Learning along the way

By: Melissa | January 10th, 2008

I made a quick quip in the comments of a previous post on this blog that I should really start keeping track of all the times I’m incorrect. I think I’m getting close to ten wrongs so maybe I can redeem my imaginary punched card for a free cup of coffee. Ok, silliness aside, my most recent wrong turned out to be an excellent source of information about the history of the Quakes that I thought I’d share. Soccer Silicon Valley’s founder and President, Don Gagliardi, corrected my feeble attempts to explain what was lost and gained when San Jose moved to Houston. He writes:

AEG retained player rights when it moved its franchise to Houston and became 1836, er Dynamo.

What remained in San Jose were not only the trophies, and records (wins and losses), but also the team name and colors — i.e., the legacy of MLS soccer here in San Jose, which amounts to much more than “a few extra odds and ends.”

The preservation of the San Jose Earthquakes’ legacy was decidedly NOT “standard” in American sports, where the usual practice is represented by a team like the NFL’s Houston Oilers, which moved to Tennessee in the mid 1990s took all the records and colors with them and deep sixed the name Oilers so that the new franchise in Houston became the Texans, with no ties whatsoever to Luv Ya Blue.

The Quakes’ situation has as precedent in American sports only the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, which ownership moved its players to Baltimore following the 1995 season; former Cleveland players became the Ravens (Matt Stover, a former Brown who became a Raven, is still paying for Baltimore), but all the prior championships, records, name and colors remained in Cleveland as the official legacy of the expansion Cleveland Browns when they resumed play in 1999.

Preserving the Quakes’ legacy would NOT have occurred without the forceful voice of the team’s fanbase, acting through SSV. MLS agreed, at SSV’s specific request, to preserve the legacy at the time of (and even before) AEG’s decampment to Houston, and later the new Quakes’ ownership group, after giving serious consideration to re-branding, ultimately decided that the existing brand was a powerful one that should be retained. Again, the existing fans, acting through SSV, were to my understanding the determinative factor in retaining the brand.

In fact, the Earthquakes brand is one of the strongest in American soccer and is known throughout the soccer world and should continue to grow in value with solid new ownership. Further, it is one of SSV’s missions to preserve the Earthquakes legacy for future generations through our non-profit SSV Community Foundation, www.ssvcf.org.

I totally apologize about the “odds and ends” comment by the way. And wow — I always thought the name, image, and records generally stayed behind when a team moves. Anyways, I hope this information is informative and helpful for those of us (obviously myself included) who were never completely clear on the specifics of the situation the first place.

One last bit of news. Clarence Goodson did not sign a new contract with the Quakes. He’s instead off to go find his fortune in Europe. Thats ok. I really didn’t know how long I was going to be able to keep going with that Beastie Boys connection anyways.

Right, I’m pooped. Congrats to TheCannon. Til’ next time, etc etc etc.