C38 Open Letter Asks KSE to Acknowledge Fans

COMMERCE CITY – The Centennial 38 Supporters’ Group penned an open letter to the Colorado Rapids front office and ownership on Thursday morning. Here is the C38 open letter and a reaction. The letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Burgundy Wave.

The letter:

This is without question the worst year we have experienced as supporters in our Colorado Rapids history. While there have been too many seasons in the past that have been disappointing, 2023 has surpassed these in numerous ways. The shortcomings go far beyond results on the field and extend to the facilities and infrastructure of the organization. It is a culmination of years of underfunding and limited resources. This was underscored last week in Pádraig Smith’s press conference after firing our manager, Robin Fraser. Pádraig was quite careful to avoid any questions focused on investment in the team and facilities, or engagement from ownership. It was apparent from what Pádraig didn’t say, that the quiet part was quite loud, that ownership is not going to meaningfully invest time, effort, or finances into our Colorado Rapids.

The organization’s record on the field speaks for itself. Without going into extensive detail, it is abundantly clear that too many mistakes have occurred under Pádraig Smith even while considering the limited resources provided. However, we should not pretend the problems begin and end with the team president. The common denominator of the Rapids’ many problems is Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Winning seasons are infrequent, and the few good years are followed by multiple consecutive years of poor results. The organization’s record off the field also speaks for itself: talking down to fans and providing no meaningful connection to the club outside of token press releases; persistent issues with security and stadium staff; raising season ticket prices while the stadium experience and team underperform; general mistreatment of press and bloggers covering the team, among many, many others.

Our club’s frustrating mismanagement is coupled with substandard facilities. The stadium is outdated and negatively impacts the fans’ game day experience, and the training facilities are subpar and negatively impact the players’ ability to do their jobs and to play for the fans and the badge.

DICK’s Sporting Goods Park has been neglected, and without proper maintenance and periodic upgrades has become tired and run-down. Numerous issues include a scoreboard that has more non-functioning pixels than not, an electrical system that barely functions and often leaves fans to find their cars in darkness after games, a PA system that is inaudible in large portions of the stands and concourse, and signage that is shabby and faded. While there have been some small aesthetic improvements, the building itself remains drab and colorless. DICK’s Sporting Goods Park is simply not up to the standard of a modern professional sports venue. While there are plans to address the stadium’s condition, these measures are long overdue and taking far too long to implement. Moreover, future measures seem to be more at the league’s behest rather than KSE’s own initiative. The stadium is well below the standard for MLS and compares unfavorably to minor league stadiums such as the Switchback’s home in Colorado Springs.

These are the results of an ownership group that has failed to properly invest in this club. KSE seems perfectly comfortable investing in their other endeavors yet proportionally less so with our Rapids. Stan and Josh can count on their four hands the number of games they’ve been to. Pádraig Smith claims they are “categorically” involved, even though there is scant evidence of this over the 19 years they have owned this club.

Our club is given minimal resources, and the resources it does have been used ineffectively as evidenced by the results on the field. Even if the club were in the hands of trusted management, our club lacks many of the basic resources that would allow them to be successful and competitive. The basic resources every other MLS has.

It is very telling that the most recent Forbes valuation estimates the Rapids at $350 million, yet the expansion fee for new MLS owners is reported to be $500 million. The Rapids are valued less than clubs that don’t even exist, or just exist in name only.

The Colorado Rapids, and the fanbase, are nothing more than an after-thought of ownership. KSE seems more concerned with other ventures, and taking advantage of a loyal fan base, over producing a Rapids product that could be considered even average compared to other teams in Colorado and across MLS. The way the club has been handled is an utter embarrassment and a total abandonment of its fiduciary duty to the badge and the paying fans.

We are not demanding a team that wins MLS Cup every year. We are not demanding record sums spent on players. We are not demanding signing a Lionel Messi. What we are demanding is a team that is competently run, has a genuine connection with the fans and community, provides an enjoyable stadium experience, and strives to be relevant in the local Colorado sports market.

This negligence from ownership must stop. We can no longer be silent like our owner, and it is long past the time to say so. We await a response from KSE acknowledging our frustrations. The badge, the players, and the fans deserve better.

Thoughts on the letter:

Most of this is fair and based. It will resonate with the majority of the Rapids Community. The fanbase is frustrated with KSE in the lack of financial support and attention it has given the club. Regardless of the money (not) being spent, the technical staff has disappointed this year. President Pádraig Smith is primarily at fault for that. It’s reached a boiling point.

This has #WeCareDoYou energy. C38 wants a response from KSE. They want to feel heard and understood. It’s the least they deserve given the state of the club and the absence and apathy of ownership, real or perceived.

Smith avoids directly answering questions regularly with media, especially when the premise of the question is critical of ownership. What is said infers what the quiet part which is not said out loud. This frustration is valid.

There’s a few technicalities I would disagree with. The Forbes valuations are rough estimates with incomplete information. But they do a good job of qualitatively comparing team valuations. Colorado’s regularly at or near the bottom of that annual MLS club valuation list. It’s another metric that shows the Rapids are falling behind. I don’t think MLS would approve the sale of any team below the current expansion fee.

The majority of the pixels in the scoreboard at the north end of DSGP work. But enough malfunction for it to be noticeable and off-putting. It’s a bad look. It highlights that DSGP is falling behind other soccer-specific stadiums. Where other owners have built new or maintained well, KSE has been idle.

The end of the second paragraph reads “Mistreatment of press and bloggers covering the team . . .” I would disagree with that characterization. I can confirm this is not referring to the Burgundy Wave Rapids 2-Hailstorm incident. Click here and listen starting at 25:38 if you’d like to refresh your memory on that.

What comes next?

Burgundy Wave has heard from multiple sources that more is coming. C38 is expected to have a walkout in the 20th minute during the home game on Saturday. Fans will be encouraged to wear black. This comes after a smaller scale protest during the Rapids 2 game last Saturday. Burgundy Wave understands that there is unity within the SG in wanting to protest. C38 leadership believes this is the effective action to take at scale.

It will be interesting to see how full Section 117-118 are at the start of the match and how empty they are after the walkout. Will fans elsewhere in the stadium join them? What impact will that have on the atmosphere if it gets quiet with no chanting or drums?

Burgundy Wave will cover the match and the protest. We look forward to sharing answers to these questions with you.

Burgundy Wave reached out to the club for comment on Wednesday afternoon, having obtained a copy of the open letter in advance. At time of publishing, the club has not responded.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken.

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