I admit that I am coming from a position of ignorance when it comes to the Monarchs. I don't really choose to spend any time at the games or following the team. That being said, I do want to understand the purpose of the team. I could see that if you only have a minor league team in a city that you want to make a profit and keep the team solvent. That means having sufficient success that people keep coming to the games, buying gear, etc. I wonder how much that changes where both MLS and USL share the same metropolitan area and ownership. Are you still concorned with making a profit, league standings, shirt sales, etc.? Or, is it seen as a stepping stone between the academy and RSL and all the rest is somewhat peripheral to that?
The Monarchs have a playoff game today, which is an excellent opportunity to give academy players time in a high-stakes game, so of course they start Jack Blake and Maikel Chang instead of Arriaga and Vasquez. ❗❗PLAYOFF XI❗❗Here is your Real Monarchs line-up against @orangecountysc!Let's get it 💪 #SLCvOC #BeChampions pic.twitter.com/C7PpQiv3hs— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) October 26, 2019
how much profit (and loss) is DLH really going to experience with the Monarchs? I feel the pay off of grooming academy talent to eventually be sold or used on the first team would make up for any losses.
I would think there'd be a lot more profit in grooming younger talent. Whether or not they end up with RSL, I'd have to imagine selling them to other teams, especially outside the US, would result in a lot more profit. Could even result in profit at gameday itself. I'd be far more willing to go watch the Monarchs if I'm seeing a steady stream of talent go through there, knowing that I got to see them before they moved up to RSL, or made it big elsewhere. I find it more boring to watch a lesser version of RSL, knowing that almost none of those players will get any better.
My question... what is the Monarchs total gate revenue? They averaged about 2000 people per game, and I think tickets usually ran around 10 bucks apiece? 2000*17*10 is 340,000. Add a bit for concessions but... do you think they even broke a million dollars? Let's be super generous and say they pulled in $2 million which seems really high. Meanwhile, 1 Alphonso Davies makes you $20 million. Any of Booth, Soto, or Ledezma could have sold for 7 figures, maybe 8 for Ledezma. So cut the Monarchs attendance in half, and how much have you really lost? But retain the best players from the academy and you're making many times that.
Letter from RSL Monarchs to irondeepbicycle: Dear Mr. Bicycle, Thank you for your interest in our Financial Sustainability position. At this time we feel you would not be a good fit for our team. Best wishes in your search. Sincerely, DLH