{"id":29047,"date":"2020-08-26T21:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T01:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=29047"},"modified":"2020-08-26T21:18:13","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T01:18:13","slug":"cant-watch-rapids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2020\/08\/26\/cant-watch-rapids\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Fans Still Can’t Watch The Rapids"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITORIAL<\/strong> – Stan Kroenke – a.k.a. \u201cSilent Stan<\/a>,\u201d the owner of Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) is a savvy businessman who some accuse of owning the Colorado Rapids as nothing more than a real estate investment. Given that price of admission for new MLS teams has skyrocketed as high as a reported $325 million<\/a> in recent years, and the area around Dick\u2019s Sporting Good\u2019s Park in Commerce City is no longer in the middle of nowhere, but is starting to be surrounded by suburban neighborhoods, it would appear KSE\u2019s investment in MLS and the stadium is paying off.<\/p>\n

Colorado Fans Still Can’t Watch The Rapids<\/h2>\n

Even valued dead last in MLS<\/a>, the Rapids are still making gains on their value. But the true real estate KSE should be investing in is the hearts and minds of Rapids Supporters, who were unable to watch the Rapids’ MLS re-restart thrashing by Real Salt Lake<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

So the Rapids are playing their first home match in an eternity but we still can\u2019t watch the broadcast because of the feud between Altitude & Comcast & MLS black out rules. That\u2019s it, that\u2019s the tweet.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Captied96 (@CapTied96) August 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Broadcast dispute continues to make it so Coloradans are unable to watch the Rapids<\/h2>\n

The Colorado Rapids are one of six original MLS clubs, yet ranks second to last in the MLS in terms of attendance<\/a>. This is likely due to a number of things like the location of stadium being far from any downtown area, the lack of sustained quality results on the field, no serious outreach or advertising to the Colorado community, etc. Interestingly enough, the year before KSE purchased the team, the Rapids had the highest attendance in the MLS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The newest hurdle added to the mix for Colorado sports fans is the ongoing dispute between KSE and Comcast and DISH<\/a>. This caused a large number of fans to be unable to watch the re-restart of the MLS against our archrivals Real Salt Lake. I\u2019m not sure who in the Kroenke organization needs to hear this, but it is difficult to build a fan base if your fans can\u2019t watch their team. In fact, you’re actively losing fans.<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019m calling my ticket rep Monday and asking for season ticket refund. Was going to roll into 2021. Can\u2019t justify it anymore. If I can\u2019t watch the boys play, I\u2019m out. Done with Stan Kroenke. https:\/\/t.co\/KBvUHbqtAS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Waggoner (@cpwaggoner) August 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kroenke vs Comcast and DISH<\/h2>\n

When the dispute with the cable companies kicked off, Kroenke had a couple of different options. He could make temporary deals with local television stations to get Rapids, Nuggests, and Avalanche onto channels that anybody with rabbit ear antennas could pick up in Colorado. They could create a live streaming option, such as DC United have set up<\/a>, for which all locally broadcast matches are live streamed for free for locals.<\/p>\n

Instead, Stan Kroenke tried to leverage the fans against the cable companies:<\/p>\n

\n

Altitude TV is at risk of being dropped by @dish_answers<\/a> , @comcastcares<\/a> & @DIRECTV<\/a>. That means you’ll miss @Avalanche<\/a> captain @GabeLandeskog92<\/a>, @Nuggets<\/a> all-star @BeMore27<\/a> & their title runs this year.<\/p>\n

Reach out and tell them! #DONTBLOCKMYALTITUDE<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/XuwVnyV0tg<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/N8IVED3UQv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Altitude Sports Radio 92.5FM (@AltitudeSR) August 28, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kroenke even took the additional step to spend a decent chunk of advertising money to put up billboards all over Denver<\/a> calling on Coloradans to contact their cable providers.<\/p>\n

Unlikely Hero Makes Game Available For Rapids Fans<\/h2>\n

Since a deal to this day hasn\u2019t been reached between ComCast and Kroenke, and Rapids games are blacked out on ESPN+ for Coloradans, many were left unable to watch the game that would decide the Rocky Mountain Cup.<\/p>\n

That is, until an unlikely hero provided a way that even Coloradans could watch the game for free online.<\/p>\n

\n

The regular season is back & we’re LIVE NOW!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not only that, Real Salt Lake also announced that they were able to negotiate to lift blackout restrictions for those in Utah for YouTubeTV and Hulu.<\/p>\n

\n

We were able to lift restrictions on YouTubeTV & Hulu today. You will now be able to stream matches in Utah through those services for all #RSL<\/a> matches. pic.twitter.com\/mVdaIg4FDq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tyler Gibbons (@tylerpgibbons) August 25, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the meantime, KSE at first claimed that providing a streaming option wasn\u2019t a viable option financially.<\/a> Then, a day before the re-restart game versus RSL, they announced a streaming option through ATT&T<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately that didn\u2019t seem to actually work:<\/p>\n

\n

#Rapids96<\/a> @AltitudeTV<\/a> on @ATT<\/a> TV Now does not work even tho that was promised yesterday. Yes I have the MAX package and no it doesn\u2019t not work. You also cannot sign into your ATT account on the website of Altitude. This is a mess<\/p>\n

\u2014 Inside Rapids (@insiderapids) August 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rapids not only got embarrassed on the field by Real Salt Lake, they\u2019re being embarrassed off the field as well in their inability or unwillingness to make it easy for their fans to watch their own team.<\/p>\n

Where Should KSE Go From Here?<\/h2>\n

As was pointed out on Twitter, imagine the goodwill KSE would earn with fans if they gave Coloradans a free stream to root on their Rapids.<\/p>\n

\n

I can’t imagine an easier way to generate instant goodwill with this weary fanbase than simply … letting people watch.<\/p>\n

Flip the switch @padraigsmith<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Noel Franus (@nfranus) August 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Unfortunately, a cheap and simple solution for Rapids fans looks unlikely to happen any time soon.<\/p>\n

\n

We will never just give Altitude away in market for $5\/month. The money just isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Rigg (@RiggAtAltitude) August 26, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are a lot of things Stan Kroenke can do to invest in the real estate of the hearts and minds of the fan base, and grow and cement that fan base. They can sign a marquee player like LAFC and NYCFC have done. They can move the home stadium downtown, as Chicago recently has<\/a>, or they could even make the price of food, drink, and admission, family friendly such as Atlanta United have done<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a start, though, they can grow and connect the fan base closer with the team by making the games available for fans to watch.<\/p>\n

The Rapids next game is against who many consider to be their second biggest rival: FC Dallas. Yet again, many Coloradans will be unable to watch the Rapids.<\/p>\n

Hopefully the Rapids can earn a victory, and hopefully one day the Rapids can tweet out something in a similar vein to this recent tweet from FC Dallas:<\/p>\n

\n

\ud835\udc18\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2e \ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc29\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc24\ud835\udc1e, \ud835\udc30\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc25\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1d.<\/p>\n

Thanks to our sponsor @advocare<\/a>, we have reached a deal to stream our remaining 2020 locally broadcast matches online in the DFW market.<\/p>\n

\u2014 FC Dallas (@FCDallas) August 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I wonder how close to Texas you would have to drive to stream the game for free?<\/p>\n

\n

Everyone loves a good MLS debut \u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Tonight, we’re debuting FREE LOCAL STREAMING \u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Streaming FAQ \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\u2014 FC Dallas (@FCDallas) August 26, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>