[Archived] Whatever Happened To My Hero

[patrickvalery]

You can't seriously compare a multi-billion industry like football to volleyball and curling!

What's the alternative, PV? Cut out the middle-man and let players negotiate directly with the club?

We all know the average footballer isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. They'd be getting shafted left, right and centre.

It's a sport. The reason the billions followed is because it's a great and entertaining sport. The tail is wagging the dog and it shouldn't be that way. It's ugly and its bloated. When the time comes that the agents milk it dry and find another means of money making, we'll be left with the sport. And people will still love it.

[Al]

You can't seriously compare a multi-billion industry like football to volleyball and curling!

What's the alternative, PV? Cut out the middle-man and let players negotiate directly with the club?

We all know the average footballer isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. They'd be getting shafted left, right and centre.

Better than Rovers being shafted. The answer is that players can employ an agent but must pay them themselves like actors do.

[Amo]

So you are saying they might not get as much money as they deserve? Do you get an agent to negotiate on your behalf for a new job? Or for a pay rise? Or do you shop around and do a bit of research as to the going rate?

Again, made the mistake of comparing football to an ordinary business.

You make these agents sound like benevolent charity workers looking after oppressed victims against massive conglomerates. They are taking money OUT of football.

Strawman. By that same token, I could just as easily say you regard every football agent as a crooked svengali.

In principle, I agree it would be a better world if agents weren't needed and footballers were empowered to represent themselves, but in reality most footballers live in a bubble and certainly aren't capable of understanding the minutiae of a legal contract. Like it or lump it, football agents meet a demand in the market.

And what about the people who work at football clubs who are trying to get good players in but are priced out, not because they can't afford the player or wages but because of the agents fees and percentages?

I would assume the same thing that happens in any business transaction: compromise. Failing that, the player is always welcome to hire a less demanding agent if he thinks it would be the right career move.

It's a sport. The reason the billions followed is because it's a great and entertaining sport. The tail is wagging the dog and it shouldn't be that way. It's ugly and its bloated. When the time comes that the agents milk it dry and find another means of money making, we'll be left with the sport. And people will still love it.

The reason billions follow the sport is because it's become a global industry. You know as well as I do that it's no longer a simple working man's game. Football has changed irrevocably with the advent of Sky, and so has the social climate that we live in. Those days of yore are not coming back.

Better than Rovers being shafted. The answer is that players can employ an agent but must pay them themselves like actors do.

And know what'll happen? The footballer will ask for higher wages/larger signing-on fee and the agent will take his cut from that. So either way, the club will end up footing the bill.

[Stuart]

Am'o, you will never convince me that agents are good for football. Agents are good for agents and they'll be the first to leave when the Sky money dries up.

[VinjayV4]

Am'o, you will never convince me that agents are good for football. Agents are good for agents and they'll be the first to leave when the Sky money dries up.

Where's the evidence it will dry up though? OK we can't get a crystal ball and see 10, 15 years ahead but right now Sky are doing great. News UK dealt with the NOTW closure but that bad publicity hasn't exactly crippled the business. Sky and News UK aren't exactly the same company (sure the latter is just the newspaper part) but its all Murdoch empire. It would take either totally incompetent management or a massive reduction in the popularity of football. Really you can't see anything falling apart until Murdoch dies at least. Even then his children seem intelligent and capable and who does he know better than them?

Hypothetically if Sky lose the EPL rights (and we saw an ITV Digital scenario) perhaps Sky would step in and buy out the contract. Look at the competitors though...BT, ITV, BBC, Virgin (possibly) and none of those companies look financially crippled. OK ITV's football coverage in particular is garbage but it won't stop people watching live EPL games! ITV Digital was a different prospect to ITV itself so you can't really compare that plus it wasn't EPL. They just didn't get the millions expected to tune in for Colchester v Barnet (that's just a comparable example no idea if they selected that for coverage lol) so it was a stupid idea from the start.

Also there's those things called "international Tv deals" which are only going to keep rising. Online, phone, etc also...this is the era of information overload and coverage is only going to get bigger. Seriously if people thought the sky money was going to "dry up" there wouldn't be extremely intelligent businessmen (not including Venkys obviously) investing in EPL clubs or the league as a whole.

[VinjayV4]

Forgot to note if there's a new "super league" obviously many clubs will have financial problems then. As well as those agents who often deal with the same clubs and managers. Not all of them have done business with those clubs who would be "super league" certainties though. Of course recessions too though Sky hasn't appeared to suffer much (or at all) during them.

One other thing (and yes its uncomfortable mentioning but we have to consider it) would be a major act of terrorism (at an EPL football match) causing a drastic collapse in crowds across the entire league. Certainly at the club targeted I imagine even those with a lot of fans. Its terrible to say but luckily this club plays at Ewood where there aren't gigantic crowds...well luckily where stuff like this is concerned. Though considering the past security experiences I've seen at Ewood it probably wouldn't be too hard to sneak something in! Only way Rovers fans would likely be directly effected (and I mean experiencing it in person) would be in the "away end" at an EPL club.

Uncomfortable reading but where terrorism and major sporting events are concerned I live in the real world. For goodness sake people even suggested cancelling Euro 2016 but you can't just bow down to them either.

In 1996 wasn't there a Euro 96 game at Old Trafford day after the Manchester bombing? Bit different in that instance with the IRA though because they gave advance warning and most people were evacuated with no deaths and only a few injuries. Infact some people have said the IRA did Manchester City Centre a favor! Still could you really see a game not being cancelled in those circumstances now? Even in a tournament like that doubt it would be played the very next day!

By the way I know this is hardly terrorism but wasn't the Nuttall Street stand arson committed by a woman? Might have been for some womens rights protest why on earth did she choose Ewood as her target?

[patrickvalery]

The reason billions follow the sport is because it's become a global industry. You know as well as I do that it's no longer a simple working man's game. Football has changed irrevocably with the advent of Sky, and so has the social climate that we live in. Those days of yore are gone.

I meant the billions of £ not the billions of viewers. The reasons the money made its way into football is because it's the most entertaining sport on the planet and the tribal nature of it. Agents are a product of the money. The tribal side of it has been sidelined. The essence of the game is the same. Sadly it's been dressed up Hollywood style. But it's still a fantastic sport to watch. And when all the trimmings disappear, and they will one day, the game will still be entertaining and those who loved it thirty years ago will still love it then (should they be here). Football would still function if agents weren't around. And that's all that matters.

[VinjayV4]

I meant the billions of £ not the billions of viewers. The reasons the money made its way into football is because it's the most entertaining sport on the planet and the tribal nature of it. Agents are a product of the money. The tribal side of it has been sidelined. The essence of the game is the same. Sadly it's been dressed up Hollywood style. But it's still a fantastic sport to watch. And when all the trimmings disappear, and they will one day, the game will still be entertaining and those who loved it thirty years ago will still love it then (should they be here). Football would still function if agents weren't around. And that's all that matters.

That's the other main example if there's a massive fan backlash that is widescale enough to have impact. Unfortunately a lot of fans are sheep and put up with high ticket prices, etc. Many fans aren't sheep and feel manipulated but still go even if they have a massive problem with prices, etc. I'm not just talking about clubs like Rovers that have suffered due to incompetent owners but prices in general. Of course many fans think the prices are reasonable here in comparison but fans at other clubs don't. Personally I'm not really bothered by the ticket prices at Ewood though I rarely purchase food or drinks in any stadium.

Really I've only known "hollywood style" but at least for most of the 90's (more in 97-99 in my experience) coverage seemed "less corporate." Certainly it was more dressed up than the 70's and 80's but Sky really went excessively corporate in presentation in the 2000's. Look up stuff like the Super Sunday intro in 1992 and its far better than the intro now.

Its been quite some time since I purchased a shirt (not just in the past few seasons but shortly before) and its a great shirt. Problem again is though replica kits almost feel like being a corporate puppet more than most things. Perhaps I will decide to purchase one next season but I'm not going crazy with merchandise that's for sure.