Take it for what you will, but it'd be pretty cool. Barca thought of doing the same but withdrew when the economy tanked.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-ma...ed-571259.html
Rumour - EPL team to set up MLS franchise in Atlanta
Take it for what you will, but it'd be pretty cool. Barca thought of doing the same but withdrew when the economy tanked.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-ma...ed-571259.html
Atlanta - the city where professional sports franchises go to die. Why MLS would ever want to expand here is beyond me. Even Miami would be a better location.
Problably because it's the largest market in the U.S. without an MLS team, located in the southeast of the country where the league has no presence. Other than that...Originally Posted by tfcleeds
TORONTO FC, 2017 MLS CHAMPIONS!!! (Still the greatest in league history!)
Atlanta is one of the fastest growing metros in the US so it is indeed a city that MLS should explore. Not sure how much interest for soccer exists but from a business standpoint, it makes sense.
See -> HOCKEY.
IMO the regardless of the markets, some sports just won't cut it down there.
exactly....for some moronic reason Americans think LARGE POPULATION = SPORTS SUCCESS....it's about DEMOGRAPHICS!!!!
All that aside, Atlanta is a horrible sports city. Falcons are the only team that draw half decently besides Georgia Tech football. Braves - perhaps when they are doing well. Hawks and Thrashers could leave tomorrow and no one would care.
I think it would be a mistake for MLS to put a team there.
NASCAR and football? You got it. Anything else? Atlantans likely won't care.
Last edited by tfcleeds; 07-16-2010 at 10:51 AM.
+1
Miami would be a much better choice. At least you have a better chance with all the hispanic population.
^ deja vu
The point I was going to make. It's not like they have a void there for sports interest it's just different than the big four/five that are commonly successful. Atl is big and has plenty of sports they like. Just bad sports.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
An Atlanta based MLS franchise would have to be an immediate, perennial, championship contender just to have a chance at filling half of their stadium on a consistent basis...
wouldn't it work with a better stadium that would be right in Miami? i wasn't following MLS back then but I know attendance was very low.
Miami is a poor sports city as well - but given the demographics of the metro area, its probably a wiser choice than Atlanta. Lots of S. American diaspora in Miami.
Miami already had a MLS team, they didn't want it.
but...national coverage
*is the reason why hamilton, winnipeg and quebec city don't have nhl teams but atlanta, phoenix, and nashville do*
at least its not Cleveland
Not to totally derail this thread, but there are a million hilarious Cleveland-sucks videos on youtube. I reccomend the 'great moments in Cleveland sports history' and the Rock's song about Cleveland.
'A team from England's Premier League is considering starting a Major League Soccer expansion franchise and Atlanta is one of the cities it would scout as a possible home'
Now this begs the question who in the EPL has the cash (right now) to start up a franchise in the States and which other cities are being looked at besides Atlanta.
This could work out well for MLS if Atlanta is indeed the home of a new MLS franchise with support from an EPL side.
It puts a club in a market that MLS wants without much effort from the league and is backed by a EPL club so even if the EPL club pulls the plug on it after a few years MLS can either salvage the club and keep the market or say the EPL side didn't do a good job of marketing the club.
It will be interesting to see where else this EPL club looks for a hame. I can only think of a few other places: Miami (again), Cleveland (again), San Antonio (again), Cincinnati, Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (again), and NYC (again).
Other than that I can't see a whle lot of other locations.....I wonder if they may consider putting a club in.....TORONTO!
Have they updated the video that claimed that their economy was based off of LeBron James.
How about an MLS team in.....Scarborough
...say what you want, but it's obviously a Canadian hotbed for soccer amongst youth, and a good chunk of our Canadian talent comes directly from there. I would expand up Birchmount Stadium or something the like and throw in another MLS franchise in the GTA largest market.
Would love to have a CSL team in Scarborough.
Contrary to the popular beliefs of most Man U fans, the Man U has the funds...debt to value is less than 2/3s of the franchise. Man U's cash flow alone is more than enough to keep it viable. Unfortunately, Man U fans don't understand proportions and just see a big price tag on debt, so they think it's actually a problem. But for the value of the club, it's peanuts. They're in better shape than 90% of the OECD right now...
By comparison the 'fiscally responsible' Arsenal is at about 113% debt to value.
Chelsea might have the cash too...
Hardly any prem team makes money so I don't know which team is willing to take on this venture. The prem is like the NBA, a badly run, financially disastrous league.
Okay, so going off on that little tid bit which one would be interested in starting a MLS club in....Atlanta?
I don't think either one would be and, again, the article said Atlanta is ONE of the CITIES being considered.
With that said let me put this into the pot.
When Beckham was given the opprotunity to purchase or won a franchise in MLS. WHAT IF...Beckham and Man U got together and purchased the 2nd NY club...NY Red Devils. Hmmmm.
How about a USL Indoor club in Mississauga?
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/...100721025/1007
The teams that are set up to make money do make money. The teams that are "financially disastrous" are set up to be the play-things for billionaires - they're looking for glory, not profit.
Those two teams are great.
I would think St. Louis, Edmonton, Ottawa, Miami, Oklahoma, and Mars Base 10482 would be better than Atlanta.
With due respect having some debt on hand to finance a stadium like The Emirates is a lot different then owing monies to hedge funds and having to issue bonds to settle some of those more pressing debts. Man u fans are well pissed off at the Glazers for good reason.
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