HRE Otto IV
All American
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2016
- Messages
- 7,168
- Like
- 11,848
Again, I don't think what you are saying is correct. TV contracts is not where most of the income comes from. The MLS TV deal is only $90 million. That money does not even cover the base salaries and allocation money that the MLS pays out. Adding a bunch of smaller market, less supported teams, isn't going to increase everyone's piece of the pie. The league's merchandising deals are only worth $125 million. Clubs primarily survive off of ownership investment, sponsorships, fans in the door, and expansion fees that are remitted back to the clubs.
So I guess the questions are:
1 - If NASL teams have zero shots at making the MLS, where's the extra talent going to come from? Talent is thin as it is and there are few other options to get more players with the roster rules. The talent pool is not going to automatically expand because the MLS sets up teams in small markets. We are essentially creating USL/NASL v2.0 or 3.0, you can call a rose by any other name but...
2 - It's expected that new teams to the MLS will have soccer specific stadiums. In order to be suitable for an 'MLS premier division' it would need to be at least 18K (SJ's stadium size as a minimum measurement). I'm not sure how hoping to get 10K 17 times a year invigorates investors to spend 100's of millions in investment. And to Alsacs point, I'm not sure it's going to incentivize a guy like Kraft to move forward on a SSS in the city limits of Boston.
3 - How do you attract DP talent if you say 'yeah, we'll pay you now, but there's a chance you get shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah in 9 months if we don't stay up. You can sign on the dotted line.'
I just don't see how anyone could thing a second division makes sense right now. We don't have the infrastructure, we don't have the talent pool, and we don't have a fanbase that can support it... yet. Hopefully in 20 years it can be a serious conversation though.
1. I agree there isn't enough talent. A two tier MLS actually helps that. Garber wants to expand past 30 teams. Would you rather see 24 Premier teams with the best talent in MLS or 32 MLS teams with same talent pool? NASL would die which it is on the way too anyway.
2. MLS is a long term investment.
3. DP players can still choose where they go on loan. Also do you think outside of NY or LA these guys care where they play? So how is it different?
Relegation would happen when MLS expands past 30 teams. That is far from right now. It will be at least a dozen years.