OT- The Best Dumb MGoIdea to Ever Come to Me at 6 AM Regarding Sports
I fell asleep really early last night, so I woke up early and had an MGoRevelation.
I was reading about La Liga, the Spanish soccer league, and I found out that after every season, the bottom three teams are demoted to the 2nd tier, and the top three teams from the 2nd tier are promoted to the first. Also, the bottom four of the secondary league are demoted to the tertiary league, and the top four of that 3rd league are promoted to the secondary. Some of the teams in this 3rd league are farm teams of primary ones (like in baseball). If they would be in the same league as their primary team, they can't be promoted.
This seems crazy at first. Consider that some teams have gone from being essentially in the minor leagues to eventual champions of the major league. That's like the Toledo Mud Hens having the potential to win the World Series next year just by winning the championship of two levels in a row.
But consider it again for a moment. Wouldn't this make things a heck of a lot more interesting? There was a topic on the MGoBoard about trying to come up with a Semi-Pro Football League. What if this were the idea we are looking for?
It wouldn't even have to be as large a scale as the soccer leagues. Maybe the champion of the semi-pro league and the worst of the pro league would simply switch. How much easier would it be for the Lions to finally rebuild their team if they were demoted to a Semi-Pro league, where they could improve, dominate, and return to the NFL at full force? This suspends the logic that NFL players are pretty big-headed, and would likely not be very fond of going semi-pro based on rankings. But if this were the established norm, it would be accepted as law. Thinking long-term, the players should be grateful! They would be paid either the same or on a scale based on performance after a year (if they stay semi-pro, there's no helping them. improve or get left behind), and if they end up better for it, it seems like a blessing to me.
This would also open up the opportunity for players that want to continue football, but are not good enough for the NFL, and aren't crazy enough for the XFL/Arena Football track.
Now, this obviously couldn't be used in college level competition, as the divisions are decided separately, there are conferences to maintain, and the number of teams is greater. But it could be instituted for many pro sports, like Football, Baseball, even Hockey. The teams that constantly drag in the mud (Lions, Edmonton Oilers, NY Islanders, etc.) for years, in a sort of anti-dynasty, could be "relegated" (not demoted, sounds too harsh) to a secondary (not semi-pro, again sounds too harsh) league, where they could improve and become champions, and come back up to the primary league again.
It should even be more inviting if more teams are moved, since the team wouldn't even need to be champions to move back up. Placing 2nd or 3rd in the secondary league should be cake if the teams are actually up to snuff to playing in the primary league, right? If they can't accomplish that, they don't belong, and a team that moved up gets the right to stay.
It would give casual fans who have no real allegiance to a team something to root for, and hometown teams would grow larger. What if they established a lower level football team in Grand Rapids (my hometown), and that team wasn't a farm team of any other. They win the secondary league, and suddenly start doing well against actual NFL teams the next year? I would SO be pulling for them to make the playoffs. That would be ridicu-awesome.
I know the automated response is "Won't work." And I know it wouldn't EVER happen. But man, isn't it a good idea? I don't see that many flaws with it that aren't directly related to pride or money. From an administrative standpoint, it seems like a great idea. I guess I'm comforted in knowing that the system actually does exist already, in the soccer leagues, even if it wouldn't ever be adopted here.
But in honesty, I think it has a better chance than "Pro College Football League," as ambitious and creative as that was.
Thoughts?
Mr. Holt, what you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling incoherent idea were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this post is now dumber having listened to it. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.
+1 that
runs the same way. It will never happen here but wouldn't busting the Pittsburgh Pirates to AAA be great? Really, they've operated like a minor league team for years but get to charge major league prices. I think such a system might just focus ownership on the principal task, which is winning. Who would want to be the owner who takes his team from MLB to AAA? Imagine what happens to his investment. On the flip side, imagine being the owner of AAA Nashville and winning enough to move up to MLB? How much dough would that guy make?
But like I said, will never happen here.
It does not matter what they charge; no one would go to Pirates games.
Same with the Marlins. Any team that trades the entire core of their championship team to save money so the MLB would get them a new stadium is not worth rooting for.
Yeah, how dare they charge $9 (general admision) - $52 (Pittsburgh Baseball club with discounts available for some games) for a MLB game. I mean the Tigers only charge $10 - $130 for their games.
I get your gripe but it's not like the Pirates owner is gouging people's pockets relative to the product he's putting out.
My brother-in-law used to work for the Pirates and always got sick of people asking him for free tickets (he wasn't that high up anyway) because of the fact that admission was only $9 and never sold out.
When I first learned of the relegation systems use in overseas soccer, I thought they were great ideas too. However, all that would end up happening is the Lions (for example) would just transfer from the top tier to the second tier and back again, year after year - similar to what happens to a lot of soccer teams over there. its pointless.
What would you do about drafts? The soccer leagues across the world don't dragt players. If the Lions get relegated, do they not get draft picks? How would that bolster them and get them ready to enter the top tier again?
the European soccer leagues work like this - whichever team owners want/can spend the most money will remain at the top (think manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal). There is no parity in those leagues at all. It is the have's and the have nots. It is a very different system than anything we have and relegation is part of what plays into it. The teams that are fighting not to get relegated know that they will never have the slightest chance to ever win the championship at their top tier. If that is what you want for the Lions, then by all means, petition the commisioner. It may be slim, but the Lions still do have some chance to compete in a Super Bowl. the Saints would have never happened in a system like the European soccer leagues.
What about baseball instead of football though?
Also, consider that Atletico Madrid just won the UEFA Europa Cup, and they were in the segundo devision like 10 years ago (or less, I'm not sure). So it works for some. Obviously it won't for all, but if the rehab really works and the team belongs in the top tier, they'll sure as hell make sure they stay there next time.
Some sports here are kind of the same way as you described, where the rich prevail (Yankees), but to a lesser extent I suppose. But consider that FC Barcelona is actually run by the fans, instead of an owner. How awesome would THAT be? I would definitely have a stake in the Wings and Tigers.
Because everything here is on a free enterprise system. A guy bought and paid for a major league team/NFL franchise/what have you, and it would be tossed out of court in a second if you told him, "Well, your teams sucked, so now they're a much less valuable minor league/semi-pro team."
Uh, if the system was set up (or hell, just the contract when he bought the team) such that he was aware of the risks of relegation when he took over the team, something tells me it wouldn't be a huge issue.
Since when is it an organization's obligation to make sure somebody doesn't fuck up their share of investment in it.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's bullcrap, but, somebody would do it.
Just show the judge one or two examples of bad calls during the previous season, and then tell him due to the bad calls, it's impossible to know what the true outcome of the season should have been, and you shouldn't be forcibly relegated to a league that costs you half of your investment because some screw-up in a striped shirt can't get it right.
That's stupid, but it would absolutely fly in court.
I don't think this would work over here either (though I wish it would because I would like to see it), but soccer teams over there are bought and paid for by "a guy" as well.
I'd be careful about arguing that "everything here is on a free enterprise system" because American sports leagues actually benefit handsomely from anti-trust exemptions. Although we may think we have 30 professional football teams, it is probably more accurate to think in terms of we have only one professional football league (the NFL).
This is also why paying college athletes is very unlikely to ever happen. It would blur the line between college and pro football too much. In direct competition, for example, the Lions would probably be devoured by the Wolverines and Spartans. The NFL (and Congress) would never let any of that happen.
I'm pretty sure that it was recently ruled in court that the NFL is 32 separate entities, not one single entity.
STEVE HOLT!
But, seriously. Didn't Brian suggest something like this for 14 teams before the math didn't work out?
make an awesome B10 champion, it would hurt the B10 in going to the BCS Nat Championship, because they top teams would always play each other every year. Also, since college players are refreshed every 2-4 years, a top team one year may not be great the next year.
And could you imagine the added pressure for coaches and players?
"Don't worry about that dropped pass, kid, there's always next year..." Except, not really because your performance this year might directly impact the following year. Maybe it makes sense for La Liga, but i'm not sure how I feel about it in college football.
the avatar. I've been meaning to do that. Thanks for the reminder, haha
was actually in the Wall Street Journal about 2 months ago. They were much more concise and descriptive of how it would work. It's actually a good idea when they describe it
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487040098045753087827943443…
you're right, that does sound a lot better. That's why my Wall Street Journal articles are only written after waking up more and writing a few drafts first.
Again, won't happen. But glad someone credible (?) thought of this too.
Sadly, unless this tiered system included junior high teams in the lowest level, I have no confidence that the Lions could ever 'dominate'.
California does this for its high school football teams, as does Massachusetts.
It can backfire. To use engineer terms, some programs have very poor phase margin and thus exhibit unstable responses to the change in classification. The typical pattern goes like this: team kicks butt. Gets bumped up to new league. Gets their arses kicked. Before they can come up to speed with the new leage, they get sent back down to their old crew. Kick butt. Go back up a level. Rinse and repeat.
Which apparently also happens in the English Premier League, there would have to be some kind of grace period whereby a team that just moved up cannot be demoted the following x year(s). Also, a school/team could opt out of being moved up unless they were winning consistently or back-to-back.
Also, I'm not an engineer, but I got the picture.
I believe the MHSAA allows schools athletic programs to move up one class (ex: Class C to Class B) if they wish but there is a period (I can't remember how long) in which the school must remain at the new class. This obviously doesn't work with football, but Country Day tried this back in the early 90s with Chris Webber. His first state title was in Class C, Country Day moved to Class B and the MHSAA put the restriction of X number of years in which the school must remain at the new class. Webber won the remainder of his titles in Class B and Country Day remains in Class B to this day (their enrollment puts them in Class B today).
The MHSAA's legislation ended a chance we would have had of a Country Day and Webber vs. Detroit Southeastern and Rose, Lenard, Eisley match-up in Class A.
You're going to the well too much with the "MGo__" stuff. Use that prefix sparingly.
MGoK
People don't usually give up pride and/or money.