What is the point of posting something like 'too long didn't read'. Why do you feel it necessary to completely disregard his post and opinion? Couldn't you just not respond. I don't mean to pick on you, but I see it happen a lot to SoCal and it's the most irritating thing for me. Someone puts some thought into a post so lets just be complete douchebags. Isn't that what this forum is for, discussion. If you don't want any meaningful discussion stick to ********ing twitter.
I meant to post a TL;DR version , i didn't mean to say i didn't read it , i did read. And it was also meant a Lazio joke , not me being a smartass , but i guess that was lost.
My bad then. But it still needed to be said since like I said it wasn't just to pick on you, but too many people seem to enjoy taking shots at him about his longer posts.
Well they don't use the acronym. When someone says it in a discussion/debate I typically take that as "I have nothing to offer on those point". Either way, I don't dwell on it an awful lot. It's a piss take and sometimes disrespect but the vast majority of times when it's someone I'm debating we both know they read the post.
If my comment offended you in any sort of way then i'm sorry , i really did not mean to , it was just a joke. =) But back on topic , i don't see much future for the MLS... i mean , you guys have already 4 sports that are way more followed than Football is , and the way you do things is a lot different than the way we do it here , i just don't see the appeal of MLS Football. At the moment all MLS is ... is a retirement house for old glories and a mediocre league at best , and on top of that i don't see how it could grow because every good football player wants to play in Europe.
I think everyone has realized that you meant no disrespect, as you must have actually read the post to compare Kraft(or that other guy) to Lotito
That is now. Wasn't England once seen as the retirement house for stars in Spain and Italy? The future is bright for MLS and there are numerous things going for it. First, MLS doesn't need to be the number one or number two sport in the US to generate boatloads of money. MLB is in decline, but they still make ridiculous amounts of money. Second, MLS has a solid infrastructure in place. Players don't have to worry about not getting paid like in Mexico or South American countries. Third, MLS doesn't have a big problem with Ultras or quasi-racist sporting culture. This might actually be a big thing going forward. Right now, MLS is expanding and cementing its place in the US sports landscape. Once the league is established for maybe a decade or two more, I expect much looser restrictions on the salary cap which will lead to the US competing with the top European leagues for talent. One of the drawbacks of MLS will always be the lack of UEFA Champions League. But who knows what the sporting landscape will be at that point. So the tl;dr is - MLS is growing and will be a force in world football in 10-20 years.
I don't know, maybe it's just my mind set , but sports feel... weird in the US , European sports have their old stuff charm , if you get what i'm saying , i just think that no matter how much it grows European football will always be the "go-to" place, unless they come up with a World Champions League , or something like that. PS: No , UCL Champions vs the world / FIFA Club World Cup doesn't count.
The Krafts (or his sports group if it gives him a tax break) also own Gillette, so the only expense is property tax. SSS won't happen with the Revs because that's an incurred expense, and sadly, there's no room in New England to build another stadium where anyone would drive to see them play. If the Revs left the Kraft umbrella, they'd be nomads, if they even stayed in New England. Re: the Lotito comparison. I'm not sure that's a total parallel. It seems like Lotito is proactively trying to tank Lazio, while the Krafts just don't do anything. Which is sort of why they've come to be so popular in the NFL. They don't mettle with the sports operations, and he's let Belichick do his own thing. LOL at the "didn't read" exchange. Some people just type a lot. I'm one of them. Once I had to write 20 page papers every week in college, I become a novelist on these forums. I do find those didn't read gifs pretty funny though.
I guess i overdid it on the Lotito comparison , but that's sort of the impression i got , Lotito is trying to actively make money out of Lazio , but again , i was trying to make a joke =P
When was this the topic? Anyway, if we want to talk about it we can. I've discovered this argument is pretty pointless to have with Europeans, there's an absolutist bias when it comes to MLS. They always seem to know more about the league and American sports than people who actually follow the league and American sports. First off common misconception, MLS doesn't have to be popular in Europe to a Top 10 league or even Top-6 league. As we gain exposure in America and the talent pool increases we can become Top 10 internally, with pretty much a domestic and South/Central American talent base. I would be fine having a Top 10 league with being Top 5 a distant goal. MLS is aiming to have a better domestic league than Brazil and Argentina, the latter will likely happen. Campeonato Brasileiro, MLS and Liga MX will be the most stable leagues in North/South America. MLS already have two of the more financially healthy clubs in the hemisphere. You can already see that happening in Argentina were clubs have thin margins between success and bust. Other leagues like in Colombia have been spiraling hard, which is why you see so many Colombians in America right now. Uruguay is going down that path as well The infrastructure in the MLS is slowly taking shape and the only thing missing really is TV ratings, which will slowly improve with exposure and expansions will help. Make no mistake, while prestige and tradition are factors money can get a lot done these days. MLS does not have to be a Top 3 league in this country to be a lucrative league. Once national brodcasts are pulling a consistent 350k average over a season we'll be in good shape, when we get to 500k the value of the TV contract will exceed most leagues outside of the Top 4 and TV exposure is how the league will grow. MLS salaries will be on par with the region and possibly more lucrative on average. At least players wouldn’t have to worry about getting a pay check. The path to top 5 leagues would be as good, though you’ll probably see less free movement. It’s much safer to play football in America and more comfortable. MLS academies are rather new but they’re improving and the pool of players by 2026 will be fairly large and better than ever. The league will go through a period of being a proving ground for top leagues, similar to the Netherlands or Portugal, which will be attractive to players and up the intensity of coach development, thus improving the quality of play. As MLS improves people in Europe will feel the effect. In particular with the quality of the league outside of top 4/6 places. Once it becomes financially practical to target players outside of top 4/6 of top 5 leagues, you’ll start to see rapid shift of the market place. Many leagues depend on that cheap foreign talent, adding another player into the mix with unique advantages (like no racism at the grounds and quality of life for example) will be interesting. I watch a bit of football because knowing where the league stands in relation to others is important to me. I watch EPL, Serie A, MLS, EL/CL, Copa Libertadores (and other South American tournaments) regularly, and occasionally Liga MX and Campenato Brasilerao. One thing you get watching other leagues is the gaps between European football and South American at times isn't as large as people would like to belive, from an overall quality standpoint. People will by default put leagues like Portugal over Brazil but team for team I guarantee you'd see more wins from Brazilian clubs. This is my slightly adapted list of world leagues. #1 La Liga, #2 EPL, #3 Bundesliga, #4 Serie A, #5 Ligue 1, #6 Brasilerao, #7 ZON Sagres, #8 SOGAZ #9 Eredivisie, #10 Primera (Argentina), #11 Super-Lig (Turkey), #12 Superleague (Greece) #13 Jupiler, #14 Liga MX, #15 Premier (Ukraine), #16 Petrobras (Chile), #17 Postobon (Colombia), #18 The Championship (England), #19 Copa TIGO (Paraguay), #20 Liga Adelante (Spain) #21 2.Bundesliga, #22 Liga Pilsener (Ecuador), #23 MLS, #24 Raiffeisen (Switzerland), #25 J-League #26 Serie B, #27 Bundesliga (Austria), #28 CLP-1 (Tunis), #29 K-League, #30 Ligue 2 (France) #31 Liga Coca Cola (Uruguay)
I've come to enjoy watching La Liga this year, and I agree with the rankings for the most part. I can't speak on a lot of those because I've not watched two minutes of some of those leagues. Those mid table Spanish teams are not afraid of the big boys anymore. It's refreshing in comparison to the pounding that Serie A clubs are taking from us and Juve.
100% guilty of the bolded part. Even if you progress as a league , get to the world top 10 , all of that , ,the MLS is still not going to be part of the UEFA Champions League , which is the most prestigious tournament in the world , do you think Ronaldo / Messi / Ibrahimovic and the top class players will move away from European football ?
I honestly can't fathom football without the CL. It's the best, outside of the World Cup, but there was a time when football existed without it, so I'd have to assume there will be a time in the future without it.
I agree, people complain about the quality of La Liga but if you actually watch the league this season it's very entertaining outside of the duopoly. Look at Elche right now giving Atletico a tough time.
The thing is, MLS doesn't have to appease the Europeans to be a top 10 league. There are over 500 million people in North America. It could become a top league with only fans from the Americas. No European fan base needed.
I think eventually though the confederations Concacaf and Conmebol will merge and their will be a cross confederation tournament. Which for me will be entertaining. It's something the bigger networks in America can get behind and make more lucrative. You can see it happening all ready, most confederations in Conmebol would love it if American clubs were in the Copa Libertadores because of the money, American sponsorships and TV money is something they need. Having a presence in those markets via MLS clubs would benefit them, in a way it's similar to the expansion theory. Which is why you see more national teams playing in America and tournaments being played here, Argentina must have played like 3+ matches in America the past 2 years, not against the USMNT. Again though, we don't have to use Europe as a measuring stick. I actually think the league as it grows should market itself the other direction towards Asia. The timezones are better for screening live football in a place were the sport is exploding. Also we shouldn't focus on buying top talent from Europe to be on par, rather developing top talent from this hemisphere.
People could only hold a legitimate gripe with the defense in La Liga. Technically, tactically, and in terms of tempo, it's up there with any league. Any other argument against the league is a jaded one. And that's with half of the league up to their eyeballs in debt. It is embarrassing to watch the doormats play Barca and Real Madrid, but the PL had Derby County a few years ago, which was more painful than skateboard accident vids on YouTube.