MLS Teams Must Feed The Noise

• Houston Chronicle, Tuesday, January 20, 2009 1 PM

His regular column in the Chronicle may not win any prizes for originality, but former pro Glenn Davis makes a fair point Tuesday in calling on those MLS teams with quiet stadiums to pull out all stops this season to create "more passionate environments."
 
In stringent economic times, teams are going to be hard pushed to grow their fan bases and create noise in stadiums, but "accountability must be put on front-office staffs to think creatively and make it happen. Fans and supporters' groups bring healthy pressure to players and organizations. It drives players to perform better and organizations to be held accountable."
 
Houston, DC and Toronto have all succeeded in this respect, and Seattle looks set to follow, but other clubs have been less successful, although Columbus' consolidation of all its fan groups in one corner of the stadium also worked well at boosting the atmosphere in Crew Stadium. Teams and television broadcasters have to realize that "entertainment on the field and in the stands" are connected.

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