An Open Letter to the Commissioner
Michael Vergane
Tuesday December 25, 2001
I am writing to you not as a fan, but in my humble position as a writer/contributor to the af2 page of Arenafan.com. The internet voice of the arena fan.
For the record, let me add that I in no way represent the official view of Arenafan.
My hope is that some amount of reason can be arrived at, and in turn, the Quad City Steamwheeler franchise can be saved. Because from where I sit, the sanctions laid down by the AFL has alienated the same fans which you claim to care so much about.
Let me first state that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has more respect for rules and regulations than I. But by banning the Steamwheelers from postseason play in 2002, you are punishing innocent fans for nothing more than guilt by association.
I must speak in generalities because we are unable to find out the specific allegations, but if Jim Foster is guilty he should be fined and suspended. The same goes for any front office member all the way down to former coaches.
In other words, punish the guilty. Leave the innocent alone.
By making the Steamwheelers ineligible for postseason play, it is the Quad City fan that will pay the most. Not ownership. Not management. And certainly not the former coaches.
What purpose does it serve to punish new head coach Rich Ingold and whatever amount of players he is able to now bring into town this upcoming season if he must tell them “Sorry guys, but no chance of getting a ring.”
The message you are sending is that the players must play a 16 game exhibition schedule, and the fans will have to plunk down hard earned money to watch the same.
This morning I re-read the AFL ‘Fans Bill of Rights’. Allow me to quote the beginning of Paragraph 6:
We believe that every fan should receive the very best in competitive football….
How does that equate to watching a meaningless 16-game exhibition season?
I can assure you that I speak for many Quad City fans when I say that we are receiving mixed messages from the same league that wrote the ‘Bill’, and the fans would like to know what they are accused of, and why they are being forced to pay for others indiscretions?
Most everyone in the Quad Cities realizes that it was not you that brought about this investigation. Any Steamwheeler fan that closely follows the team knows who did, and it was his team’s inability to beat Quad City that led to this end, and makes the postseason ban even sweeter.
I have no doubt that the hardcore fans will return in 2002. But what about the family of 5 who are season ticket holders? How about the casual fans that attend two or three games a year?
Will they return, or will they feel that they are better off spending their money on something or someone who appreciates their loyalty?
It is not too late to do the right thing, Mr. Baker. At the very least, the Quad Cities deserves an explanation.
But most of all, the Quad Cities deserves better.
Sincerely,
Mike Vergane
Michael Vergane was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2002.
