Infelizmente, os Miami Red Birds vs os Xangai Red Devils não chegarão às nossas telas tão cedo.
EUA. Os fãs ficaram em grande parte desapontados ao saber do rápido fim da Super Liga Europeia e de suas propostas inúmeras repetições do “Clash of the Soccer Titans”.
They were equally upset about the evaporation of their hope that fixtures would finally move to more socially acceptable kick-off times instead of our current 6am breakfast serving, where we are fed the Burnley Clarets vs the Southampton Saints com Chris Wood Stodgy e Nathan Redmond, onde o Cristiano Ronaldo fresco e frutado e Cordon Bleu Lionel Messi could be.
And we were incensed by the UK football voices who have popped up on our screens – the Linekers and Nevilles – largely deriding the Super League as some ‘Americanization’ of the game, painting Yanks as too simplistic, naïve and lacking in sufficient emotional heritage to shape the game’s future.
Hmmm.
While there is some sympathy here for those clinging to the idea of the ‘beautiful game’ and its ‘fan base’ social construct – the overwhelming belief is that soccer is now a global product, allegiances are selective and temporary and influenced as much by FIFA game rankings, rosters of celebrity players and social media branding as they are by the town of your birth.
Hey, the day before the Super League story broke, my own club, Everton, launched a Global Growth Strategy based around a new U.S. office, Colombian superstars and sponsorship and licensing deals, so globalizing the game was already on everyone’s radar.
Outside of cities like Liverpool, Manchester and London, the view is soccer is now democratized and global consumers have as much ownership of the game as the ‘legacy’ English domestic supporter – whether that’s the armchair, prawn sandwich or season-ticket holder variety.
America is a culture which invented, embraced and accepted the sporting franchise model first.
Despite initial outrage when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to L.A. 60-odd years ago, it is now such an accepted part of the business of sport that no-one comments when the Raiders swap Oakland for Los Angeles, return a decade later, only to then up sticks to Las Vegas last year.
Sport is quite simply a trillion-dollar entertainment product here in the U.S. and it has the business model to support that.
The cartel of owners who share these profits have secured near blanket coverage on TV, are untroubled by messy relegation or promotion battles destroying their brand equity, and they cash in on lengthy and valuable ‘post-seasons’ which culminate in traffic-stopping playoffs and finals, Super Bowls and World Series.
Lamento dizer aos dois Gary: "Sorry rapazes, os negócios esportivos americanos são muito mais sofisticados do que você jamais poderia imaginar". Rams para Los Angeles, os Henry's são grandes ruídos na franquia Boston Red Sox e a família Glazer possui os Buccaneers de Tampa Bay, campeões atuais de Superbowl.
So, with the ownership of some of English football’s most-storied clubs now in the control of Stan Kroenke, JW Henry and Joel Glazer, why is anyone surprised?
After all Mr Kroenke took his St Louis Rams to Los Angeles, The Henry’s are big noises in the Boston Red Sox franchise and the Glazer family own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, current Superbowl champs.
Na alegação de ingenuidade, os colegas dos EUA encolhem os ombros e dizem: “Vocês foram os que venderam seus amados clubes para esses caras, por que você está surpreso que eles querem adotar o modelo que criou seus bilhões em primeiro lugar?”
Fair Point. E se eles matassem uma vez, é claro que voltariam para mais. Novas equipes de expansão com sede em Miami e Los Angeles seguiriam. Em seguida, pare Shanghai e Delhi. Eles estão tocando sabiamente a carta "idiota" - posicionando isso como um pequeno soluço porque "simplesmente não entendemos suas preocupações culturais em inglês". Bobo ol 'nós.
The new Super League founders, as well as being instantly beloved of sponsors, shareholders and viewers worldwide, would also have had their sights on control of the truly lucrative elements of sport – the data, the trademarks, and the broadcast and licensing deals.
And once a European Super League had been established, of course new expansion teams based in Miami and Los Angeles would follow. Next stop Shanghai and Delhi.
And as to who is being naïve, the rash of ‘mea culpa’ pre-recorded statements from John Henry and others have started. They are wisely playing the ‘Dumb American’ card – positioning this as a little hiccup because ‘we just simply didn’t understand your English cultural concerns’. Silly ol’ us.
But the reality is these aren’t modern day Beverly Hillbillies – rich but steeped in down home, old-fashioned good intentions – these are ruthless business people.
There have been armies of lawyers, financiers and advisors poring over these plans for months before the infamous zoom calls started. Who seriously thinks one of the world’s largest banks J.P. Morgan would invest $5 billion into an idea without a business plan?
Então, é inevitável? Provavelmente. Pode ser parado? Possivelmente. A Super Liga pode ter perdido essa batalha inicial, mas essa guerra vai se enfurecer. Downtown in Business
