Now is the time for all good TFC supporters to come to the aid of their capo.
Toronto FC is running a Dream Job contest, seeking a soccer fan to become “the face of the club and showcase their skills in front of the camera by conducting player interviews and being on web and television.”
Essentially, that means taking over for Andi Petrillo. She did exactly that for a year or two, and has since moved on to Hockey Night in Canada. Petrillo was not loved by TFC supporters, who found her – frankly – fluffy.
And now that she’s gone, perhaps the single most mad and passionate of all Toronto FC’s rabid red supporters is squarely in the race to replace her.
Even if you’ve never heard of Bobby Brasz, you’ve certainly heard Bobby Brasz.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
He’s the loony with the megaphone, leaping and fist-pumping on the wooden capo stand in front of Section 113 at BMO Field. Bobby fires U-Sector into a frenzy, sending songs and chants, anguish and angst soaring into the chilly lakefront air.
Bobby knows everyone by name. Bobby hugs everyone before every game. And Bobby desperately wants to win his Dream Job.
He was doing great off the start. After a few days, he stood second only to some poor doomed so-and-so with “Impact” in his nickname – as if anyone with any verbal link to That Team in Montreal (apparently accidental, but still unforgivable) would ever have a chance here.
But then came The Night Of The Leggy Blonde Things.
Overnight – and out of nowhere – slim, light-haired young women with media degrees started getting hundreds of votes, even though no one connected with the supporters had ever heard of them.
Sure, I get it. New to the business, brutal job market, you do what you do etcetera so there. No crime there. We were all doing exactly the same thing for Bobby.
But the burdensome message was clear: TFC needs a media type here, and leggy and blonde won’t hurt.
Well, the support rallied, and we all got Bobby through to the next round. He then created an impassioned video for himself, and is still in the running – along with an ever-growing legion of Leggy Blonde Things.
Now, to be fair and honest, Bobby is not what you’d call traditional media material. He’s not just rough around the edges, he’s jagged. Oh, a sweet, sweet teddy bear to be sure – but jagged. He says and does exactly what he feels, purely and instantaneously.
The man can fire multiple F-bombs through a megaphone in tight, confined spaces like nobody’s business. He is unlikely to be anybody’s choice at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to step into the Petrillo slot.
All the more reason to vote for him, yes?
Any and everyone is entitled to vote once every 24 hours, times however many computers you have access to. There are three possible voting days left before the finalists are announced, this Friday at 5 PM.
Last Wednesday, in the run-in to the ‘Dome game, I caught Bobby away from his megaphone long enough to ask him why he wants to do this? My fear – reasonably – is that MLSE would sharply limit what he could say – and how he could say it. His answer was simple – almost heart-breakingly so.
The fella needs a job. The fella needs to pay his rent.
And who the heck am I to argue with that?
I’ve been voting steadily for Bobby throughout, and will continue to do so. It’s not for me – I’ve come to realize – to guess in advance what The Suits might do to Our Bobby.
But I will throw down a challenge to The Suits.
Once you’ve got your Leggy Blonde Thing – hire Bobby anyway. Give him a spot. Give him a slot. Don’t clean him up – much. No F-bombs, sure, but Bobby is a character’s character, and you’ll never get a finer, purer, more honest representative of the true spirit of the TFC support.
This guy works his throat off, has been there from the beginning, and will be there till the end. When he sings “Toronto Till I Die,” he means it. And he makes sure the rest of us mean it, too.
He’s exactly as far removed from a Leggy Blonde Thing as MLSE will ever get, and it would be amazing if they’d be brave – and bold – enough to take this challenge on.
Regardless of whether he wins this contest, Bobby Brasz deserves a shot at representing the club he loves.
Let’s all vote early and often, and demand he be given the chance.
Onward!