SA: Do you anticipate any objection from FIFA, which every so often reminds the world it prefers leagues don’t grow beyond 18 teams? GARBER: I don’t think so and I don’t think that’s the first thing they say about professional soccer. They’re speaking more, as it relates to us, adhering to the traditional schedule, and promotion and relegation http://www.socceramerica.com/article/40118/garber-respect-for-mls-continues-to-grow.html FIFA please keep pressuring MLS on pro/rel. Use the World Cup card to the maximum.
Not worth discussing anymore.... ....unless you believe in trolls, elves, goblins and dwarfs! Yeah, FIFA is going to care about pro and rel as much as they care about showing they aren't corrupt. They are going to withhold the WC because of it. Hardee har har.
Here is what I consider the main reason why you will never see pro/rel in MLS. It is because all the current owners and new owners bought into this league knowing pro/rel does not exist. Now when a owner buys a EPL,La liga team etc. They are buying the team knowing the chance exists. How are you going to tell a owner who bought in when it doesn't exist that it will now exist. Unless it is in the franchise agreement when the sign it, it will be impossible for it to implemented without going to court and damages paid.
I know I can go into my control panel and select certain people I wish to ignore, but can we make it that we can also bleep out words such as promotion and relegation. It would make browsing BS all the more enjoyable.
I think FIFA should worry about more important things like Idont know corruption and maybe some blown calls and proper officiation and stuff. Also MLS and Only MLS has the say so on what they want to do as a League, whether its expansion, or even a foreign concept as of Promo/rele. and if FIFA does try to pull some crap like that then we really dont need the world cup, plus the world Cup needs US. no other country has had a Larger world cup than US 94, the only world cup to be any larger would be another US world Cup. Im Glad MLS shouldnt have to take any crap from stupid eurosnobs who know nothing of the US sports scene.
We are going to have to have pro/rel when we have enough growth in MLS. So no worry on the growth of MLS in this country.
That's what we thought when we were biding last Olympics, and knocked out on the first round. There's only one Wold Cup for US, but tons of bidd for FIFA.
Do you think so? I don't think that pro/rel is needed for growth. That is not to say it won't happen but there are several problems: 1) Lower divisions are a mess - what cities are in the second division - changes all the time, hell what is the second division - NASL, USLpro? That mess must be fixed well before pro/rel. 2) Facilities - promoting a team with a capacity for 5,000 people and without its own stadium is not going to happen. That would stunt the financial growth of MLS is your last two (for example) teams each year cannot contribute to revenue. Our second divisions do not have at least adequate facilities (and they won't be funded on the hope of promotion). 3) Facilities (B) - uhh, most stadiums now are owned by third parties, municipalities, or separate divisions of the same ownership. You think they will risk their tenuous grasp on revenue just when most get close to breaking even? 4) Revenue system/investment - the costs of running the stadiums coupled with loans and capital expenses to build facilities - are on the books for years. A team like KC (just an example) would likely go bankrupt and close if they moved down next year and lost TV and sponsorship dollars. 4) Fans - Those of us on here - get it. The average american fan which is a large portion of the in stadium presence would not get it and would likely lose interest. You sure are going to have a hard time selling season tickets. Bottom line - our league started after other major sports had taken root here. We have to be aware of the financial reality and fan perception in the USA - NOT the rest of the world. Modeling our league like the rest of the world will end in failure. period. Maybe we end up with a one year promotion for the best second division team - kinda like Golf? Maybe the new team has to finish above the last two spots and meet revenue and attendance requirements? There could be a hybrid - particularly on the promotion side - but you are unlikely to see relegation in our lifetime.
The issue isn't growth in MLS, it's growth of the lower level teams. The gap between MLS and lower level leagues is too big for pro/rel right now, but who is to say that gap will get smaller as time goes by? MLS is growing a lot faster than the lower level leagues. In fact, when you look at Portland, Montreal, and Vancouver, MLS is growing at the expense of lower level leagues. At this rate the gap between MLS and lower level leagues is going to be bigger than the Grand Canyon. The bigger the gap, the worse a proposition pro/rel is. For the umpteenbazillionth time
I can't see the league ever going for pro/rel As we know the top and worst teams change all the time, and what happens if when relegation is implemented a Chicago or an LA or NY ends up relegated, well that's gonna hurt the league right?
Who's talking about stability in D2? I'm talking about the gap between MLS and D2. Even if D2 gets its crap together and becomes stable, if MLS continues to grow exponentially faster the benefits of pro/rel are going to go from zero to negative numbers. An unstable D2 is just icing on the OhSweetJesusPro/relIsGoingToFail cake.
I agree with everything you said. However, just to be clear for everyone - it is not just talent. The real problem is finances. Even if the talent pools were the same, a team that has facilities to support 5,000 people will not support the growth of MLS revenue. And a team with a new stadium cannot survive a move to a lower division and lose TV and sponsor dollars. It is that simple. I like pro/rel . . but someone who is a fan explain to me how it would work financially.
the olympics is a different animal, soccer is one sport, where in actually the US can do without(a world cup and do just fine) as for the last olympic bid cmon Chicago?? are you serious???... plus lets see US olympics previously 2002 SLC, 1996 Atlanta, 1984 LA, 1980 Lake Placid, so as for that department i see no worries, as for the world Cup US doesnt have a soccer culture that serious enough to actually take a bid seriously, despite having all the resources, the US can host the world cup type event every yr because we have a long built infrastructure. we dont have to build alot compared to other countries. also the US is so large sports wise especially, the soccer market here is decent size compared to most major european countries but is a very small fraction domestically.... basically even if the US does get 2022, okay kool, it wont really benefit american sports fans as much as the immigrants living in the United States. the last few world cups has proven that. once the US is out the American sportscene Moves on. even the day of the Championship game between spain and Holland, barely any meantion outside ESPN..... back to the actual subject, if MLS does a form of Pro/ relgation and im not against it, it just has to done in a way where its american nized. Im telling you right now, MLS will do so much better expanding 20 or 24 or mayb 32 teams then setting up a multi-tiered system where teams can lose revenue and fan base, and maybe even fold.