out the link to the Seattle Times for the full story, and don’t be afraid to get involved!
So for those of you who don’t know I write for The Falcon, the student newspaper and Seattle Pacific University. This week I wrote an article on the Sounders epidemic that I blogged about a few weeks back. Check is out at The Falcon online. But I got so much information from Corey Sinser I couldn’t fit it all in the article! So I figured I’d post the entire interview here. Enjoy!
ME: What was your initial response when you heard the Sounders were joining the MLS?
SINSER: I was really excited. I had been following the developments for a while before the actual announcement, so when the news officially broke it was a pretty special feeling. There were a number of groups over the years that considered investing in a Seattle franchise, but for one reason or another they all kind of fell through. So when it finally came together 2+ years ago you could say it was a big sigh of relief for a lot of people in the city.
ME: Were you a fan of the Sounders before they went pro?
SINSER: Yeah, I’ve been going to games for about a decade. Before they joined the MLS they were in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL 1), which is the second-tier division of professional soccer in the United States. My club soccer coach played for the Sounders, so I had a lot of fun going to those games, even if the crowds were a lot smaller back then!
ME: Describe your experience at the games/at the march to the match. What do you like most about the atmosphere? What do you not like?
SINSER: The experience is like nothing else we have here in the United States. The atmosphere in the stadium is absolutely incredible. Just about everyone in the stadium stands for the entire game, and with all the organized chants and singing going on, it’s quite the spectacle to take in. This of course is standard practice in all the big stadiums overseas, but to see it replicated out here is pretty inspiring. I pretty much always get down to Pioneer Square an hour or two beforehand, which gives me time to meet up with friends and enjoy the atmosphere around the stadium before kickoff. With a lot of people in the city still relatively new to soccer, it’s sometimes evident that they don’t understand the little nuances/technicalities of the rules or a certain player’s decisions, so there are some times when the crowd get restless or upset about things that are totally within the confines of the game, but to a certain degree I guess that’s to be expected.
ME: Obviously the Sounders have a very large fan base, why you think the Sounders became so popular so fast?
SINSER: The Sounders’ popularity can be attributed to a number of factors. First of all, soccer is a huge youth sport in the state of Washington, as well as being very popular among adults. With that many people already involved in the game, the Sounders automatically had a large base of fans to appeal too. Also, with the Sonics skipping town and the Mariners and Seahawks struggling so much, I think Seattle was really looking for something new to get behind. The Sounders came in at just the right time, and were able to grab the attention of a rather discontented sports market here in Seattle. On top of that, the Sounders were successful! Even as an expansion team, the Sounders were near the top of the table all year long, and made it into the playoffs – something not done by an expansion team since the Chicago Fire did it in 1998. I think the location of the stadium has something to do with it too. Being so centrally located, the Sounders are able to draw from all over, and with Pioneer Square having so much to offer in the form of pre/post game activities, they really couldn’t be in a better spot. Some MLS teams struggle with attendance as a result of being outside the central ‘hub’ of the city. As a developing league, the MLS needs to put stadiums in locations that are already a destination in and of themselves. Lastly, the ownership group has done an absolutely fantastic job marketing this team to the city. They were really able to make the team culturally relevant, instead of turning them into a funny little niche sport, which is how some other markets view their MLS franchises. There is obviously a tremendous amount of media coverage now focused on this team, but without a solid marketing crew, none of this would have been possible.
ME: What can you tell me about the ECS (Emerald City Supporters). Who are they, what do they do, what you get from joining them, etc…
SINSER: The Emerald City Supporters (ECS) are a special group of fans that stand behind the south goal and lead their section/the rest of the stadium in numerous chants and songs throughout the course of the match. All European teams have at least one big supporters group like the ECS, so again, it’s this notion of trying to breed a European-style atmosphere here at Qwest field. The ECS have their own style of supporters scarves, and membership comes with discounts at certain businesses/restaurants throughout Seattle. The amount of passion that this group has is really incredible. These guys spend countless hours writing chants, designing banners/flags, and of course supporting their club. And while the ECS was around during the USL-1 days, their numbers probably didn’t exceed 40 or so. Today, the ECS is several hundred strong and constantly expanding.
ME: What is the coolest/craziest experience you’ve had at a Sounders game?
SINSER: The best experience I’ve had at a game was at the inaugural match in March 2009. It was our first game as a franchise, and we effectively embarrassed the New York Red Bulls 3-0, a team that had been in the MLS Cup final the year before. I honestly could not have scripted a better start for the team. Aside from that, I actually saw Governor Chris Gregoire at the game today against LA…She’s had season tickets both years. I waived and said hi, and she said hi back to me, which I thought was pretty cool. They’re actually a total soccer family…her daughter played soccer at Willamette University in Salem.
ME: What made you want to work with the Sounders? What exactly do you do? How did you get connected with them in the first place? Do you like it?
SINSER: With my club coach being a member of the Sounders, I gradually got to know a number of the players and staff as well. I began volunteering at games in high school as a way to fill my community service requirements, and I eventually became a member of the game day operations crew for the team’s final two years as a USL-1 franchise. Since then I’ve worked at Sounders youth Summer camps for the past two Summers, but this year I got hired as an assistant in the Youth Development/Camp System. I’ll essentially be a liaison between the individual site directors and the overall youth camp director, and will assist in things like player appearances, making sure the camps have the appropriate equipment, working in the office…pretty much doing whatever’s needed of me. It’ll be a fun position this Summer, and while I’m not sure if sports management is necessarily the field I’m looking to get into, it will nevertheless be a fun job for the Summer and should hopefully open some other doors for me depending on where my career path ultimately leads me.
ME: Who would you say are the Sounders biggest rivals?
SINSER: Being so new in the league, I’m not sure if Seattle has really created any rivalries with other clubs yet. There have been a number of really fiery games, but I don’t really think we have a ‘rival’ as of yet. However, that will definitely change next year when Portland and Vancouver BC both join the league. In the USL-1, the ‘I-5 Rivalry’ between these three teams was very intense, both between the players and their respective fans. The games between these teams next year should be really exciting.
ME: I’ve heard some people express fears about fans getting out of control (as they often do at European games) have you ever seen anything that would validate these fears?
SINSER: With such big crowds coming to these games, there are bound to be a few knuckleheads in the mix. Last year we were playing a US Open Cup game (A single elimination tournament that pits smaller professional clubs against MLS teams that runs throughout the course of the season) in Portland and I saw a pretty nasty little scuffle between one of our fans and several of theirs, but for the most part it’s been relatively tame. I understand that there have been a handful of other issues that have been addressed and resolved by either the stadium staff or the ECS. In the past, the ‘I-5 Rivalry’ games got a little fierce, so it’ll be interesting to see how they play out next year on a bigger scale.
ME: What do you think about the bright green colors? Too flashy? Just right? I heard they got new yellow jerseys… what do you think about those?
SINSER: I like the color scheme. Green isn’t a very traditional color for soccer teams, so our jerseys are very distinct not only within the MLS, but throughout the entire soccer-playing world. They’re very recognizable, which I think was a smart branding move. You can spot a Sounders fan in Seattle pretty easily. And yes, the club released a ’3rd kit’ a few weeks ago, which they’ll probably wear for their international friendly games this summer, and maybe one or two MLS games this season. Traditionally, third kits are of a different color scheme than the normal home and away jerseys, and are oftentimes a color not even associated with with their respective team. Just last year Chelsea FC had a neon yellow 3rd kit similar to that of the Sounders, even though their colors are royal blue and white. Manchester United sported a blue 3rd kit several years ago, even though their colors are red, white, and black.
ME: How much money do you think you’ve spent on sounders gear? (Jerseys, jackets, tickets, etc.)
SINSER: Surprisingly, I haven’t spent all THAT much money. My season tickets were several hundred dollars, but considering there are 18 home games in a season (15 MLS and 3 Friendlies), it’s not a bad deal. I spend more money before/after the games than I do on apparel, considering I’ve been getting stuff like that from working with the Sounders. I imagine I’ll also be getting tickets once I start my job this Summer, so I’ll probably have to decide which seats are better when choosing where to sit.
ME: What do you think the Sounders have done for the city of Seattle? The MLS? and American soccer as a whole?
SINSER: The Sounders have put Seattle on the map as a bona fide soccer-crazy city. We have the best attendance in the league by about 15 thousand fans, and the team has really given the city something new to cheer for. As far as the MLS goes, the Sounders have proven that franchises are truly capable of being culturally relevant in competitive sports markets. Even though the Mariners and Seahawks had been struggling, they were both very solid franchises, so for the Sounders to not only gain tremendous popularity, but to do it in a market with other big time sports franchises really says a lot about what this sport is capable of if marketed and executed properly. It’s a real confidence booster for the MLS to know that soccer really has a place in America. With teams like Seattle doing so well, it entices players from around the world to want to come to this country to experience what we have to offer. All the best soccer nations in the world have extremely competitive domestic leagues, so if the United States wants to keep developing as a soccer power, we have to continue to build our own league and develop more home grown talent. When franchises like Seattle are as successful as they are, it’s a step in the right direction for the league, which in turn is a step in the right direction for American soccer as a whole.
So… first blog ever. I’m thinking this should be pretty interesting. Well, as long as it doesn’t become some of my random rantings that happen from time to time. Forgive me if that happens. I’ll try to keep the rants to a minimum. But it seems to me that Seattle is a place where ranting happens fairly often. Not saying that’s a bad thing. In fact, I’d probably say it’s good. Seattle is easily my favorite city in the world. Not only because i grew up just east of here, but because it has personality. And it just so happens that ranting is a part of that personality. People here say what they want, when they want. (Does the 1999 WTO Protests ring a bell???) I was 10 at the time, but I still remember hearing all about it and watching it on the news. That was when I gained my first understanding of Seattle- a place where people stand up for what they believe in. Wheter you believe them to be right or wrong, you can’t deny that speaking up and acting on behalf of your beliefs is an admirable trait. So that’s just one of the reasons i love Seattle. There are plenty of other reasons as well, some of which I’ve not yet realized. But the more I write, the more reasons I will discover. Because that’s what this blog is all about. Discovery.
