And you haven't mentioned the structural issues facing many PDL/NPSL/Summer amateur college player league teams looking at going full season professional. The majority of these teams don't own their own facilities, and they have access to them during the summer while school is out. Late May to early August is what they have to work with. If they suddenly have a home game in April or September, they're pretty much screwed.
Right. That's obviously not the case with Detroit, but, yeah, with many of these amateur-level clubs, a venue could be problematic. (Plus, reaching D3-standard venues, even without the access as an issue.)
Pro/Rel that is a laugh. It might be those long PR or Edmonton Trips. But NASL teams looking to defect in 2018 or 2019!?! That means the NASL is done and a USL acquisition of NASL is inevitable
In the name of all that is good and sacred, what the hell is wrong with these people? In what respect would Pro-sodding-Rel have helped this situation? The main point of that system is to cope with an overabundance of an appropriate level of clubs. One of the biggest issues was that NASL didn't have enough teams and that the teams they had were having trouble coping financially. Implementing relegation (because there was objectively nowhere to promote to) would have resulted in the teams that went down (to where? The NPSL where Divsion-topping Stockade FC by their owners testimony, couldn't afford to turn pro due to an estimated total team salary cost of $18k per season?) having worse attendance, a lower profile, a weaker reputation and therefore less f@!#ing revenue. Who would replace these relegated clubs? The amateur clubs that relied on college players, that sure as hell weren't ditching their school teams and NCAA eligibility for an NASL salary? The semi-pro teams that could afford the $18k per year salary? As if the costs of joining a national D2 league wouldn't have ramped up their modest budgets? Oh but of course... I'm forgetting aren't I? The magical properties of pro/rel that would have ushered out from the woodwork, vast hordes of would-be investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, who would be pouring billions into the suppressed hotbeds of US "soccer first" culture, building a thriving sports ecosystem, creating billions of jobs nationwide, spreading economic benefits coast-to-coast, resulting in the development American players propagating football played with talent, technique and style of orgasmic proportion... if only MLS didn't possess the closest real-world analogy to Tolkien's "One Ring": D1 STATUS!!! Seriously, there are times when the pro/rel movement in this country speaks more bollocks than a man with testes for tonsils. *Scene*
Kartik is a self-promoting ambulance chaser. He doesn't really care what side of anything he's on, if it keeps him employed. Cynical, populist, rabble-rousing. He's the type of shark that sees Ted keeping a group of rabid followers, and he's looking for a way to co-opt it. Even more mainstream members of the media have dabbled in it. Heck, only in the last couple years has MLS honchos like Abbott and Garber completely shut down any pro/rel talk, and stop feeding the "maybe some day" beast. Kartik would be more than happy being the Stephen A. Smith of soccer - if it was a paying job. He probably sees embracing pro/rel and growing his Twitter following as a way of getting on the radar of the sports broadcast networks that need content. Kartik knows that Ted is too toxic and too not-camera-ready to fill that niche. The fact that we're discussing it actually is a point in his favor.
I actually wonder what Ted's deal truly is. Not so long ago, Ted managed to get into it on twitter with Scott Van Pelt. SVP has something like 1.7 million followers. If I'd dedicated much my life to promoting a cause for 8 years and if I had a plan on hand for how to implement it, I would crowbar a link to that plan into that thread ASAP. If 0.1% of Van Pelts followers just clicks that link out of curiosity, that's 1,700 sets of fresh eyeballs. Instead, Ted got caught up in his usual bad attempts at baiting and one-upsmanship, SVP did some superficial digging, dismissed Ted as a cook, Applebees got brought up, and their twitter handle once again had a field day. After almost a decade of this, Ted has probably done more for getting the occasional American soccer enthusiast to have a meal at a national restaurant chain, than he has for bringing pro/rel closer to fruition. If you can't make an audience as large as SVP's followers payoff, then what's the point in all that relentless tweeting anyway? But I digress.
No, no, no, you misunderstand me. I am not doubting they are considering it. I am not impugning your source. I am looking at it realistically. If they think they can make up all that money, THAT's optimism bias. That's where you buy a new car you can't really afford, figuring you'll pick up an extra shift here or there or get a raise or cut some expenses somewhere without really having the math worked out or a plan. You just convince yourself it will work out. And maybe it will. But it's a big jump from the amateur ranks to the pros, for the reasons I outlined above and more.
Back in the days where he actually used to post around these parts as ussoccerreform (or something like that), I would've said he was a con artist. Now? I would agree with your assessment. Wether it's sociopathy or delusion, I'd rather leave that to the professionals.
Got it. That makes sense. And I am in agreement with you there. Good news is if they try and can't make it as pros, they can join any amateur league in the country they would like.
Except that they likely won't. After flushing large amounts of cash down the toilet, most people either A) don't have any free cash left to lose or B) decide sports ownership isn't something they're really interested in. EDIT: You rarely see owners again and again. The people you see again and again are the operators who spend other peoples money, facilitate other peoples dreams. Peter Wilt is one. Yan Skwara was another. Charlie Stillitano is still out there.
For those who know better. This is year three for Indy so they would no longer have to worry about their bond commitment....correct? There would be some form of exit payment I would assume, but it wouldn't be financially prohibitive. With Louisville, Cincy and Nashville in close proximity it has got to be tempting....a jump to USL that is. Not sure if NC had to put up a three year bond with the new owners. My guess is yes, so it would cost them...correct? They may have no desire to go anyway. Jax of course is still league run.....problem. Any news there? Edmonton, who it seems held the whole thing together last time around, may bolt to the CPL? Big blow if that happens. Deltas.....dead man walking IMO. PR.....very quiet. That can be seen as a positive or negative. Miami and NYC chugging along. Right now an Orange County team announced....right? San Diego has multiple suitors that seem very possible. Right? The rest seems to be the usual hope and pray stuff. Am I missing something? End of season will be fun again.
Jacksonville: 2 potential owners being vetted. Edmonton: Still saying committed to the NASL. Bet they don't consider jumping until they see how the CSL is going. Orange County is a go for 2018. So is San Diego, just not announced yet. It's Mind Soccer Group who got it.
Thanks....is Mind the group with the former soccer player? Forgot who it was. Since new owners have to put up the three year bond I assume Jax, if they get those owners, are staying put. Yeah, the Fath's have to much to lose so that makes sense, and who can have a ton of faith in CPL at this point. Have u heard anything about PR? Just curious. Thanks again.
Actually none of the locations any NASL group was looking at were actually in San Diego. Escondido, Oceanside, and Chula Vista were the cities being discussed by the two groups. The Mind group in particular looking at the first two cities... but at last report while having met with both cities, had yet to decide between them.
In your scenario, why would the USL be interested in acquiring a valueless, dying league, when they can just keep picking off the teams they want and not have to deal with any of the historic governance problems associated with the NASL? Why do people keep suggesting this?
Yep, as they'll never stop telling us: http://deadspin.com/robert-sarvers-purchase-of-mallorca-is-an-indictment-of-1751211437 How'd that work out? Oh... http://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/0...rca-are-facing-the-drop-to-spains-third-tier/ Whoops: http://en.as.com/en/2017/06/04/football/1496608867_719924.html Cue James T. Kirk "Khan" voice: GAAAAARRRRRBBBERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!