The Red Bull Solution to YSA

Major League Soccer does not like it when the league's various supporters groups yell "you suck asshole," YSA for short, at the opposing team's goalkeeper during goal kicks.

This disdain has manifested itself in things like last year's Fortgate and, more recently, attempts by the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake to eliminate popular-yet-moronic the chant, with RSL's gaining some notoriety because of its heavy handedness.

Relevant to our purposes, in a letter from last week, the Red Bulls made roughly the same threats RSL did (h/t Dan Dickinson), but with a twist. According to the Twitter account of Mark Fishkin -- one of the two guys behind the Seeing Red podcast -- the Red Bulls are willing to take their efforts a step further: They're offering $500 for the South Ward's tifo fund for every game supporters don't call the opposing team's keeper an asshole and tells him he sucks. The money will be released in $2,000 increments, meaning the supporters end will have to eliminate the chant at four games at a time to get the money.

It's actually a pretty good idea coming from a front office that's notoriously befit of good ideas.

Instead of going with the New England Revolution method of just indiscriminately throwing people out or Real Salt Lake's "cut it out or else" strategy, the Red Bulls are trying to incentivize the behavior they want. People like tifo and the South Ward's "Revenge is Here" display was one of the best this season, regardless of team. With more money, the supporters can do more displays and Don Garber can be happy that YSA and "other foul language chants" are gone and presumably can turn his attention to other, far more important things.

Of course, there are still consequences should the South Ward fail to cooperate -- though those seem to have come from the league and not the front office -- but the important thing is there's a carrot at the end of the stick. That's miles better than the other attempts around the league.