NASL Podcast Episode #35 with Special Guest Gordon Hartman Owner of the San Antonio Scorpions
Welcome to episode #35 of the IMSoccer News North American Soccer League Podcast.
This week Jay (Yankiboy) Long, and yours truly, Brian Quarstad, interview San Antonio Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman.
The success of the Scorpions has surprised just about everyone except Gordon Hartman. The Scorpions owner talks about the team’s on and off field success. He says he saw and believed in the potential pro soccer had in San Antonio.
Hartman tells us that even though he was not a soccer fan per se, he’s quickly becoming one and he plans on traveling to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He also reveals that his many business ventures have kept him from ever traveling abroad up to this point in his life.
Hartman also talks about the unique Scorpions front office which is filled with PMI employees, Scorpions president Michael Hitchcock’s company. He also shares why changes have been made to the Scorpions’ stadium and says even though he embraces fans’ enthusiasm for building the stadium quicker with more seating capacity, caution still needs to be exercised.
Jay and I also take a quick look at the NASL standings and do a bit of assessing the teams so far this season.
Please join us in this latest episode of the IMSoccer News NASL Podcast.
You can find all past episodes of the North American Soccer League Podcast here and the RSS Feed here.
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It was interesting to read the article about the Scorpions stadium and then hear Gordon Hartman’s comments on the matter. I think he is playing it smart by not building a 20,000 seat stadium right off the bat. Yeah, there might be some supporters turned off by not getting a ticket to a match next year, however, it will certainly generate excitement if it is a “tough ticket” to get. It is a prudent way to grow the “business.”
Great podcast IMS.
With all due respect to Herr Hartman, his comments, with the exception of the Morgan’s Wonderland angle, are no different than those espoused by any other new low division professional team owner.
In spite of all the hype of where San Antonio is terms of size, from a Texas pespective, it is a secondary market. The question that arises is what happens after the initial allure wears off.
It may be that Hartman can pull this off, but if he can, you have to wonder what the Spurs management will do, given their clear interest in soccer for San Antonio as well.
This is a tale much better told in 5 years, not in the first season.
Good stuff guys. Hartman continues to say all the right things, and really looks to be building the right kind of organization to survive at the D2 level, and potentially someday beyond. Very interesting to hear the Strikers and Rowdies have been looking over his shoulder so to speak. We both have markets that should be able to get to the same level San Antonio has dashed out of the gate to, and if they can learn anything from Hartman and Hitchcock to help get them there, that is great. This league is only going to be as strong as its individual teams, to I hope PMI can help out and make s difference for the others teams in the league just like they have for the Scorpions.
And where are all the doubters at this point who were so quick to scoff at Hartman and his stadium plans earlier this year? All the nay sayers who said they’d believe it when they see it. Is that kind of skepticism still thriving today? Hartman deserves all the credit in the world for building what looks to be the absolute model of what a successful D2 franchise can and should look like in North America. Congratulations to him and his people for getting to this point, and I wish them continued success going forward.
@Strikers Return
As with Bernie Madoff, all the early year’s returns looked great. The house of cards fell down once the marketing campaign failed to yield the intended business results.
I would love to see Hartman make this happen, but odds are that he will fall in line with the rest of the NASL teams after a year or so. If the market makes them work, then the market will also help the Spurs work as well.
The question then becomes, what does San Antonio have that other markets do not have? I could claim a higher hispanic population that knows the game, but then so do the markets of Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale.
Up on the northern border with our Canadian sisters, the interest appears strong because of that crossover, but that cannot be attributed to San Antonio, and certainly it is not a function of the hispanic population.
Hartman discusses his desire to mingle with youth soccer in San Antonio. Every team I know of has that same ambition and that does not put money paying fans in the seats, unfortunately.
I would not call what San Antonio has as success right now. I certainly would call it astonishing, mezmerizing and fantastic, but not a success. Ya gotta go through some cycles to do that, and as someone mentioned, Rochester is a good example of that.
@bart – Really? Comparing Hartman’s Scorpions and Soccer For A Cause with the greatest Ponzi scheme in history? Really??? An all-time low for you I think Bart. You made some other points, but I’d so, ok, yeah, I already know all this. I’m not one of the people saying forget the previous plans, build a 20,000 seat stadium and MLS is a lock next year. I liked the fact that Hartman is tempering his ambition with the let’s wait and see attitude he talked about.
If they maintain an average over 8,000 this year, I see no harm at all in them bumping up their time table if it is doable to ensure a similar capacity for next year rather than 6,000. Even if they only draw 6,000 next year, in that 8,000 seat stadium it’s going to look and sound very impressive I imagine, so what’s the harm? You’re too cynical about everything and it’s easy to tell. LOL In the meantime, if attendance does dip this year, he hasn’t committed to anything beyond the initial Phase of the project yet, so again, no harm done. The worst thing that can happen is to be unprepared. He sounds like he’s moving ahead smartly, and taking all possibilities into account. Smart for business. But then, we already knew he was a smart businessman, didn’t we?
@ Strikers Return
In the beginning, without any foresight, Madoff was considered a genius. Only through hindsight can you comment on the facts, and that is exactly my point.
Is the Emperor wearing any clothes? We will not know for several cycles.
Reality sucks, man.
@Bart – You’re still comparing a man who tricked the world, committing crimes and destroying the economic welfare of a lot of people, to a guy building a soccer organziation to fund a themepark for disabled people. If you’re insinuating that Hartman could be up to something evenly remotely as sinister as Madoff was in his endeavors, just come out and say it. If not, your comparison is absurd. Not knowing if Hartman’s business plan for the Scorpions and Morgan’s Wonderland will work out is NOTHING like Madoff’s plan to hide and lie about the fact that he swindled people out of billions of dollars. Good grief man, if your wife knew the disgusting comparison you were making I’m sure she’d slip an extra beating into your weekly schedule! LOL
@ Strikers Return
Madoff did not start out with the intent to swindle anyone. He got caught up in a trap that he was too weak to get out of, and then perpetuated the crime.
I am not saying that anything Hartman has done is sinister, but intent and final outcome are in many cased two separate things.
A lot of folks are getting tired of the let’s form a soccer team to fund a theme park for disabled people. Yes, an admirable notion, but separate activities altogether.
My point is that we should not be handing out winner medals when the game is not even at half time yet.
@Bart – Wow. Did you really just make an excuse for Madoff? Really? All right, I’m done on this one……
“A lot of folks are getting tired of the let’s form a soccer team to fund a theme park for disabled people. ”
@Bart: Ok Barrister, I can’t stay silent on this one. We must run in different circles coz while I have heard skepticism about the economic feasibility of the project–I personally had skepticism and admitted as much on the podcast–I haven’t personally heard anyone killing the gentleman for the very publicized intent.
Not doubting you if you csay that you have. I personally haven’t heard anyone griping about the fact that Mr. Hartman and the organization use the Scorpions as a platform to promote the cause.
@Bart, who have you heard is tired of hearing about soccer for a cause? Thats all it’s marketed as soccer-for-a-cause. I think they mention it twice during the game. No one is bother by it, and if you actually came to SA to check it out you would see that it is an admirable cause indeed. So what if in the end the business model doesn’t work out.. It was worth a try and handicapped people will have benefitted in some way from the effort.
So yeah, we won’t know for a couple of years if it’s viable. Ill bet a stadium that can actually sell beer will draw crowds… if we are drawing 8k with out beer, what will we draw with it?
BIG BIG MATCHUP THIS WEEKEND!!! Wish i could fly to PR!
@ Collective Group of Bart (“Me”) Haters
I realize that what I posted is tantamount to cursing Jesus. I am not in any way denigrating Mr. Hartman. Yes, I have been to San Antonio recently and yes, I saw the stadium, but not a game.
I think we are veering way off the straight and narrow on this. All I am saying is let the astronaut’s rocket engine get to orbit before we call this a successful mission. NASA understands.
Now, let’s boldly go where no soccer team has gone before…..