Volante
Registered
I'm not angry at all about Lampard's extension because I share a fundamentally different set of assumptions about what NYC FC is.
Let me describe two different sets of assumptions at play here: those of the speculator and those of the investor. I believe the speculator attitude which spawns this anger with Lampard is likely to lead to frustration on other issues too so if you find yourself with it, this attitude might be worth questioning now.
The "Speculator" Perspective
====================
The speculator operates with the key assumption that they're invested in a rising star that can only be an exceptional investment not in 5 or 10 years, but starting right now.
Key pillars of this belief system include:
The "Investor" Perspective
==================
The investor sees NYC FC as a start-up in the world's most competitive sport. If they make enough good moves and have a lot of luck, they could be a great investment in 5 or 10 years but most likely they're going to have to prove themselves out over time paying little dividends of entertainment along the way.
Key pillars of this belief system include:
I'm fine with their decision on Lampard because it's just one minor footnote in a 10-20 year journey. It may turn out to be a mistake or it could be genius to buy a 36 year old low and sell him high. That's a technical question for the football experts, but I'm confident that my interest in NYC FC will continue unchanged but it'll always be realistic. When the team shows that it can be a winner, I'll invest a little more. If the new stadium gets built, I'll buy season tickets. In the meantime, you could call me a casual fan but I'd just say that I'm being realistic.
Volante
Let me describe two different sets of assumptions at play here: those of the speculator and those of the investor. I believe the speculator attitude which spawns this anger with Lampard is likely to lead to frustration on other issues too so if you find yourself with it, this attitude might be worth questioning now.
The "Speculator" Perspective
====================
The speculator operates with the key assumption that they're invested in a rising star that can only be an exceptional investment not in 5 or 10 years, but starting right now.
Key pillars of this belief system include:
- NYC is a world-class city, which only merits world-class teams (i.e. Yankees) with world-class players (e.g. Lampard)
- NYC FC as a "football club" must have a special relationship with fans and community in this world-class city.
- With a world-class team in a world-class city, NYC FC will propel the league of MLS to world-class heights.
The "Investor" Perspective
==================
The investor sees NYC FC as a start-up in the world's most competitive sport. If they make enough good moves and have a lot of luck, they could be a great investment in 5 or 10 years but most likely they're going to have to prove themselves out over time paying little dividends of entertainment along the way.
Key pillars of this belief system include:
- NYC is a world-class city, but that's rarely meant we have world-class teams. In an era of salary caps and parity, money can't buy success in US sport. Most of NYC's teams are regular losers -- that doesn't mean they're not interesting to support.
- NYC FC is a commercial business that needs to buy low & sell high to have a chance of making it in the Big Apple. Want a "world class" sports facility in NYC? Ask Ratner and the Nets, it costs $1 billion and decades of lobbying. So let's say they did sell Lampard for a few million dollars profit, whether that's a mistake of not in the short-term, it's a drop in the bucket for what they need to build long term to succeed.
- MLS is a 3rd-tier league (yes, 3rd) and while improving, will remain that way for some period of time.
I'm fine with their decision on Lampard because it's just one minor footnote in a 10-20 year journey. It may turn out to be a mistake or it could be genius to buy a 36 year old low and sell him high. That's a technical question for the football experts, but I'm confident that my interest in NYC FC will continue unchanged but it'll always be realistic. When the team shows that it can be a winner, I'll invest a little more. If the new stadium gets built, I'll buy season tickets. In the meantime, you could call me a casual fan but I'd just say that I'm being realistic.
Volante
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