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The Real Salt Lake Family Stands in Support of #SavetheCrew

We want to Save the Crew, here is why you should too.

By Wirtjo Leonard

My godmother lives in Columbus; I don’t talk to her much, but she lives there. She’s not a Crew fan, neither am I really, and losing the Columbus Crew will never affect her Saturday night. But in a way it will. Why? Because the fibers that construct the very community around her will thin.

The beautiful game is not as much about trophies, glory, and goals as it is about the fans. Clubs could never, ever, ever exist without those who love and care about it. It is about community. Our community. The networks and relationships between fans matter. The conversations that occur between you and the individual you sit next to at the stadium matter. The head nod to the stranger walking the street whom you would proudly call your best friend simply because you share the same colors matter. It does not matter if you go to one game a year and can name every player on the team or if you hold season tickets and can name half the players. For the fans, it does not matter if your stadium is filled with 71,000 or 710. The interactions you have with the soccer community matter. They are important. And they should not be taken away so someone else can make more money. The beautiful game is only beautiful as long as you and I are a part of it.

I understand finances, I do. I know what it’s like to literally starve. But at what point is it just unnecessary surplus? Perhaps the only thing worse than having something you love stripped from you is to have something you love stripped from you and put in the pockets of someone else.

We get it Austin, having an MLS team is awesome. But guess what’s even better? Starting from scratch. Building from the bottom up. A team for the city that you call your own. A team that has it’s own history, not someone elses. I hope you get one. I honest to god do. I just don’t want it to be the Crew nor any other team that is not currently dissolving. The cookies made by your best friend’s grandma will always be good. But your grandma makes them the best.

Isaac Thatcher and an unidentifiable RSL fan
Jordan Rosser

In Utah we are lucky to have an owner who is literally and figuratively rooting us permanently in Utah with a world class academy, adding new teams, building state-of-the-art facilities and other infrastructure which spreads across the entire state. The history of soccer in the United States undoubtedly shows us that this is rarely the case. At least in the long-term. What is happening in Columbus currently can happen to anyone anywhere. What do your shoes look like?

To the Columbus Supporters. Thank you. Thank you for loving your club just as much as I love mine. This post-season I proudly cheered for you thousands of miles away. Although I want you to know something. When we meet you at either Rio Tinto or Mapfre come 2018 I will hate you like I have never hated anyone before for an entire 90 minutes. After that, I’ll hate the team that comes in the next seven days just as much as I had hated you. I hope you never have to lose what you love.

RSL Soapbox stands with the Crew. That includes staff like myself, readers, fans and critics. From Salt Lake to Austin, #SavetheCrew.

Save the Crew Devil’s Advocate (Satire) by Andy Graff

I think it’s important that the side of the billionaires be represented in this situation because no one ever speaks for the billionaires. If I don’t do it, who will?

You need to have some empathy. See, if I were a billionaire—which, as a career educator, will never happen—but if I happened to have billions of dollars in sacks with dollar signs on them and nowhere to spend it because people living in poverty or hunger or war-torn zones or without education or clean water or adequate living conditions don’t really need my help, well then I’d want to own a soccer team!

Where to start? I’d find a team with a crummy ownership group, then I’d buy them out. I’d claim that I’m saving the team. Rebrand. Then I’d parade myself around as the savior and blame the locality for any problems. It’s my team, dammit. Where are your billions of dollars, eh? Right. You have no billions.

Never mind the connections that fans—and soccer fans above the rest—have with that club. It’s mine, now. I own it. Sure, maybe some fans have supported the club for over twenty years and have tattoos commemorating their club. Maybe it’s their only joy in a world of negativity. But I own the team now: $$$.

I’d rename it something cool like Moneybags FC United (We’re united! See? It’s right there in the name!). Then—and here’s the best part—I’d move the team to a new town. I’d probably build a stadium just outside my window so I can watch the matches at home while smoking cigars rolled in $100 bills that I lit with fire from the Olympic Torch and drink orphan-tear mimosas.

So if you feel robbed and betrayed and cheated, I think you just need to take some time to empathize with the billionaires. There are only 1,542 billionaires in the world; there are 40,000 Asian elephants on the planet and they’re endangered! Maybe billionaires should be endangered. You should feel bad for the billionaires. Billionaires have feelings, too. I think.

RSL Supporters to Save the Crew

The following is a list of people across different cities, states, races, religions, genders, ethnicities, abilities and even countries who support Real Salt Lake and believe that the Crew should stay in Columbus.

- Wirtjo Leonard

- Kreg Asay

- Matt Montgomery

- Brian Dunseth (Dunny/The G.O.A.T)

- Megan Webb

- Ryan Sanders

- Andy Graff

- Carla Swensen-Haslem

- Tanya Asay

- Ryan Kelly

- Hannah Stringham

- Lucas Muller

- Lisa Kelly

- Adam Hendrickson

- Cindy Lara

- JJ Steadman

- Adam Sorensen

- Jake Simons

- Rick Walker

- Andrew Weaver

- Erick Luna

- Christy Cope

- Matthew Lane

- Warren Hallmark

- Josh Clark

- Landen Hardy

- Jordan Rosser

- Bob Duclos

- Jaron Wardle

- Austin Escobar

- Tyler Smith

- Isaac Thatcher

- Mark McClellan

- Bill Stanton

- Kendrick Asay

- Shamberlee Asay

- Madie Jackson

- Steve Corpuz

- Jannell Hughes

- Jay Larson

- David Carver

- Zachary David Johnson

- Lisa Bromley

- Jacob Machuca

- Scott Ash

- Joe Haddock

- Garrett Roberts

- Kyle Nelson

- John Pederson

- Anthony Tobler

- Bob Pahl

- Sara Nagrant

- Derek Ashliman

- Jim Clark

- Fredy Martinez

- Cameron Elggren

- John Lanka

- Mark Clinton

- Brian Strangfeld

- Russ McKay

- Mark Hymas

- Rachel Hooper Lark

- Jesse Duarte

- Andrew Giles

- Travis Anderson

- Ben Martinez

- Ahren Young

- Billy Eusterman

- Trevor Salt

- Julia Burnett

- Fernando Duarte

- Matt Dee

- Mike McGrath

- Andrea Adams Radford

- Jeff Thompson

- Jesse Roberts

- Kyle Rindlisbacher

- Jason Bronson

- Connie Trevino

- Alfredo H. Martinez

- Lynden Williams

- Eric Anderson

- Jared Montgomery

- Ryan Smith

- Skyler Sanchez

- Andrew Stingley

- Rex Montoya

- Brady Hearst

- Spencer Daron Smith

- Kyle Hiatt

- Jessica Hearst

- John Kjelgaard

- Bradley Beck

- Jeromy Walk

- Stephanie Boston

- Sara Ingerson

- Howie Smith

- Sheri Jardine

- Spencer Warne

- Jeremy Buck

- Ryan Lorensen

- Nick Barker

- Lane Barker

- Tyler Creer

- Sam Bennion

- Chez Green

- Chance Johnson

- Brian Fries

- Rikki Fries

- Cole Robison

- Leland Messersmith

- Nathan England

- Jared Hennessey

- Lenny Betancourt

- Kirk Waldron

- Gavin Bruderer

- Jason Henry

- Eric Kovaks

- Kandace Christensen

- Joshua Mark Lambert

- Juan Larrosa

- Nikki Davis

- Josh Rosevear

- Susa Lindsey

- Jason Zeek

- Lori Munford

- Fatima Nawabi

- Ali Bazzaz

- Charlie Zahn

- James Mcdermont

- Benji Meeks

- Steven Garlick

- John McCall

- Domanique Clayton

- Sean Patrick

- Shirley Ceballos

- David Alvarez

- Melissa Leatherbury

- Tyson Winder

- Carlos Labra

- Chuck Orrell

- Ian Gallegos

- Nevin Oakason

- Chris Radcliffe

- Shari Elliot

- Mike Davies

- Shannon Cowley

- Kelsey Escobar

- Allison Winn

- Vicki Rosser

- Teresa Rohr

- Andrew Bair

- Noel K Gomez

- Calvin Nye

- Brian Kraus

- David Kamerath

- Curtis Soelberg

- Garrett Lamb

- Brock Mildon

- Jim Baldauf

- Anastasia Dumesnil

- TJ Newman

- Kurt Snyder

- Colby Robins

- Steve Havrilo

- S. Pemberton

- Derek Ashilman

- Keaton Harward

- Brandon Roddy

- Curtis Kirk

- Amanda Gollaher

- Clinton Gray

- Randolf Jay Scott

- Nathan Nielsen

- Sarah Halcom

- Jacob Bryant

- James Gabrielsen

- Trevor Brady

- Joshua Jenks

- Willy Barrueta Jr.

- RSL Nation

- Riot Brigade

- Allen Corbin

And many, many more...

*Thanks to everyone who submitted their names for the list via Facebook, Twitter, and other methods. We very likely missed some of you in the amazing response that was received. The RSL staff will do our best to keep this list updated as best as possible.

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