Did the New Jersey Nets tease their Brooklyn logo?

[Kevin W.]

Well, the NFL does have the Bills.

My, we've gotten far afield.

Bah, I meant NYC. You and your technicalities...

[The_Admiral]

One of the many mid-steps of the league's earliest day (along with the misguided attempt to "Americanize" the sport) was a presumption that soccer is a suburban sport. I don't know what marketing they did to those suburbs, but they didn't do much in the city itself.

They probably figured that while immigrant populations in the city may love soccer the most, they won't have allegiances to local glorified minor-league teams, whereas suburban families would be more likely to support teams at viable price points. They may not have been right, but it wasn't an entirely unfounded presumption. It was the '90s. Mindless consumption of high-prestige/low-quality products seemed like a good idea at the time.

[Gothamite]

I don't think they ever thought of themselves as a minor-league. I just think they fundamentally misunderstood their audience; perhaps thinking that all previous leagues had failed, they made little attempt in most cases to tap into the legacy of the NASL. They wanted to create a new fanbase, whereas they should have worked to bring existing fans of the sport into the fold.

That's a mistake they've since gone out of their way to fix, nt only embracing the old NASL but linking their teams to established leagues and teams from around the world.

Well, the NFL does have the Bills.

Bah, I meant NYC. You and your technicalities...

Hence the

Wouldn't surprise me to learn that some of the shirts were league-wide templates; that's pretty much par for the course these days.

[-kj]

So do the cosmos still play? Or do they just sell merch like the globetrotters? I know the trotters still "play" but its the only team that acts more as a nostalgia brand than a real team.

The Cosmos "play," kind of. For their inaugural game, they had a roster made up of retired European veterans like Dwight Yorke and Sol Campbell, no doubt because Eric Cantona is an executive with the club. It's more of an organization formed with the intent of securing the expansion spot in MLS.

Exactly.

After the NASL folded, the Cosmos moved into youth camps. The organization was sold to new owners a year ago with an eye towards joining MLS. Everything they've done, including selling merchandise, has been towards that (if you'll forgive me) goal.

They were supposed to have a PDL team this year, but that apparently has fallen through.

So far, the Cosmos have seemed to be a bunch of brand wankery.

[Gothamite]

I understand that it appears that way, because the group was bought out, and the new owners have a different philosophy.

The prior owners wanted to build the entire apparatus of a team, with academies on both coasts and youth teams. The new owners have pulled everything back while they focus on a stadium deal, which is all that's stopping them from joining MLS.

[NJTank]

They're next to Newark. The Cosmos would be in Queens or on Randalls Island, would be my guess. Does the stadium on Randalls still accommodate soccer?

Downing Stadium was demolished about ten years ago.

[Gothamite]

There have been negotiations for a parcel of land in Greenpoint (northwest Brooklyn), as well as re-developing the soccer stadium on Pier 40 on the Hudson River. The former would be my preference, the latter is the Commissioner's (I don't deny the lure of Manhattan in PR terms, and that's a center of the city's soccer culture.

It goes without saying that Flushing Meadow is always a contender. At this point, I just want a deal done so I can have my team back.

[The_Admiral]

I thought Brooklyn and Queens were the center of soccer.

I see now that the stadium I was thinking of has been retrofitted for track and field. Sure would be cool to make it a soccer stadium again.

Back on topic: I still think the Nets logo is poorly rendered and they're going to look too much like the Spurs, especially between their home whites where the Spurs' silver is negligible.

[NJTank]

They have mentioned on and off building a soccer stadium near Citi Field but who knows if that ever will happen, that iron triangle is sticking it out I thought they would have raised it by now. But it is still there looking like the third world.

[Gothamite]

I thought Brooklyn and Queens were the center of soccer.

The main centers, yes. But Pier 40 on Manhattan's West Side is home to amateur tournaments and tons of classes, which is why I said it's "a center of the city's soccer culture".

There's now talk of converting it to a 25,000 seat SSS. Would have spectacular views:

And back to the Nets, I was in Prospect Park yesterday, and saw another half-dozen Nets caps and tshirts. From a sales point of view, I don't think this could be qualified as anything less than an overwhelming success.

[NJTank]

Its Brooklyn, anything that said Brooklyn was going to be sold, and if they are good they can bury the Knicks. Brooklynites have been waiting a long time for something to call their own.

[Gothamite]

True enough (pretty much what my 6 year-old said when I told him a basketball team had moved to our borough). What surprises me is the amount of gear I'm already seeing outside of Brooklyn.

[Kevin W.]

I thought Brooklyn and Queens were the center of soccer.

The main centers, yes. But Pier 40 on Manhattan's West Side is home to amateur tournaments and tons of classes, which is why I said it's "a center of the city's soccer culture".

There's now talk of converting it to a 25,000 seat SSS. Would have spectacular views:

And back to the Nets, I was in Prospect Park yesterday, and saw another half-dozen Nets caps and tshirts. From a sales point of view, I don't think this could be qualified as anything less than an overwhelming success.

Wow, that would be absolutely amazing if they pulled it off.

[tBBP]

True enough (pretty much what my 6 year-old said when I told him a basketball team had moved to our borough). What surprises me is the amount of gear I'm already seeing outside of Brooklyn.

Don't New Yorkers love a winner? Well, not necessarily speaking of the Nets franchise, but of the Brooklyn brand overall?and especially Jay-Z. And plus, it's still a novelty, no? Either way, good to see the stuff moving, especially with the engine that's driving it.

As for folks from without the borough reppin' the gear...I couldn't really tell (nor was I looking) the couple times I was up in NYC, but how much, if any, other instances of this are there? What I mean is?well I know Yankees fans permeate each borough, but whats the percentage of Yankees fans in Queens, or Mets fans in the Bronx? Or perhaps Giants fans on Long Island, or Jets fans up in Manhattan? (I don't know; just curious.)

Maybe all New Yorkers should just like all their teams. Big Punisher said it best back in '96: "five boroughs thoroughly reppin/let's unite the city and step to the world as a weapon".

(Ten gold stars to the first to name the single and album that line came from...without cheating by using google.)

[goforbroke]

True enough (pretty much what my 6 year-old said when I told him a basketball team had moved to our borough). What surprises me is the amount of gear I'm already seeing outside of Brooklyn.

Don't New Yorkers love a winner? Well, not necessarily speaking of the Nets franchise, but of the Brooklyn brand overall?and especially Jay-Z. And plus, it's still a novelty, no? Either way, good to see the stuff moving, especially with the engine that's driving it.

As for folks from without the borough reppin' the gear...I couldn't really tell (nor was I looking) the couple times I was up in NYC, but how much, if any, other instances of this are there? What I mean is?well I know Yankees fans permeate each borough, but whats the percentage of Yankees fans in Queens, or Mets fans in the Bronx? Or perhaps Giants fans on Long Island, or Jets fans up in Manhattan? (I don't know; just curious.)

Maybe all New Yorkers should just like all their teams. Big Punisher said it best back in '96: "five boroughs thoroughly reppin/let's unite the city and step to the world as a weapon".

(Ten gold stars to the first to name the single and album that line came from...without cheating by using google.)

Territorially, mets and jets have Brooklyn queens and long island, Yankees and giants have Bronx, manhattan, north jersey and Connecticut. However the Yankees and the giants permeate the mets and jets territory more than Vice versa. Central jersey is Very mixed, in those suburbs its basically where u or ur parents moved from.

Knicks own everything basketball right now including what u may consider nets territory of north jersey. There are no nets fans anywhere. So maybe that will change now with the move to Brooklyn.

[JQK]

I thought Brooklyn and Queens were the center of soccer.

The main centers, yes. But Pier 40 on Manhattan's West Side is home to amateur tournaments and tons of classes, which is why I said it's "a center of the city's soccer culture".

There's now talk of converting it to a 25,000 seat SSS. Would have spectacular views:

Cosmos Cosmos Cosmos

[NJTank]

I thought Brooklyn and Queens were the center of soccer.

The main centers, yes. But Pier 40 on Manhattan's West Side is home to amateur tournaments and tons of classes, which is why I said it's "a center of the city's soccer culture".

There's now talk of converting it to a 25,000 seat SSS. Would have spectacular views:

Cosmos Cosmos Cosmos

And I thought I was gung ho for the return of the Cosmos.

[sozopol]

I saw the WHITE version of this cap worn today on the A train, Manhattan to Brooklyn

white with a black brim.

On the Cosmos/Pier 40 subject-- no way will there be a stadium on Pier 40. For starters they'd have to change the state Hudson River Park Act to allow commercial, non-park uses. And they'd have to get that done in the next month or so, if they want to get a project approved while Bloomy is still in office. Then, there is the local community--basically Tribeca/SoHo/West Village. Good luck getting a stadium past that community board.

MLS is working hard to get the 20th team in NYC, likely but not definitely will be the Cosmos. It is just so hard, for real estate and political reasons, to secure a site for a stadium. Pier 40 is their target right now, but other possibilities include, as mentioned above, Randalls Island, CitiField vicinity, and Aviator Field. I hope something breaks before they get fed up.

Cosmos had a youth development academy going for the last couple of years but they are letting that go to focus resources solely on getting an MLS team. That's my understanding.

[Gothamite]

There's already precedent for allowing commercial development on the Piers - it happens just two miles north in Chelsea.

The community board will be hard work, but no less so than other deals.

I don't know where Speaker Quinn, the presumptive next mayor, stands on these issues. Will be interesting to find out.

[sozopol]

there is the precedent, but even if it happens I think a soccer stadium has an uphill battle against something like this, unfortunately. But we will see. Believe, nobody wants to see Cosmos Stadium at Pier 40 more than me. Or see it anywhere in the five boros!