• Update:  WorldCupWay has seen fit to turn the comments back on.  Good move!  Now, let’s leave them on, no matter what.  It’s Dallas ’til I die, right?
  

I’m generally a fan of Worldcupway, the official blog of FC Dallas.  They do some great reporting (see their pieces on the trips to South America with Messrs. Hitchcock and Ellinger for example) — and they do Hoops fans a service with their pre- and post-game reports.  They deserve a lot of praise:  despite the efforts of bloggers like Buzz and newspaper reporters like Tobias Lopez and Diego Aparicio there’s not a heckuva lot of coverage of our team.

However, they’ve done it again:  Worldcupway has been closed to comments for the past 2 days.

This may seem like small potatoes. But it’s an issue that I feel strongly about.

Providing fans with a way to comment on blog posts was an inspired move.  It encouraged fans to get involved, to come back multiple times each day, and to connect with their fellow fans.  All good things.

And yes, having an “open” corporate blog can be a risky proposition.  While it can encourage readers to get involved and to become loyal followers of your site, it also leaves you and your business open for (potentially a lot of) criticism.  And criticism, especially in the entertainment industry, can really reduce the value of the product you’re trying to sell.

I can understand why FC Dallas might want to avoid some criticism.  There’s been plenty of turnover.  It’s been a tough season.  The critical stretch run’s upon us.  The team could be slipping (or has already slipped) out of contention.  Attendance is down — and the promotion staff has clearly run out of ideas.

Sure, comments have been pretty brutal, truth be told.  But they haven’t been out of line.  Fans are all over Bruno (who’s getting plenty of PT, despite only the occasional flash of brilliance).  And our trinity of Schellas, Ellinger, and Hitchcock (and their total of 17 MLS wins).  They’re blasting the recent trade of Abe (responsible for all of our production in the ‘08 Open Cup) and the transfer of JT (responsible for much of our ‘07 success) and they’re downright batty that Cooper (and his 13+ goals) hasn’t been granted the contract extension that so many feel he deserves.

But here’s the question I have for you:  isn’t FCD bigger than some blog comments?

Do the Rangers take steps to prevent sports talk radio from criticizing their bullpen woes?  Does the Mavericks’ owner shy from the limelight when his team chokes in the first-round of the playoffs?  Anybody think that Jerry Jones is afraid of some blogger who calls the hiring of Wade “Bum’s Son” Phillips a terrible move?

I know that the Hoops and MLS have a long way to go before they’ve got the fan base and the equity of those teams.  And I understand that Hitch & co. still make their bones on how FCD is perceived in the community.  That’s why Steve Morrow was canned.  That’s why the blog was started.  That’s why the Front Office Staff slave away to find new ways to bring people to PHP.

But here’s my gripe:  the team will never be perceived as big time if they continue to act like they’re afraid of some anonymous blog comments.

How can you stymie the very people who are so committed to your product that they take time out of their day to read your blog?  They’re not being unfair — they’re being fans.