I don't have any problem with the TA criticizing the team. They're supposed to be an independent voice for their members, not just another mouthpiece for the club.

"No other sport allows a coach to meddle like baseball"

It's a good point - strong fan support automatically puts lower-division teams in the running for MLS expansion.

Presuming that Fort Lauderdale would by that point be in MLS, would it be much different than when the Sounders play Orlando?

While they're off to very promising starts, it's way too early to hold Sacramento and Indy up as examples of anything. Let's see how they fare when the bloom is off the rose (although I hope they continue to be well-supported).

MLS will never allow promotion and relegation. All those cities shelling out for the league's "Soccer-Specific Stadiums" aren't spending public money for a minor-league park.

You make Columbus sound better than I would have thought.

Precisely.

I'd seen a variation of that quote before, but didn't realize it was Wilde. Thanks!

"United" doesn't always indicate that the club was created through the merger of two precious clubs. It can, but doesn't always.

Exactly. The Crew's old logo wasn't great, but it wasn't even the worst logo in their league.

Sounds like hockey to me.

"And I've never seen a "league" logo that changes its colors to fit each individual "team"..."

"an employer should not be able to fire someone because just because they have been accused of a crime"

Actually, Native American activists have been protesting the name for fully half of its existence. This isn't a new fight in any sense, so appeals to tradition fall flat.

"It is abhorrent to assume someone is guilty just because their case was not brought to trial."

"His lifestyle comment, however, indicates he may have other agendas"

"Soccer isn't popular here, no matter how people try to slice it."

I was thinking more about all the post-Windsor decisions specifically, but you're correct. There was one (well-funded) backlash to a court decision in the history of gay marriage's progress. And that was four years, and dozens of rulings, ago.

Yes, a couple judges failed to be re-elected after that decision. Three out of the five who were running (the other two retained their seats in landslides).