MLS rejects media rights deal tied to Pro/Rel
- Thread starter LeeNYCFC
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LionNYC You're doing a terrible job of shit stirring on the r/MLS subbreddit. Up your trolling game bro.
You want some trolling?
The only way Silva makes it to MLS is via pro/rel. His THE Miami FC team may have beaten Home Depot United in the US Open Cup. They may even go all the way and win the damn thing. (But I am rooting for FCC). But that doesn't mean MLS should have the possibility of two damn teams in Miami when they can't even get one off the ground first. We already have Beckham in a bullshit lawsuit. You think we need those popping up all over the country when a team gets promoted to MLS? And you think American soccer would have the infrastructure to support promotion of ridiculous Division 2 teams by 2023? WRONG! You think MLS would let the Cosmos play an MLS match on Coney Island in a Triple A baseball stadium? Is it even Triple A? Pro/Rel is bullshit in this country. The tears of Pro/rel believers are so sweet. Oh, America can't be a real soccer country until we have pro/rel. They can suck on The Soccer Don's schlong. They said in England imagine if Chelsea were relegated last year. Well imagine if the Cowboys were relegated. Jerry World would fucking clear out in a heartbeat. And selling your media rights when we don't even know what TV will look like in 7 years is bonkers. MLS matches could only be watched using VAR headsets where you have the angle of the referee when Simon Borg and his robots to cover all the games yell at you constantly about the fouls. THAT WAS A PENALTY!
And the subreddit isn't about trolling, bro. It's to point out good points. Considering this was a business thread. I wanted to post the business decision that makes logical sense.
Just a friendly suggestion... switch to decaf. Nobody here wants you to croak pitchside at such a tender age.
I don't drink coffee and have removed caffeine from my liquid consumption. But I appreciate the suggestion. My volume doesn't go above medium any of times during the week. So it's only 17-20 days a year when it's EXTREMELY LOUD.
So long as you stay healthy enough to check the Moss brothers when we play the Red Bulls...
Agree on everything except your decision not to drink coffee.
Financial stability, roster stability, market stability are a stronger business model than pro/rel. And in the long run I expect better on-field product (for our league, not saying we'll outplay Barcelona) out of those factors too.
Our product is differentiated by clock and calendar. We can also be differentiated by business model. These are all positives to me in terms of the strength and marketability of the league and the clubs.
I'd say I'm 2 for 2 with incidents with them and will not let that streak end ever. I'm not sitting right near them for the final match at RBA. But I'm sure they'll make their way over to me somehow.
I believe Pro/Rel just can't work right now. The infrastructure just can't support the system. The league is still in a state of expansion that is how have been adding more teams. I believe teams like FCC and Sacramento should be MLS sides because of their fan base and how the club is being promoted. But these teams are outliers in USL and NASL;
Attendance is crap in the lower tier compared to other countries (ie. The Championship) We need to keep growing the game and that takes a hell of a long time.
The Cosmos play in a short season single A ballpark and average just under 5,000 people a match this year MLS does not want. FCC average just under 20,000 that is a must have that would be 13th in the MLS. Smart expansion is how we can grow the league not Pro/Rel that could kill a team and we can't have that right now. More high teams in more places striving to grow a marketable product to one day play in MLS through expansion is what we should want. That will pay dividends down the line for years to come and maybe in another 20 years when we have 10-15 viable MLS caliber fan bases in the second tier than maybe Pro/Rel may work. Having only 2 teams is just a non starter
Sorry rant over Pro/Rel is just one of those issues that just bug me
Attendance is crap in the lower tier compared to other countries (ie. The Championship) We need to keep growing the game and that takes a hell of a long time.
The Cosmos play in a short season single A ballpark and average just under 5,000 people a match this year MLS does not want. FCC average just under 20,000 that is a must have that would be 13th in the MLS. Smart expansion is how we can grow the league not Pro/Rel that could kill a team and we can't have that right now. More high teams in more places striving to grow a marketable product to one day play in MLS through expansion is what we should want. That will pay dividends down the line for years to come and maybe in another 20 years when we have 10-15 viable MLS caliber fan bases in the second tier than maybe Pro/Rel may work. Having only 2 teams is just a non starter
Sorry rant over Pro/Rel is just one of those issues that just bug me
Pro/Reg would never work here. Its not even really a mainstream sport yet in America. Smart expansion and relocation is the key to sustaining the league. Other than that, media deals and free agency will grow the league. They need to find a way to make it more accessible to all without compromising financial stability. A packed soccer specific NYC stadium would help the league greatly. Hopefully LA does well and that would help greatly as well. I know that the media offer is 4 times the amount now, but I'd have to think that MLS media rights would be much higher anyway in 2023 regardless. Definitely a smart move not to even entertain it.
I would love to have the pro/rel system here but have to agree with everything NickA said. Implementing this here would require a much larger fan base than we have and may have in the foreseeable future but also requires a cultural change in sports here. Most casual fans would probably find pro/rel system bizarre. Also why we have playoffs. Leagues here are just expected to follow the norms and pro/rel isn't one of them.
Totally agree, that doesn't stop me from trolling the pro/rel people.
The people who want to run the sport that way are ultimately a small, if very loud, part of the overall targeted fanbase for US Soccer. Lets put it this way, they are in a distinct minority on r/mls. In order to post/read on r/mls the overwhelming odds are that you're what most sporting organizations would consider to be a die hard fan.
If only a minority of the die hard fans want something that would cause billions of dollars worth of disruption and introduce instability into your system, whats the point?
New fans don't care about pro/rel at all, I'd wager a fair majority of them would find it strange and off-putting, and those are the kind of people you want to attract to games. You want more new people if you want a shot at growing the league.
Pro-rel would be incredible in baseball here.
It can't work in soccer in the US, along with a huge list of other reasons, as long as free agency and movement of players is incredibly restricted.
It can't work in soccer in the US, along with a huge list of other reasons, as long as free agency and movement of players is incredibly restricted.
And playoffs work here. That's what turns the casual observer into a fan.
Exactly this!! Baseball has had the time to build the infrastructure, fan base etc just as soccer has done in England and the rest of the world.
As much as it pains me to say, I couldn't agree more. Maybe one day this will change but I don't think it will be in my lifetime.
For the record, it's worth pointing out that the reason MLS rejected this proposal is because the current rights holders have a period of exclusivity which means that they have to turn down a repeated bid before anyone else is allowed to submit an alternative bid for rights. Although it's highly likely it would be turned down anyway, pro/rel is not the reason MLS shot this idea down, and if the exclusivity period ever ends it's entirely possible this offer could appear again.
I have to assume Silva knew this as well, and made the proposal (and leaked it) to build support and give MLS plenty of time to consider how they might go about this.
That said, there's a 99.9% chance Silva makes the offer again in 2022 and MLS quickly replies "still no."
I can't imagine mls collecting four 150+ million dollar expansion fees from expansion clubs with the possibility of relegation to USL. You have some cheap ass owners like Bob Kraft that would be 100% against pro/rel because they are fine not having to actually field a competitive team and still profit.
A lot of questions between now and 2022.
How many teams are in MLS then?
How many well supported teams are in the USL/NASL?
How are US players performing in MLS?
How did the US do in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups?
What is the salary cap/payment structure like in 2022?
Is a world cup coming to the US in 2026?
I could see Pro/Rel greatly helping with casual fans of soccer (ones that don't even follow Euro leagues) because it is gonna create a level of intrigue that is not seen in any other US sport. At the moment, I am adamant against it. I likely still am in 2022. But I am not completely closed off to the idea how many of the MLS media seem to be.
How many teams are in MLS then?
How many well supported teams are in the USL/NASL?
How are US players performing in MLS?
How did the US do in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups?
What is the salary cap/payment structure like in 2022?
Is a world cup coming to the US in 2026?
I could see Pro/Rel greatly helping with casual fans of soccer (ones that don't even follow Euro leagues) because it is gonna create a level of intrigue that is not seen in any other US sport. At the moment, I am adamant against it. I likely still am in 2022. But I am not completely closed off to the idea how many of the MLS media seem to be.
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