Fan Survey Request from the Cleveland Indians

by rolub on Jan 5, 2012 11:03 AM EST

On Tuesday, I received an email from the Cleveland Indians asking to participate in a survey. As an investment professional, I get these requests from publications all the time, usually with the promise to enter me into a "contest" for an AmEx gift card. Other times, I'm lucky enough to actually receive a $50 Amazon.com credit, or a token $5 Starbucks card.

But this was not from another industry publication... this was from MY Cleveland Indians. While the length was estimated to take 30-35 minutes, the reward of two free tickets to a 2012 home game and my interest in the team and ballpark experience was more than enough for me to jump in. Within the first 5 minutes, this statement came up with various "agree/disagree" options...

If my team could win it all just once, I'd be satisfied even if they were awful for the next 10 years.

A decade of losing is a lot to deal with; that's what the Pittsburgh Pirates have been doing for approximately twice as long, and it's more or less what the Cleveland Browns have been doing. But that title, and that everglowing warmth it would bring not just for one moment, one night, or one offseason... that's worth it right?

As much as that decade would suck, for me, a Cleveland sports fan since birth almost 32 years ago, I want to (or fear I have to) answer yes, or "Strongly Agree". When the Browns last won the NFL Championship for our fair city, my father was the same age I was when Jacobs' Field opened. It seems like a long time to me that Jacobs Field opened, let alone how long ago my Dad was that age.

Even while I was rooting for the Whore of Akron during his Cleveland prime, I was secretly rooting for him to fail just long enough that our promising Indians of 2005-2007 could bring a World Series trophy home first. Eventually, as that team would struggle and the Browns would continue to be very Brownish, I let that go and rooted for Cleveland Sports as a collective. Now that has passed too.

Lastly, a part of me finds it curious that the organization is asking this question, in the first year of what just may be our two-year window. Not that I expect GM Chris Antonetti to answer to the bumbling idiots, myself included, that complete this survey, but I wouldn't have started on this fanpost if something about it didn't jab at me.

So now I sit here, thanks to the opening questions of this survey and wonder if it's worth it? I say it is.

Do you?

Poll

If my team could win it all just once, I'd be satisfied even if they were awful for the next 10 years

Strongly Agree

26 votes

Agree

15 votes

Neither Agree Nor Disagree

5 votes

Disagree

11 votes

Strongly Disagree

4 votes

61 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 8 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

I was surprised by length and depth of this survey. The questions about management approach were pretty surprising and the cliche survey did end pretty quickly.

I think all this info they gathered—which is a lot, with many control questions— is intended more for marketing and press statements as opposed to actual management input, but you never know.

My favorite came about a third of the way through, it said something to the line of “mark disagree strongly” to let us know you’re still with us.

by PBH on Jan 5, 2012 1:39 PM EST reply actions

Two of the questions were buggy – when asking how many games you watched/listened to (which was done multiple times), two of the boxes wouldn’t let you input a three-digit number. Oh well.

by Voltaire on Jan 5, 2012 2:16 PM EST up reply actions

yep, i left that glitch as my feedback comment at the end.

You are reading my signature.

by rolub on Jan 5, 2012 3:20 PM EST up reply actions

Fool! Now they know who you are! You’ve been compromised!

by PBH on Jan 5, 2012 3:27 PM EST up reply actions

I got the survey too. Somebody’s trying very carefully to craft the team’s image/campaign for 2012. Good.

by Voltaire on Jan 5, 2012 2:15 PM EST reply actions

I didn’t receive the survey, but I hope this question was on it:

Did you blow milk out your nose when you first laid eyes on this piece of gear?

Uh, strongly agree.

"Sounds like 'Take the Z-Train' to me." -- Antoine Batiste

by T.O. Tribe on Jan 5, 2012 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

e) other (0 games a year)

by Voltaire on Jan 6, 2012 12:00 AM EST up reply actions

What I wouldn’t give to see this town hoist a championship as high as Key Tower. However, a good team keeps it’s core and stays competitive after winning a title. Of course nobody wants to watch a losing team for 10 years after winning it all, but if that’s the price we have to pay, so be it.

Ohio's premier Russian fan.

by Heavysoviet on Jan 10, 2012 6:32 PM EST reply actions