Is Money Ruining The Game?

[Allezfan]

If we go on the general view, rather than just my personal opinion as to what I'd like (whether that is 3 o'clock kick offs, less speculation about wages etc) then most fans prefer it with the influx of money. They might disagree, it might go counter to everything they think they believe but more fans go to the game, more people watch it on TV, more people read and talk about it than ever before. Money has raised the actual quality of players and teams because, well, it matters more as a career and as a financially rewarding sport.

I might disagree, but on the whole, people prefer the sport with money. Even the unequal spread of money.

Where the game is being ruined isn't the top level it's the lower levels.

League 2, hungary, scotland etc. Where attendances are down, wages are up and clubs are going bust regularly.

 

[TX Bill]

Money is ruining the game.

Not one person is worth a salary of £100k a week, plus bonuses and endorsements.

It's a false business that relies on one thing, TV rights which is paid by, guess who, fans. It will implode sooner or later

I've been saying that for awhile too. Don't know when it will happen but it will happen. It just can't keep going at this rate.

 

[nsno-chris]

I've been saying that for awhile too. Don't know when it will happen but it will happen. It just can't keep going at this rate.

Its an unstable business model; the problem is once one goes it'll be like a house of cards.

 

[njligernj]

Over the past decade we have seen clubs such as Chelsea and Man City being taken over by new billionaire foreign owners causing massive changes in these clubs and the culture of the game, from top to bottom.

Sucks it's not us but would be fairly hypocritical for the Merseyside millionaires to bemoan money in the game. The part which sucks is that we're still millionaires when other people became billionaires. I don't see anyone sending back our past trophies because it was unfair we spent more than other teams.

I believe these people are destroying the heart and soul of these clubs. I see glory-hunting fans from all parts of the world supporting clubs like Chelsea and City who would have had little interest in them before the investments.

Meh. I don't care about that. I know I'm "supposed to." I don't. I'll make fun of them if they clearly don't know anything about the game but there are lots of people born in L4 who don't know anything about the game (they're called Liverpool fans).

This is just one example, think about the recent antics of the Hull City owner and the takeover at Cardiff, forcing the team to now wear red instead of blue. These owners are completely disregarding club traditions, it is unacceptable.

I know I'd be furious if it happened to us but I also can't shake the notion that in the grand scheme of things it's not that important. (Although granted it was also not important to change the colours and their owner is clearly mental.) Would they rather wear blue and not be the Tigers if it meant the third division? Maybe they would. Meh. They just need to not give up and they can get it changed (for instance would he play years in front of a literally completely empty stadium before changing back to blue?).

I would be interested in hearing: 1) Your experiences with this new influx of foreign fans.

I literally could not care less where someone is from. I'm not saying that to be PC; I'm saying that because I want to never have another immigrants argument with anyone ever again. I am SO bored of it. Everyone is the same! What goes through the minds of people who still care about these stupid invisible lines someone made up centuries ago?!?! If they like football then come aboard -- I wish we had more "foreign" fans ... maybe we could actually afford to buy a few players then.

2) Whether you feel they belong, or can ever belong as true fans.

I don't "feel" they can I KNOW they can because there are lots of them on here.

3) Whether you think money is ruining the game.

Oh of course. To be more accurate though: tradition is killing the game with money's help. Football is the slowest changing spot in the entire world. We barely have video replay now and it's literally decades behind other sports. Money isn't going anywhere. We need salary caps and other ideas to keep it in line.

There is nothing wrong with tradition per se. It was probably "better" back then in many ways. The problem is that now money is here the old traditional way of doing things is completely incapable of keeping money under control.

Getting archaic and corrupt organizations like the FA, FIFA and UEFA to take pro-active and forward thinking action is almost impossible.

Getting the money out of the game is almost impossible.

Which would be easier? That's the only question. However to say money is inherently going to result in this situation simply isn't true. The NFL has shown a way to keep money in line which seems very effective.

 

[Allezfan]

Pretty sure Football was the first ever sport with a salary cap, like.

It's not exactly a new idea.

 

[Allezfan]

Why do Europeans hate an underdog? We bloody love it over here!

We like underdogs, but you can't have an underdog without an overdog.

In an entirely fair equal competition the lower teams winning means a lot less.

Wigan winning the Fa cup wouldn't have been half as magical if the gulf in resources wasn't so incredibly huge.

 

[Toffee1993]

Some good stuff here guys, interesting to get some feedback from the yanks, cheers!