20-team League Format

Discussion in 'MLS: Commissioner - You be The Don' started by Jntg4, Aug 19, 2012.

  1. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Duh, that's why he said faith. ;)
     
  2. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, it's maybe just a little harder to go from Boston to Vancouver to Chicago to LA in 1 month than to go from London to London to Manchester to Manchester in the course of a month?
     
  3. Kappa74

    Kappa74 Member+

    Feb 2, 2010
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Obviously I had drunk too much and wasn't thinking clearly.
     
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  4. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I don't know. I think I'd rather fly across the USA than drive up the M6. If hell does exist then I think much of it will be spent in a contraflow between Cannock and Knutsford Services.


    Other than the obvious travel issues - I know in Australia where the AFL is national there's a big deal about the difficulties for clubs who have a lot of inter-state fixtures - you'd also have the problem that a 38 game fixture list would mean a rather long season if there were play-offs too.
     
  5. Cosmo_Kid

    Cosmo_Kid Member

    Jul 17, 2012
    what do you not understand about a balanced schedule?
     
  6. The Devil's Architect

    Feb 10, 2000
    The American Steppe
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What do you not understand about travel for professional athletes?
     
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  7. Kot Matroskin

    Kot Matroskin Member+

    Aug 10, 2007
    SF Bay Area
    Not that I'm arguing for a 38-game season, which is too many to fit into a March-November schedule, but I really don't see that there is such a travel problem. For fans, yes, but pro sports teams fly all over the country all the time. I really don't see the big deal.
     
  8. Kappa74

    Kappa74 Member+

    Feb 2, 2010
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Try to imagine the other leagues, in this wee nation of ours, without conferences or divisions. The Red Soxs get to play the Mariners an equal amount of games as against New York. The players union would likely threaten to strike, the schedule makers would blow up their computers trying to sort things out, and ESPN declares a coup d'etat against MLB because there are fewer Bos-NY games.
     
  9. The Green Mushroom

    Oct 19, 2011
    I am not defending the idea that a balanced schedule makes travel meaningless, just compare the mileage of a team in the Northwest vs. a team in the Northeast. I am certainly not defending the idea that a 38 game cross country odyssey is really a good way to run a soccer league.

    But between 1977 and 2003 (or thereabouts), the American League did play a balanced schedule and the Yankees would have played the Red Sox about as often as the Sox and Mariners played. It was a bad idea and a bad idea made worse when they went to three divisions, but they did have it.
     
  10. Kappa74

    Kappa74 Member+

    Feb 2, 2010
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    I stand corrected, which serves me right for being too flippant in my comments. It goes without saying that each league has it's own issues with regards to how it is structured.
     
  11. CoconutMonkey

    CoconutMonkey Member

    Aug 3, 2010
    Japan
    Club:
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    True. But consider that none of those leagues have anything close to a balanced schedule. It's tough. Playing nearby teams more often is just the reality of pro sports in North America.

    That said, the reality of pro sports in America can be pretty freaking boring at times.
     
  12. The Green Mushroom

    Oct 19, 2011
    Unless you are a die hard of the sport in question, wouldn't that be true of most leagues in any sport except for down to the wire playoff/championship races and during the actual playoffs? How exciting is a random match between two random midtable teams in the middle of February unless it happens by chance to become a great game?
     
  13. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    If travel is the only issue then how come the two New York teams are not in the same division? Cultural weirdness also plays a big part.
     
  14. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Most teams are fearing relagation or aspiring for the Champions League.
     
  15. The Green Mushroom

    Oct 19, 2011
    I know my opinion may be in the minority, but I firmly equate the Champions League to be the playoffs of Europe and directly see the race to be in the top whatever of your country for European places to be the same as trying to be in the top 8 of a conference in the NBA or NHL.I also believe that from an entertainment standpoint first past the post in inherently less interesting for me unless there is a close race. In most years I spend far more interest and effort towards watching FA Cup and Champions League matches than I do to watching run of the mill Premiership matches.

    Relegation is a different beast entirely, and I wouldn't mind some form of relegation in MLS. But unless you have two teams with a chance for the title on the final day, I see no difference between any given day in a European league and any given day in an American league.
     
  16. Kappa74

    Kappa74 Member+

    Feb 2, 2010
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Pretty sure noone has suggested that travel is the only issue.
     
  17. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    I agree, but winning the league still means a lot. College sports conferences is a better comparison than our pro sports divisions.
     
  18. AlbertCamus

    AlbertCamus Member+

    Colorado Rapids
    Sep 2, 2005
    Colorado, USA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Your whole riff on players union reactions was about travel. I agree that we have geographic realities in North America and, for now, need regional scheduling; but we don't have to have divisions. And I was just pointing that it is a cultural thing; the National and American leagues are not regional.
     
  19. CoconutMonkey

    CoconutMonkey Member

    Aug 3, 2010
    Japan
    Club:
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Err, the National and American leagues are split up into 3 geographical divisions each.
     
  20. CoconutMonkey

    CoconutMonkey Member

    Aug 3, 2010
    Japan
    Club:
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, a great game is a great game. I was just mentioning how geographical divisions can make a match-up a little less interesting at times, especially towards the end of a bad season. If my team sucks, I'd rather have some variety than see the same teams over and over again.
     
  21. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The "top whatever" means only one club for 37 of the 52 countries with access to the UEFA Champions League.

    He meant that the NL and AL are not an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference.
     
  22. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    That's probably true of the clubs chasing that 4th spot, but not at all for the clubs going for the title.

    You never see title-chasing teams celebrating clinching 4th.

    In contrast, in the divisions below, clinching the promotion place is a bigger deal than the title.

    On the whole, the last three games of a play-off are probably more engaging than the last three of a title race. The previous 30+ are probably more entertaining in a straight league though.
     
  23. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Manchester United wouldn't celebrate clinching a top four spot, but 2004-2005 Everton and 2009-2010 Tottenham both finished ahead of Liverpool who was a regular participant in the Champions League and I could see those two times being exceptions.
     
  24. Achowat

    Achowat Member+

    Mar 21, 2011
    Revere, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I understand the benefit and desire to have a balanced schedule. I'm, y'know, a soccer fan. Every single team I follow, from my D4 NPSL local side to my National Team, plays a balanced tournament, from time to time (except my MLS club).

    But, y'know, if you want to use this rhetorical practice, be my guest. Just know that it makes you a bad person. Essentially what you're saying is "Someone disagrees with me? Clearly they must be either stupid or ignorant". And y'know what, that (and very wholly that) is the reason you're a waste of good air the productive people should be using.

    I offered you a contention. I made it very clear that the travel distances in North America are inherently different from the travel distances in England, or Wales, or Spain, or practically any country that uses the Double-Round Robin format.

    And you responded with "Hey, are you retarded?"

    Seriously kid, go die. This is a place where adults talk about the issues facing the sport we love. We post ideas and then accept (even invite) critiques to that idea. Those critiques, then, are critiqued. We use facts and statistics to demonstrate that our ideas are strong.

    If you can't handle that, 4chan is just around the corner.
     
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  25. CoconutMonkey

    CoconutMonkey Member

    Aug 3, 2010
    Japan
    Club:
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well that's just like your opinion man.

    [​IMG]
     

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