OK, don't know if you follow MLS or not. But yesterday 'Comish" Don Garber went public saying that the MLS needs to do better financially and that the league is losing some 100 million dollars. Of course this state-of-the-league presser comes about 7 weeks prior to the end of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the MLS Players union. What a 'co-inky-dink'!
Remember in Star Wars when Obi Wan uses the Jedi Mind Trick to tell the Storm-Troopers, "These are not the droids you're looking for"? (Of course, they were the droids the Storm Troopers were looking for). Garber is rolling out the ol' Jedi Mind Trick as MLS prepares to negotiate the new CBA with the Players Union. Really? Really! Really?
The average player in MLS makes about $141K (according to MLS). The guys who make the most are the high-priced foreign import players (usually on the their 'last legs' in the game), and of course they make in the millions. Henry--$4.3M, Keane--$4.5M, Dempsey--$6.1M, Defoe--$6.1M, Bradley--$6.5M, Cahill--$3.6M. Wow, that's a LOT of money for those guys--certainly not in Europe, but for sure here in MLS. Yet, Garber will claim that the League needs these guys--and huge salaries--to boost MLS' prominence and lure other old European players over here...........Huh?
If you have a smidgen of business sense, I think you'd agree that this is a terrible business model--particularly for a single-entity league in it's 'adolescence'. But, Garber played the 'we have no money' card and will now try to take it out of the back-sides of the majority of MLS players who are making somewhere between $50K and $120K (more realistic numbers, I think--NOT the $141K average that Garber and MLS claim) in the new CBA. Yes, there will be a new television package which should generate some money, and that will help--but really Mr Garber, do you think soccer fans in the United States are switching channels from Chelsea-Man United (BPL) to watch Chicago-Salt Lake?!?!?!? I don't. So, you'll have a new TV contract that will help; but you're still going to have the ol' Management v Labor problem that I guess every professional league struggles with; but more importantly, tends to alienate it's fan base.
Maybe I'm just an old guy......I am; but wouldn't it be a better idea to concentrate on moving MLS to a FIFA schedule--like the rest of the world--and work on implementing relegation/promotion (which would require that US Soccer move beyond the bad blood with NASL, USL Pro, etc.)? You know.....stuff for the Good of the Game. You know....stuff that would make the US game more entertaining? Wouldn't that make more sense than fighting with your rank-and-file? I had a college coach, who went on to run US Soccer for awhile, who truly believed that negotiation in US Soccer should be the art of "getting to 'right'". Perhaps, Mr Garber, that would be a good and refreshing approach.
Just sayin'.
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the opponent shoot everything right at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
As always, let me know what YOU think!
All the Best--EV
Remember in Star Wars when Obi Wan uses the Jedi Mind Trick to tell the Storm-Troopers, "These are not the droids you're looking for"? (Of course, they were the droids the Storm Troopers were looking for). Garber is rolling out the ol' Jedi Mind Trick as MLS prepares to negotiate the new CBA with the Players Union. Really? Really! Really?
The average player in MLS makes about $141K (according to MLS). The guys who make the most are the high-priced foreign import players (usually on the their 'last legs' in the game), and of course they make in the millions. Henry--$4.3M, Keane--$4.5M, Dempsey--$6.1M, Defoe--$6.1M, Bradley--$6.5M, Cahill--$3.6M. Wow, that's a LOT of money for those guys--certainly not in Europe, but for sure here in MLS. Yet, Garber will claim that the League needs these guys--and huge salaries--to boost MLS' prominence and lure other old European players over here...........Huh?
If you have a smidgen of business sense, I think you'd agree that this is a terrible business model--particularly for a single-entity league in it's 'adolescence'. But, Garber played the 'we have no money' card and will now try to take it out of the back-sides of the majority of MLS players who are making somewhere between $50K and $120K (more realistic numbers, I think--NOT the $141K average that Garber and MLS claim) in the new CBA. Yes, there will be a new television package which should generate some money, and that will help--but really Mr Garber, do you think soccer fans in the United States are switching channels from Chelsea-Man United (BPL) to watch Chicago-Salt Lake?!?!?!? I don't. So, you'll have a new TV contract that will help; but you're still going to have the ol' Management v Labor problem that I guess every professional league struggles with; but more importantly, tends to alienate it's fan base.
Maybe I'm just an old guy......I am; but wouldn't it be a better idea to concentrate on moving MLS to a FIFA schedule--like the rest of the world--and work on implementing relegation/promotion (which would require that US Soccer move beyond the bad blood with NASL, USL Pro, etc.)? You know.....stuff for the Good of the Game. You know....stuff that would make the US game more entertaining? Wouldn't that make more sense than fighting with your rank-and-file? I had a college coach, who went on to run US Soccer for awhile, who truly believed that negotiation in US Soccer should be the art of "getting to 'right'". Perhaps, Mr Garber, that would be a good and refreshing approach.
Just sayin'.
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the opponent shoot everything right at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
As always, let me know what YOU think!
All the Best--EV