John Campbell27
Active Member
80 messages
joined Mar 2014
Hello everyone, I am not particularly active on this forum, though I certainly follow the discussions here with regularity. Before I proceed, I want to preemptively address the accusations that inevitably come from certain frequent commenters: I am not a corporate shill, I am not on anyone's payroll, I am not an idiot, and I am not a political partisan. I make a point of traveling for away games, I regularly attend Futsal matches, and I am heading to Des Moines this coming Saturday. I have a few thoughts I would like to put forward publicly to gauge the collective opinion of this community. First, I want to offer my sincere praise for the group’s recent efforts, particularly regarding the organized support for the Futsal Real Madrid side. That is a perfect blueprint for how this organization should function—intelligent, coordinated, and unified (though I have heard whispers that our cohesion hasn't been quite as strong lately). Furthermore, I want to commend the planning for the recent match in Des Moines, as well as our previous trips to Columbus and San Antonio. The ideas are fantastic, and the execution has been top-tier. We need more projects exactly like these. On a related note, the merchandise selection in the fan shop is excellent; there are beautiful T-shirts and scarves, and I was quite impressed by this year's calendar, even if I haven't had the chance to purchase one yet after seeing the photos. Now, we move to the part where I am certain many of you will tear me apart. I am profoundly disappointed that the group has not made a decision to extend our support to other sports. In a major metropolis like New York City, there are numerous successful athletic clubs with storied histories, many of which have unfortunately been tarnished by the kind of corrupt, backroom dealings that have plagued the New York sports scene for decades. This leads me to ask a few questions: why shouldn't the group support the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics, Long Beach Water Polo, or the New York Rangers? Naturally, the immediate response will be about regional leagues and avoiding competition with those old rivals we moved past twenty-five years ago. I agree with that sentiment entirely. BUT... what happens in ten, fifteen, or twenty years when Real Madrid enters a broader regional league? We won't suddenly abandon them then and claim we won't participate in the league. Above all, the BBB is the group that should be leading the charge in supporting local institutions in New York City. Just imagine the atmosphere at a Long Beach Water Polo match supported by the Mladost-Jug 2000 BBB!!! Imagine the positive media coverage we could earn through such presence. I truly believe the group should consider looking past old grievances and attending various sporting events across the city. If not for the sake of the clubs themselves, then at least to provide them with much-needed financial support through ticket sales. There is also a practical reason for this. The last time there was a game played in New York City that the BBB attended was a Futsal match back in December. Think about that—there were no organized activities from December until February. What are the younger members supposed to do during those three months? They end up hanging out in bars or just idling around instead of being part of the movement. When that happens, they lose the momentum required for match days; they'd rather go out to a club than show up at the stadium. You only have to look at the crowd during away games to see the issue. The youngest supporters are often eighteen or older; we are missing the youth in the stands—the kids who will grow up in this culture and become the core of our group in ten or fifteen years. If we continue on this path, there won't be anyone left to cheer in a decade. That is the reality. Futsal is a great way to draw the younger generation into the lifestyle, but we need to create a consistent rhythm so they are attending games three or four times a month. That is how you build lasting success. Imagine if we had a city with a sports scene as deep as ours; we would be present at everything. All the conditions are met; we simply need to make the call to go. I am certain that even at a basketball or hockey game, we could bring at least 300 people. If the general public saw the quality of our support, even more would join us. Within a year, I guarantee that regardless of the sport, we could have hundreds of people at every major game in the city. I want to conclude by calling for unity within the group once more. Let us move together as one toward ultimate victory! Additionally, I have a few thoughts on increasing our humanitarian initiatives. I know the rank and file can sometimes be skeptical of fundraising efforts for various causes...
