Sleepwalking and the Complete Failure of the Marketing Department

Friday a guy at my gym asked me if I was planning on going to today's game. I said that yes, I was, because there were only two games left and I had no reason to save my money. He said that he was going, too, but only to "maintain his anger at the team." That's about right. Sport's apathetic play has made all of us angry, and there was no reason to think that today's game would be different.

It's been a long time since Sport has had anything to play for. The team secured itself against relegation a week or two ago, but there was never any question that the team wouldn't stay in the Série A. Sport never really had a shot at winning the Brasileirão, either. The last two months have been full of meaningless games. So, of course, Sport has kept ticket prices as high as they were immediately after the Copa do Brasil victory. What kind of an idiot (other than me, of course) would pay R$30 to watch a disinterested team play because the game is on the schedule and the players are obligated to take the field? Whatever kind of idiot (other than me) that is, there aren't many in the category. Only 13,000 people went to see Sport play Atlético Mineiro this afternoon, down from the 25,000 to 30,000 that were going to games back when they meant something. It doesn't take a genius to see that Sport plays better when the stadium is full, and the same non-genius can also easily perceive that it's easier to fill a stadium for an unimportant game if the tickets are cheap. So why would Sport's marketing department (this is what marketing departments do, right?) decide to price the tickets as if the game were important? In general, Sport is a very well-run team, but this was a real failure on the part of the management.

Sport made some half-hearted attempts at attacking in the first half. The players didn't seem very interested, and Atlético never looked threatening. Sport left the field to well-deserved jeers and whistles. Ciro came on for Carlinhos Bala when the teams came back onto the field. The second half started the way the first ended, and then got worse. Sport couldn't do anything right. Ciro, the young forward who is going to conquer the world, was a joke. When he wasn't offside, he was dribbling the ball straight to a defender, or kicking it out of bounds when there was a teammate open. I was ready to come home and write that Ciro isn't the future star that I had thought he was, and then he scored two goals. First, in the 37th minute of the second half, Durval dribbled past a defender and scored on a low shot into the corner. Durval! He looked like an assured forward, not a central defender. Then Ciro scored on a rebound from Roger's shot, and then again when Roger gave him a good pass. Maybe Ciro is a future star after all. Sport certainly didn't deserve a 3-0 score, and probably didn't even deserve the win, but Atlético didn't play well enough to deserve a tie, either, so I can't can't complain about the result.

Sandro Goiano returned to the lineup and played with purpose. The three defenders, Durval, Igor, and César, all played well, even if they didn't have a whole lot to do. Fábio Gomes was his normal self -- present but nothing extraordinary on defense, and always ready to pass the ball sideways or backwards. Márcio Goiano was a revelation on the left side. Objectively speaking, he wasn't spectacular, but he had never impressed me before and this afternoon he was good. Sidny, on the right, was nothing short of rancid. He was bad in every way possible, and if there was any error he didn't make it was only because he didn't get the chance. His contract with Sport runs until July of 2009, but I hope Sport can find someone to take him off their hands. He played like a man who did not want to remain with the team.

Fumagalli was the supporters' hero when he left in June of 2007. He had helped Sport win two consecutive state championships and promotion to the Série A. Sport sold him to a team in Qatar for a nice amount, and it looked like his 18-month passage with Sport had been beneficial for both. Since his return (for free), he hasn't shown much of anything, and the supporters are losing patience with him. He hurt his back while training with the team, and it seems like he hasn't played much. Looking at his statistics, he has actually appeared 16 times this year, but none of those appearances were memorable. Usually he has been competent, but not the star that people expected. Today he was atrocious. I have heard whispers that his back injury is worse than he and the team are letting on. Something is wrong, and he needs to work it out quickly. This has not been a happy homecoming for him.

Carlinhos Bala wasn't particularly bad, but he wasn't particularly good, either. He needs a rest. He doesn't have the speed, or the acceleration, that he used to have. He can't get free of the defense to get his shot off, and he hasn't offered the team anything in the last two months. He is still better than Enílton (which isn't a compliment), but that might not be enough to stay with the team. His loan ends at the end of the season, and Sport might not be interested in renewing with him. Roger was decent today. Nothing extraordinary, he still hasn't learned how to trap the ball, but he dribbled better than I knew he could, passed well, and helped the team. He'll never be anything special, but competent is better than Sport has had in a while.

Kássio took Fumagalli's place in the second half, and the improvement was dramatic. Kássio is good and getting better, and he and Ciro will play a large part in Sport's future (until some European team buys them for peanutes). Kássio is still slow, but he is creative and his passes created chances, something that cannot be said for anything that Fumagalli did this afternoon. Júnior Maranhão also made an appearance, but he didn't distinguish himself.

It was nice to see a 3-0 win, but saving the money and staying home would have been nicer. There's one more home game left this year, and I'll be there. It will be expensive, and meaningless, but I'll be there. Sport can count on suckers like me.