poffo the chaste Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 This is my first posting ever on this site, so my apologies if this issue has already been exausted. You gents might be the only people qualified to answer this long standing query of mine. Has the idea ever been proposed to link the A-League and MLS in a promotion/relegation format which exists everywhere except North America. Why can my beloved Whitecaps not be promoted to the MLS, where large US teams would have to have to face the wrath of the Southsiders in old Swangard Stadium. Surely the A-League would flourish if all clubs had the incentive of promotion. I'm probably being naive, but this format has made all European leagues vibrant and competitive which creates a better product for the fans. Help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 The MLS and USL have very different ownership and operational models for a start which would immediately rule out anything like that without huge changes. The USL does not even use promotion/relegation between its men's division one and division two primarily for club financial reasons. I don't know of any pro sport leagues in north America that use the European promotion/relegation system. I suspect much of it has to do with the fact that most pro sport here has more to do with entertainment than sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Richard The MLS and USL have very different ownership and operational models for a start which would immediately rule out anything like that without huge changes. The USL does not even use promotion/relegation between its men's division one and division two primarily for club financial reasons. I don't know of any pro sport leagues in north America that use the European promotion/relegation system. I suspect much of it has to do with the fact that most pro sport here has more to do with entertainment than sport. Entertainment, and perhaps the way things are marketed. Someone on the old board once wrote that in the rest of the world, fans identify with clubs, while in North America, they identify with leagues. They wouldn't follow a team from competition to competition (say, the NHL to the AHL) because the "sporting experience" would be lessened if the team wasn't playing in best league possible. I know that fans followed the WHA teams to the NHL, but leaving a folding "rebel" league for the more established one isn't quite the same. I can't really think of any other examples off the top of my head. It'll be interesting to see what happens to the attendance of clubs that move from the A-League to the lower division this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 "It'll be interesting to see what happens to the attendance of clubs that move from the A-League to the lower division this year." I'll wager it drops right off. The average North American sports fan is very fickle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgary Boomer Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Richard "It'll be interesting to see what happens to the attendance of clubs that move from the A-League to the lower division this year." I'll wager it drops right off. The average North American sports fan is very fickle. Huh? USL Division 1 teams moving to Division 2? How would that happen? The USL doesn't have promotion relegation. As for MLS...you will never ever see promotion/relegation in North American Soccer. The reason is simple...what if your strongest top flight teams were all in the West, but one Eastern based team was promoted. You'd be criss crossing the country every week! And what if like Charleston, DC United wins the championship and then has a colossal "Charleston Battery-like" collapse the next season and gets relegated. You don't want your flagship team getting dropped in a league that has decent parity. I could one day see the MLS and USL merging like the AFC & NFC, or the American League and National league. Rochester bailed on MLS because they don't need to pay 10 million to join another league and sell out their stadium...they already do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer Huh? USL Division 1 teams moving to Division 2? How would that happen? The USL doesn't have promotion relegation. It happened as part of the reorganisation/restructuring of the A-League and D3 Pro League into USL1 and USL2 after last season. It was an economic issue for the clubs concerned, not promotion/relegation based. Edited: Changed PDL to D3 Pro League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstackho Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Richard I don't know of any pro sport leagues in north America that use the European promotion/relegation system. I suspect much of it has to do with the fact that most pro sport here has more to do with entertainment than sport. Personally, I suspect much of it has to do with the fact that most pro sport here has more to do with business than sport. The battle to avoid relegation (and to gain promotion) can be immensely entertaining, and adds more entertainment to cellar-dwelling teams who would otherwise have nothing to play for. But being relegated can have a massive financial impact on the owners, so they will never implement such a system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 quote:Originally posted by sstackho Yes, Thats exactly it in my opinion. Especially when you have things like Salary caps and revenue sharing that even out the playing field but also make it distictly possible for one of your big market teams to be relegated. The value of TV and broadcast rights is very much tied to markets sizes and reach ( within your league) as well as ratings etc etc. Therefore how can you approach these kind of negociations for broadcast contracts not knowing ( with 100% certainty) that there will be a team in New York city for example in the year 20XX. Furthermore, The leagues and broadcasters are pretty much partners nowadays and it ofetn the networks who call the shots. But with no cap on spending in Europe, you know that Man U and Arsenal will always be the premiership and you know that they draw good ratings for the sponsors. You can go on and on this topic. But there are too many differences between how competitions are governed in Europe versus North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 quote:Originally posted by sstackho Personally, I suspect much of it has to do with the fact that most pro sport here has more to do with business than sport. Exactly, the entertainment business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Just think if the NHL had relegation when Harold Ballard had the Leafs, within a few years time they would have been playing in the OHL. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River City Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 As a diehard Leafs fan, Ballard was a saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Anybody who dosen't think that football in EVERY European league isn't an entertainment business, just like we have in North America, is sorrily mistaken. They've just inherited a different tradition and that has as much to do with geography, I think, than anything else. Hey, how long has it been since the NFL has been in LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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