samefuckingyank posted:

With the emergence of many new outdoor stadiums and considering the costs to maintain them, investors should be open-minded to new ideas and old ideas. Investors should determine if there is a viable alternative within the sports spectator marketplace that can transcend the status quo and become a lasting entity with enduring entertainment value.

Research in the academic arena indicates that Soccer can be that viable alternative for Sports Fans in the U.S. A new professional Soccer league that competes directly against Major League Soccer (MLS) should be considered. An American Rules Soccer league has a better opportunity to win over the American sports fans, something MLS has yet to do in their 15+ years of existence.

In sport, it is common for rules to vary from country to country. FIBA, the International Federation of Basketball plays its games under its rules, including a trapezoid key (paint). The U.S. adheres to these rules during international play and reverts back to its own rules for play in the NBA. Pro Soccer in the U.S. must be played with its own rules of engagement, including making changes to the traditional Soccer field markings.

The game of Soccer like all other American Spectator Sports must be tinkered with from time to time in order to maintain its entertainment value for the newest generation. But, the Sport must not be altered significantly to where it is not recognized as Soccer. The integrity of the Sport must be kept intact (ten on ten where no one touches the ball with their hands and one Goalkeeper for each side).

If done with an American flavor, Soccer can be an enduring Spectator Sport in the U.S. It has the ability to provide unique drama, escape and entertainment for U.S. sports fans. It is definitely possible to raise the American consciousness for the appreciation of Soccer.


A new American Rules League will put a fresh Kick into making Soccer mainstream with U.S. sports fans.

MLS is doing all the work, but, they are making themselves susceptible for a take-over. MLS has a flawed business model. They are vulnerable to a newer, more exciting Soccer.With the right attitude and appreciation for Sports Fans in the U.S., the more contemporary American Rules Soccer can absorb the boring, less exciting MLS.

MLS has made 2 critical errors in judgment for the marketing of their sport. They married themselves to FIFA, the world’s so-called governing body of Soccer. This mistake causes MLS to have no say over how they want to go about promoting their league. They are pawns to whatever FIFA tells them. And, FIFA has a reputation for being slow to progress and modernize its game.

Also, they have only marketed and promoted their game to ‘Soccer People’, instead of ‘Sports Fans’. It is the belief of MLS that enough Soccer purists and people of Hispanic descent will sufficiently provide for all the fans that they need to sustain their league. They are sadly mistaken if they are counting on Hispanics just because they immigrated from Soccer-following countries. Hispanics in the U.S. are the biggest new segment of fans to be catching on with the NBA and NFL.

The sport has been built-up significantly over time at the youth level and upwards through the high-school and college levels. But, in order for Professional Soccer in the U.S. to derive the most amount of fan support possible, it must become event-driven and reach the die hard sports fans.

Officials of American Rules Soccer must take responsibility in perfecting the art in the sport. They must make sure that the skill involved in the sport is showcased and that every match is played with contemporary sports drama and theater. Action, tension during the contests and common sense in the rules must take precedence so that every game has the potential to rise to the occasion and be an unforgettable sporting spectacle. This is the marketing that has been overlooked by the MLS. The most important type of marketing for Professional Soccer in America is within the game itself.

Sports Fans in the U.S. expect more from their spectator sports. They are different than sports fans from other parts of the world. They are more sophisticated and they have been spoiled. The greatest moments in the recent history of sports have occurred in American sports or with American athletes.

Soccer can become a fabric of the American Sports Fans environment just as Football, Basketball and Baseball have consistently achieved from year to year. Officials of American Rules Soccer must think progressive in their amendments to the rules and consider what makes 4th down, the 3 and 2 count and the last-second shot so appealing to sports fans.



Ratings from the most recent World Cup of Soccer indicate that Americans do follow the sport with great interest. The World Cup has a tremendous following in the U.S. due to its uniqueness within the sports calendar. It is a once every 4 years event that has similar qualities to the Olympics for sports fans, including nationalism and a natural curiosity factor. Television ratings for MLS though, have been dismal with no indication of getting better year to year.

The business of U.S. Soccer and television ratings prove that FIFA-MLS rules suppress Soccer's overall ability to maximize the U.S. sports fan's pleasure in watching the game. While some argue that MLS is a young league and is growing year to year, the ratings don't prove this out. Attendance may be on the rise and franchise values may have grown in MLS, but those numbers are misleading and can be explained by nuances in the economy and new stadiums. MLS is very much behind where it could be considering that Soccer is not a niche sport in the U.S.

College Soccer for both Men and Women offers numerous chances for the sport to continue to grow and be a filter for an American Rules Soccer League. Additionally, College Soccer operates under its own auspices and its own NCAA rules. Variations to rules changes in the sport of Soccer can look at how College Soccer is playing on virtually 200-300 campuses nationwide and see that FIFA does not own the rights to how Soccer should or can be played.

American Rules Soccer will be more interesting not only for the fans, but also for the Coaches. Strategy for coaching is critical with the new American rules. It is much more sophisticated and requires adapting to the whole roster's capabilities rather than the starting eleven and 3 substitutions. Every game presents more potential on the field than what is currently being offered in FIFA-governed Soccer.



Professional Soccer from March to September, with the right type of marketing on the game and around the game is a natural segue for the NFL and would be a natural cross-promotion in the U.S. for both Sports. The 2 sports, Soccer and Football, are played completely differently, and use completely different shaped balls, but the field of play for both sports are practically identical in shape and size. Team colors for the American Rules Soccer league could be similar to the team colors of the different NFL teams for their corresponding cities. (See An Open Letter to Roger Goodell for more on this topic)

It is hypothesized that a newly branded Soccer will be copied throughout the rest of the world. Other Soccer leagues will eventually make the same changes because this new American version will be action-packed with higher average scoring and more common sense for the Sports Fan worldwide.

wayth posted:

What exactly does this nutbag want to change? So far as I can tell that entire rant didn't suggest a single concrete difference. It was all 'gently caress fifa' and 'american rules will be better!'

Couch posted:

Go back to the original MLS rules they worked so well....

sameyank posted:

Bringing a Competing World Cup to the U.S. Every 4 Years

If a new American Rules Soccer League was formed, what single event could guarantee an excess of publicity to thrust the league further to the forefront of the minds of sports consumers? What single event could accompany the league and strengthen it every 4 years with the biggest bang for the buck? Well, you know the answer if you read the title, a competing World Cup staged in the U.S.

A new American Rules Soccer League, if started with the right amount of marketing and given ample time to make its presence known, will have already garnered respect with American sports fans. Thus, the competing American Rules World Cup acts as a support framework for the league.

Many knowledgeable Soccer fans will wonder how can a new league get players to play if they are banned from FIFA sanctioned events or leagues (It is well-known in Soccer circles that FIFA won't allow a player to play in its leagues or events if he partakes in non-sanctioned FIFA leagues or events. Sort of a monopolistic ploy, it seems.) This is a fair question. The answer is pretty much the same as any other answer for how to get things done. It is a question of money.

Obviously, a new League and competing World Cup will take huge investments, but maybe not as much as one would think. One of America's best surpluses right now is Soccer players. There are an excess of players willing to jump at pay for play and will sacrifice any FIFA career to do so.

Most will play for meager salaries to play the sport of their dreams. This doesn't mean that they shouldn't be respected. Salaries will always be paid according to supply and demand.

The same thought process applies to foreign players who will qualify for their country's teams. The first competing World Cup can get started with 8 countries represented and can build to a bigger amount of countries with the passing of every 4 years. Financial incentives can be used to rally an excellent crop of countries to get started. These incentives can be offset by sponsors and television contracts that will jump for the chance at being part of the first American Rules World Cup of Soccer.

The players may or may not be as good as others playing for MLS, NASL, USL or NPSL (all pro leagues presently represented in the U.S.) or La Liga, Bundesliga or the Premier League (a few of the abundant foreign first division leagues, not to mention the hundreds of foreign pro minor leagues). This is not really the point. It can be debated by fans and pundits for which play is more exciting, standard FIFA or American Rules.

American sports fans will figure things out and the quality sporting experience will win out. Tv ratings in other countries may take a little longer to come around, but it would not be the first time that the U.S. is the first to be ahead of the curve.

This competing World Cup should not be afraid to go up against the FIFA World Cup. It should be played in the same year, maybe even around the same time of the year. The advantage will always be that it is being played in its own friendly surroundings, the U.S.A., not in other countries that may or may not deserve the honor of hosting a world event. The United States of America always makes a good host.

quote:

Investors should determine if there is a viable alternative within the sports spectator marketplace that can transcend the status quo and become a lasting entity with enduring entertainment value.

I am OK posted:

Should have bolded this too:

quote:

Sanchez deal looks done then (again) cant say I'm too disapointed being one of the best players in Serie A is like being one of the nicest people in Al Qaeda, Much rather us stick a big bid in for Samir Nasri great young player, prem proven and would weaken one of our rival no end.

Bacon of the Sea posted:

Seriously, someone buy him an account.

Voluspa posted:

Most will play for meager salaries to play the sport of their dreams. This doesn't mean that they shouldn't be respected. Salaries will always be paid according to supply and demand.

wayth posted:

What exactly does this nutbag want to change? So far as I can tell that entire rant didn't suggest a single concrete difference. It was all 'gently caress fifa' and 'american rules will be better!'

ayb posted:

Oh and unlimited subs.

Ewar Woowar posted:

Unlimited subs would result in bringing on a specialist team for corners etc.

Bacon of the Sea posted:

Bacon of the Sea posted:

It's from a Sunderland message board. They go on to argue that blacks aren't as evolved as whites and that calling people paki is no more racist than calling someone brit.

ibroxmassive posted:

What's bad about that post?

SteadfastMeat posted:

Not a lot, I just love the ridiculous pomposity of it. Kind of like when Sid Lowe writes a thing and it's completely groan-inducingly wanky and pretentious but at the same time makes a fair point. It's like if John Galt was a Leeds fan

quote:

Whose dream is it, precisely, to have the best executive catering arm of the second division, to have the highest room occupancy rates in the Football League? Do any fans long for the day when they’ll see a Leeds United hotel manager lift an award for corporate hospitality?

THE OFFICIAL HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN F.C. WEBSITE posted:

The Hearts Board of Directors has issued the following statement in relation to outside influences on players and the club.

"What's happening with the club today is not a new thing. For almost 7 years we have been fighting to shield the club from crooks, criminals and thieves. Many of the top players at the club have felt the bitter results of the swindles that have been carried out with them on their own skin. Skacel and Webster have returned to the club after realising where these 'football patriots' have led them.

"Over a short space of time 4 players at our club have been on the wrong end of the law. We note that 3 of them are represented by the same agent - Gary Mackay - who has been so vicious in his attacks against Mr Romanov.

"Taking into account the facts that have been omitted by the media it can be presumed that each of these cases is not a coincidence, but the result of targeted actions of a mafia that wants to manipulate the club and the results.

"Every year Hearts fights to be in the top 3, but even last season in the last 12 games of the season it was almost like someone replaced the team with a different one. Whose fault is that? Players? Manager's? Or it is mafia.

"Stealing players, bad games, problems with the law - all of that on top of record SFA fines. Problems are just shifted to another level.

"Mafia are dragging kids into the crime, in order to blackmail and profit on them. It is not possible to separate these people from pedophiles, and you don't need to do that. Each year we are forced to fight against these maniacs harder and harder. We are standing in their way not letting them manipulate the game of football in the way they want. As such they undermine us in every possible way they can.

"The task of the club is to tear these kids out of hands of criminals."

HOT BRITISH SEX posted:

http://www.heartsfc.co.uk/articles/20110624/hearts-statement_2241384_2381659