Appreciating Supporters: The Toronto FC Way

This season, Toronto FC have declared that this April should be known as "Supporter Appreciation Month" as a way to give thanks to the TFC fans that have stuck with the team through the small hills of positives, and the deep crevasses of negatives. On the surface, it looks like a goodwill gesture from the organization to the long-suffering supporters of the club, but if you peel back the onion, this "Supporter Appreciation Month" only reinforces the fact that there is a damaging disconnect between Toronto FC, the supporters, and the interaction between them. Despite the claim that Toronto FC appreciates their supporters, the actions they have taken this April are negatively affecting the already toxic relationship between them and their supporters. I have 3 specific examples that I hope can back up my argument.

Before I present these examples, I have a couple of remarks about TFC implementing this "Supporter Appreciation Month". First of all, why is this only for a month? For all the garbage TFC supporters have endured since their first season in 2007, TFC should be making a note to appreciate what's left of their support every single day of the year. Toronto FC should consider themselves lucky that they still have individuals who still have an interest in this team, so they should be thankful for what they still have. The second remark I have is that Toronto FC are stupid to have this "Supporter Appreciation Month" on a month where there are no TFC home games. They are trying to remedy this by hosting viewing parties at the home pubs of supporters groups across the city, but TFC should have attempted to make a meaningful contribution at the place where TFC supporters congregate together, and that is BMO Field. So now, here are my examples.

This April, as construction was nearing completion on the BMO Field expansion (which happened to be over-budget and behind schedule), talks were heating up between MLSE and the Toronto Argonauts to have the Argos play at BMO Field for their CFL season in the near future. Obviously, TFC supporters are irate that a football team should be allowed to play in a soccer-specific stadium (as evidenced by the #NoArgosToBMO hashtag on Twitter), and what better way to appreciate TFC supporters than to basically guarantee that the Argos will play at BMO Field at some point. It's clear that the Argos playing at BMO Field will devalue Toronto FC as a property and as a destination for players, whether it is damage to the pitch, or the chance that there will be remaining football lines by the time Toronto FC plays. Many supporters have stated that they will stop supporting Toronto FC if the Argos move in, and it will be interesting if these supporters will hold true to their words.

As part of "Supporter Appreciation Month", Toronto FC have "rewarded" their supporters with a completely meaningless friendly on May 27 against Manchester City. Now, it is widely known that Toronto FC's mid-season friendlies are nothing more than a blatant cash grab for MLSE, but what makes this specific friendly particularly useless is the fact that this friendly will come after Manchester City's season. Does MLSE really think that Man City players will relish coming to play in Toronto after an exhausting regular season? No, they won't. What makes this friendly even worse is that tickets for the match are (in true MLSE fashion) ridiculously expensive. The cheapest tickets for this match are around $50-$60, and they aren't even included in the season ticket package. The timing for this friendly is not good, either. This match comes in between two crucial regular season matches for TFC, which will limit their rest time and preparation for those matches. This friendly further reinforces the belief that MLSE cares more about blatantly lining their pockets, as well as exploiting the team and their supporters, than building a team that can compete in the MLS playoffs, with minimal distractions.

Also this April, Toronto FC have launched a "Banner Contest" in which people can draw up an idea of a banner to be displayed at a TFC home match. People can submit their digitally-created banner to the Toronto FC website where others can vote on it. The person whose banner gets the most votes gets to actually create their banner idea with a supporters group and have it displayed at the TFC home match against Portland.

Toronto FC hosting this "Banner Contest" is a bad idea and there is something disingenuous about the entire thing. The club should not have any involvement with the operations of the supporters groups, and frankly, this banner contest reaffirms the fact that the entire TFC experience is becoming more sanitized. Of course TFC are going to reject the banner ideas that are more realistic of the club as a whole, and instead, choose a banner that will be family-friendly and unrealistically positive. The fact that a supporters group is involved with this "official" contest is incredibly disappointing. Support for this club needs to be organic and natural, and contests like these create the impression that the club is manufactured and fake.

Another thing with contests like these is that they open themselves up to trolls who can submit their banners with hidden messages about the club. That exactly happened when Columbus Crew submitted this entry to the contest. Read the first letters of each line of text.

In case you didn't notice, it reads "WE SUCK" vertically on the first letters of each line. Toronto FC initially didn't catch the hidden message, and they even promoted that specific banner on all of their social media accounts! It was incredibly embarrassing for TFC and its supporters, and the fact that they didn't see the hidden message at the beginning made them look very bad. Apparently, Crew fans have another banner submission in the contest with another hidden message in it.

So, lets recap. How are Toronto FC "appreciating" supporters this month? By prolonging the Argos to BMO Field discussion (making it closer to a confirmation), announcing a pointless friendly, and hosting a bogus, manufactured contest. These actions taken by the club are only alienating and embarrassing the fans who follow and live vicariously through them. If Toronto FC are not careful, their support will dwindle further.

"Supporters Appreciation Month" can be chalked up as a TFC failure. As much as the club wants to spin this as a success, this initiative has backfired on them, big time.

One Day, in June 2014

It was supposed to be like every other Toronto FC matchday. I would get excited when I wake up. I would hop on the train to BMO Field while downing a few beverages, and enjoy myself at the stadium with singing, chanting, and generally just acting a fool.

On one beautiful June day at BMO Field, things were different.

BMO Field is the one place where I can truly feel like myself. BMO Field is the place where I can get away from the pressures and stresses of life. In the real world, it may seem to someone that I am normal, but when I go to watch Toronto FC, there is a primal instinct that takes over me. Toronto FC, despite being a terrible team and organization, got me through some very bad times in my life. For that, I have nothing but the greatest gratitude. For 90 minutes, I completely block out everything else going on in the world. This was the place where I can be me, and where I won't be judged. Never would I think that the troubles in my daily life and my enjoyment of matches at BMO Field would mix in any way. It just couldn't, right?

However, on that June day at BMO Field, I knew she would be there.

She was a girl I knew from university. We would chat regularly on social media and occasionally we would meet up in person to hang out over a drink or two. She was a wonderful girl, and she was the person who I enjoyed the company of the most during my time at university. Admittedly, I did have some feelings for her, but I never confessed it to her, due to the fear that it may negatively affect our friendship. Also, around the beginning of 2014, the last time we saw each other before the June TFC match, she was going through relationship difficulties, and I was dating a girl myself. The feelings still lingered inside me, and I occasionally thought about breaking up with my (then) girlfriend for a shot at her.

I would sometimes tell her about my trials and tribulations as a Toronto FC supporter, and despite never going to a match, she seemed interested in going at some point. I was a bit taken back when she texted me that she would be going to her first TFC match on that June day. I didn't ask her who she was going with, but I did ask where she was sitting, so that I may find her during the match.

I was in a state of anxiety. As I've explained, Toronto FC is where I get away from everything in life, including speaking to her. It's not meant to be taken as an offence, but watching Toronto FC is the best place to clear my head, and it is my personal "inner sanctum" to engage in chanting, drinking, and other fun things. To have her there at the match where I get away from everything worried me greatly. When if she sees me at the match, and I'm leading or taking part in some of the chants, or drinking heavily and swearing excessively at opposing players.

Even worse than that, I was extremely worried about who she might be going with. When if it was her boyfriend, whether her old one, or someone else she met. Did I mention that I had strong feelings for her, stronger than any crush or girlfriend I ever had? For a time, I genuinely thought she was "the one". To see her cozying up with some guy at the place where I am the happiest in life would destroy me emotionally and psychologically. Guess what? I was in for a serious dose of reality.

The day started seemingly normal. I met a buddy of mine at the train station and we took the train to the match. I packed a potent concoction of Wray and Nephew and orange juice to sip on, so I was already liquored up by the time we got to BMO Field. On that train ride, I felt the anxiety build in me, which the alcohol may have made a sizeable contribution to. Of course, I had the usual pre-match jitters, but my anxiety was amplified by the fact that she was going to be at the match, possibly with someone such as a boyfriend. I had to get to the bottom of this, because it was killing me inside. I made the decision to go see her at half-time, since I knew what section she was sitting in.

I met another buddy of mine, and we all went to the north patio to watch the first-half. I remember the match quite well, actually. Toronto FC were up against the San Jose Earthquakes, and Jermain Defoe scored a penalty to make it 1-0 to TFC. That score remained until half-time. I told my buddies that I was going to see someone at half-time, and that I may or may not come back for the second half. The halftime whistle blew, and at this point, I was a dangerous mix of anxiousness and drunkenness. I left the north patio and began to walk what seemed like a never-ending staircase up to the west grandstand with my overpriced beer. I wished that staircase actually was never-ending, because what I saw shocked me.

As soon as I walked to the top of the stairs and looked over to the entrance of Section 127, she walked out, holding the hand of another man. My heart dropped, and I felt my chest get tighter. It was almost like I couldn't move, like a black hole formed inside my body and proceeded to internally tear me apart. At this point, I felt like I was on autopilot. I had to go investigate.

They were walking away from where I was, so I approached them from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. She seemed happy to see me, and on the surface I was also happy to see her, but on the inside, my pain was unbearable. She introduced me to her boyfriend, who seemed like a nice guy. He was a big Toronto FC supporter, like myself, so at least we had something in common. We made small talk, I asked them about the match and about her first experience at BMO Field watching TFC. I couldn't really remember what they said, because I was still dealing with the metaphorical kick in the groin when I first saw them.

We parted ways after some conversation and I went back to the north patio where my buddies were. I told them all about my situation, and their understanding made me feel a bit better, and to get my mind back on the match. At that point, I did everything I could to make myself forget about what happened at halftime. I drank more, I led chants, and I abused opposing players (without going overboard). It was a great short-term remedy, but when I got back home after the match, the thoughts about that moment began to creep back into my mind. I even went into a depression for a few days.

This happened about 9 months ago at the time of writing this post, and it is okay for me to finally tell this story. This is behind me now, but I still have some worries that are still lingering. I am a 2015 Toronto FC season ticket holder, and I will most likely be at all the Toronto FC matches at BMO Field. I'll be honest, I don't really want to run into them again. It's something that I am still not comfortable with, but knowing that around 30,000 people will be at the stadium for a TFC home game, the chances of me encountering them should be minimal. The girl and I also haven't really spoke since that June day, and honestly, I don't really have a desire to talk to her again. However, I am open to rekindling our friendship. I'm not sure, only time will tell. I do wish her all the best, though. I will treasure the good times we had together.

Felt good to finally get that off my chest. It felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

The State of Toronto FC: The "Mascot" Controversy and What TFC/MLSE Thinks of Supporters

It's been a while since I blogged about Toronto FC. For my first blog this year about TFC, I was meaning to talk about the squad and the expectations going into the new season, but there was a bit of a controversy yesterday on Twitter. There is a TFC survey that season ticket holders can fill out, and included in that survey was a question on whether they would be open to TFC having a mascot for the club. This led to very strong reactions on Twitter, especially from supporters who were opposed to TFC having a mascot. You could even say that there was an overreaction from particular TFC supporters on Twitter, who say that the introduction of a mascot contributes to the "sanitizing" of the atmosphere at BMO Field.

As a supporter of Toronto FC, I absolutely agree that the BMO Field atmosphere and experience now, compared to 2007, has been sanitized. There is more of a focus on marketing, sponsors, and sideshow entertainment than the actual football, and creating an "authentic" European atmosphere with no bells and whistles. However, it is also important to look at the business side of introducing a mascot to Toronto FC. The hardcore TFC supporters are not the target market for this. Mascots mostly appeal to children, and my guess is that the mascot will be around at TFC community events, and not so much the stadium itself. A lot of European clubs have mascots, and still keep their image relatively intact, so why can't TFC do the same? Purely as a supporter, I wouldn't want a mascot, but also taking the business side into account, it could actually work (though I was always under the impression that Bitchy the Hawk was Toronto FC's mascot). If it is done right, it should have little to no influence on how supporters support the team.

With this controversy, some TFC supporters have been reminiscing of the 2007 days when the experience at BMO Field was at its purest form, without all the overstimulating sponsor advertisements, price hikes, and sideshows that have little to do with football.  The thing is, those days are long gone and I don't think it is coming back. If Toronto FC was a success on the pitch from the start, then you could have seen an experience nowadays at BMO Field that looked something like a European or South American atmosphere. But, as we all know and experienced, Toronto FC has been awful since they entered Major League Soccer. A sizable amount of supporters have walked away from the club and MLSE need to fill the seats. So obviously, they will rely on a lot of cheap promotions and entertainment, as well as star players and sponsor involvement to get new customers to go see Toronto FC matches and maybe buy season tickets and merchandise. This is why you are seeing more casual fans and families than ever before, and their hesitance to join in the chants and songs is one of the reasons why the atmosphere at BMO Field isn't what it once was.

Now, the people I would imagine reading this are those who would be considered hardcore supporters of Toronto FC. I have something I want to share with you.

Throughout the existence of Toronto FC, I have grown from a young high school kid to a functioning adult. From my experiences following the team and everything that came with it, I want to share the most important thing I have learned from following Toronto FC to you, the reader (and most likely hardcore TFC supporter). Are you ready? Here it is:

Toronto FC and MLSE don't care about you. You are nothing more than a dollar sign to them. They use your fandom as a means to make more money for them.

The reason TFC has the survey for season ticket holders to fill out is not because they want to hear and listen to your opinion. The reason is that they can use that information to make the most money off of you and everyone else that goes to BMO Field, Let's face it, the influence of hardcore supporters on the club who are striving for a better atmosphere has been waning, and MLSE have realized that the real money comes from the new fans that enter the gates of BMO Field because they are more likely to buy into what MLSE is offering them. MLSE doesn't have to cater to the hardcore supporters as much anymore because most of you will always be coming back every year to BMO Field no matter how disgruntled you may feel about the team. If TFC increases season ticket prices, yeah you'll be upset, but you'll still come back. If TFC introduces a mascot, yeah you'll be upset, but you'll still come back. Hell, if the Argos move to BMO Field, which is a real possibility, I wouldn't be surprised if most TFC supporters come back to support the team at BMO Field. If you don't come back, MLSE will just lure someone else to the stadium.

As much as I hate MLSE, this is the ugly truth. If you are sick and tired of the corporatism at BMO Field (believe me, I am as well), voicing your opinion on a survey and voicing your displeasure on Twitter is unlikely to get MLSE to listen to you. You are going to have to do more that, and whatever that might be is up to you, whether it be from voicing your displeasure in the stadium, or simply not giving your money to MLSE anymore, though those are not the only two options.

On its own two feet, having a mascot for TFC isn't an issue, but if you look at the bigger picture, it is yet another piece of the growing corporatism at BMO Field. This issue also shows that MLSE is continuing to bite the hand that feeds them, and they are the supporters who have been bravely trying to keep the atmosphere alive at the stadium. Unfortunately, there are the MLSE cheerleaders who turn a blind eye to all the corporatism, but if there are enough supporters who hate it, and realize that their opinions aren't being heard, and do something about it, then maybe, just maybe, MLSE will be forced to listen.

Reactions To My Old Facebook Statuses

I was meaning to do this for a while, but I wanted to see how cringe-worthy some of my Facebook posts were, back when I was a bit younger. It's the end of 2014, and I am going to share some of the oddest Facebook statuses I have made from 2009-2011, and give my reaction to those statuses. Some of these statuses expose how stupid I was when I made them, but now I can look at them now and just laugh. So, let me take you on this journey on the Facebook statuses I have made over the years.

Nothing's changed from when I wrote this status way back in New Years Day 2009. In fact, this was my very first Facebook status I have ever made. I had Facebook as early as 2007, but that time, all I was doing was uploading pictures, I had to make a strong first impression wit my first Facebook status, and I think I did that. I drew inspiration from this specific song, and to this day, I'm still cold as ice.

Goodness me, this was the first of many cringe-worthy Facebook statuses I've made. I'm not sure if I was trying to woo a girl, or just trying to show a softer side of myself. Still, even now, I think it's a pretty cool quote. and I got it from an episode of The Real Football Factories International. Back then, I was heavily into supporting Toronto FC and I thought the "Ultras" culture was the coolest thing in the world.

Sex, I clearly meant sex. Nice to see back in first-year university where my priorities actually were.

Again, priorities. I do remember her, and she was a very cute, petite woman, with luscious blonde hair. All I wanted to do was hug her, hold her, and squeeze her. I have no idea what she's doing now, but the last time I heard of her, she was in a sorority with a female friend I knew. Myself and my female friend had some good times together, if you catch my drift.

Why did I quote Kanye West? I'm still baffled as to why I would even do that for a Facebook status.

Yes. Yes it is. A rare instance of "Words of Wisdom" from the 2009 version of myself.

This Facebook status is a lie. Throughout my university career, all I wanted were the cheap thrills! Well, I'm older now, and I really don't want the cheap thrills anymore. Nah, that's a lie too.

Um. Moving on...

When I'm not quoting Kanye West, I'm quoting Nas. If you couldn't tell, I was a pretty big hip-hop buff.

One thing has remained constant, and that is my utter disappointment of the England National Team. This specific Facebook status came from England's exit from the 2010 World Cup against Germany.

Truer words have never been spoken. I've been thinking about making a cameo appearance next year as well.

I'll explain this story in a future blog post.

Using social media while you're drunk is never a good idea. As you can see, I was guilty of that. I would like to think that your phone can detect if you've been drinking or not, so that your phone can disable all social media functions. Also, I forgot who "the crew" actually was.

Ah, the standard "Follow Me On Twitter" Facebook status. Of course, I had people ask me why, and I offered this brilliant explanation:

Between then and now, I've definitely had my slice of the Twitter pie, and I'm not stopping anytime soon.

Also, follow me on Twitter, if you haven't done so already.

Isn't that the worst? Of course it is...

Well, there you have it, those are my reactions to some of the weirdest Facebook statuses I have made. I may do the same for tweets as well, so look out for that too. Apologies for not posting on the blog for a while, I've been quite busy, but I'm hoping to write some more in 2015. Hope you enjoyed this post, and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The Post-Graduate Classmate

This year, I kept myself busy by completing my post-graduate diploma at a nearby college, specializing in Project Management. There were only six people enrolled in the January intake of this program, and while I could probably write a story on the five other people in the program, there was one specific person whom I had an interesting relationship with. This post is about my interactions with her, who, for the sake of this post, I shall call "Masia". I will not reveal her true identity, for the fear that she may find this post, and come after me in a series of hateful texts and Facebook posts. Unlike the other story that I wrote about Dave, Masia actually has a social media presence, and I have to be careful about what I say here about her.

Of the six people enrolled in the program, four of them were international students from India. Masia was one of those people. She was already an accomplished woman prior to coming here, with her Engineering Degree and a good job in India. I struggled to understand why she would come here to further her education when she seemingly had everything going for her in India. I guess, India isn't exactly the best place in the world to live in, which would most likely explain why a lot of Indian students would go to other places, including Canada, to live, work, and study.

From the first class of the first semester to the last class of the second semester, it was clear that Masia was determined to try her best and get the best possible marks she can get, and I respect her for that. However, her rationale and the way she tried to obtain the best marks she could, left me in a bewildered state. I'll explain the rationale first. She was absolutely convinced that by getting good marks, she will able to get a job in Canada. It almost never works that way, and that kind of thinking is plainly naive. Marks can help to get a job, but it's not about what you know that gets you a job, it's who you know. In my opinion, your networks and connections are much more helpful in landing a job, rather than your knowledge.

Whenever Masia gets a test or an assignment back, and she gets something wrong, she takes it upon herself to cut into class time and present her case to the teacher that her answers were correct and that she should get credit for that. It rarely works, but her willingness to use the class time for her personal gain instead of the rest of us learning new material left myself and the other students angry. Why couldn't she wait until after class to present her issues to the teacher? These actions relate to her incessant pursuit for good grades. Another thing I found annoying about her is that she would always ask us what marks we got whenever we would get a test or assignment back, like it was some sort of competition. You get good grades to benefit yourself, not to use it to claim superiority over others.

Masia was one of the most difficult people I have ever had to work with in my days at school. Because of her engineering and managerial background, her seniority, and the fact that she was about four years older than the rest of us, she was seen to be the "leader" of any assignments or projects that we worked on. I also had natural leadership tendencies, and I was also seen to be a leader within the group as well. Inevitably, we clashed on a number of things over the duration of the program. Although she regularly produced quality work for the team when it came to projects, whenever she presented issues to the team, she did it in a way that was confrontational and detrimental to the team and the project we were working on.

Masia also tried to engage in micromanaging practices that made myself and the other classmates uncomfortable. For example, when we were in a team together, I wrote a paper that happened to be a couple of words over a prescribed limit. After the teacher said she was okay with it, Masia decided to throw a fit and chew me out over the fact that I had a couple of words over the limit despite the fact the teacher was fine with it. Masia was very strict with rules, which can be a good and a bad thing. There were times where Masia wouldn't listen to reason, and it seemed like it was always her way or the highway. That made her a bit petulant.

When it came to presenting projects and other material, Masia was by far one of the most boring presenters I have seen in my post-secondary schooling. If you tell her to present something for 5 minutes, she will drone on for 20 minutes. She always fails to stay brief and to-the-point. She always has to explain every single thing in great detail, which is mind-numbing for the rest of us. It almost seemed like she thought we were stupid. There were times where teachers had to cut presentations short because she took up a lot of time. I would always use the stopwatch function on my phone every time she would present something, because she would always go over the limit, which is hilarious considering she would always try to go by the rules.

Masia is a perfectionist, and her attitude and demeanor reflects that. I remember a specific time in one of our major projects where she demanded she be the leader of this project, and she sadly misread the project description and instructions. Our project reflected this misdirection, and Masia took the blame for the critical error. Apparently, after this, she went in the bathroom to cry for about 45 minutes, and she profusely apologized through a badly-worded text message.

Masia rates getting good grades highly, so it was no question that she became a bit of a target when it came to submitting peer reviews for major projects. I'll admit, I deliberately gave her low marks and listed some of the issues that was described in this blog post as the reasons. I suspect that other classmates did the same. After a presentation for a major project where I presented an issue log that may or may not have portrayed her in a negative light, she angrily responded in another of her badly-worded text messages. I did apologize after.

The biggest lessons I took from my interactions with Masia are the ways how not to be a good leader. Just because you're older and have more experience in a managerial background, it doesn't mean it makes you a better leader than someone else. Masia was authoritative, confrontational, and she engaged in micromanaging. Her failings as a leader helped me to become a better leader myself. It is important for everyone to have a say in how a project can be run, and also, the team members need to be empowered so that they can be better motivated to complete their work. My interactions with Masia were hard to deal with sometimes, but overall, it was definitely a learning experience.