Garber Speaks To Prem Bosses

Yeah, I read the article. Garber's an idiot. He still hasn't realized that soccer is closer to college football than the NFL, NBA, or MLB.

College Football has grass-roots support and its fans have expectations based upon their team's relative standing. i.e., Only a dozen or so teams have real expectations for the national championship. For most others, it's doing better than last year and beating key rivals. Additionally, the ability of an NCAAF program to recruit players is heavily impacting by how well the team has done recently, just like in soccer (outside the USA). There is no draft - the players go where they want to go.

We need a new commish; Garber's taken us as far as he can.

 

Well, that's one way of looking at it.

Sorta like upside down, between your legs, with a mirror.. but whatever.

I think he was really advocating the NFL system for them.
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NOTE: I split the topic to separate from distinct DC United idiocies... And forgot to include the text from the OP. That's why the quote in top post.

 

Mod's on Acid??

Sounds like a big PR stunt. Europe does not give a shit about Garber's business model, and arguably no one cares half as much about it as Garber.

One good point, it's like (or at least alot of the fans COULD be similar in many ways) college football. But more so on the other side of the pond.

When's last time anyone questioned or had a meaningful discussion of the college footbal league structure? Discussions of the bowling process yes (not unlike the discussion of Champions League in many ways), but the league, no. Fans don't care, and schools (owners) don't care because the fans don't care. Fat and happy is beautiful sometimes.

 

What league structure are you referring to, the conferences?

 

See what I mean. I think it is called the CFA.

 

WB: you got it half-right. Europe doesnt give a shit about the MLS model.. or Garber. But almost every year there's some looks at how the NFL operates.
For those guys, it's either Salary Caps or a new SuperLeague.

And the only thing relevant to NCAA College football is the blind allegiances of fans and their, often unreasonable, expectations. But that aint gonna pay the wages, is it?

 

Well, that will pay some of them. Blind allegiance makes you buy silly-stupid stuff, like shirts with another man's name on it.

TV would be the other revenue stream (which Garber obviously knows fuck-all about taking advantage of) of similarity. And bowls (and their payout) are comparable to playing in cups. I see many similarities, more so than NFL.

 

Nope. Searched for CFA and did not find anything. Apparently I made this up. Maybe its just the all encompassing NCAA.

 

USED to be a CFA... Then it became the BCS, less obtrusive and just able to stay under the radar in many issues.

apparently WB is ignoring the political situation and/or doesnt think it matters.

Once it become the USE, or whatever, the "big four" are gone. THEN the current FA will really be interested in the NFL (and maybe MLS) model.

Sometimes I guess you not only have to connect the dots... you have to number them, too.

 

Crayons and pictures are helpful as well.

As Fog said, Champions League ends any cap discussions unless you can get Spain, Italy, and probably Germany to follow suit. That or the big clubs create their own Champions/Super League.

Garber has the fortune of very few people caring about the Cup competitions so it doesn't matter if the cap restricts their ability to compete (if it even does).

As for NCAA football, are we talking about the conferences or the divisions in leagues (formerly 1-A, 1-AA, 2, 3, etc)? I wouldn't say it's not an issue conference wise, you just had the ACC expand and the Big East realign fairly recently. Teams are able to move up through the various leagues as well and many have done so in the last decade (UCF, USF, Fla Atl, Troy, N.Tex, etc).

 

One of Garber's points is that fans prefer there being parity, that THEIR team has a chance to (theoretically) play in the title game each year. That's the model that the NFL and NBA have but College Football proves that it's not even close to being a showstopper for the fans.

There are scores of colleges across the country who have huge, vocal fan support but have zero chance of winning the national championship. Just like footy fans in Europe, they support their team in context of its capabilities. Fulham fans are ecstatic to qualify for Europe and have ZERO expectations of making it in even the top four. Maryland fans are loud and boisterous, but know the terps have no chance of winning the national championship - beating WVU is what matters.

I guess my point is that Garber's business model is based on a completely inaccurate assumption about fan behavior.

 

touche'!

But don't you know that Garber is brilliant!? At least that is what his wife reminds him every morning.

 

Good point, but do you attribute the NFL surpassing MLB in popularity and revenue to it's being more competitive? Or to a preference in the given sport and it's presentation?

 

A massive elephant in the room to Garber and people here and elsewhere on the information superhighway, is the element of relocation as a means of survival in the USA.

If a sports team is losing money here, the owner either a) sells or b) moves the team to greener pastures. Usually, choice "b" is because a stadium or arena will be financed by the new tax base and can make the team "profitable".

Sports don't operate like that elsewhere, except for maybe back in East Germany.

If a team in the EPL or La Liga or wherever loses lots of money, tough shit -- they go into administration or are bought by Saudis.

Despite being batshit crazy, you're not seeing Berlusconi demanding AC Milan move to Venice or Rome because his team is losing loads of money off not owning their stadium. Same with Everton, Liverpool, and even Fulham to some extent whose stadium's are "too small to compete".

So yea, the MLS model is profitable. But we've also seen two teams fold, one relocate, and several others (DC, San Jose, KC) rumored/angling to move over stadium issues. Not to mention others (NY, Dallas, Chicago, etc) that play 10-30+ miles away from their "home", and it hasn't even been 20 years.

 

What seems to be the prevailing opinion in this country. Here's a link. But let's not hijack this thread.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=1731732

 

MLS sharing with the FA how they run their league?

I dont know that anything more needs to be said - I am 100% sure that everyone is doing the exact thing I did:

Chuckle, Roll Eyes....

Next!

 

Not EVERYONE.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/blog.php ... f02&b=6827

Just everyone with more than a parochial understanding of the World's Most Beautiful Game.

 

Wow - a blog from big soccer that said something I agree with. It's a miracle!