And every other club. Man Utd fans are also subsidising Burnley. Remove the current system and Burnley probably wouldn't get as many games as the do and would get far less money, too.
But with today's technology Burnley could show all their matches on pay per view. At least that would get us back to the position before Sky and stop lining Murdoch's pockets.
Perhaps, but well -supported teams have always has an advantage. It only changed into a massive one through the efforts of Sky to brand the top-four which led to major knock-on effects in merchandising etc. A few years ago, even in London the only shirts on display in some sports chains were Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal
No way will letting clubs sell their own TV rights equal a fairer league. It will end up with United hoovering up most of the money and if you think they've been obscene now with money, they could be far worse later. City and Chelsea would still have their owners. The only way to return the game back to "the working" class is to restrict the prices of the tickets really. As that is what is making it for day trippers and sterile environments. Not that this will fully return it to the good old days though.
I think it's officially time for the " Secret Meetings " to start the European Super league and leave the rest of the " Practical " teams in Europe to get back to sensible financial football . It's a bit of a laugh watching the " Big Clubs " of Europe pretend they are accomplishing anything with the super financial clout they swing . Well they should gather those big spending European clubs together and let them clout each other
I think the whole thing needs restructuring from top to bottom. I know it's a pipe dream, but I'd like to see a cap on wages and transfers and a system a bit like the NFL college draft, where the bottom placed team gets the pick of best players. Not sure how this would translate to the PL and I know there are a million hurdles that would trip it up. But I'd like to something like a system where the team finishing 1st are only alllowed to spend say a 1/10th of what the club finishing 17th are. Or perhaps 1st place are only alllowed to make one signing and 17th can make as many as they want with a sliding scale in between ? I don't know how any of this would or even could work, but I just think there needs to be a system in place where the clubs are given some parity rather than the richest clubs just going out and buying their way further up the pecking order.
No way of going back with the money involved but revenue from attendance isn't a huge part of the club's finances anymore so bring the prices down so that it's affordable for the average man.
Funds from ticket sales and those ticket holders buying stuff at the stadium accounted for 90% of a club's money before the Premier , it's down around 25% now
Long past the time to stop it now, imo. It's a global attraction now, the EPL. They make more money outside of the UK than in it... I can only see it getting bigger. It's the world's biggest league in the world's most popular sport - by far...
Same here mate, I always was both a football fan as well as a Saints fan and would catch any match involving any teams watch motd religiously etc. Nothing like thar for me anymore, it's only my love of Saints that keeps me watching top flight football, don't even bother much with CL these days either. Missed last seasons final and didn't give a ****. If it wasn't for my emotional attachment to Saints I'd **** it all off and follow Eastleigh my local non league side.
The only way to restructure football is to have a wage cap and transfer cap like they do in US sports. All clubs would have a total amount they can spend on players wages and transfers. It means the top clubs can only spend the same as the bottom clubs, so parity is brought in, in that if Mr Big Bollocks wants a big pay packet then he will have to play for a club that can afford him. This will actually reduce transfer fees as clubs won't be able to flash the cash and they will have to have a long term approach and develop their own players and keep them for longer. The reason why salary caps were brought in to baseball was that certain clubs (NY Yankees for example) could out buy everyone and they did, and they kept winning everything. But then baseball became predictable as every fan knew who would win. Attendance st games plummeted and TV money went down as no one tuned in either. Nowadays any team can build a team and win as they all have somewhat the same chance. The PL has only had United, Arsenal, Chelsea, City, Leicester, and Blackburn as winners in 25 years. If you take out the last 2 teams then its just 4 teams in 23 years. If you take out Arsenal (we haven't won it since 2004) then just 3 teams are more than likely to win the title. If the outcome is predictable then the joy will go and eventually so will the real fans.
After seeing the fuss about the MacGregor and mayweather fight and the interest it generated from people who don't like boxing or ufc and even some of the ridiculous arguments after it, eg conor did well blah blah, the genuine fans of any sport don't mean **** as mugs will pay
I'd be very happy if it stopped right there and there were no more of these ridiculous fights, but it won't. The undercard was more interesting, but Cleverly got battered and Davis is a complete twat.
That's my point, the interest and money generated will mean a market for this type of nonsense will be financially better for all concerned. Just look at the football grounds. More emphasis on boxes for those wanting a day out with clients, ticket allocations for fans given less priority than getting the money men in. I see people at OT with girlfriends etc videoing them all game, not bothering with what's on the pitch. I remember my uncle, involved in politics but no interest in football, got a ticket to the WC final in France but many fans couldn't Way of the world
The Europa League final summed it up. 48,000 capacity. 37,000 tickets on sale. 10,000 for each team that made the final. The two finalists got less tickets than were either skimmed off for UEFA or put on general sale. Ridiculous.
Money and greed ruins everything in the end. This applies to sport, music, movies, everything - success leads to overexposure, which leads to predictability, and everything becomes a product, managed and exploited to the point where it no longer has a soul. On the other hand, there are always up and coming bands playing in a garage, or in the backwoods of Alabama, doing their own thing and waiting to kick out the jams (motherfucker). And there is always a Crazy Gang or a Leicester (or a Bobby Stokes) waiting to strike a blow for the little guys. And on a further positive note; whilst I am disgusted by the vanity, arrogance & greed if some PL players (are you watching VvD?), I was genuinely uplifted by the recent collaboration between Saints and the Big Issue. The club worked with the Issue to jointly produce the programme for the opening game vs Swansea, & a bunch of first team players joined Big Issue salesmen on their pitches in Winchester for a day. Restored my faith in humanity, & reminded me that some of these extremely fortunate young men do appear to actually give a ****.
