Jeff DiVeronica

@RocDevo

We live in the past too much . Throwback Thursdays. Flashback Friday. Facebook hits us with memories every other day or so. And if local soccer fans keep living in the past, the future of the pro game in Rochester is doomed. We must stop comparing the atmosphere we felt at jam-packed Frontier Field so regularly in the late 1990s to what Rhinos matches feel like now. I get it. It's depressing. You miss what it was. So do I.

MORE: Rochester Rhinos owners enter second season uncertain of future

But if the Rhinos are ever going to create what second-year owners David and Wendy Dworkin would consider a "sustainable business model," local fans have to forget the past, forget about Frontier, forget about MLS and give the team another try. Yeah, yeah, I know you hoped we'd make to MLS. I know fans feel jilted. But with a $150 million expansion fee, that ship has sailed, so move on.

As for atmosphere in the stadium, it's the chicken-and-egg theory, right?

How can you feel the excitement a big crowd provides if no one shows up? Yet, fans don't want to come to matches if the atmosphere at a mostly empty stadium. Don't tell me about the Rhinos playing "bad soccer." The USL is tougher than ever and the Rhinos always field a contender. They've missed the playoffs once in 21 years.

So here are 10 things I think can help the Rhinos rebuild their brand and fan base. I have gotten a lot of feedback on my Friday story about the team's uncertain future. Would love to year your ideas, too (e-mail jdiveron@gannett.com or comment):

1. Insanely good ticket deals

The cheapest non-group ticket is $15. It's too much, especially if the baseball team two blocks away has $8 seats. So offer deep discounts, creative promotions, anything to get people into the stadium. Five championships in team history, how about a $5 ticket for kids? And don't gouge their parents, either. I'm no math whiz, but isn't $5 earned from a ticket better than $0? Plus, more fans means more money made from concessions.

2. Bring back the dancers

The Rage. The Rhinettes. The Rhinestones. Those were names of the former Rhinos' dance teams, which went away a couple seasons ago. Bring them back. It adds to the fan experience. Let's face it: Sex appeal sells.

3. Grassroots marketing

Social media is a good (and a cheap) strategy, but it doesn't replace high-fiving a kid. During the height of their popularity, the Rhinos would do 90-plus appearances annually. I was told they did 80-plus last year. I'm not buying it. Hire someone or put someone in charge of this and only this: Get 3-5 Rhinos in schools two or three times a week, maybe more, and don't forget to get them to local festivals and youth soccer tournaments. Every handshake helps. Costs nothing.

4. Seek feedback on everything

HOW CAN WE IMPROVE? Make it a prominent part of your website, like a comments/suggestions box at a restaurant. Tweet it. Share it. Do whatever you can to let fans know that you're listening and you want to change for the better. Let them know you care. Make it a weekly contest and to show them you're serious give away an amazing prize. Best suggestion gets a suite for a match (one that would have otherwise been empty).

5. Sell everything

Maximize every revenue stream. "This corner kick is brought to you by (insert sponsor's name/site/number here) ... This goal kick is brought to by ... This throw-in is brought to you by ...." The Red Wings sell every bit of inventory they can. In fact, that foul-ball Comfort Windows jingle is now stuck in my head. Dear soccer purist: Spare me the e-mail. I know you won't like this, just like you don't like T-shirt tosses into the crowd. Boo freaking who. We're trying to save soccer here and make it fun.

6. More fun for kids

Did someone mention fun? I know it's an added expense, but you've gotta have a bounce house, a speed kick area, a face painting station, etc. It's got to be more than just soccer. If you're asking people to spend their hard-earned money at matches, you better help make it fun and make a memory for their kids. Not everyone shows up for the love of the game.

7. Spruce up the stadium

It has to look great. Not good — great. Well-manicured grass and landscaping. Extra equipment like goal posts need to be hidden, out of sight of fans. Finally, for the love of God, buy five really wonderful banners to salute your five championship teams and display them so everyone can see them. The stadium has to look like everything is exactly where the club wants it to be. So still seeing a Western New York Flash sign above the main gate is bad. Buy a can of yellow paint. Paint over it. The windstorm happened in early March, so if that's what damaged the sign above the ticket office, get it fixed — ASAP. It shouldn't still look that way seven weeks later. And those cinder blocks weighing down the posts for the netting behind the scoreboard-side goal, arrange them uniformly, like it's how you want them to look. Details matter. Stadium grounds guru Rob Taylor works his tail off, wearing several hats, but he needs help. Get it for him.

8. Insanely good drink and food specials

The Rhinos run a $2 draft beer promotion for an hour before the match up until 15 minutes before kick-off. Why stop then? Seriously. Why? Why not halftime? You need an edge to get young people who want to make a match part of their evening out. Market the heck out of this. No one is encouraging getting drunk, but stopping this promo 15 minutes before kick-off? When you get really popular and draw 5,000 fans a game, charge $3.50. How about a Dollar-A-Dog Night? The Columbus Crew did (do?) a Buck-A-Brat Night.

9. Party deck, party deck, party deck!

I've said this for more than five years now, maybe longer. Put a riser or platform, it doesn't have to be more than a few feet high, in the open area behind the scoreboard-side goal. Make it a party deck. Make it a place where people hang out and talk and have a drink. A place where they can be seen. I know there's a sideline area the Rhinos are marketing as a "Genesee Brew House Party Deck," but it's super small and no one knows they can go there. One thing the soccer stadium lacks compared to Frontier Field are common areas just for fans to mix. Please try this before the whole thing goes dark.

10. Get local clubs back on board

The Rhinos are offering a $45 youth season ticket. That's terrific. But it's not going to solve a real problem, which is the fear other local youth soccer clubs have of the Rhinos Academy (10 teams/200 players) stealing their players. Really, this is a thing. The adults who run these leagues don't want their kids supporting the pro team in town by going to their matches because, "they're going to lure our players away." Really, this is a thing. Actually, the divisiveness in our soccer community on many levels — and you short-sighted folks know who you are, look in the mirror — is the No. 1 reason we are where we are. So, go ahead and keep acting that way and then there won't be any pro teams left in Rochester. For the first decade or so everyone worked together to help make the Rhinos one of the greatest sports teams we had here. Now sadly and selfishly more people work against them.