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First Person: United With The Union
The Philadelphia MLS franchise finally announced it’s name and colors today, something Goal.com’s Shane Evans was very happy and proud to be a part of.
May 12, 2009 10:23:37 AM
By Shane Evans
Philadelphia Union.
In short, it was definitely worth the wait. The organization did their homework and produced a fantastic team name to represent the city of Philadelphia in Major League Soccer.
Now for the long response.
Being that I’m a Philly boy at heart, this long-awaited announcement played to not only professional career as an editor of Goal.com, but also to my personal side. I live and breathe the sports of Philadelphia, and when a new team is introduced, particularly one who a play a sport that has a permanent place in my heart, it’s obviously going to evoke emotion.
Last September I wrote a piece about what the name of the team means, and how it goes behind the obvious top layer stuff. It’s not just what will go on the jerseys. It’s a brand, a emblem, a city-encompassing symbol that above all needs to feel right.
The Philadelphia sports fan is a few things. Loud, sometimes obnoxious. Cynical, often times negative. Loyal, unwaveringly die-hard. And knowledgeable, almost scholarly. These types of people would not accept just any moniker. No funny logos will do for the Sons of Ben. The colors would have to please the youngest to the oldest of fans.
And on an overcast day in Center City, the League’s worst kept secret was finally (officially) unveiled and you could practically hear the entire soccer fan-base of the Delaware Valley let out a sigh of relief. A satisfied and thoroughly pleased sigh of relief.
I was among the crowd of several hundred who were on hand at City Hall for the historic announcement and the general feeling of footy-obsessed mob was of delight and appreciation.
The team, our team, finally had an identity. Soccer fans across the area had something to rally around, something to focus on as the 11 months agonizingly tick away until first kick 2010.
Myself, two friends (aka correspondents in the field) and a hundred or so members of the acclaimed supporter group, Sons of Ben, literally marched to the event. We were led to the announcement stage by a marching band, who played “I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover,” one of the group’s biggest songs. With lyrics sheet in hand, my friends and I joined in the singing and it really helped in raising the excitement of what was about to happen.
Reaching the event, we were joined by another few hundred people and the exciting event began. After a set of speakers, including Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, the banners were dropped and we could finally see the logo with our own eyes.
It wasn’t just for the people at the event to see, passers by who were going about their business in one of the city’s most bustling areas were enlightened to the fact that the town now has a new team. Insignificant as that might sound, those people were exposed to something, and as the echoes of Mayor Nutter’s voice spread the wide open area, fans were born.
The name and logo, like so many things that make up Philadelphia, go beyond what is at eye level. Given the deep history that is engrained in the city, the team thought it would be best to pay homage to what has happened here in the past, so to accurately represent the present and future.
‘Union’ itself represents the original 13 colonies of this country. Philadelphia for a time, was the capital of the colonies and the city colors (light blue and gold) are represented within the shield, along with the colors of the of the continental army of the Revolutionary War (navy and gold).
The rattlesnake at the center of the crest comes from Benjamin Franklin himself as he often used it’s image in his cartoons and it later became one of the primary symbols of the American Revolution.
All the hard work that went into the creation of this identity has yielded a fantastic response from the city and it’s sports fans. It was well thought out, extensively researched and is exclusively Philadelphian. Not only that, but put next to the other 15 teams in the league, it stands out. I won’t say it’s better than any one team, but you can certainly see the difference. Perhaps that’s me just being a bit of a homer, so unbiased parties, please speak up.
As a whole, it works. It covers all the bases. It checks all the boxes. It passed the test with flying colors. To use a few overused cliches. In this town, the people expect nothing less (and often times, more).
So the wait for a Major League Soccer team is finally over for the city of Philadelphia. We have been given a franchise, and realizing the importance of it’s creation, the franchise repaid the loyal fans who’ve been patiently waiting for almost 15 years with a team that they can truly be proud of...and they haven’t even taken the field yet.
For more on Major League Soccer visit Goal.com's MLS page!
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments and concerns or follow him on Twitter.
Philadelphia Union.
In short, it was definitely worth the wait. The organization did their homework and produced a fantastic team name to represent the city of Philadelphia in Major League Soccer.
Now for the long response.
Being that I’m a Philly boy at heart, this long-awaited announcement played to not only professional career as an editor of Goal.com, but also to my personal side. I live and breathe the sports of Philadelphia, and when a new team is introduced, particularly one who a play a sport that has a permanent place in my heart, it’s obviously going to evoke emotion.
Last September I wrote a piece about what the name of the team means, and how it goes behind the obvious top layer stuff. It’s not just what will go on the jerseys. It’s a brand, a emblem, a city-encompassing symbol that above all needs to feel right.
The Philadelphia sports fan is a few things. Loud, sometimes obnoxious. Cynical, often times negative. Loyal, unwaveringly die-hard. And knowledgeable, almost scholarly. These types of people would not accept just any moniker. No funny logos will do for the Sons of Ben. The colors would have to please the youngest to the oldest of fans.
And on an overcast day in Center City, the League’s worst kept secret was finally (officially) unveiled and you could practically hear the entire soccer fan-base of the Delaware Valley let out a sigh of relief. A satisfied and thoroughly pleased sigh of relief.
I was among the crowd of several hundred who were on hand at City Hall for the historic announcement and the general feeling of footy-obsessed mob was of delight and appreciation.
The team, our team, finally had an identity. Soccer fans across the area had something to rally around, something to focus on as the 11 months agonizingly tick away until first kick 2010.
Myself, two friends (aka correspondents in the field) and a hundred or so members of the acclaimed supporter group, Sons of Ben, literally marched to the event. We were led to the announcement stage by a marching band, who played “I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover,” one of the group’s biggest songs. With lyrics sheet in hand, my friends and I joined in the singing and it really helped in raising the excitement of what was about to happen.
Reaching the event, we were joined by another few hundred people and the exciting event began. After a set of speakers, including Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, the banners were dropped and we could finally see the logo with our own eyes.
It wasn’t just for the people at the event to see, passers by who were going about their business in one of the city’s most bustling areas were enlightened to the fact that the town now has a new team. Insignificant as that might sound, those people were exposed to something, and as the echoes of Mayor Nutter’s voice spread the wide open area, fans were born.
The name and logo, like so many things that make up Philadelphia, go beyond what is at eye level. Given the deep history that is engrained in the city, the team thought it would be best to pay homage to what has happened here in the past, so to accurately represent the present and future.
‘Union’ itself represents the original 13 colonies of this country. Philadelphia for a time, was the capital of the colonies and the city colors (light blue and gold) are represented within the shield, along with the colors of the of the continental army of the Revolutionary War (navy and gold).
The rattlesnake at the center of the crest comes from Benjamin Franklin himself as he often used it’s image in his cartoons and it later became one of the primary symbols of the American Revolution.
All the hard work that went into the creation of this identity has yielded a fantastic response from the city and it’s sports fans. It was well thought out, extensively researched and is exclusively Philadelphian. Not only that, but put next to the other 15 teams in the league, it stands out. I won’t say it’s better than any one team, but you can certainly see the difference. Perhaps that’s me just being a bit of a homer, so unbiased parties, please speak up.
As a whole, it works. It covers all the bases. It checks all the boxes. It passed the test with flying colors. To use a few overused cliches. In this town, the people expect nothing less (and often times, more).
So the wait for a Major League Soccer team is finally over for the city of Philadelphia. We have been given a franchise, and realizing the importance of it’s creation, the franchise repaid the loyal fans who’ve been patiently waiting for almost 15 years with a team that they can truly be proud of...and they haven’t even taken the field yet.
For more on Major League Soccer visit Goal.com's MLS page!
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments and concerns or follow him on Twitter.
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