This is all fair, but I'm not sure I would compare baseball and football players that have grown up in the US with international soccer players. The baseball and football players often do live outside of city limits, but they've been living in the states their whole lives. While some of them may not have actually lived in the city, they have an understanding of what it's all about. Additionally, for those two sports, they typically go where they are offered the most money, not necessarily are looking at where they would like to live the most (I'm sure there are exceptions to this). So I think for these guys, state taxes and everything else you pointed out I bet are much more in play.
I know this is why Pirlo loved it here. He was able to walk the streets and just be a normal person. His family wasn't constantly being harassed when they would do simple things like go to the stores or to dinners and that lifestyle appeals to a lot of players who wouldn't have those opportunities in European markets.
I've been of the mind set that after Aguero's new extension runs out, he'll have a pit stop here for a season or two before retirement. (Especially if they don't bring in another big name player to put butts in seats in the next two years.) Cavani is an interesting case. He's still very useful to European sides and has been a goal a game player in France. Wonder if CFG would entice him and say "Come play at City for a season or two, get a few more deep CL runs in, try to help us win, then go play for NYC after." Could become a very interesting situation. Greizmann is going to Miami. That's been the worst kept secret in all of soccer.
I see your point in regards to the mid range players making in that salary range, but there are ways around it that people don't think of, one being marketing. I'm sure at this point everyone has seen the Etihad Airways commercials being played when Mata, Lewis and I think Wallace (Could be wrong on that last one) are running around Abu Duabi and jump back on the plane. That isn't a NYCFC commercial, that's an Etihad Airways commercial, and I'm sure they were compensated generously for it. This happens for multiple players across leagues in every sport, especially in the hard salary cap sports/leagues such as MLS and NHL (Where this happens a lot more frequently.) They tell a player "Come here, take a few thousand/million less than your worth and get the endorsements that come with it." Sure, some are self made endorsements, but most are facilitated through the team to help compensate that player accordingly. It's how teams can get around it and they do get around it. So if taxes/cost of living was truly a reason as to why they wouldn't want to come here, and their agent made that a known factor, I'm 100% positive NYCFC and CFG would get that person endorsements up the wazoo to get them here because it's a easy way to do so.
lol all you do is toss out generalities.
I see your point and agree with the fact that the biggest name players in the game don't need the biggest cities in the world. But that's not really the point at hand. The point at hand is being the more midrange players. You're correct where I think a Meram or a Martinez would have more name recognition in the smaller cities they are in, but I don't think that would quickly equate to more money, since the large adverts won't be looking to them. What it really comes down to is CFG's ability to offer more concrete income in different ways than other teams. Yes, in NYC, they would be a medium fish in a ocean. But CFG are megalodons in a lake compared to the marketing opportunities that are available to them, so again, I don't see the taxes or cost of living being an issue because of the alternative revenue sources that come with playing for a CFG club.
They're the official tire for MLS. Same company has ads with Tobin heath, Clint Dempsey, AO, a Chicago Fire supporter, and Lalas.
I think there's a lot of assumptions in there for which I don't see evidence. I almost never see our guys in any kind of promotion unless I was made aware of it by the team itself. And I do not share your high opinion of CFG's capabilities -- specifically in New York -- based on their performance so far. They're by no means incompetent but they're not especially stellar either. But we're at the point where we're both probably beyond actual knowledge and facts so agree to disagree.
I know. I actually like their ads and kind of follow them.
Agreed that we are past the knowledge point and into speculation for most of it. Interesting tidbit, not sure if it helps one way or another, but I was recently at a CFG organized event last weekend and spoke to a couple of CFG employees (Guys that have a ear to the ground but don't have a viable stake in sugar coating so they tell it like it is mostly) and they brought up an interesting point. CFG actually care about NYCFC to a very high degree, which is why they are so stubborn on getting their own coaches and systems in apposed to other CFG owned teams. From what I could gather, they view NYCFC on a higher tier than all their other clubs, MCFC withstanding. They want to be able to use NYCFC as a success story for both club and players to help grow their global reach on players. Again, this part is hear-say and take it with a grain of salt, but they did also tell me that MLS has privately fined CFG for roster tampering with the way they managed a lot of loans and rule bending in season 1, so I'm sure that also plays a part into how CFG have changed operating procedures within the Western Hemisphere.
I'm actually not surprised by this. I've heard about the NYC priority before. I just think they were caught flat-footed by the Atlanta and LAFC success (in part due to rule changes others noted but also because Blank disrupted the entire MLS business model) and haven't adjusted properly yet. I also think the stadium situation turned sour in ways that neither MLS, CFG or the Yankees anticipated, probably due to De Blasio's hard line. I also think they might have underestimated how hard it is to break through in NYC
