With J Hutcherson -- Later today, where running a Clemente Lisi article on the influence of the National Football League on the Summer of Soccer. Staying on topic, one of the issues for Major League Soccer is how much impact the mentality of the NFL is allowed to have on this sport.
Simply put, the NFL is an operation that doesn't value players in the same way as other leagues. Sure, there are the quarterbacks and the marquee names, but part of the NFL prosperity model is making sure that most of their athletes are interchangeable.
No guaranteed contracts, the added benefit of helmets obscuring faces, and the lack of any real competition for the services of professional football players. All of this plays to a team identity more important than any individual.
Unfortunately for that particular cost-cutting device, time and again soccer has shown that individuals matter. In fact, they're the ones carrying the game.
Pick any super club, and most fans can name at least a couple of players. The same is true for most Premier League clubs that have been at that level for a few seasons. It's the National Basketball Association model where every team needs at least one player on the marquee. Otherwise, enough fans won't bother to make the point.
For all the unflattering comparisons, Major League Soccer could cure a significant image problem in two steps. Mandate the designated player rule for all clubs and start spending on transfer fees.
Too many people are dismissing that last one without comment, but the age of the selling club - much less the selling League - has passed. Doing that in the modern era means weakening your product. The transfer market is just that, a place to sell and to buy.
We now know courtesy of Kenny Cooper's father that MLS also pockets the 10% due the player on a European transfer. That just pushes the point that the League is taking advantage of a system rather than using it to increase quality.
Build all the stadiums you want while using the latest expansion clubs to push up the average attendance. Hockey showed us a decade ago how that can go wrong. What's needed is a talent injection rather than half-heartily following the missteps of the North American Soccer League with the added bonus of real estate speculation.
Barcelona, Real Madrid, and every other soccer team with millions of dollars on their roster aren't the same for fans all over the World minus those players. It's a combination of badge, current talent, and a willingness to spend on more.
We've got ample evidence that enough fans will turn out to see prestige players to make enough of a profit. What would it cost to build up the quality in MLS so the rosters were comparable to a mid-tier EPL team? How much of an impact would it have on public perception and people willing to spend on tickets and apparel? How high would that drive rights and sponsorship? If we have so much evidence that players sell this game, why is the League pushing the NFL idea that it's really about the club crests?
We've got a lot of people paying significant ticket prices to make these very good questions. We also might have a League propping up old decisions on available excuses. Instead of simply nodding along, maybe we start asking why.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
