A.S.S. - American Socialist Sports

I came across this article and it is amazing how they provide insight into the inner-workings of sports in America versus sports in Europe.

Think of professional Baseball in the US. All of the teams that are in MLB (Major League Baseball) are the same teams you see every year. Yet, there also exist minor league teams, but they never receive the amount of money in tickets and profit that the major league teams do. The article states, "The Montreal Expos, despite decades of gross mismanagement, these days by Major League Baseball itself, were valued at $113 million last year, according to Forbes." When the draft rolls around, the worst teams are given first choice so as to make their teams better.

In Europe, there are distinct divisions for different levels of futbol. There is the Premiership and different levels of division below that. Teams can fall down to the lower divisions and lose sales, or they can rise up to the higher divisions to increase sales. Futbol works more like capitalism in Europe in that there is constant competition to remain in the top division dependent on the ability and management of the team.

Source Slate:

To different degrees, Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA are examples of European-style socialism among billionaires and Fortune 500 companies. They share revenues, tightly regulate admission to the cartel, and bargain collectively with powerful European-style unions, which act as barriers against reform. Losers not only can prosper, but they get first dibs on next year's crop of talent.

In 1997, Mohamed al-Fayed, the Egyptian-born immigrant who bought Harrod's, purchased London-based soccer team Fulham FC, then a middling team in England's second division (the third-highest league). The parvenu spent lavishly on new talent and brought in new coaches. In 1999, Fulham was promoted to the first division. In 2001, after winning the Division One championship, it was promoted to the Premiership, where it has stayed ever since.

The companies and owners of the teams in the US essentially run a cartel. In that, they can control who is in the top-league teams and no matter the outcome of their team, they will always reap enormous profits. Although there are a few teams that pop into the league the concept is always the same, and the owners rarely change. In Europe, competition is the norm among the teams and their owners.

I think this is the major reason why professional sports in the US are so bad. There really is no inspiration for the owners to do well, they will still make their money. I thought this was an interesting concept and one that should be utilized in the US.

[edit on 23-10-2004 by Jamuhn]

How can the capitalist system in America support the major industries of the socialist sports system? I mean C'Mon...

Well, I think this just supports my personal theory that the Playoffs/Superbowl are a crock!

You never see the best man/team just win, it always comes down to the final game at the most extreme scenario. The airtime and Adtime (money) is what rules here.

Only the last game counts, all of you get over it, you are being sucked in by the machine!

Sitting there veggin for the advertising dollars you are being exposed to for days.

How many of you ATS'ers see a consiracy everywhere but the all American game?

You know who you are - let me laugh my off.