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American Football Fan's Good Sense


St Landrew
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Another do-my-ears-deceive-me moment..!

 

Just think I've heard a Grid-Iron fan in the USA talk about the benefits of a salary cap in the English Premiership, so that many more teams can compete, as they do in American Football.

 

Kind of a strange collision of sports and politics where America is the western land of unrestricted capitalism, and GB is traditionally more cautious and responsible in the workplace. Yet, when it comes to two codes of football [yeah, loose connection] the politics are completely reversed. OK, the Grid-Iron fooballers earn a mint, but they all earn well, and there is a cap. Just a select afforded few earn the sky high wages in GB, and there's this big modern media led tradition that clubs like Arsenal, ManU, Liverpool, and latterly Chelsea, have some god-given right to be first in the queue for success. And they are the ones who can afford the sky-high wages.

 

And touching further on that. Why is it that these clubs have the nod over other clubs. Anyone around 55 years old will know that ManU have little tradition of success before the 1950s, with marginal success after Matt Busby until Ferguson. That's a fairly long time, by today's instant standards. Liverpool were pretty much an alsoran team before the iconic Bill Shankly appeared. And Chelsea have been as iffy as anyone else. Luckily for them they came from the capital. Only Arsenal have any real tradition, having never been relegated from the top division. And only that record is unblemished because they were elected to stay once in the 1910s. Just imagine what could have happened if they had been relegated. Maybe they would be like Orient or Brentford, and there might have been no 1930's success or 1970's double..? Seriously..!

 

Fortunes in football could be as fickle as fans are supposed to be unless they are given undue help by too much money. Unfortunately, the genie is out of the bottle. And it'll take a heck of a lot of persuasion to put it back in. I think we could learn a lot from American Football.

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yay no relegation and promotionzzzzzzzzzzz

 

only thing that would benefit is the salary cap but wouldnt happen in a million years, probably break some gay EU law.

 

Did I mention at any point, anything about no promotion or relegation..?

 

There are some things you take on board, and some things you can leave alone.

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Did I mention at any point, anything about no promotion or relegation..?

 

There are some things you take on board, and some things you can leave alone.

 

Well, I feel it is relevant. Would the teams have a say in any salary cap ruling? If they have any kind of sway there is no way they would agree to it, especially when their television and sponsorship income will be at direct risk.

 

Take away the risk of relegation, and thus losing the vast majority of your income stream then a salary cap would be far more 'acceptable.' Who needs to go for broke to attract the best players when the rug will not be pulled from under you.

Edited by Colinjb
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Another do-my-ears-deceive-me moment..!

 

Just think I've heard a Grid-Iron fan in the USA talk about the benefits of a salary cap in the English Premiership, so that many more teams can compete, as they do in American Football.

 

Kind of a strange collision of sports and politics where America is the western land of unrestricted capitalism, and GB is traditionally more cautious and responsible in the workplace. Yet, when it comes to two codes of football [yeah, loose connection] the politics are completely reversed. OK, the Grid-Iron fooballers earn a mint, but they all earn well, and there is a cap. Just a select afforded few earn the sky high wages in GB, and there's this big modern media led tradition that clubs like Arsenal, ManU, Liverpool, and latterly Chelsea, have some god-given right to be first in the queue for success. And they are the ones who can afford the sky-high wages.

 

And touching further on that. Why is it that these clubs have the nod over other clubs. Anyone around 55 years old will know that ManU have little tradition of success before the 1950s, with marginal success after Matt Busby until Ferguson. That's a fairly long time, by today's instant standards. Liverpool were pretty much an alsoran team before the iconic Bill Shankly appeared. And Chelsea have been as iffy as anyone else. Luckily for them they came from the capital. Only Arsenal have any real tradition, having never been relegated from the top division. And only that record is unblemished because they were elected to stay once in the 1910s. Just imagine what could have happened if they had been relegated. Maybe they would be like Orient or Brentford, and there might have been no 1930's success or 1970's double..? Seriously..!

 

Fortunes in football could be as fickle as fans are supposed to be unless they are given undue help by too much money. Unfortunately, the genie is out of the bottle. And it'll take a heck of a lot of persuasion to put it back in. I think we could learn a lot from American Football.

 

I saw this last night. It wasn't 'just' a fan, but one of the owners of a franchise (New England, I think). While I think it's a great way to ensure that a competition remains just that (except the lack of relegation/promotion) the chances of football adopting such policies must be a hair's breadth above zero.

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Didn't old David Mellor look into this during the late eighties/early nineties? I have to have a look and see if I can find the reference,( I wasn't a great Footy Fan then and used it in a debate on why Rugby was more of a team sport than football whilst at Uni. I was just jelous and disallusioned as I wanted to, and might have been able to, play rugby professionally when I was a lad if it was as it is now.) If I find it i'll see if I can post it.

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