OT: - Why does soccer appeal | Page 4 | The Boneyard

OT: Why does soccer appeal

I hope you hipsters don't think there's relegation/promotion in every sport in Europe. Definitely not much of that in hockey or basketball, if I am correct.
 
Butch said:
The president is the dude from Real Madrid and only one VP was American.

I understand the purpose of promotion and relegation. This is seriously kindergarten talk. Maybe promotion and relegation served their purposes? Teams from the largest cities and make the most money won out. By far. Freaking Norwich City doesn't have a global fanbase. All of the 12 Super League teams do. Duh. Do any of you have any experience with corporate business? Profits trump culture. Europeans are now open to the franchise model being more profitable, because it is. It's a freaking monopoly on any sport. That's why American teams are so valuable. You guys are also definitely hipsters.
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what is the purpose of promotion and relegation?

if Europeans were open to the franchise model then they wouldn’t have rioted over the super league. These clubs are already the most valuable without the franchise model.
 
Butch said:
I hope you hipsters don't think there's relegation/promotion in every sport in Europe. Definitely not much of that in hockey or basketball, if I am correct.
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Well, if you understood why promotion and relegation exists then you would understand why hockey Europe doesn’t have or need it.
 
ZooCougar said:
what is the purpose of promotion and relegation?

if Europeans were open to the franchise model then they wouldn’t have rioted over the super league. These clubs are already the most valuable without the franchise model.
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The European elite are. Check Forbes top 50 most valuable franchises in the world. Only 7 would be Super League teams, when you are saying everyone plays soccer and not hockey. The Maple Leafs are ahead of most European soccer teams on that list.

People need more meaningful hobbies, myself included. The heat that results from a black hole is hotter than our sun.
 
Butch said:
The European elite are. Check Forbes top 50 most valuable franchises in the world. Only 7 would be Super League teams, when you are saying everyone plays soccer and not hockey. The Maple Leafs are ahead of most European soccer teams on that list.

People need more meaningful hobbies, myself included. The heat that results from a black hole is hotter than our sun.
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What is the purpose of pro/rel?
 
Chuck said:
I grew up playing (through high school), but never watching other than a Cosmos game or two when I was very young. It was hard to watch in the 80s/90s. Here are a few things I love/don't love.

What I like/love:
  • Simplicity of the game. There is a ton going on, but in the end, it's a bunch of guys trying to kick a ball into a goal.
  • It's a team sport in every sense, but it also allows for beautiful individual play. When you see that player, they're just different. They move different than everyone else, the ball sounds different off their foot.
  • Diversity of body type: Anyone can play. You can have tiny freaks and giant freaks. And everything in between.
  • Access: It costs nothing to play. It's even cheaper than basketball because you don't need a hoop. Sure, rich kids get nicer stuff and probably more consistent training, but there is a competitive team for any kid. Just show up with a pair of cleats that you can get cheap, cheap shin guards, and you're good to go. My kids play for a small town club and They've smoked some teams where the parents pay thousands. They've also been smoked by teams that show up with a hodge podge of used uniforms. We can argue over our "pay to play" system, but any kid can find a competitive club.
  • Relegation and promotion. Would love to see it in some US leagues. Would even be great for college sports (BC would be relegated to League Two).
  • New tv access. I love that there are games on most weekend mornings. My son and I started watching when he was little and would wake up early. Now I watch during morning workouts.
Things I don't love:
  • The diving.
  • Excessive time wasting.
  • Racism. But I think that is just a reflection of the countries where the players come from and the team's play. Still scary to see sometimes.
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Pretty good summary. Before I give my thoughts, please note we have season tickets for UCONN football, and men’s and women’s basketball. Ok here goes:
Men’s basketball and football are no longer played by “normal” sized people. What was UCONN’s BB front line this year- I think they average 6’ 10” this year. How many. People that size do you see walking around your town. Do you realize Michael Jordan was 6’6? Also BB has become football in shorts. Naismith is turning over in his grave.
How about football- I saw a stat somewhere that college linemen are something like 50 pounds more that 20 years ago. I used to see Mike Ditka [yes I know he was not a lineman] on flights out of Hartford. Other than a huge neck, not a huge man. I also think football has a serious problem unless they figure out something re concussions.

Soccer can be played by normal sized people. Because of the size of the field, there are many fewer stoppages for fouls than in basketball. Yes I hate the diving in soccer, but we regularly see the same acting in BB with the proliferation of players falling over to draw a charge.
 
Butch said:
People love the American approach to sports nowadays.
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And that love manifested itself by the overwhelming support the ESL received and still continues to receive. You are talking out of your ass.
 
Watch the highlights but especially the last goal of Belgium vs Japan in the last World Cup; you’ll see the most beautiful counter attack goal ever in stoppage time. You’ll be a soccer (football) fan after that!
 
Soccer only requires a ball and sometimes anything crumpled into something resembling a ball will do. This is why it's the global game. Pro/rel is a direct result of this fact. Every village, hamlet, and workcamp had an amatuer team. These teams played neighboring villages, hamlets, and workcamp. At some point, the English FA became organized enough that divisions were formed, players were paid real wages and the the football ladder was established.

Why is the Super Bowl on a Sunday? Why is March mad? Tradition and eventually it became part of the culture. No one club or group of clubs ever gained enough power to change it.

On this side of the pond, American football was grabbed by a bunch of rich men who could afford to field professional teams very early on. That investment led to a closed NFL.

The difference between slow and fast cooking during the early years of the sport.
 
FWIW, 2 of the 3 major national hockey leagues in Europe (Sweden and Germany) have promotion/relegation. Finland does not have hard rel/pro but allows for teams to apply to move based on finances.
KHL is an international league so I didn't consider them.
 
The KHL is essentially a "super league". Jokerit left their domestic circuit to join, as well as others.
 
Butch said:
Not in Europe.
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Pro/rel exists as a method to manage a large amount of professional teams. England has like 72 something professional teams in The Football League spread across 4 divisions.

Above that is Premier League, below it is the National League. Some of the National League is pro some are semi pro.


Counting football stadiums in Europe is like counting stars in the sky. The ESL was an attempt to basically disenfranchise every club in Europe from the top of the pyramid.

We don’t have pro/rel because our closed system stifled the growth of pro clubs in America. It’s basically a sterile cartel.
 
ZooCougar said:
We don’t have pro/rel because our closed system stifled the growth of pro clubs in America. It’s basically a sterile cartel.
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To the MLS’ own detriment. I love soccer, have 3 MLS teams 120 miles or less away from me and the only time I watch them is when they come to my home field. Why would I when my DVR has great games every week I can’t get to. But if my local squad had a fair shot to join the party, no matter how slim, my interest would grow overnight.
 
Waquoit said:
The 2nd best hockey league in the world has a team in Hartford.
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Bridgeport, too! We are so cool. I can see the arena from my window. I don't think the Islanders are going to leave Bridgeport, either. Seems to be part of the long term plan.

However, the KHL does pay and can easily become the second best league in a matter of time. They also have one team in China, so who knows the future, really.

So much for perestroika.
 
Butch said:
Bridgeport, too! We are so cool. I can see the arena from my window. I don't think the Islanders are going to leave Bridgeport, either. Seems to be part of the long term plan.

However, the KHL does pay and can easily become the second best league in a matter of time. They also have one team in China, so who knows the future, really.

So much for perestroika.
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You are missing the point worse than chief does.
 
ZooCougar said:
Pro/rel exists as a method to manage a large amount of professional teams. England has like 72 something professional teams in The Football League spread across 4 divisions.

Above that is Premier League, below it is the National League. Some of the National League is pro some are semi pro.


Counting football stadiums in Europe is like counting stars in the sky. The ESL was an attempt to basically disenfranchise every club in Europe from the top of the pyramid.

We don’t have pro/rel because our closed system stifled the growth of pro clubs in America. It’s basically a sterile cartel.
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The pyramid goes deeper. It's possible to go below 4th tier.

Take a look at what happened to minor league baseball here. Pretty ugly, isn't it?
 
Waquoit said:
You are missing the point worse than chief does.
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Also, I mean European elite wanting these changes, not plebes. If you think plebes have much of a future, power to you.
 
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