Will MLS open its wallet?

SoccerPrime · 06-20-2005, 06:41 AM

Nice article in the South Florida paper this weekend about MLS spending more on players:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-rusnak19jun19,0,7223956.column?coll=sfla-sports-headlines

Remus · 06-20-2005, 07:42 AM

I can see increasing the amount for the team as a whole, but I think the salary for the players is pretty good.
[RANT]I despise the fact that Basketball and point-ball players make multi-millions a year, and then jump all over free shoes from Nike. People get into it for the money, not the love. That's one thing that my non-soccer fan friends agree on. Soccer players seem to love the game more than any other, and have a better off field image.

For that fact, give our Police, Fire Fighters and Teachers 1 million a year and give our athletes 500K max. Let's also reverse the role models to people who care and aren't into drugs, sex and money. I know not all atheletes are like this, but how many times have you heard of the kids favorite player being busted for something? (Soccer aside).

I think a salary range of 75-500K per player would be good. Maybe a different pay scale for the Reserve teams? [/RANT]

Sorry, just my $.02 worth. This is one thing I feel very passionate about.

SoccerPrime · 06-20-2005, 07:59 AM

I hear you, but when it comes down to it, MLS will never get the real quality players from Europe etc with a bast salary of 30k that MLS has now.

MLS needs to be able to pay 20 million transfer fees in order to get Beckhams and Peles of the world.
The real question is though, can MLS do this and survive? NASL didn't.

DadOf8 · 06-20-2005, 08:29 AM

Patience my young Padawan. I think once the popularity of MLS increases you'll see more money for salaries. But once the players' salaries increase I wont be able to afford season tickets any longer. This is what happened with the NBA. Soccer is a blue collar sport, blue collar fans should be able to afford it.

SoccerPrime · 06-20-2005, 08:57 AM

You guys are reading the article I post, right?
Seems to me that MLS is very close to actually start spending millions on Euro players. I am not advocating it. But these articles make it clear MLS wants to go that direction and will do it sooner rather than later.

Jim Umber · 06-20-2005, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DadOf8

Patience my young Padawan. I think once the popularity of MLS increases you'll see more money for salaries. But once the players' salaries increase I wont be able to afford season tickets any longer. This is what happened with the NBA. Soccer is a blue collar sport, blue collar fans should be able to afford it.

Right, and it's already in the "just-barely-doable" range. If it goes up very much, it's going to be in the "no way, Jose" range.

Aerick · 06-20-2005, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Remus

For that fact, give our Police, Fire Fighters and Teachers 1 million a year and give our athletes 500K max. Let's also reverse the role models to people who care and aren't into drugs, sex and money. I know not all atheletes are like this, but how many times have you heard of the kids favorite player being busted for something? (Soccer aside).

Devil's Advocate: Would you be willing to write your season tix check to your areas school district instead?

(I hope this doesn't open a can of worms - or do I?) :D

dysko · 06-20-2005, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoccerPrime

You guys are reading the article I post, right?
Seems to me that MLS is very close to actually start spending millions on Euro players. I am not advocating it. But these articles make it clear MLS wants to go that direction and will do it sooner rather than later.

I think this article is a bit off. I believe the league hinges more on towns like C-Bus and Salt Lake than New York.

It has to have a team in New York for marketing purposes and the better the team is the better for marketing. However, the league has to be successful in realtively small markets to really make it long run.

Rover · 06-20-2005, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dysko

I think this article is a bit off. I believe the league hinges more on towns like C-Bus and Salt Lake than New York.

It has to have a team in New York for marketing purposes and the better the team is the better for marketing. However, the league has to be successful in realtively small markets to really make it long run.

This "big names for the big markets" talk has been with MLS from the beginning. Usually, the big imports disappoint while others have adapted and thrived in MLS. Jaime Moreno (no fanfare) is still doing well, whereas Lothar Mattheus (media blitz), well, we all know what happened with that.

The stuff from the AEG guys is priceless. Of course they think we need Metro to succeed for the league to succeed. It's their team! Don't look now, but once they unload DC and San Jose (as planned), they'll have teams in the three biggest markets. Coincidence?

Anyway, the last thing we need is another Cosmos, and Don Garber knows it. The reality of how far American soccer has to go will keep us in single-entity for a decade more at least, and that will prevent the stacking of teams--for the most part. LA, Metro, and Chicago will get their big names, but not a team full of them.

Meanwhile, cities like Salt Lake will prove that soccer does best where it's wanted, not where it's imposed.