Glazed used the "F" word........

[argh1]

.....FRANCHISE when asked about Man U. Now I know there's a certain feeling that EPL teams are "clubs" and not that hated American term "franchises" but c'mon how many EPL teams are community team like the Sask Roughriders in the CFL, aren't almost all EPL teams owned by an individual or a group and run these teams as businesses. Apologies to altruistic thinkers. After all Le Clubde HockeyCanadien will be 100 years old next year. Who cares if they are a club or franchise

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4887792.stm

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by argh1

.....FRANCHISE when asked about Man U. Now I know there's a certain feeling that EPL teams are "clubs" and not that hated American term "franchises" but c'mon how many EPL teams are community team like the Sask Roughriders in the CFL, aren't almost all EPL teams owned by an individual or a group and run these teams as businesses. Apologies to altruistic thinkers. After all Le Clubde HockeyCanadien will be 100 years old next year. Who cares if they are a club or franchise

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4887792.stm

It is as much a franchise in the pure sense of the term as it is a club. I mean, how much of club do these sides have when they have majority owners, no or hardly any participation of fans, supporters and even of minority shareholders, make unilateral decisions about pretty well everything. A club is a shared venture in its original sense, which is why these teams were called clubs in the beginning, when they worked like worker's or political or other cultural and sporting associations.

As for the franchise: well, you could argue that any club, to compete, must be accepted within the structure of an existing FA or national federation, or down lower at a regional federation level, accepting terms of competition, putting forth financial guarantees, doing all kinds of things that are like a de facto agreement with the governing body that runs the competition. That is not too far off from what many franchises have to do.

[Desigol]

Franchise?

MK Dons are a Franchise.

Livingston are a Franchise.