NBC Sports president: superclubs generate ratings

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by vevo5, Nov 1, 2012.

  1. Darkwing McQuack

    Darkwing McQuack BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 11, 2011
    Morrisville, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    All the leagues that have superclubs in them bore the hell out of me and put me to sleep. Fact. :thumbsup: Did I win?
     
  2. The Green Mushroom

    Oct 19, 2011
    But what about the excitement of waiting to see how many points clear of the field the superclub finishes?

    The thrill of seeing which 1.5 superclubs in the league will finish first and second?

    The sheer joy of the non-superclubs and their race to finish highest below the superclubs?
     
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  3. HailtotheKing

    HailtotheKing Member+

    San Antonio FC
    United States
    Dec 1, 2008
    TEXAS
    Club:
    San Antonio Scorpions FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Funny, I'm beyond bored with Liga BBVA.

    ... which by the way, is floundering due to the "superness" of the top two clubs.
     
  4. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No. Fact. You drew.
     
  5. Darkwing McQuack

    Darkwing McQuack BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 11, 2011
    Morrisville, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Meh, 1 point is better then none I suppose. :unsure:
     
  6. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Touche.
     
  7. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    Not every other league. Last year the best team in Brazil had 71 points (in 38 matches) and a +17 goal differential. Argentina has something like 10 different champions in the last 13 seasons. There's also France and Mexico.

    So that's about 40% of the top 10 leagues in the world which have just as much parity as MLS.
     
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  8. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    Not a fact. La Liga was more interesting 10 years ago than it is today, for instance.

    There is a balance to be struck. Sure its good to have some teams which are easy to either love or hate, but if 1 or 2 teams blow away the competition year-in year-out it gets boring.
     
  9. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But what about the teams in the same league that are not superclubs? Surely the matches are exciting. It's not just David vs. Goliath I'm talking about. It can also be battles between two Davids. I love seeing Real Madrid and Barcelona getting challenged and then challenging each other.
     
  10. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    I don't understand what you're talking about. Give an example of a La Liga match-up that is more exciting under the current situation than it would be if Madrid and Barca were the best teams but not totally dominating at historical levels.
     
  11. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But do you give a crap about Mallorca vs Granada? That's the problem with leagues that have superclub(s), the only games that get any real attention are the ones that involve the superclub(s). Most of the rest of the league struggles to get any attention and, in a lot of cases, struggles to survive financially.
     
  12. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Intriguing tie, that.
     
  13. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Real Madrid vs. Valencia
    Barca vs. Valencia
    Atletico vs. Real
    Atletico vs. Barca
    Malaga vs. Atletico
    Malaga vs. Levante
    The list goes on and on.
     
  14. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This isn't really that controversial. You can have "superclubs" and still maintain parity. The majority of American sports leagues have this already, really, including MLS. There are a few teams that have bigger markets and lots of star players and, while they tend to do well more often than not, they don't dominate their leagues the way some teams in England and Spain do. Any given match involving top European teams might be pretty exciting, but the league race itself seems pretty boring. Of course the casual fan won't really care about the latter, anyway, so it depends on who you want to attract.

    I don't think a "superclub" has to be one that wins all the time, particularly in the US, where people usually tune in to root against winning teams. People will tune in to see the star players, the same thing that attracts casual fans to the top European teams. Don't forget that there are other teams in La Liga besides Madrid and Barcelona; a match between two mid-table Spanish teams can be really exciting, but no one cares because they don't know any of those players.
     
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  15. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    ummm.... read my post again. How is Barca v Valencia in 2013 more exciting than Barca v Valencia ten years ago when La Liga had more parity? Note that the 2013 version of Valencia is 30 points behind Barca while the 2003 version were legitimate La Liga and Champions League title contenders.

    Actually your "list" isn't even one item long. :laugh:
     
  16. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    haha... yeah, I don't think so. The Pittsburgh Steelers have fans all over the country, but during baseball season I don't ever see any Pirate fans. I mean I agree with your general point but there are just as many glory-hunting tossers in the USA as anywhere else, if not more.
     
  17. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I read it, and I responded. The standings may be different, the situations may be different, but the drive and energy and competitiveness that every La Liga team brings is constant. Can be said for every league that has superclubs and even for those that don't.

    Subject to interpretation.
     
  18. deejay

    deejay Member+

    Feb 14, 2000
    Tarpon Springs, FL
    Club:
    Jorge Wilstermann
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    This.
     
  19. ElJefe

    ElJefe Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 16, 1999
    Colorful Colorado
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's just not an exciting season in La Liga if Real Madrid and Barcelona aren't at least 15 points ahead of all the other teams.
     
    Jasonma repped this.
  20. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    Regardless of the skill that one team may possess, at the end of the day the game has to mean something or I won't watch. And Barca v Valencia means more if both teams have a shot at the title rather than Barca being 30 points ahead.
     
  21. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Touche.
     
  22. Lithium858

    Lithium858 Member

    Aug 11, 2002
    Baton Rouge
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I always felt that Atletico Madrid would be the perfect club to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona if someone came in an bought them then spent money ala PSG or Man City.
     
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  23. Unak78

    Unak78 BigSoccer Supporter

    Dec 17, 2007
    PSG & Enyimba FC
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Nigeria
    Among other reasons, but yes this is very true. The threat of a Euro league is alot more useful to the big clubs than the actual reality of one.
     
  24. Jewelz510

    Jewelz510 Member+

    Feb 19, 2011
    Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I always felt Shrewsbury Town would be the perfect club to challenge Manchester United and City if someone came in and bought them then spent money ala PSG or Man City.
     
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  25. Hachiko

    Hachiko The Akita on Big Soccer

    Jun 8, 2005
    Long Beach, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I always felt San Jose Earthquakes would be the perfect club to challenge Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls if someone came in and bought them then spent money ala PSG or Man City.
     

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