That some supporters don’t like the name Atlanta United FC isn’t a new experience in MLS.
Houston 1836 made its debut in 2006 before changing its name to the Houston Dynamo six weeks later after a negative reaction from the Hispanic community because 1836 is when Texas fought and gained its independence from Mexico.
While that was one extreme of a name failing to take hold and forcing a change, there is another story of a name that was introduced, mostly panned, but remained and is now one of the most recognizable and most-bought brands in MLS: Sporting Kansas City, or Sporting KC.
Some supporters weren’t happy when the Kansas City Wizards changed its name to Sporting KC before the 2011 season. A local TV personality, Jack Harry, lambasted the name in a segment, saying “Sporting Kansas City sounds like some sailing club at Lake Perry.”
A few months later, he went back on the air to apologize, saying “I’ve changed my tune about the name change to Sporting Kansas City. I’m actually, starting to embrace it.”
The re-brand worked.
Within Sporting KC's experience are lessons that Atlanta United FC – and its fans – can learn as the name and logo of the expansion team are officially introduced on Tuesday. The name was unofficially but accurately revealed two weeks ago. The catcalls soon followed.
But if the experience of Atlanta United FC is anything close to what Sporting KC has experienced, owner Arthur Blank, president Darren Eales and the more than 22,000 members of the Founder’s Club will likely be very happy when the club takes the field in 2017.
The Wizards re-brand was in the works for several years before a change in ownership forced the issue in late 2010.
“While we appreciated the history, and fan support and memories, it wasn’t indicative of the brand,” said executive vice president Rob Thomson, who helped lead the change. “We didn’t have a key demographic. It wasn’t a viable business at that point.”
Thomson said they knew a mascot-themed name wasn’t indicative of the brand, so they rejected a pitch from one marketing agency that would have resulted in the Kansas City Bees.
They arrived at Sporting KC – flipping the name and moniker — which he said caused some confusion for some of the older fans and members of the media, including the TV personality.
The franchise followed that change by targeting the millennial market as its core demographic as it opened a new stadium.
“The younger fans really embraced it,” Thomson said. “The influence they had was tremendous.”
In addition to the name, Sporting KC worked on improving the all of the experiences for its fans. Social media was used to solicit their advice and opinions on everything. Fans of Atlanta United FC were included in the process of deciding its name and Eales said will be included in many things going forward.
"The reality is the whole club will be about more than the name," Eales said. "It will include what team we put on the field, how we engage with the fans. Now we will continue the other brand elements. This is only the start of the journey. The singing, chanting, rituals on match day. All that's still to come."
Did the re-brand work for Sporting Kansas City?
As the Wizards, Thomson said the team was actually below last in the league in merchandise sales, trailing the sales of expansion teams that had yet to take the field, and merchandise that featured just the MLS logo.
In 2015, they are in the top five of MLS teams in merchandise sales. Thomson said the club will sell more merchandise in one game day than they would in an entire season as the Wizards.
Before the rebrand, the team averaged less than 11,000 fans per game in 2010. After the re-brand, Sporting KC has never averaged less than 17,810 and is on pace to surpass an average of 20,000 this season.
There are lessons to be learned.
“Trust in your club and management,” Thomson answered when asked what advice he had for fans of Atlanta United FC. “This is a fan-driven league. It’s one of the best things about Major League Soccer.”
About the Author
