NASL Files Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against US Soccer

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by Knave, Sep 19, 2017.

  1. Pack87Man

    Pack87Man BigSoccer Supporter

    Sep 1, 2001
    Quad Cities
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Honestly, the San Jose jersey has grown on me. The name and logo were horrible, but the jersey itself doesn't seem too bad. Certainly not among the worst of that original set. (My money is actually on the Revs for that "honor".)
     
  2. Doogh

    Doogh Member+

    Oct 5, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #4377 Doogh, Nov 17, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2020
    Not enough to appease the millennials and Gen z'ers apparently (except hipsters)
     
  3. DanGerman

    DanGerman Member+

    Aug 28, 2014
    New York City
    Club:
    New York City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Kemsley and Byrne are out but Sela sports still owns a share of the team. So they've definitely lost on this endeavor. The Cosmos need to sell to an engaged owner, because Rocco ain't it right now. They should consider buying the SI Yankees stadium and converting it into an SSS. But sadly I don't think Rocco wants to spend anything on the team, just the lawsuits.
     
  4. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nostalgia is also generally a time-limited market.

    I'm just old enough to have caught the very tail end of the big baseball card boom. I have some cards, but the vast majority were just collecting fun, very few had any real value. And I expect the value for most of the cards I have to continue collapsing as the baby boomers die off or at least stop collecting even more junk. Frankly the only card I have that probably still has enough value left to be worth selling is my George Brett rookie card. The highest value I think any card I've owned ever had was a 1984 "Olympic Team/Rookie" card of Mark McGuire - boy did the value in that card collapse!

    The universe of people interested in shelling out for Cosmos themed merchandise probably peaked around 1980. And the nostalgia boom for a minor league club 30+ years later? Uh... I'm guessing they got a few extra sales of a few Marcos Senna jerseys, but probably not enough profit to cover the per diems for Marcos on one road trip.

    If, and big if, the MetroStars had started as the Cosmos or rebranded to Cosmos, or even if NYCFC had launched as the Cosmos, they might've gotten some traction with Donadoni or Villa jerseys, but they were never going remotely approach what the Galaxy got out of Becks. And frankly the ten years of futility the MetroStars suffered on the field would've quickly crushed any real nostalgia. Though had they started as the Cosmos, they'd probably be doing fine selling retro jerseys now that MLS 1996 stuff is hitting the nostalgia peak. I'm pretty sure that Sporting is now selling more Wiz/ards themed stuff now than the team actually sold 20 years ago.
     
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  5. falvo

    falvo Member+

    Mar 27, 2005
    San Jose & Florence
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    The color of Celery? Really?

    [​IMG]

    They should have stayed with and went with these....

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I mean the Deltas are synonymous with San Francisco, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Treasure Island and nude beaches.
     
  7. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Do you really think they have any value? Of course if there was pro/rel....:p
     
  8. DanGerman

    DanGerman Member+

    Aug 28, 2014
    New York City
    Club:
    New York City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Honestly not much right now. I believe the MLS deal was for a few 100K before Rocco took over. It's certainly a distressed property at the moment.
     
  9. falvo

    falvo Member+

    Mar 27, 2005
    San Jose & Florence
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    The only game the Deltas drew any fans was to the final they won and they folded the next day along with the rest of the league...
     
  10. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know. Still probably the greatest name in San Francisco soccer history.
     
  11. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #4386 Bill Archer, Nov 18, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2020
    I have long believed that the value of the Cosmos name was more global than continental. Sure you might sell a few shirts around the country, maybe even a bunch of them, but only one per. That was never a market where people were going to keep coming back for more. Whatever the appeal, theres just no way it had legs, and theyre not stupid enough to believe otherwise.

    And they would have gladly joined MLS but they felt they brought value that transcended mere franchise fees. They were shocked that MLS wanted money and control over the team. They cannot have believed MLS was ever going to allow an independent entry not subject to the same rules everybody else labors undet,

    But the real point was that, at the time, there was a lot of talk about a global super league. And since MLS was unlikely, to say the least, to allow, say, the Galaxy to sign up. But an American entry in a world soccer league would have been one hell of a valuable commercial entity and who better than a team called the Cosmos?

    And when the idea fell apart, largely because FIFA and UEFA were implacably opposed, there was nowhere else to go. Ever since, the Cosmos have been a team in search for a reason, and Pele/ Beckenbauer/Chinaglia are very tired old men.

    At one point MLS was sort of interested in buying the brand just to peddle a few shirts but mostly to bury it. Like any business, buying off a nuisence is worth a few bucks.

    They should have sold. Now, I doubt if anyone would give you anything approachjng seven figures for the rights. Its just dead.
     
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  12. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've never heard of a global soccer league.
     
  13. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thats because it never happened
     
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  14. FoxBoro 143

    FoxBoro 143 Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think it was also rights to video history and all that.
    I remember going to the first NYCFC home match. Before the game, they played a very well produced celebrity narrated video of the history of soccer in NYC. All the way back to the early pre-war amateur game, international visits and everything else. They did however have to skip the entire Cosmos existence, even though they also played in Yankee Stadium.
    I'm sure they wanted to own that history, retro night promos, maybe even a b-team branding in the future....if it was cheap.
     
  15. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
  16. Doogh

    Doogh Member+

    Oct 5, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #4391 Doogh, Nov 18, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2020
  17. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #4392 Bill Archer, Nov 18, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2020
    Dr Ruth was a very close personal friend of the late Chuck Blazer, which gave her entre to the highest levels of the soccer hierarchy.

    She famously wrote that in sex, premature ejaculation was like offside. "Dont get caught ahead of the play"
     
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  18. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Only time I've broken out and had my picture taken with someone was either that night, or at another (Gold Cup? Barcelona friendly?) game at Giants Stadium where I had another photographer take a picture of me with Dr. Ruth.

    I mean, how could you not?
     
  19. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Absolutely. Who's more loveable than a four foot tall 90 year old grandmotherly Jewish lady who thinks that if it feels good you should do it?

    Here's Ruth and Chuck along with his longtime girlfriend failed actress Mary Lynn Blanks who now makes a living blabbing to writers about how appalling it all was and how disgusting it was to sleep with a 400 pound man. For 25 years. Being a cheap gold digger is such a chore.

    [​IMG]
     
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  20. morrissey

    morrissey Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 18, 2000
    West Los Angeles, Calif
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ...cold, dark, nude beaches. Because San Francisco. Though Burning Man did get its start at Baker as well.
     
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  21. falvo

    falvo Member+

    Mar 27, 2005
    San Jose & Florence
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Rocco Commisso fired coach Giuseppe Iachini last week after coming off a draw then hired former Viola and Italy coach , Cesare Prandelli and they lost. This is Rocco's 3rd coach in 1 year and 5 month's since he bought Fiorentina and 3 or 4 or those months were a summer break.

    I was proud that a fellow Calabrese Italian-American bought the club initially but he has no clue what he is doing in Italy and I doubt he will do anything with the Cosmos either. He will probably end up selling the name and logo to MLS eventually.
     
  22. DanGerman

    DanGerman Member+

    Aug 28, 2014
    New York City
    Club:
    New York City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Color me shocked! [emoji849]

    In an ideal world he sells the team to the new owner of the Mets and he buys the SI Yankees stadium and remodels it ala the Timbers for a home stadium. More than likely he'll just sit on the rights and the team goes away, unfortunately.
     
  23. Doogh

    Doogh Member+

    Oct 5, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Cosmos are going to kill NISA, aren't they?
     
  24. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #4399 Bill Archer, Nov 23, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2020
    Its hard to see any other conclusion to the story. MLS - or maybe SUM - would likely still be willing to pay for the rights both for the nuisance value and for whatever residual retail value it might still have.

    I doubt if they'd be willing to come anywhere close to what they would have paid several years ago. But that ship has sailed.

    Now, nobody much else has any use for it, and that includes Rocco Commisso.
     
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  25. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Cosmos; "Killing Soccer Leagues Since 1974"
     
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