September 08, 2007 | 10:26
Dear Vice-President Holt:
I am writing to you on behalf of the 3000+ monthly readers of my website and supporters of the Carolina RailHawks to express our extreme disappointment in the fact that tonight's critical season finale, playoff-deciding match between the California Victory and Carolina RailHawks will not be televised live on USL Live.
While I am a big soccer fan, prior to Carolina entering the USL-1, I was only tangentially aware of your league. But this season I have whole-heartedly committed myself to unwavering support of my local expansion team and the USL. I have seen every minute of league play in person at SAS Soccer Park this season. I have traveled to see my RailHawks play away in Atlanta and Charleston. I even went to a neutral game between California and Atlanta while on a business trip in San Francisco. I was ecstatic when I heard that Turner Media was going to be hosting a live video streaming site similar to their ACCSelect.com service (which I was already a subscribing member for collegiate soccer). In fact, someone at Turner Media told me I was the very first fan to sign-up for a full-season pass at $49.99 when the early-bird special was announced on April 9th.
USLLive.com is a wonderful service and is absolutely a godsend for fans wanting to follow a niche sports team on the road. Thanks to USL Live, I have also seen every minute of every away game the Carolina RailHawks have played this season. As fans, we have been absolutely spoiled by this unprecedented level of access to away matches and I do not regret one penny of the money I spent on my subscription.
But today, with the single-most important game the RailHawks will play all season hanging in the balance, I'll be forced to follow the action by radio due to "technical difficulties" preventing the game from being uploaded from the stadium.
From what I can gather talking to various sources, the "difficulties" are not "technical" nor recent in nature. The rumor is that the Victory can no longer pay their internet bill due to financial mismanagement of their owner Dmitry Piterman. I understand these same "technical difficulties" also prevented the live uplink of the Montreal and Seattle games in August and the league stepped in and required a satellite uplink truck be brought in to transmit the games. If this is truly the case, why did the league not require the same for this critical game in the league playoff race?
Having visited Kezar Stadium and having spent several hours talking with the Victory fans, I feel very sorry for the supporters of California. They feel they have been "had" by their management and that the team never lived up the promise that was made to them to bring "professional" soccer (at least, professionally managed soccer) to San Francisco.
I realize that there are many issues in play here which I have no insight into and also realize that many of these issues are isolated to the California franchise. But when their business practices begin to impact the supporters of other clubs around the league, I think it's fair for the fans to look to the league to provide resolution.
While I'm disappointed the league has not, or could not, do more to make sure this critical match was televised live for all the fans in both Carolina and Miami that will be anxiously awaiting the result, it does not diminish my passion for the RailHawks nor USL-1. I think the United Soccer Leagues holds great promise for professional soccer in the United States, I just hope that going forward the league does more to prevent this kind of situation from frustrating your fans in the future.
Sincerely,
W. Jarrett Campbell
Founder, Triangle Soccer Fanatics
cc: Chris Economides, General Manager, Carolina RailHawks
Brian Wellman, Assistant General Manager, Carolina RailHawks
I am writing to you on behalf of the 3000+ monthly readers of my website and supporters of the Carolina RailHawks to express our extreme disappointment in the fact that tonight's critical season finale, playoff-deciding match between the California Victory and Carolina RailHawks will not be televised live on USL Live.
While I am a big soccer fan, prior to Carolina entering the USL-1, I was only tangentially aware of your league. But this season I have whole-heartedly committed myself to unwavering support of my local expansion team and the USL. I have seen every minute of league play in person at SAS Soccer Park this season. I have traveled to see my RailHawks play away in Atlanta and Charleston. I even went to a neutral game between California and Atlanta while on a business trip in San Francisco. I was ecstatic when I heard that Turner Media was going to be hosting a live video streaming site similar to their ACCSelect.com service (which I was already a subscribing member for collegiate soccer). In fact, someone at Turner Media told me I was the very first fan to sign-up for a full-season pass at $49.99 when the early-bird special was announced on April 9th.
USLLive.com is a wonderful service and is absolutely a godsend for fans wanting to follow a niche sports team on the road. Thanks to USL Live, I have also seen every minute of every away game the Carolina RailHawks have played this season. As fans, we have been absolutely spoiled by this unprecedented level of access to away matches and I do not regret one penny of the money I spent on my subscription.
But today, with the single-most important game the RailHawks will play all season hanging in the balance, I'll be forced to follow the action by radio due to "technical difficulties" preventing the game from being uploaded from the stadium.
From what I can gather talking to various sources, the "difficulties" are not "technical" nor recent in nature. The rumor is that the Victory can no longer pay their internet bill due to financial mismanagement of their owner Dmitry Piterman. I understand these same "technical difficulties" also prevented the live uplink of the Montreal and Seattle games in August and the league stepped in and required a satellite uplink truck be brought in to transmit the games. If this is truly the case, why did the league not require the same for this critical game in the league playoff race?
Having visited Kezar Stadium and having spent several hours talking with the Victory fans, I feel very sorry for the supporters of California. They feel they have been "had" by their management and that the team never lived up the promise that was made to them to bring "professional" soccer (at least, professionally managed soccer) to San Francisco.
I realize that there are many issues in play here which I have no insight into and also realize that many of these issues are isolated to the California franchise. But when their business practices begin to impact the supporters of other clubs around the league, I think it's fair for the fans to look to the league to provide resolution.
While I'm disappointed the league has not, or could not, do more to make sure this critical match was televised live for all the fans in both Carolina and Miami that will be anxiously awaiting the result, it does not diminish my passion for the RailHawks nor USL-1. I think the United Soccer Leagues holds great promise for professional soccer in the United States, I just hope that going forward the league does more to prevent this kind of situation from frustrating your fans in the future.
Sincerely,
W. Jarrett Campbell
Founder, Triangle Soccer Fanatics
cc: Chris Economides, General Manager, Carolina RailHawks
Brian Wellman, Assistant General Manager, Carolina RailHawks
Category:
News
September 08, 2007 - 10:41
Mr. Campbell,
Thank you for writing this wonderful letter. It expresses my feelings as well and, I'm sure, many many others. I've enjoyed your post game comments all season and anxiously looked forward to your reviews.
Your letter may/may not make a difference to them . If it does, and they show the game, you are definitely our hero.
I really appreciate your effort. You are a great fan.