Root and Cheer for the Hero

Bill Wolf

Have you ever been to the movies and there is that annoying person cheering for the villain to win? I mean, sure, we all like a good villain. They are usually more complex and interesting characters than the hero. At the end of the day, though, most of us still want a happy ending. We don’t want world domination or destruction.

This is how I feel quite often when I’m reading though social media. Covid-19 is obviously the villain of this story. A villain of Thanos proportions. When Covid is winning the battle, the casualty reports start to appear, and to me, they feel like celebrations instead of memorials. I know that that isn’t the intention, but I feel like I’m in the theater listening to people cheering for the villain.

So why are you reading about this in a soccer blog and where am I going with this? Well, it should be obvious, if Covid-19 is our Thanos of this story, we need the Avengers to stand up against this evil. In our soccer context, the Avengers are Major League Soccer, made up of 26 heroes or clubs.

OK, for the half of you who are still reading. I know, thinking about a multi billion-dollar business as the hero is a tough sell. Usually, big business is cast as the villain, but what is our happy ending?

We are soccer fans. We love to watch the beautiful game. We take pride in our cities and our teams. We care about the players and want them to feel appreciated, and we love to “smack talk” with opposing fans and especially our rivals. But most of all, we are singularly bonded by this love of the sport. All political affiliations. All religions. All races. All genders. We become a large mixing pot of a family on game days. We put aside differences and we join together in support of a team. This is the happy ending of our story. Soccer returning to the pitch.

So what is at stake if the villain wins? The end of the MLS 2020 season. No fan bonding. MLS loses billions of dollars and is going to be set back a few years trying to make up for huge losses. Perhaps a lower quality product for a few years. Players won’t get playing time or performance bonuses. Will they be asked to take further salary reductions? It’s a grim picture. Ultimately, MLS is a business and a business with a huge payroll that has to shut down for a year, with no income, is not a pretty scenario.’

I’ve seen many people accusing MLS of rushing in. It’s too soon to start the season back. Let’s examine that. The Bundesliga has been playing games for weeks now. The English Premier League is back as well now. In Denmark, they have been playing games in front of virtual fans who can Zoom to watch and be seen. MLS is not rushing in. They are taking things slowly. They are watching other leagues and learning. They are letting others lead and they are following.

Who knew how relevant this would really be in 2020?

The MLS is Back Tournament is a literal bubble. The players must give up their families and friends and isolate themselves for weeks. The doomsayers are talking about spikes and new cases. They are even talking about cases within the teams themselves. This is a period of risk for MLS. It isn’t a time to wish for failure. Everything hinges on this moment. Pulling off the MLS is Back Tournament with minimal meddling from Covid-19 will be a huge step towards completing this season.

And what of the rest of the regular season? MLS has been incredibly quiet about their plans. MLB is talking about games without fans. USL is talking about including fans with limited stadium capacity. Whatever you believe is the right approach, MLS is watching the data. The MLS is Back Tournament is a huge opportunity to re-engage with fans. A chance to learn from other sports and see what works and doesn’t work. It’s a brilliant move to isolate and wait patiently.

I’m sure many people are already happily listing off all of the mistakes MLS has made, the many victories of our villain and giving reasons why our hero is going to fail. But tell me, what good story ever had a simple path to the end. Heroes make mistakes. Villains gain the upper hand and often look like they will prevail.
I count myself as a fan of soccer and a fan of FCC. During these dark times when the news and social media is depressing, MLS is offering us hope and the joy of experiencing soccer again. Hope and joy are in short supply these days. The question is, now that MLS is Back, what ending do you want? Are you cheering for the hero? I am.