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 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:


B) If you’re a city, you’ve already got one (no, you can come up and see it, you son of a silly person)

We do see new build stadiums moving outside of urban areas from time to time. But that’s mostly down to space constraints, and traffic considerations etc.

There's something additional to consider here Mad Doc. See, in footy (whether its association, union, or league) the club is intrinsically tied to it's city, with potentially very few exceptions (ie, Harlequins. . . yes they're a London club, but there's nothing that outright says they are. . . it's not London Harlequins RFC, it's simply Harlequins RFC). Plus, if your club sucks, you're gonna go down to a lower league till your club sorts itself out and moves back up. EDIT: I could go on and on about my best research paper in college, how in yon earliest years of the FA cup, and the early years of rugby, the city club truly was a "city club" in that, all the players and management were local boys. That gets a bit hazy in the case of rugby, and right out the window of association once the game professionalizes (ie, there's cases where a club like, Leicester Tigers, for instance, need a prop. There's an excellent England capped prop, but he lives in London, so if we can't pay him to play for us how do we get him up to Leciester? Ahh, make him a local bobby. Or, he gets a nominal job down "at mill" where realistically, the mill owners are paying him to punch in and out, but really he's there for the rugby, not the work)

That cannot happen with literally ANY american pro sports league. In baseball and hockey especially, you have their large main league, and then you have a "minor league" club for developing players for the main. The NBA has a "D-league" in which players are in the league, but IIRC the clubs aren't part of the large clubs. Someone is welcome to correct me on that one, but it seemed like someone who gets drafted by say, the Chicago Bulls but needs some time to cook will end up in the D-League in, I dunno, the Reno club. on that reno club his teammates could be Portland Blazers, and Lakers and Celtics.

So, circling back to the OP. . . These billionaires, could could all easily afford to build their own new stadiums, con the local populace and hold fans hostage for new facilities. And the real con is, even if the stadium is 100% public funded, once built, it becomes the private property of the team owner, or some agreed upon management group. it is NOT a municipal stadium that's used for anything other than high profile, expensive private events.

Even into my era? You supported your local team.

Hence, I’m a Jambo (Hearts Fan). That’s the team my family supports. Other peeps from Edinburgh may choose to be wrong, and support Hibs.

Fun aside fact? My Grandad’s old print house was across the road from the Easter Road Stadium, and he rented them office space upstairs. Mum’s book keeping office was also upstairs. So I’d meet Hibs players fairly often. And yes, I’d get signed team photos. Which being a cunning, mercenary little toad I’d sell at school.

The key there was to get a signed team photo every season for Mr Brown, the Janitor. With his gift secured, he’d turn a blind eye to my profiteering.

Never occurred to me to try to blag free match tickets. Was too young. But also? Back then ticket prices weren’t insane.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Even into my era? You supported your local team.

Having lived in a few areas of the globe in my time, I've seen how intrinsically tied to a town/city the local club is in Europe. While there are some fans who believe that there's that same level of "tied to our city" with many professional sports teams, but as the Rams in the NFL have shown, it's all too easy to pull up stakes and move if things go a certain way.

That said, I currently live around the greater media market for the Seattle Seahawks, and it is. . . . Unique, to say the least. Basically, it seems like everywhere you turn, some new business opens up or you see a long-time business vehicle, and they're all adorned in Navy Blue and Action Green. Like, somehow making the football team colors your business colors is totally acceptable, and no one bats an eye about it here. Like living in a cult area or something. The Seahawk team colors "thing" is such a thing, I remember when the sounders soccer club was forming, and later the Kraken hockey team, there was a VERY vocal contingent of sports fans saying that we needed to go the Pittsburgh route, and all of the clubs be the same Navy and Action Green colors. The sounders at least did do blue and green, just different shades. In contrast, when I went to Munich a few years back, the only major things that were in Bayern Red, were team shops, a poster in a pub, and the stadium itself. So it was super contained, and club support was more muted. There were no match days when we were there, so there weren't really any people out and about in their Bayern scarves or other supporter kit. Even here in the US, I lived near Nashville, which has the Titans NFL team, and the Predators hockey team. I never really saw businesses use team colors and team branding in their logos and stuff.


But, as folks of a certain age around here know, it's too easy in the US to lose a club (lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City) because of the way the various professional sports grew, and how clubs were formed meant that it wasn't an inherently native grown "city" thing the way your various footy clubs in Europe did.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Even into my era? You supported your local team.

Having lived in a few areas of the globe in my time, I've seen how intrinsically tied to a town/city the local club is in Europe. While there are some fans who believe that there's that same level of "tied to our city" with many professional sports teams, but as the Rams in the NFL have shown, it's all too easy to pull up stakes and move if things go a certain way.

That said, I currently live around the greater media market for the Seattle Seahawks, and it is. . . . Unique, to say the least. Basically, it seems like everywhere you turn, some new business opens up or you see a long-time business vehicle, and they're all adorned in Navy Blue and Action Green. Like, somehow making the football team colors your business colors is totally acceptable, and no one bats an eye about it here. Like living in a cult area or something. The Seahawk team colors "thing" is such a thing, I remember when the sounders soccer club was forming, and later the Kraken hockey team, there was a VERY vocal contingent of sports fans saying that we needed to go the Pittsburgh route, and all of the clubs be the same Navy and Action Green colors. The sounders at least did do blue and green, just different shades. In contrast, when I went to Munich a few years back, the only major things that were in Bayern Red, were team shops, a poster in a pub, and the stadium itself. So it was super contained, and club support was more muted. There were no match days when we were there, so there weren't really any people out and about in their Bayern scarves or other supporter kit. Even here in the US, I lived near Nashville, which has the Titans NFL team, and the Predators hockey team. I never really saw businesses use team colors and team branding in their logos and stuff.


But, as folks of a certain age around here know, it's too easy in the US to lose a club (lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City) because of the way the various professional sports grew, and how clubs were formed meant that it wasn't an inherently native grown "city" thing the way your various footy clubs in Europe did.

College football.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Wait, my ignorance is hanging right out on this one.

But why don’t the team build their own new stadium?

Because Americans have bought the myth that sports teams 1) improve a city, 2) are a financial plus to a city, and 3) "gotta support our american bread and circuses".

CommodorePerry wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Wait, my ignorance is hanging right out on this one.

But why don’t the team build their own new stadium?

Because Americans have bought the myth that sports teams 1) improve a city, 2) are a financial plus to a city, and 3) "gotta support our american bread and circuses".

Looks like Europe is buying into it hosting our teams.