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“They’re trying to commercialise the sacred game of football that I already pay £1200 a year to watch on television” Said in a muppet voice. Edit: I guess ult
by hyko 5y ago
“They’re trying to commercialise the sacred game of football that I already pay £1200 a year to watch on television”
Said in a muppet voice.
Edit: I guess ultimately it’s the weakness of being a fanatic about anything that isn’t yourself or your loved ones. Some smart business people realised thirty years ago that there was a massive consumer surplus in football fandom and set about capturing it.
Judging by the way fans vote with their hard earned money I’d say there’s still more to be captured. But the idea that the current FIFA governed world of football is some sort of pristine old-growth forest threatened by commerce is just ludicrous.
- oneeyedpigeon 5y agoMany of the fans objecting to the ESL also object to extortionate TV fees. Many still object to the formation of the English Premier League and the associated 'capitalisation' of football. If you only watch football on TV then, sure, things like the ESL will have far less of a direct impact on you.
- fumblebee 5y agoThis seems to miss the point entirely. The furore wasn't from further commercialisation, it was because a cartel of greedy clubs tried going solo and breaking tradition with the ladder system, where Leicester can win the Premier League or Greece the Euros. Most footballers are born into humble backgrounds, meritocracy matters.
- marcinzm 5y agoExcept it's not a meritocracy. The same clubs tend to win year over year. Those clubs then get the most money which they then invest into players so they win again the next year. That something is possible doesn't make it a meritocracy if the the system stacks the odds against it by favoring incumbents.
- iso1631 5y agoLeicester, Wigan, Portsmouth? It's not about the winning either. The romantacism of being able to win, when Bradford knocked out Chelsea in 2015, when Oldham beat Liverpool, fighting for 5th/6th place in the premier, or fighting to avoid relegation, this is the essence of football, where everyone, no matter what their team, can support their team and have those dreams.
- fumblebee 5y agoiso1361 already made the point well. There’s a non-zero percent chance for upsets in the current system. In ESL there’d be no chance. Zero. Zilch. That difference is fundamental and transcends the collective psyche of world football.
- Sleepytime 5y agoIs it really £100/m to watch on tv? That sounds almost unbelievable.