Seeing as how certain Fire fans take this sort of thing very seriously, it would not surprise me if Adidas has received some strongly worded e-mails about their Chicago Fire t-shirts that proclaim the team was established in 1998, and not in 1997.
The team did, of course, start playing in the 1998 season, but technically came into existence in 1997. October 8th, to be exact, to fall on the anniversary of the fire that gave the team its name. I went to the press conference in Daley Plaza.
But is this like saying your birthday is the day you were conceived? Was that press conference the equivalent of telling your friends that you're pregnant? Am I going to keep running this metaphor into the ground? In other words, if a professional team doesn't play a competitive match, do they really count? I'm not sure. I'm not sure anyone other than the aforementioned anal-retentivist of the hardcore fans really care, either. While we're at it, nobody calls the Fire "La Maquina Roja," just for the record.
Shame about the date, as it's a nice and simple shirt, without all those wavy lines Adidas feels compelled to put on most MLS products these days.
As for La Maquina Roja, there's a Section 8 song with that in it, isn't there?
Yeah, they've added a bunch of songs since I retired to the upper deck, so you may be right. But the name had been foisted upon the team by a single person for so long, it still rings hollow to me.
Great point Tom. Too many MLS t-shirts look like they were designed by the guy who designs the SuperBowl hats (U.G.L.Y.), too bad they goofed the year.
Not to beat this into the ground, but I still think the '97 vs. '98 "establishment" date is a matter of interpretation. Even the Fire's website plays both sides, saying "On [...] October 8, 1997, an announcement was made. The new Major League Soccer team assigned to Chicago would be called the Chicago Fire. Its inaugural season would be in 1998."
Does announcement = establishment? Or does the inaugural season?
Whatever's the most pretentious thing, that's what they want.
Ew, we don't want a star on our kit, we know what we've won. Ew, we were established in 1997, even though we didn't play until 1998. Did I mention we actually had to beat some MLS teams to win the Open Cup a couple of times? We're a juggernaut, and would never draw 0-0 with Real Salt Lake and Colorado at home.
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