An Open Letter to FC Cincinnati and Major League Soccer Ownership
An Open Letter to FC Cincinnati and Major League Soccer Ownership
The past months have been difficult for everyone in our society. For far too many people in our nation, these difficulties include an empty seat at the dinner table where a loved one used to sit. For others, it has meant the increased anxiety and stress of dealing with the massive disruption to life that has been occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the gross failure of our nation’s leadership to deal with the same. During these times, we have clung to anything that has given us any sense of normalcy, and we have cherished anything that has brought us even a shred of that sense of community or belonging taken from us. For many here in Cincinnati, being able to watch FC Cincinnati has been a large part of that.
It is for this reason that we have followed, with increasing worry, the odd course that has been charted by Major League Soccer towards a labor dispute with the players of Major League Soccer. While none of us would claim expertise in the inner workings of labor law or collective bargaining, we all stand firm in our belief that there is no problem between players and ownership that is so insurmountable such that it should necessitate a lock-out or delay to the start of the season. This is especially true in this moment and in this time, where a public fight about money seems so to us so malapropos.
Our feelings on this matter are even stronger here in Cincinnati, where we have watched the construction in the West End for months while dreaming of the first moments where we can welcome home the Orange and Blue to their new pitch. It is why we have a very simple message we wish to convey: Let them play.
Let the players begin training. Let the players take the field for the start of the 2021 season.
Soccer has the opportunity to be something that brings us together as we enter into what we hope will be the final stretch of this pandemic. It can be a source of happiness to the people who watch at home, distanced from their fellow supporters, and for those who gather safely in the brand-new stadium to experience, once more, the thrill of live sports. It is an opportunity for people to safely enjoy the outdoor spaces of the West End and Over the Rhine for pre and post-game revelry – potentially a massive boon to many businesses that have been struggling during these past few months. It is a chance, for ninety minutes, to feel just a bit closer to normal again.
But all of this depends on the owners of Major League Soccer doing the right thing and allowing the season to begin. The ball is at your feet. You can choose to pick it up and go home, forcing a lockout that will put the season in jeopardy, or you can put it at midfield for kickoff. We urge all of the
owners, including our ownership group here in Cincinnati, to make the obvious choice for the sake of our community, our supporters, and our team.
We urge Major League Soccer to do right by their players and let them play.