Is the Cleveland Arena Football League Team Failing Before They Kickoff?
Am I the only one in Cleveland who wonders why the Cleveland Arena Football League team is still without a name? It has been nearly two full months since the announcement that Cleveland would field its first Arena League team since the Cleveland Thunderbolts folded after the 1994 season for the 2008 season.
By not having any team name the Cleveland franchise is missing out on the lucrative holiday season where they could get their brand out to Clevelanders. They could be selling jerseys, hats, gloves, and tickets all at the same time. C'mon people, this is Marketing 101 I am talking about, not the Wharton School of Business.
I truly want Bernie Kosar's franchise to work. But I see this as fumbling the ball before the team even starts. Another thing I would do is sign a big named Ohio State Buckeye or ex-Cleveland High School star to play on the team. There has to be someone out there that could draw attention the franchise. The new franchise released a press release earlier this year proclaiming "Cleveland Makes a Statement in Free Agency".
Here are some of the players that they signed:
QB RAYMOND PHILYAW (5-10, 180, NE Louisiana), OL/DL SILAS DEMARY (6-3, 285, Virginia State) and DB BRANDON HEFFLIN (6-1, 185, Toledo).
Now, these players may be fantastic but they are not going to sell tickets. Hell, Tim Couch is out there looking for work. We all know he can't play but if they decided to give him a workout it would probably make national headlines. Sports is entertainment, and if the team wants to get talked about before they kickoff the season on March 3rd they better learn how to get in the media.
With the Cleveland Browns likely making the playoffs, Lebron James filling up ink in the local papers for the Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Indians opening their spring training season in Feburary it is going to be hard to get the city's attention. The franchise shouldn't make it any harder on themselves and come up with a team name and some clever marketing before it is too late.
Comments
Arena team name
Alas, the Arena League is notorious for rapid franchise expansion but the naming of the franchise drag on for months. Kansas City's name took months as I remember correctly. Not sure why "Gladiators" wouldn't work in Cleveland. Or go with a Cleveland convention and call them the Taupes. Or Quicken or Q's--they will play at the Quicken, right?
Cleveland Team
Is this really Bernie Kosar's team??? The same owner that has killed afl in NJ, Vegas and now Ohio....
Yeah, they are playing at
Yeah, they are playing at the Q. I think the Wolstein Center would've been better for Arena League action as it only seats 13k. I don't understand why they didn't just use the Thunderbolts name. Nothing wrong with that....
don't count them out yet
There's a HUGE reason why they haven't signed local talent... It doesn't work! Take the Columbus Destroyers for example. They road the OSU bandwagon to 6-10 and 2-14 for their first two seasons in Columbus. 8-24 doesn't keep the fans around for long and wasn't until this past season they figured that out and made it to the ArenaBowl. I'm sure Kosar and company have a plan for this team, as Bernie is not about losing money in his investment ventures. Not jumping on a chance to sell merchandise this holiday season is surprising, but would it have mattered? This holiday season has already been predicted as one of the worst in history for retailers. The Cleveland Gladiators(tentative name) are fine for the time being.
RE: don't count them out yet
I disagree. When Orlando signed Bam Morris it was huge league news, and it turned out he couldn't even stay on the practice squad. Adrian McPherson is still a big media target even though his AFL career has been mediocre. Agreed, people may not stay around just for that, but getting people in the building to try out something new is the biggest obstacle to overcome for a new team.
Names
...because if they use the same names people will equate the new team with predecessors (Gladiators in LV and Thunderbolts in Cle). If you name them the Thunderbolts people will most likely simply think, "oh, I remember those guys" instead of "the Steamers? Cool. We should check that out." They need to differentiate themselves from teams that have not worked in that market and in other markets and publicize as a brand new, exciting entertainment product.
Cleveland
The AFL is focused on celebrity or NFL owners, and the big ticket signees are the former NFL players that can't make it in the NFL anymore. When Peter Warrick almost played last season, it was huge news. Too bad, as the players that played true Iron ball from 1987 to now is who made this the sport it is today. They are slowly making it NFL Indoors - would not be suprised to see that name change in the next decade.
Cleveland I believe is going to be the Bombers or Bulldogs, I forgot what the gossip was.
Agree on the delay, as they should really get their name out there before the Christmas Holidays.
Hold on now
The players that they did sign have been around the league for a reason and thats because they are the best at there position. Yes, it is crazy that they dont have a name for the team to sale merchandise for the holidays but dont point the finger at the organization. Point your finger at the league office with is giving Bernie and the coaching staff a hard thing bc they wanted to reward the fans of cleveland something similar to what the browns have with the dawg pound. We are all frustrated with the hold up but it is what it is. You just make sure u support the team alright. Happy Holidays to you and your family.......................
Home Arena
"Yeah, they are playing at the Q. I think the Wolstein Center would've been better for Arena League action as it only seats 13k."
The league has rules for stadium size and capacity. That was a problem in 2001 when the Bradley Center in Milwaukee announced a renovation and that the Mustangs wouldn't be able to use the facility the following year. The US Cellular Arena across the street didn't pass league muster because of its low capacity.
Name Needed, But Bernie & Company Doing It Right
You are correct with the lack of a name for the team just for the fact to get merchandise out there for the holiday season.
But there is a reason that Cleveland signed those free agents and more not listed above. They ARE fantastic players and you need fantastic Arena Football players to form the core of your team.
Sidelines is right about Columbus. Signing players based on their local celebrity status and not their on-field talent is a big mistake.
Sure, they can sign a ex-Buckeye or some past high school standout, but they can do that down the line, if they feel they need to, because they are not in high demand like a Philyaw or Hefflin.
Bernie and company are doing it right; grab big name talent from the AFL, sign afl2 stars and build around that strong nucleus.
To comment on the home arena
To comment on the home arena comment:
You mentioned that the Bradley center was to under go renovations,well that was in 2001, well now here we are in 2008 and the Bradley Center has yet to go through that renovations!!!!
I think it's great that
I think it's great that Cleveland might get to host another football league team. Cleveland is getting better and better, and this is just one more fact that proves the point.
Success has many friends.
Success has many friends.
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