The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

Should football take inspiration from American sports?

You look at the USA and many would suggest it's the ultimate capitalist nation of the world - and rightly so.

Despite this, their sports are ran in an uber-socialist manner. The worst teams get the best players in the draft, there are wage caps, designated players who earn high wages, the councils build the stadiums etc.

This, in turn, leads to competitiveness. Sure, there is the odd dynasty where a team will do well for five years on the bounce, but teams are emerging all the time in the MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA etc. and this lends itself well to viewing, because they are hard to predict and very very competitive. This makes it exciting for fans.

Could football around the world - and in particular the Premier League - learn from this? Sure, the Sky money and money in football makes it seem as if it'll never happen, but should it? The gulf between the rich elite and the rats and dregs at the bottom is ever increasing. Does something need to be done?
In short I don't think so, not even nearly.

Firstly, let's look at wages, most American footballers earn more than your average footballer so I don't see how their system can work.

Secondly, councils building stadia? Do you really think that would work here? Not a chance, people moan about everything the government spend.

In terms of spending there is no way it would work, the pl isn't going to hurt itself in Europe by hiring the top clubs. I could only see it working if it was Europe wide but again there is no incentive for it here.

There's also other things like the fact they are all franchises that just wouldn't be accepted here.

So for me no I don't think it'd ever work
Tom Brady (Leo Messi) always wins his division (La Liga) and has won the Superbowl (Champions League) four times too.
Perhaps football ( soccer ) should not take inspiration from America as there are many problems with their system but there are many improvements that should be made with our football system, footballers are paid an unbelievably high amount of money for what they do and let's not even start talking about Fifa's problems...:smile:
Original post by Mackay

Could football around the world - and in particular the Premier League - learn from this? Sure, the Sky money and money in football makes it seem as if it'll never happen, but should it? The gulf between the rich elite and the rats and dregs at the bottom is ever increasing. Does something need to be done?


In an ideal world, yes, you'd like to see lesser teams become more competitive. The problem is just too complex though and the "elite" across Europe would do whatever it takes to keep things as they are. I guess FFP is a step forward of sorts?

One positive you can take out of the current system is that when a team does break through, like A.Madrid, it makes the success all the more special and that legacy will last longer.
Nah, let's keep going on this nightmarish spiral where only 3 teams can win anything and squad players at midtable sides earn £100k a week.



Football will destroy itself eventually, and we'll start again. Guarantee it.
Original post by nase14_aldayz
In an ideal world, yes, you'd like to see lesser teams become more competitive. The problem is just too complex though and the "elite" across Europe would do whatever it takes to keep things as they are. I guess FFP is a step forward of sorts?

One positive you can take out of the current system is that when a team does break through, like A.Madrid, it makes the success all the more special and that legacy will last longer.


FFP doesn't do that much, in fact it probably does the opposite as Barcelona/Real Madrid/Manchester United's revenues are insanely high while Bayern obviously have first dibs on the german market which is booming atm. Milan clubs looks to be on the rise too with billionaire owners.

Add to that La Liga have been trying for years to make the system equal with a tv deal that spreads the money more evenly like the premier league(which has the most even system in the big 5 leagues across europe all factors considered) and it's still not even, it's going to take a good 5 years before the system gets a bit more even there iirc.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 7
Avatar for Mackay
Mackay
OP
17
Original post by nase14_aldayz
In an ideal world, yes, you'd like to see lesser teams become more competitive. The problem is just too complex though and the "elite" across Europe would do whatever it takes to keep things as they are. I guess FFP is a step forward of sorts?

One positive you can take out of the current system is that when a team does break through, like A.Madrid, it makes the success all the more special and that legacy will last longer.


Agree with jam. FFP does nothing but cement the status quo, and punishes clubs with nouveau rich owners from displaying any type of desire and ambition to break the mould and threaten the upper echelons of European football.

The biggest danger sign with FFP was when Abramovich vocally threw his support behind it.
Reply 8
Avatar for Drewski
Drewski
19
How do you propose to implement it in a system where there is no massive college/uni sports network to draft players from?
I'd love a draft system for the Premier League but there's just no way of doing it. It would completely gut youth systems/academies (which nobody wants to see happen) and it's just feasible with relegation/promotion.

I really envy the college sports system in America. Imagine Leeds uni vs Manchester uni being played in front of 75,000 people at Old Trafford and being televised live on Sky. Or the star striker from UCL graduating and going straight into Chelsea's first team. Sounds absolutely ludicrous but that's more or less what happens over there.
A salary cap would be quite nice.. then all the best players couldn't just go to a few teams.
Reply 11
Avatar for Mackay
Mackay
OP
17
Original post by sr90
I'd love a draft system for the Premier League but there's just no way of doing it. It would completely gut youth systems/academies (which nobody wants to see happen) and it's just feasible with relegation/promotion.

I really envy the college sports system in America. Imagine Leeds uni vs Manchester uni being played in front of 75,000 people at Old Trafford and being televised live on Sky. Or the star striker from UCL graduating and going straight into Chelsea's first team. Sounds absolutely ludicrous but that's more or less what happens over there.


University sports in this country are a joke.
Original post by Mackay
University sports in this country are a joke.


Varsity at my uni was so ****ing cringey.
Reply 13
Avatar for Mackay
Mackay
OP
17
Original post by sr90
Varsity at my uni was so ****ing cringey.


What uni were you at? Same here, man.
Yeah, the only varsity event people care about in UK is the boat race. Though isn't Loughborough supposed to be a breeding ground of future athletes?
College sports is of a far, far higher standard than uni sport and most footballers go to academies from way before that. So there's no way an organised draft could work like it does in the US. Nice idea, but it will not happen unless the football bubble finally bursts
Original post by Nichrome
Yeah, the only varsity event people care about in UK is the boat race. Though isn't Loughborough supposed to be a breeding ground of future athletes?


It is basically.
The Varsity rugby between Cardiff and Swansea is relatively big in Wales. Then again, more rugby players do get degrees before or whilst playing professionally. There's more opportunity, particularly in Wales, to be drafted into the regional teams if you play for those unis 1st XV. It's very rare that a footballer attends university, though.
Original post by Mackay
You look at the USA and many would suggest it's the ultimate capitalist nation of the world - and rightly so.

Despite this, their sports are ran in an uber-socialist manner. The worst teams get the best players in the draft, there are wage caps, designated players who earn high wages, the councils build the stadiums etc.

This, in turn, leads to competitiveness. Sure, there is the odd dynasty where a team will do well for five years on the bounce, but teams are emerging all the time in the MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA etc. and this lends itself well to viewing, because they are hard to predict and very very competitive. This makes it exciting for fans.

Could football around the world - and in particular the Premier League - learn from this? Sure, the Sky money and money in football makes it seem as if it'll never happen, but should it? The gulf between the rich elite and the rats and dregs at the bottom is ever increasing. Does something need to be done?


This is a good point about US sports however there are different things about their culture that don't map over to football.

First and most important, American football is a closed economy: one country with one overarching governing body at the top level so the same rules apply across the board. They don't have multiple different countries competing for European competitions and in their own domestic leagues. You couldn't have European competitions and operate a credible draft or salary cap.

They don't have as many professional clubs, so the education system fills the role that lower divisions do in footballing countries for providing the link between the local community and local teams. It means there is a well functioning college system to take players in the early part of their career, look after their junior development and provide a workable draft. In footballing countries professional clubs own the junior development and it's probably too late to change that now, so you can't have a draft.

There are some other cultural differences; we like promotion and relegation and first past the post leagues: whilst we have cup competitions we like to award our main domestic competitions on who has been most consistent over the full year and accrued most points. The Americans like playoff systems which bring in some randomness and create more big occasions. Also they allow franchises to be mobile; Rams moving from Los Angeles to St Louis; Raiders moving from Oakland to Los Angeles and back to Oakland; Colts moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis etc. We have had Wimbledon moving to MK Dons and look at the unhappiness that caused. You really can't imagine fans putting up with it if say Daniel Levy said we are going to take the Hotspur franchise to Birmingham...

Going back to your first point it is interesting that in the US, the home of capitalism, there is general acceptance about measures such as the draft and the salary cap to even up the competition. One big difference I find between attitudes to American sport and our attitudes is that in the US there is much more of an attitude that the game is the most important thing: Americans are very patrotic and their sports are symbolic of American culture; playing the game the right way, respecting its traditions, being knowledgable about its history are big parts of US life. Their fans aren't as partisan as ours, for us everything is about the club, if you support a club you might be in to your club's history and traditions but are more likely to care just about your club and **** everyone else.

I do think the US system is a better model for sports generally than ours, you really have to take your hat off to the way they promote their sports, how they run the game, the sophistication of the way they prepare and train.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you