La Liga sign 15-year deal to have games played in the US

[Wumminator]

People who would boycott watching United cause a hypothetical one out of around 30 'home' matches are played outside of Manchester.

Why on Earth have you put home in quotation marks.

fecks sake, it is starting to make sense why people call me a WUM. We have people on this site who genuinely see no issue with this decision.

If you think this is a good idea you genuinely don’t “get” football. That is all there is to it. I’m not getting drawn into a massive slap fight, this is just clearly a terrible idea and if you agree with it you are wrong.

 

[Wumminator]

Premier League was indeed extremely competitive last season when the winners finished 19 points ahead of second place having accumulated 100 points.

But it doesn’t really matter when it’s PL, means nothing because it is only a disadvantage when it is La Liga.

Tell me the top three in the Premier League this year. Tell me the top three in La Liga.

 

[Revan]

Why on Earth have you put home in quotation marks.

fecks sake, it is starting to make sense why people call me a WUM. We have people on this site who genuinely see no issue with this decision.

If you think this is a good idea you genuinely don’t “get” football. That is all there is to it. I’m not getting drawn into a massive slap fight, this is just clearly a terrible idea and if you agree with it you are wrong.

It is a great idea, hope it happens to EPL.

If it annoys you, then extra points for the idea.

 

[Revan]

Tell me the top three in the Premier League this year. Tell me the top three in La Liga.

City, Liverpool, United.

Bilbao, Valencia, Osasuna.

 

[Wumminator]

City, Liverpool, United.

Bilbao, Venecia, Osasuna.

Sums up my “debates” on here with you. Posting in bad faith.

I’m flabbergasted anyone can imagine this as a good idea. I just.... it’s the opposite of what football should be.

 

[VP]

Sums up my “debates” on here with you. Posting in bad faith.

I’m flabbergasted anyone can imagine this as a good idea. I just.... it’s the opposite of what football should be.

Yup completely with you on this.

Must be frustrating for La Liga though. Despite having the better teams, they're still chasing the PL in terms of global appeal. This seems like desperation.

 

[B20]

The club is called Manchester United. It belongs in Manchester.

This. Football clubs are, first and foremost, sporting community associations. That means, before anything else, it is there to service its local community.

Imagine playing a "home" game in the US with no home crowd. Dreadful. MK Dons bad.

Not surprised Americans don't get it, since their sport 'franchises' aren't inextricably linked to their local community the way European clubs are.

 

[Raoul]

Great news and a sign of things to come where sports clubs play more in other countries for brand promotion and to promote the sport in general (NFL etc)

 

[B20]

Why on Earth have you put home in quotation marks.

fecks sake, it is starting to make sense why people call me a WUM. We have people on this site who genuinely see no issue with this decision.

If you think this is a good idea you genuinely don’t “get” football. That is all there is to it. I’m not getting drawn into a massive slap fight, this is just clearly a terrible idea and if you agree with it you are wrong.

probably never been to a 'home' game if he thinks like that.

 

[tenpoless]

Why fix things that aren't broken? for more money, of course.

 

[B20]

Great news and a sign of things to come where sports clubs play more in other countries for brand promotion and to promote the sport in general (NFL etc)

That isn't what club football is about.

 

[Wumminator]

Why fix things that aren't broken? for more money, of course.

The fact is La Liga is broken. There’s not enough money in the leagues for the smaller clubs.

 

[Raoul]

That wasn't what club football was about in the past

Fixed

 

[carvajal]

Yup completely with you on this.

Must be frustrating for La Liga though. Despite having the better teams, they're still chasing the PL in terms of global appeal. This seems like desperation.

La liga is desperate, and Tebas, although controversial offers alternatives. If it is necessary to get money and better players then the fans will have to continue making sacrifices, as they do now with the schedules.

 

[B20]

Fixed

feck no. If there are those who want to see clubs turn into franchises and brands it's basically a case of rebel alliance standing up to the emergent evil empire of the sith. Might as well start wearing craniums on your sleeve and start chanting "we're the bad guys".

 

[Yagami]

This. Football clubs are, first and foremost, sporting community associations. That means, before anything else, it is there to service its local community.

Imagine playing a "home" game in the US with no home crowd. Dreadful. MK Dons bad.

Not surprised Americans don't get it, since their sport 'franchises' aren't inextricably linked to their local community the way European clubs are.

Why on Earth have you put home in quotation marks.

fecks sake, it is starting to make sense why people call me a WUM. We have people on this site who genuinely see no issue with this decision.

If you think this is a good idea you genuinely don’t “get” football. That is all there is to it. I’m not getting drawn into a massive slap fight, this is just clearly a terrible idea and if you agree with it you are wrong.

Completely agree. Foreign fans probably underestimate how much the likes of United and others do to help the community, too, due to their global standing. Like, I have a disabled brother and the family next door (who are all City fans bar the mum who's a red) have a couple of disabled young lads, and both United and City do a lot of events for the disabled that lift their spirits and whatnot. It's really heartwarming.

They might be a "worldwide brand" but they're Mancunian.

 

[Kapardin]

Wanting Manchester United to play in Manchester = top reds.

Well, they do play in London, Rome, Paris, Madrid as well depending on the opposition.

Get off the high horse though. I am not from Manchester, but I sympathise with the idea that clubs should play their games on their turf rather than going abroad for big bucks. For me, even if United came and played in my backyard, I wouldn't feel it to be a "real" match as compared to when they play at OT.

But at the same time, got no patience for tribal mentality in football. If United remained a local boys' club in this day and age as opposed to the global club it is, you wouldn't be drooling over the likes of Pogba, De Gea and other foreign players playing for us, and the quality of football will be the equivalent of Salford City or FC United.

 

[Revan]

This. Football clubs are, first and foremost, sporting community associations. That means, before anything else, it is there to service its local community.

Imagine playing a "home" game in the US with no home crowd. Dreadful. MK Dons bad.

Not surprised Americans don't get it, since their sport 'franchises' aren't inextricably linked to their local community the way European clubs are.

There are three Mancs playing for Manchester United, and neither of them is that important for the team. Football has become global, like it or not.

A 'home' game out of circa 30 home games won't destroy football and ruin the relation of club with the local community. It just means that tens of thousands of US fans will be able to watch the team they love (and a lot of them spend quite a bit of money on it be it on shirts or TV subscriptions) without needing to cross the ocean and paying a fortune.

 

[Raoul]

feck no. If there are those who want to see clubs turn into franchises and brands it's basically a case of rebel alliance standing up to the emergent evil empire of the sith. Might as well start wearing craniums on your sleeve and start chanting "we're the bad guys".

The higher the brand valuation the more commercial sponsorship opportunities, the more revenue, the more to spend on players.

What's wrong with that ?

 

[Revan]

Well, they do play in London, Rome, Paris, Madrid as well depending on the opposition.

Get off the high horse though. I am not from Manchester, but I sympathise with the idea that clubs should play their games on their turf rather than going abroad for big bucks. For me, even if United came and played in my backyard, I wouldn't feel it to be a "real" match as compared to when they play at OT.

But at the same time, got no patience for tribal mentality in football. If United remained a local boys' club in this day and age as opposed to the global club it is, you wouldn't be drooling over the likes of Pogba, De Gea and other foreign players playing for us, and the quality of football will be the equivalent of Salford City or FC United.

To be fair to WUM, he probably would prefer United to be on the fifteenth division of Greater Manchester if it meant it was only Manc players and no fans outside of Manchester.

 

[Wumminator]

Well, they do play in London, Rome, Paris, Madrid as well depending on the opposition.

Get off the high horse though. I am not from Manchester, but I sympathise with the idea that clubs should play their games on their turf rather than going abroad for big bucks. For me, even if United came and played in my backyard, I wouldn't feel it to be a "real" match as compared to when they play at OT.

But at the same time, got no patience for tribal mentality in football. If United remained a local boys' club in this day and age as opposed to the global club it is, you wouldn't be drooling over the likes of Pogba, De Gea and other foreign players playing for us, and the quality of football will be the equivalent of Salford City or FC United.

High horse? Another poster said that if you want United to play in Manchester you’re a top red. That is an example of someone on a high horse. People saying “We’ll pogba is French so united are a global team”. I mean wtf kind of logic is that?

 

[B20]

The higher the brand valuation the more commercial sponsorship opportunities, the more revenue, the more to spend on players.

What's wrong with that ?

Nothing. Being a global brand does not have to interfere with it's primary purpose.

When it does, such as playing 'home games' away from home in the name of profit, it becomes an evil.

 

[Eboue]

you dont pick a brand, a brand picks you

 

[B20]

A 'home' game out of circa 30 home games won't destroy football and ruin the relation of club with the local community.

It will most definitely bring severe damage to this relationship.

 

[Reddy Rederson]

I wonder how great an idea this will be when el classico stop being played in spain. Does anyone really think the americans want to be watching Huesca vs Leganes? No, it will end up being all the best matches being played over seas and the match going fans that suffer because they wont be able to enjoy the big matches without travelling halfway across the world. Its fine for every now and again, but we all know football is corrupt as feck, and anything and everything will be abused if it means more money. I wonder how many top six team PL fans would still welcome the idea if they never got to see their club playing a grudge team on home soil again?

 

[Revan]

It will most definitely bring severe damage to this relationship.

So be it then.

If a few fans cannot accept the idea that they might miss a home game every 2-3 years (which they do anyway, considering how much they complain that it isn't allowed to give their tickets to other people when they miss it) in order to make it more affordable for other fans on the other part of the world and get many more new fans whom will contribute to the revenue of the club in the future, then I won't shed a tear about them. The FC United of Manchester is there anyway.

 

[Mibabalou]

Absolute disgrace; I have friends working for this company in nyc, it’s not going to stop here. It’s the same company that does icc and they want a super league played everywhere.

 

[VP]

There are three Mancs playing for Manchester United, and neither of them is that important for the team. Football has become global, like it or not.

A 'home' game out of circa 30 home games won't destroy football and ruin the relation of club with the local community. It just means that tens of thousands of US fans will be able to watch the team they love (and a lot of them spend quite a bit of money on it be it on shirts or TV subscriptions) without needing to cross the ocean and paying a fortune.

It wouldn't ruin it but could certainly dilute the relationship a club has with a community (bit like how the value of FA Cup was diluted by United skipping it in 2000) and could set a dangerous precedent.

Ironically one of the reasons for the EPL's global popularity is because outsiders see how much these clubs mean to their local communities.

 

[Kapardin]

High horse? Another poster said that if you want United to play in Manchester you’re a top red. That is an example of someone on a high horse. People saying “We’ll pogba is French so united are a global team”. I mean wtf kind of logic is that?

Well, what else is it? Pogba is French, De Gea is Spanish, Jose is Portuguese and I remember you rooting for Poch, an Argentinian, to become our manager after LvG. You think foreign players and managers would come if you adopt a Bilbaoesque culture and want United to only belong to the locals?

United are a global team with local roots. Local fans can appreciate the local aspect of the club culture while foreign fans can appreciate the global appeal. Some clubs are more local than global, others are vice-versa. But clubs like United and Liverpool are a perfect balance of both. Think both sets of fans can coexist well in this climate and appreciate the clubs without claiming superiority.

 

[Revan]

I wonder how great an idea this will be when el classico stop being played in spain. Does anyone really think the americans want to be watching Huesca vs Leganes? No, it will end up being all the best matches being played over seas and the match going fans that suffer because they wont be able to enjoy the big matches without travelling halfway across the world. Its fine for every now and again, but we all know football is corrupt as feck, and anything and everything will be abused if it means more money. I wonder how many top six team PL fans would still welcome the idea if they never got to see their club playing a grudge team on home soil again?

El Classico being in US will essentially be on a neutral venue, and so it either needs to be played there twice, or put at a massive disadvantage the 'home' team. Real or Barca vs whatever other team, will be a home game with 95%+ of fans on the stadium being fans of the 'home' team.

I guess this will be a match of Real, a match of Barca and probably another one or two matches of relatively big teams like Atletico. I don't think that Huesca vs Leganos will be played there, cause likely it won't sell out the stadium. Maybe it will sell on the first year or two cause of novelty, but the novelty will end after that.

 

[JSArsenal]

In terms of popularity is La Liga more popular than the Premier League in Latin and South America?

A lot of La Liga's best players hail from that part of the world. Do South American players prefer it because of the common language and similar cultural norms?

I'm thinking if the players themselves prefer it, does that transfer to the fans as well?

 

[VP]

The higher the brand valuation the more commercial sponsorship opportunities, the more revenue, the more to spend on players.

What's wrong with that ?

Lots because the first three things, especially under modern football ownership , won't lead to the last.

 

[Wumminator]

Imagine if they say “oh we’re only taking Barce, Real and Atletico”

You might as well just say “oh the other clubs don’t matter”

 

[VP]

So be it then.

If a few fans cannot accept the idea that they might miss a home game every 2-3 years (which they do anyway, considering how much they complain that it isn't allowed to give their tickets to other people when they miss it) in order to make it more affordable for other fans on the other part of the world and get many more new fans whom will contribute to the revenue of the club in the future, then I won't shed a tear about them. The FC United of Manchester is there anyway.

Why do you care about the revenue of a football club so much?

It takes some nerve to come on to a United forum and sneer at fans for wanting Manchester United to play matches in Manchester.

 

[Revan]

Ironically one of the reasons for the EPL's global popularity is because outsiders see how much these clubs mean to their local communities.

Nah, no outsider gives a shit about Southampton or Bournemouth. EPL is famous cause it has two of the most popular teams in the world in addition to two other global teams and an ultra rich team, because it started showing on other countries earlier than other leagues and cause of English language. People like United and Liverpool, for the same reasons they like Barca or Madrid, not because of their strong connection to local communities, because of that was the case, Athletic Bilbao would have been the greatest club in the world.

 

[AlwaysRed66]

Fixed, get it right

The problem is in the word 'Football' Whatever it is, it has nothing whatever to do with Football. Only called that by the Americans, who for some reason had to have their rugby players in body armour.

 

[Revan]

Why do you care about the revenue of a football club so much?

It takes some nerve to come on to a United forum and sneer at fans for wanting Manchester United matches to play matches in Manchester.

More revenue means more money for transfers and higher wages aka better players and so more trophies.

Not sneering at fans wanting United to play matches at Manchester. Sneering at some fans for not accepting that a 'home' match away from home every other year won't be the end of the world, neither it will ruin football.

Same as how NBA is not ruined cause they play a couple of games per year in Europe.

 

[B20]

So be it then.

If a few fans cannot accept the idea that they might miss a home game every 2-3 years (which they do anyway, considering how much they complain that it isn't allowed to give their tickets to other people when they miss it) in order to make it more affordable for other fans on the other part of the world and get many more new fans whom will contribute to the revenue of the club in the future, then I won't shed a tear about them. The FC United of Manchester is there anyway.

 

[B20]

Ironically one of the reasons for the EPL's global popularity is because outsiders see how much these clubs mean to their local communities.

Exactly. The premiership is the world's most popular because they actually fill the stadium every week and supporters give a damn.

 

[MikeUpNorth]

Have the winner of the MLS play in the Premier League next season (instead of playing in MLS). Then at the end of each season, have a playoff between the latest winner of the MLS and the American team from the PL to determine who plays in the PL the next year.

Or just move some of the pointless PL clubs to American cities, like happened with MK Dons. What's the point of Watford? Put them in LA. Huddersfield? You're in Chicago now.