Their share in the SUM Revenue and MLS itself doesn't decline if they were relegated. Salaries are paid by the league. Ticket revenue is shared. I don't think it's doom and gloom on the financial front by being relegated (assuming MLS ran the "League 2")Originally Posted by Ajax TFC
Can't see D1 teams accepting D2 having the same share. And God help MLS if there was no NY or LA team in the 1st division. Sponsorship is tied to location ratings here in North America.
No, they are far more likely to go with the National/American baseball or football approach then to pro/rel.
Well legally, the current MLS teams that were relegated would still have the same share in MLS. Operating a franchise gets you a share in MLS, the value of which really isn't up for negotiation.
So, the only difference would the schedule - which teams you play against?
And bragging rights.
That's all it's about. You think people in Fort Lauderdale will party any less, and the players any less, if they win the NASL title this year?
Pookie's right; the finances are all centrally controlled. They can ensure dropoffs don't drastically hurt the relegated team.
I see a lot of the same "they won't go for it", but no one explaining why. Again, simply saying "they had to accept it" is not a critique.
Also, America has a tax shelter system that allows a parent to write off costs against just about any subsidiary, so as long as the owner is already rich, there's almost no downside to owning a team that either makes a couple of million or loses a couple. You either make money or take a tax writedown against one of your other entities.
Most of the critiques assume that because MLS pursued a structural league model the same as other North American sports, its financial direction is also the same. But that's not the case; without major TV revenue, there simply aren't 'major losses" from going down a div. You might go from losing a million to a million-five.... or you make money, because your salary budget is cut by half, because you release most of the MLS-wage level players.
We're talking small economic margins to most of these guys.
But what it does do is give both leagues a chance to make money off of the end of the season. It's extra playoff series, and it makes every LOSS count as much as every win, rather than the season effectively being over with many games left for some teams.
Last edited by jloome; 05-04-2015 at 04:09 PM.
I have no idea. I know that doesn't work in other sports - someone won the International League World Series (or whatever they call the championship) last year and I guess they partied in whatever city it was and for all I know the games were on a local TV station but it certainly didn't make the ESPN highlights. the Marlies have gone deep into the playoffs in recent years but no one in Toronto celebrates. I imagine if Toronto had a NASL team and they won a championship there would be a party but I'm not sure the rest of the city would notice. It might like the Argos winning the Grey Cup.
But it may very well work in soccer. I'm coming around to the idea that soccer is separate from the other sports in North America. It may actually have more in common with NCAA sports which do have a kind of pyramid and almost pro-reg systems. So it might work.
I see a few other problems with promotion/relegation, most stemming from the perception. MLS is viewed as the top league in Canada/US, NASL is below it.
*perception. People want to watch the best. This already hurts us compared to other, better leagues. When a team gets relegated, they are no longer in the best league in Canada/US. That will certainly bleed some fans, and likely affect TV. Does NBC or whoever want to broadcast a second tier game on the main channel in a good time slot? Unlikely.
*What happens when one of the big market teams gets relegated? A real possibilty in a "parity" league. Is the MLS going to risk the Galaxy or a New York team getting relegated?
*To the above point, this league is actively expanding, and expansion teams generally suck. NYCFC and/or Orlando could easily get regulated in their first year, as could other expansion teams. Do you protect them? For how long.
*DP's. Is Giovinco, Kaka, Lampard, Gerrard, Villa, etc going to play second division football in North America? Maybe if the paycheck stays the same, but I have to think that you are going to start seeing relegation release/trade clauses being injected and DP's leaving. Which also affects the marketability of the big market teams.
Also, as an aside, I'm on the MLS Supporters Council, and the recent survey (this morning) asked people if they could pick one trophy for their team to win, what would it be? Currently, 8% say Shield, 35% say CCL, and 58% say MLS cup. Not sure overall numbers, but it's clear that SS is bottom of the pile in priority, and MLS Cup is top,
Promotion and relegation in US sports leagues are flat out not gonna happen. Get over it. At best, we'll get something like baseball and hockey's farm teams with call-ups and sending down (which we are already seeing happen with MLS clubs). This is our version of soccer in Canada and the US, so let's make the best of it and enjoy.
Playoffs are not a bad way to end the season and determine the champion, although I do agree that it would be nice if they were a touch more exclusive (although having half the league make it in doesn't seem to take away from the NHL or NBA playoff excitement).
Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote