Expansion Rumors Megathread

FootyLovin said:
One other question: How many owners would have to vote to put pro/rel in place? Simple majority? Unanimous consent? If majority you'd only need 17 of 32 owners (or 15 of 28) to agree. That means you only need a limited number of owners to think they would gain from the deal (and never or rarely be relegated). Unanimous consent on the other hand would be very tough.
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It would have to be unanimous otherwise the owners voting no will have to be bought out. And there's zero chance MLS owners are going to payout billions of dollars just for the opportunity in the pro/rel system to lose 20% - 90% of their franchise value.
 
Gazza_55 said:
It would have to be unanimous otherwise the owners voting no will have to be bought out. And there's zero chance MLS owners are going to payout billions of dollars just for the opportunity in the pro/rel system to lose 20% - 90% of their franchise value.
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Thanks for the info. With unanimous vote requirement I don't see it happening.
 
Re: Pro/Rel, imagine if NYC and LA got relegated and Podunk and Peoria got promoted. What a joke of a league it would be with 2 of the dominant cities in the country and the world in the minor leagues.
 
Is there any thought that Pro/Rel may help the league from a TV standpoint? Please hear this out...If Manchester United (or Chelsea) were to be relegated, there would still be a ton of fans around the world that would follow the team in the Championship and want to watch the games. This would need the Championship to get TV deals around the world. If LA or NYC with its star players who have between 12-15 games nationally televised per year were relegated, fans would still want to watch those players.

Do I think we should have pro/rel in America, no. Not the way the league and soccer in the country has been structured.
 
LionNYC said:
Is there any thought that Pro/Rel may help the league from a TV standpoint? Please hear this out...If Manchester United (or Chelsea) were to be relegated, there would still be a ton of fans around the world that would follow the team in the Championship and want to watch the games. This would need the Championship to get TV deals around the world. If LA or NYC with its star players who have between 12-15 games nationally televised per year were relegated, fans would still want to watch those players.

Do I think we should have pro/rel in America, no. Not the way the league and soccer in the country has been structured.
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Since the 2nd division doesn't have a national TV contract I wonder how much, if anything, ESPN, Fox or NBC would pay for a 2nd division deal knowing LA or NY will probably be gone back up to MLS next year?
Secondly, player contracts in a pro/rel USSF environment will include a 'no relegation clause' like the MLB No Trade Clauses. The player agents would insist on it. Therefore, you won't see any MLS stars in the second division.
 
MagnusPax said:
What's the Vegas odds on it stopping on 32? Never say never.
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I wouldn't bet against it, but one thing I would comment on is that MLS will need to consider its composition if it wants to become a truly global league and has aspirations of matching the best European leagues in the next decade or two. Obviously you all are brought up understanding the conference system and leagues with more teams than fixtures but virtually nowhere else in the world understands this. That's fine in the short term and won't really make much of an impact over whether football can become the biggest sport in the US, but if MLS truly does want to become one of the premier world leagues then it will have to start prostituting itself out for the foreign TV revenue eventually and at that point I think MLS will have a major identity crisis if it continues to shoehorn in as many new clubs as possible and adapts its playing structure to the point where some teams may never even face each other in a year. There's going to become a point where the foreign viewers just can't get used to it all and the TV companies start telling them to change to be more like the rest of the world or they won't renew.

Again - not a problem for the short term and I am not advocating MLS cutting back right now to compensate, nor do I think that MLS will even realise this problem for many years. But if MLS ever does try to get in on the big time, I do think it will happen.
 
Falastur said:
I wouldn't bet against it, but one thing I would comment on is that MLS will need to consider its composition if it wants to become a truly global league and has aspirations of matching the best European leagues in the next decade or two. Obviously you all are brought up understanding the conference system and leagues with more teams than fixtures but virtually nowhere else in the world understands this. That's fine in the short term and won't really make much of an impact over whether football can become the biggest sport in the US, but if MLS truly does want to become one of the premier world leagues then it will have to start prostituting itself out for the foreign TV revenue eventually and at that point I think MLS will have a major identity crisis if it continues to shoehorn in as many new clubs as possible and adapts its playing structure to the point where some teams may never even face each other in a year. There's going to become a point where the foreign viewers just can't get used to it all and the TV companies start telling them to change to be more like the rest of the world or they won't renew.

Again - not a problem for the short term and I am not advocating MLS cutting back right now to compensate, nor do I think that MLS will even realise this problem for many years. But if MLS ever does try to get in on the big time, I do think it will happen.
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First, MLS has already had a huge international TV boom. More people watched the MLS Cup in Europe than in the US. There's plenty of growth to be had, but we are truly international now.

Second, I think it's more likely for a European Super League to form in an MLS model than MLS ever changing to today's typical league model that was designed well over 100 years ago. A closed league is simply more lucrative.
 
sbrylski said:
First, MLS has already had a huge international TV boom. More people watched the MLS Cup in Europe than in the US. There's plenty of growth to be had, but we are truly international now.

Second, I think it's more likely for a European Super League to form in an MLS model than MLS ever changing to today's typical league model that was designed well over 100 years ago. A closed league is simply more lucrative.
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European Super League = Champions League
 
sbrylski said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Super_League_(association_football)

Part of the reason the Champions League was expanded was to head off talks of clubs breaking away and forming their own super league. But there's still rumblings every now and then that it still could happen eventually. E.g. http://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/aug/17/arsene-wenger-european-super-league
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Wenger and others were making that prediction 6 or 7 years ago and it's gone nowhere. I can't see the FAs of each country approving their best teams either leaving or competing in a second league. 98% of teams aren't going to accept playing in a 2nd division league for lesser TV contracts, attendances, and salaries. It might be good for a small minority of teams, but certainly not for the greater good of the game.
 
Ohenry said:
It might be good for a small minority of teams, but certainly not for the greater good of the game.
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I agree, but that's also why I think it may eventually happen. The handful of clubs that it would help are the most powerful clubs in the world and getting more rich and powerful each year. They could pull it off eventually, maybe even as a response to a threatening MLS in 15-20 years.
 
sbrylski said:
I agree, but that's also why I think it may eventually happen. The handful of clubs that it would help are the most powerful clubs in the world and getting more rich and powerful each year. They could pull it off eventually, maybe even as a response to a threatening MLS in 15-20 years.
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I think we can just agree to disagree.
 
sbrylski said:
Quick rant: MLS is considering making Minnesota United change their name upon promotion. WTF! Stupid fucking Atlanta "United" "Football" Club. Why would you approve that made up name but block MNU?

http://northernpitch.com/_/minnesota-soccer-news/peak-mls-two-uniteds-good-three-uniteds-baaaad-r642
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As the article states, MLS makes some baffling decisions every now and then.

The author is correct that United really does fit in well with Minnesota, its Atlanta that really has a nothing United about it.

I hope they get to keep it.
 
ferrarinycfc said:
As the article states, MLS makes some baffling decisions every now and then.
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Stealing this graphic from the article and parking if here for much future use to comment on baffling MLS decisions:

KVZnS6M.jpg
 
Gazza_55 said:
It would have to be unanimous otherwise the owners voting no will have to be bought out. And there's zero chance MLS owners are going to payout billions of dollars just for the opportunity in the pro/rel system to lose 20% - 90% of their franchise value.
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Not to mention they would have the change the entire single entity structure of the league. How would it even work for the players on a relegated team contractually? They are employees of the MLS not the team. Once related what happens? MLS is not giving up single entity as it gives them unprecedented control over the players. Between the minimal value proposition to the owners of the smaller teams and the single entity system I don't see Pro/Rel ever happening.
 
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