Rumor: MLS approves jersey advertising

[harperdc]

having one table means very, very little when more teams are hitting the playoffs than the proverbial golf course.

the conference thing shouldn't be as much of a problem in the MLS - they're not like baseball or basketball and play once, maybe twice a week...plus they play everyone else anyways, obviously their division more than others but each division still encompasses at least two time zones each (the west is in three) so the difference is minor. Besides, pro teams in Europe could theoretically play a mid-week UEFA game in somewhere like Russia and play a game in England during the weekend, which is just as hard on travel as NY Red Bull going out to LA.

finally bringing the MLS teams into sponsorship line is great, too; they have sponsorships, why not be like everyone else aesthetically? so long as they don't get multiple sponsors, ala some smaller European leagues and South American teams, they will look fine.

[Saturn]

Just don't mess with DC's stripes. God please don't let them mess them up.

[IceCap]

Just don't mess with DC's stripes. God please don't let them mess them up.

I think they'll be smart enough to put the add under the stripes.

[Brian in Boston]

Tiny stadiums shouldn't be an issue. It happens all the time in Italy.

Yes, but Italy is a nation where soccer is the #1 sport. And the problems with

Obviously, the promoted team isn't going to have any problem filling it's smaller stadium after climbing to the higher classification. Fans will be thrilled that their favorite side managed to achieve a higher level of competition... even though the economic realities of operating in a smaller venue most likely promise a return to lower-division play in a season or two.

Further, soccer is such a major part of Italy's cultural landscape that a relegated top-flight side isn't likely to lose a significant portion of it's fan-base due to the fact that the club has been "sent down". The demotion would just be seen as one of the vagaries of the sport... and the team's die-hard fans would feverishly support the club's attempt to regain a place in the higher classification.

Contrast this to the situation in the United States, where soccer is a niche sport that is still trying to build a fan-base big enough to justify the 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadiums being built at the Major League Soccer level. Yes, fans of a current USL side would undoubtedly be as satisfied as their lower-division Italian brethren to earn a trip - even a temporary one - to a higher league (i.e. MLS) via promotion. However, beyond a core group of soccer purists rooting for each MLS side, it is highly unlikely that the vast majority of American MLS fans would find rooting for a demoted side to be anywhere near as exciting a prospect as their Italian counterparts do. In other words, no matter how brief, it can be expected that demotion from MLS to USL would be a drag on the attendance of the former MLS club.

Given the niche nature of professional soccer on the American sports landscape, said "attendance drag" could be particularly damaging to the sports long-term prospects. Fans could be lost that may well never return. That's not going to fly with MLS investor/operators who are trying to put kiesters in the seats. Lord knows that they're not going to want to take the risk that 8,000 fans will be rattling around in their newly-built 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium, cheering on a recently demoted side.

Bottom line? I just don't see promotion/relegation being a viable option on the American/Canadian professional sports landscape any time soon.

[hawk36]

We should stop trying to Americanize the sport. It may work as a gimmick for one or two years (remember indoor soccer) but the MLS needs to think long term to ultimately succeed. And long term means:

1. sponsors front and center on shirts

2. relegation

3. and GASP!, no playoffs like the rest of the world.

Playoff format would come in the way of a Champions League style deal with top teams from the top 3 leagues playing eachother.

[Titanole]

I'm not sure why this is a big deal. This is the USA (except for Toronto of course ). We are about as capitalist as you can get. There are already sponsors on the back of many MLS shirts and sponsors are commonly found in the lower divisions. The change shouldn't cause much of a stir at all.

And as popular as NASCAR is, people should be used to corporate logos slapped on everything. In comparison, a logo on the front of a soccer shirt is nothing.

[Mingjai]

And as popular as NASCAR is, people should be used to corporate logos slapped on everything. In comparison, a logo on the front of a soccer shirt is nothing.

I don't mind sponsors' logos front and center on soccer kits. Interesting that you bring up NASCAR, because I estimate that most of the people on this board don't find NASCAR "uniforms" particularly aesthetically pleasing.

[sbsofa06]

Gosh, soccer jerseys are ugly. Is that on purpose? And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

[Gothamite]

Gosh, soccer jerseys are ugly. Is that on purpose?

Some are, some aren't. Just like any sport, some teams dress up like clowns for attention, and some stick with tried and true classics.

And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

One could say the same thing about any merchandise, from a Yankee cap to a Polo shirt to whatever the hip jeans of the moment are.

[powersurge]

And as popular as NASCAR is, people should be used to corporate logos slapped on everything. In comparison, a logo on the front of a soccer shirt is nothing.

I don't mind sponsors' logos front and center on soccer kits. Interesting that you bring up NASCAR, because I estimate that most of the people on this board don't find NASCAR "uniforms" particularly aesthetically pleasing.

Talk about a sport that completely WHORES itself out to sponsors. Holy :censored:!

if they could put ads on the smoke that shoots out of a screwed up engine or during a crash they would.

"This 10 car pile up brought to you by Lipitor..."

[DGivens87]

And as popular as NASCAR is, people should be used to corporate logos slapped on everything. In comparison, a logo on the front of a soccer shirt is nothing.

I don't mind sponsors' logos front and center on soccer kits. Interesting that you bring up NASCAR, because I estimate that most of the people on this board don't find NASCAR "uniforms" particularly aesthetically pleasing.

Talk about a sport that completely WHORES itself out to sponsors. Holy :censored:!

if they could put ads on the smoke that shoots out of a screwed up engine or during a crash they would.

"This 10 car pile up brought to you by Lipitor..."

You wanna talk about sports whoring, just watch a Red Sox game on NESN. "The Bank of America AL Batting Leaders", "Pitching change brought to you by CVS", "The WB Mason pitching matchup" "LoJack caught stealing (I actually kinda like that one)". And all this between in-game promotions of NESN SportsDesk brought to you by F.W. Webb Heating and Plumbing Distributors since 1866.

But back on topic - slap some sponsors on the front of those soccer jerseys! By all means, I'll take that over TV timeouts everytime the damn clock stops in football. It's a necessary evil. And hey, one thing I enjoy about watching soccer on TV is NO COMMERCIALS. How refreshing!

[Saturn]

And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

Uh......they do. Read the thread.

[leopard88]

And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

Uh......they do. Read the thread.

I think he means that consumers shouldn't pay to wear replica jerseys.

Hmm. Maybe Ralph Lauren should pay me to advertise his shirts with the little polo players on them? Or Phil Knight can pay me to wear shows with swooshes? Yeah, that will happen too.

[DGivens87]

And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

Uh......they do. Read the thread.

I think he means that consumers shouldn't pay to wear replica jerseys.

Hmm. Maybe Ralph Lauren should pay me to advertise his shirts with the little polo players on them? Or Phil Knight can pay me to wear shows with swooshes? Yeah, that will happen too.

Oh man, if only that were the case, I'd be able to retire with the checks Reebok and Nike would owe me...

[Titanole]

But back on topic - slap some sponsors on the front of those soccer jerseys! By all means, I'll take that over TV timeouts everytime the damn clock stops in football. It's a necessary evil. And hey, one thing I enjoy about watching soccer on TV is NO COMMERCIALS. How refreshing!

Here, here! (Or is it hear, hear? I never could figure that out.)

[Saturn]

We should stop trying to Americanize the sport. It may work as a gimmick for one or two years (remember indoor soccer) but the MLS needs to think long term to ultimately succeed. And long term means:

1. sponsors front and center on shirts

2. relegation

3. and GASP!, no playoffs like the rest of the world.

Playoff format would come in the way of a Champions League style deal with top teams from the top 3 leagues playing eachother.

1. Looks like it'll start next year. A couple still might not have one though.

2. Won't happen for a VERY long time if at all. (I say it never happens)

3. Which 3 leagues? I'll won't bother going into this until I know which 3.

[harperdc]

technically, MLS gets to send representatives into CONCACAF's equivalent of the Champion's League, but since I know nothing about the league structures of central and south america (clausura? wtf?) I don't know how 'good' the league is, how many invites we get, etc. I could probably spout some names out ("I watch FS World Report!") but I don't want to confuse anybody.

[Titanole]

In the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the US and Mexican clubs get an automatic pass into the quarterfinals, while the rest of the field has to qualify. I would imagine that the representatives of the smaller Caribbean and Central American who have to qualify are determined by league champs or cup winners. Under last year's format, the US got two clubs in, the MLS champion and the USOC winner.

I wish the tournament was bigger in this country than it is. The Mexicans and Costa Ricans sure seem to take it seriously, having won most of the cups in the last twenty years or so.

[powersurge]

And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

Uh......they do. Read the thread.

I think he means that consumers shouldn't pay to wear replica jerseys.

Hmm. Maybe Ralph Lauren should pay me to advertise his shirts with the little polo players on them? Or Phil Knight can pay me to wear shows with swooshes? Yeah, that will happen too.

Oh man, if only that were the case, I'd be able to retire with the checks Reebok and Nike would owe me...

I'd be a walking 'Swoosh' if that were the case.

I've said for years that if automakers gave people a choice to have Nascar style ads on the side of regular cars for a large discount of the price it would save the American Auto Industry. Seriously, I'd take a $6 or $7K discount off of a new car in exchange for a bunch of logos. Well, anything but Viagra or Playtex that is.

[xxjdm66]

And if you have a corporate sponsor logo slapped across your chest, shouldn't the sponsor pay you to wear it. not the other way around?

Uh......they do. Read the thread.

I think he means that consumers shouldn't pay to wear replica jerseys.

Hmm. Maybe Ralph Lauren should pay me to advertise his shirts with the little polo players on them? Or Phil Knight can pay me to wear shows with swooshes? Yeah, that will happen too.

Oh man, if only that were the case, I'd be able to retire with the checks Reebok and Nike would owe me...

I'd be a walking 'Swoosh' if that were the case.

I've said for years that if automakers gave people a choice to have Nascar style ads on the side of regular cars for a large discount of the price it would save the American Auto Industry. Seriously, I'd take a $6 or $7K discount off of a new car in exchange for a bunch of logos. Well, anything but Viagra or Playtex that is.

This is happening in So. California. Some dealerships here are leasing cars with their logos plastered all over the car, with a nice discount.