Could NASL in Boston work?

I remember someone bumped a 2-3 year old thread and I saw a post that was totally idiotic and I quoted the post to call out the stupidity, and then I saw that the poster was me.

 

I prefer my evidence to be Imperial, thank you very much.

 

I think the main underling problem with NASL in Boston is that Boston is a major league city and anything non-Major League will just fall on its face. You can snobbery or whatever, but the simple fact is that there is a handful of cities where they are so use to top leagues, in all their sports, that anything that is not considered top flight will just not draw necessary audience to make it profitable. New York, Chicago, LA, Miami, and a few others are in the category with Boston that they feel "they deserve" the Majors. Anything else just will not do.

Of course there are always fans that can see past that, but we are talking about the average American citizen here. The simple fact is that the average American only cares about the best, a bandwagon to jump on. NASL is not the bandwagon they want a ride on.

Now, if NASL were able to accomplish a lot of the points we pointed out (like downtown stadium and litany of other "MLS-killer concepts") they would still struggle in a city like Boston. Could they make it work? It is not impossible, but not really good odds. I also don't have faith in the current NASL regime to do it right or give the backing to an owner/group where they could make it work in a place like Boston (or other big "major league" city).

 

And, see, here *I* think the main underlying problem with the NASL in Boston is that no one is attempting to put an NASL team in Boston.

 

I don't understand why people talk about underlying issues with cities when discussing the NASL. At this point the league is small enough that any decent-sized city is in play as long as they have a place to play and a millionaire owner that is willing to subsidize operations.

 

Because Boston isn't a "decent-sized" city. It's a big city. And in a big city it takes more than just a millionaire owner subsidizing operations. Just ask the LA Blues or the California Victory...

 

Isn't that the eternal issue? If we had places to play and millionaire owners, we'd have a grand ol' time.

If that were all it took, even. But we don't even have that in most places.

 

And I think it has less to do with public acceptance of a minor league team in those markets and more to do with the fact that the local media will give you absolutely zero in the free marketing department and the local business will be a lot harder to convince to sponsor said organization.

Local sponsorship dollars and payments in kind are the lifeblood of most minor league teams. Hell, the main downfall of the NHL Hartford Whalers is that they were squeezed out of local broadcast revenues and corporate sponsorship dollars by the teams in nearby Boston and New York.

 

Shhhhhhhhhh, that one psychotic Whaler fan who can't listen to reason will show up if you keep invoking that.

 

Wait ... why wouldn't a millionaire jump at the chance to own a division two or three soccer franchise with little hope of ever making a dime?

It's almost like our hypothetical sample population is self (de)selecting ...

 

If they KNEW THERE WAS A 1/16 CHANCE THEY COULD GET INTO MLS, THEY WOULD JUMP AT IT!







The 1/16 chance they could wind up in an even lower division is not a concern. It's like calories consumed on vacation, it doesn't count. In fact, THAT 1/16 is not equivalent to the OTHER 1/16. Their players will just fight harder and not get relegated at all.

 

Wait. You're telling me that lack of pro/rel isn't what is holding us back? What?

 

Hey they might get lucky. I mean the guy in LA jumped at the chance to own a D3 team with the Blues and has continued to lose money beyond his originally stated end date. Maybe Boston can find another sucker like him?

 

I don't know how healthy the Breakers are.

I don't know that Harvard would be considered a viable long term stadium for anyone, considering what we know about team finances.

And I find thread necrophilia far less objectionable when it is done to continue or re-start a discussion or add actual valuable applicable information than when it is done to add a marginally-relevant link and nothing else to a long-dead thread merely because someone believes their entire raison d'etre is to share stupid links about minutiae.

 

Has FSG expressed any interest in another soccer team? Playing at Fenway would seem to be a great option.

An investment like that by FSG could also give others the confidence to invest more in the NASL and turn it into a legitimate competitor to MLS.

 

Maybe not entirely, but certainly with less overlap than one might think on first glance.

But what you actually said was "I wonder, since the Breakers are making a go at living at Harvard, could a NASL team setup there?"

I do not know that the Breakers are making a go at living at Harvard (they're making an attempt, surely). And I don't know how much Harvard has to do with their apparent predicament, though I am pretty sure that it's not a viable stadium for a pro team of either gender in the long-term.

And so, if men's and women's soccer have "entirely different audiences," it seems to make little sense to bring the Breakers into it at all.

Highly doubtful.

Also doubtful: that you'd need to research possible downtown or near-downtown Boston facilities for a mythical team that has not even been hinted at recently.

 

A great option? Did you see the last soccer game played there?

Yeah, sure noob. Because what's holding them back now is that there are all these multibillionaires just poised to boost the NASL into a "legitimate competitor to MLS," but they're waiting until someone with gravitas steps off the dock first.

Puh. Leeze.

 

It can't be worse than Yankee Stadium... can it? Or for that matter Gillete.

Someone's cranky in the morning.

Nobody is lining up to invest in the NASL now. Without Hunt/AEG nobody would be lining up to invest in MLS now. If the NASL wants to compete it needs something similar. A NASL club taking Boston from the Revolution would be a good first step towards that.

 

I'd love for someone, anyone to push the Krafts.

Just like every other NEast city however land would be a MONSTROUS issue, and there is little suitable in Boston.

This is one fantasy I can buy into. USL, NASL....anyone. Make a splash in Boston and humiliate the Krafts.

Just way to hard to see anyone trying.....makes me sad.


Also, the Gillette experience could be much, much better. Of course that would require an owner who gives a sh*t, and we know he doesn't. Sigh. How sad.

 

The Cannons, Breakers and now the Brawlers of the new FXFL that will be playing at Harvard Stadium.

http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...nfl-quality/QdWfMIAFbhFTg1Vs2cXCtI/story.html

Obviously going to take mega money for NASL Boston to work, but anything is possible... same with San Francisco and Chicago.

 

Sure, they could easily buy into MLS, but if they want a team in Boston they're blocked. I brought up FSG because they have local roots and own an EPL team. Which makes them actually plausible, if you squint enough, as NASL owners. Ultimately we all know it won't happen.