Free Agent Fans...
I was perusing Hot Clicks on Si.com as I often do and I saw this link to a blog about a SingleWhiteFan. This guy is basically offering himself up to the NFL team that makes the best case for him being their fan. It's a great idea, and oddly one I've already done. Here's the copy of a letter I sent the kid wishing him good luck in his quest:
"Just wanted to write you a note, to let you know yours is a road I've already traveled (and it's a fun one). Shortly after an NBA lockout, me and three of my roommates, fresh out of college and avid sports fans, all realized we didn't really care all that much for any particular NBA team. Pissed about the greed (or perceived greed) that spurred the lockout we wrote angry letters to every NBA team declaring ourselves NBA free agent fans. We were all big college basketball fans and knowledgeable sports fans, some of whom gambled but had a tough time adopting an NBA team.
Whoever wooed us, got us. Here's how our quest went down: NJ Nets sents some stickers and paraphenalia much like you've seen, we lived in DC and the Wizards sent us a schedule or something flimsy (weak), the Grizzlies sent us about what the Nets sent us, and that was about it.
Then I got a phone call from the Bucks, I believe the gentleman's name was Bill King (and he was a VP or some high position in the front office). He was a pretty cool guy. He enjoyed the letter, recognized the humor in it as well as the sentiment, offered us courtside seats and a tour behind the scenes at the stadium, and the opportunity to meet some of the players. In short he was going to make it a kind of dream weekend for us... all we had to do was travel to Milwaukee to make it happen. I'll tell you this much to this day, the Bucks are a team I root for, and so do my other friends.
Our only regret is we didn't take them up on their offer because we couldn't align schedules at a very busy time of our lives, where it seemed every weekend we were getting half days to go to all these out of town weddings of our friends, and then we just kind of put it off, until we never got back to them. That's a big regret on our part. My advice to you, should any NFL franchise be as giving as the Bucks were to us, take them up on their offer, even if you have to pay to get there.
We envisioned timing the trip to catch a Cubs game in Chicago and travel north for an NBA game. Big missed opportunity. I'm sure as your site spreads somebody will recognize the PR opportunity and do something to convince you they want you as a fan and maybe be as generous as the Bucks were--Just do it!
Anyway, feel free to print this letter, if you like,
Wild Bill"
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
"Just wanted to write you a note, to let you know yours is a road I've already traveled (and it's a fun one). Shortly after an NBA lockout, me and three of my roommates, fresh out of college and avid sports fans, all realized we didn't really care all that much for any particular NBA team. Pissed about the greed (or perceived greed) that spurred the lockout we wrote angry letters to every NBA team declaring ourselves NBA free agent fans. We were all big college basketball fans and knowledgeable sports fans, some of whom gambled but had a tough time adopting an NBA team.
Whoever wooed us, got us. Here's how our quest went down: NJ Nets sents some stickers and paraphenalia much like you've seen, we lived in DC and the Wizards sent us a schedule or something flimsy (weak), the Grizzlies sent us about what the Nets sent us, and that was about it.
Then I got a phone call from the Bucks, I believe the gentleman's name was Bill King (and he was a VP or some high position in the front office). He was a pretty cool guy. He enjoyed the letter, recognized the humor in it as well as the sentiment, offered us courtside seats and a tour behind the scenes at the stadium, and the opportunity to meet some of the players. In short he was going to make it a kind of dream weekend for us... all we had to do was travel to Milwaukee to make it happen. I'll tell you this much to this day, the Bucks are a team I root for, and so do my other friends.
Our only regret is we didn't take them up on their offer because we couldn't align schedules at a very busy time of our lives, where it seemed every weekend we were getting half days to go to all these out of town weddings of our friends, and then we just kind of put it off, until we never got back to them. That's a big regret on our part. My advice to you, should any NFL franchise be as giving as the Bucks were to us, take them up on their offer, even if you have to pay to get there.
We envisioned timing the trip to catch a Cubs game in Chicago and travel north for an NBA game. Big missed opportunity. I'm sure as your site spreads somebody will recognize the PR opportunity and do something to convince you they want you as a fan and maybe be as generous as the Bucks were--Just do it!
Anyway, feel free to print this letter, if you like,
Wild Bill"
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
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