A Sports Fan’s Dream Come True – From a Very Unlikely Crowdsourcer
Do you ever wonder what your favorite sports team would look like if you had a say in who was running it? Unlikely crowdsourcer (and Price is Right Host) Drew Carey did. In fact, as new minority owner of Major League Soccer’s new franchise, the Seattle Sounders, Carey has given season ticket holders just that power. Every four years (or sooner, if deemed necessary by 20% or more of the ticket holders), these fans will have the opportunity to vote out an underperforming general manager. They will also be invited to send representatives to a quarterly meeting with the owners.
The plan is a big hit with fans – the club has sold more than 20,000 season tickets so far. They also are expanding the planned capacity at Qwest Field to more than 30,000 for their opener against the Red Bulls to accommodate the demand.
Will this idea spread to other franchises? Carey hopes so, according to an interview earlier this week: “I don’t know why anybody would not want this for their team. I think it’s the greatest idea,” said Carey, who still sounds more like a typical frustrated sports fan than a part-owner of a professional team.
“You vote for a president; you vote for mayor. I don’t know why you shouldn’t be able to vote for the general manager of your local sports team.”
The best part of this plan is that it rewards the most loyal fans – a crowdsourcing idea that many can relate to. What do you think? Are there teams you’d like to see adopt this practice? Tell us!
Tags: Crowdsourcing and Open Innovation, drew carey, soccer
