Comments on: Premier League Playoffs? http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/ A soccer blog featuring essays, news and photography exploring soccer around the world Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:48:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Müzik dinle http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-7219 Müzik dinle Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:21:10 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-7219 Well, first they’d have to start filming every Premier League in HD and providing live production for the games, which doesn’t happen right now in England and isn’t cheap. I would be interested to know how many currently watch games on FSC and Setanta — anyone have any ratings info? Well, first they’d have to start filming every Premier League in HD and providing live production for the games, which doesn’t happen right now in England and isn’t cheap. I would be interested to know how many currently watch games on FSC and Setanta — anyone have any ratings info?

]]> By: Sal Westboro http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-6284 Sal Westboro Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:05:30 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-6284 North Americans see sports very differently. The National Hockey League had only 6 teams in one league for much of its long history, yet every season ended with a 4 team playoff! Similar examples of playoff frenzy exist from the days when other North American leagues had few enough teams to play an even and fair schedule like the Premier League. Americans tend to see the even schedule of the Premier League as not much more than a fair-handed way of deciding who should make the post-season (as they call their playoffs), since their divisions and conferences often entail situations like this year’s NFL where the defending champion of the American Conference, the New England Patriots, missed the playoffs with an 11-5 record while a team from San Diego has an opening home game despite only mounting an 8-8 season! Imagine the top 4 teams in the Premiership qualifying for a knock out round seeded by position and you’d have the best of both worlds. In Britain it seems absurd for a team that wins the table to have to prove anything beyond that to win the league, while for Americans ending the year with the “regular season” (as they call it, suggesting its ordinariness to the North American mind) makes it all rather mundane. A recent fan of the Premier League from California guessed that there are no playoffs in the top European Leagues because the only meaningful part of the season is to seed entries for the Champions League! He could imagine no other reason that playoffs were not held, as a league that played a season without some sort of playoff and ultimate “championship game” afterwards was virtually meaningless to him. North Americans see sports very differently. The National Hockey League had only 6 teams in one league for much of its long history, yet every season ended with a 4 team playoff! Similar examples of playoff frenzy exist from the days when other North American leagues had few enough teams to play an even and fair schedule like the Premier League.
Americans tend to see the even schedule of the Premier League as not much more than a fair-handed way of deciding who should make the post-season (as they call their playoffs), since their divisions and conferences often entail situations like this year’s NFL where the defending champion of the American Conference, the New England Patriots, missed the playoffs with an 11-5 record while a team from San Diego has an opening home game despite only mounting an 8-8 season!

Imagine the top 4 teams in the Premiership qualifying for a knock out round seeded by position and you’d have the best of both worlds. In Britain it seems absurd for a team that wins the table to have to prove anything beyond that to win the league, while for Americans ending the year with the “regular season” (as they call it, suggesting its ordinariness to the North American mind) makes it all rather mundane. A recent fan of the Premier League from California guessed that there are no playoffs in the top European Leagues because the only meaningful part of the season is to seed entries for the Champions League! He could imagine no other reason that playoffs were not held, as a league that played a season without some sort of playoff and ultimate “championship game” afterwards was virtually meaningless to him.

]]> By: Steven Fox http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-6236 Steven Fox Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:45:31 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-6236 They need the extra revenue from being mismanaged. Steven - http://unitedstatesvicepresident.com They need the extra revenue from being mismanaged.

Steven – http://unitedstatesvicepresident.com

]]> By: Mark M http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-6116 Mark M Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:17:08 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-6116 Correct about the US playoff system being necessary because each team doesn't play each other an even number of times (32 teams play 16 games). The only way a playoff system would come about would be if the Premier league splits away from the rest of the league, with no relegation and then ends up allowing so many teams to enter that they cannot possibly fit in all the games. With so many managers complaining about too many games, I think the Premier League should come down to 16 teams anyway, saving 8 games in a season. Makes sense for the national team as well. Correct about the US playoff system being necessary because each team doesn’t play each other an even number of times (32 teams play 16 games).

The only way a playoff system would come about would be if the Premier league splits away from the rest of the league, with no relegation and then ends up allowing so many teams to enter that they cannot possibly fit in all the games. With so many managers complaining about too many games, I think the Premier League should come down to 16 teams anyway, saving 8 games in a season. Makes sense for the national team as well.

]]> By: Arriaga http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-3050 Arriaga Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:57:52 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-3050 "Definitely would be interesting to see some hard ratings figures for FSC and Setanta. I keep hearing that more people in America watch soccer than hockey etc., but I never see numbers, and it’s never clear how much of the audience is watching the Premier League compared to the Mexican league on Spanish networks or—I don’t know—Real Salt Lake." I admit that I know an infinitesimally small fraction of the U.S. soccer viewing community, but in my experiences, American fans (with the obvious exception of Hispanic fans) care very little for the Mexican league, at least not enough to actively watch broadcasted matches that are rarely, if ever, translated into English. Most watch Premier League games on stations like FSC, Setanta, GolTV and the like, and even the casual soccer fan is far more familiar with the English league than they are with, say, Serie A or Bundesliga. I think the idea of a PPV package of the Premier League in the style of MLS Direct Kick would be a great idea, though I think HD broadcasts are still a ways off unfortunately. Oh... and no one watches Real Salt Lake. Not even in Utah. ;) “Definitely would be interesting to see some hard ratings figures for FSC and Setanta. I keep hearing that more people in America watch soccer than hockey etc., but I never see numbers, and it’s never clear how much of the audience is watching the Premier League compared to the Mexican league on Spanish networks or—I don’t know—Real Salt Lake.”

I admit that I know an infinitesimally small fraction of the U.S. soccer viewing community, but in my experiences, American fans (with the obvious exception of Hispanic fans) care very little for the Mexican league, at least not enough to actively watch broadcasted matches that are rarely, if ever, translated into English. Most watch Premier League games on stations like FSC, Setanta, GolTV and the like, and even the casual soccer fan is far more familiar with the English league than they are with, say, Serie A or Bundesliga. I think the idea of a PPV package of the Premier League in the style of MLS Direct Kick would be a great idea, though I think HD broadcasts are still a ways off unfortunately.

Oh… and no one watches Real Salt Lake. Not even in Utah. ;)

]]> By: Davyd Trunyov http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-3036 Davyd Trunyov Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:12:33 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-3036 Like the majority of soccer fan my reaction to 39th Game or any regular overseas game was very negative, but after some thinking I made a 120-degree turn. In this globalized world there is a competition for fans, participant and revenues. We have team America football (NFL), team baseball (MLB), team basketball (90% NBA and I guess FIBA), team hockey (I think they are in trouble) and team soccer (a very dysfunctional team). Based on a personal experience, if soccer lets you go somebody else will grab you. In my opinion FA should consider staging FA Cup final overseas and Football League should take League Cup overseas, both tournament will get bigger attention out side England and bring new fans. And UEFA should consider taking CL or Cup finals overseas. Like the majority of soccer fan my reaction to 39th Game or any regular overseas game was very negative, but after some thinking I made a 120-degree turn.

In this globalized world there is a competition for fans, participant and revenues. We have team America football (NFL), team baseball (MLB), team basketball (90% NBA and I guess FIBA), team hockey (I think they are in trouble) and team soccer (a very dysfunctional team). Based on a personal experience, if soccer lets you go somebody else will grab you.

In my opinion FA should consider staging FA Cup final overseas and Football League should take League Cup overseas, both tournament will get bigger attention out side England and bring new fans. And UEFA should consider taking CL or Cup finals overseas.

]]> By: Brian http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-3024 Brian Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:16:53 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-3024 Tom, sorry I missed that. If we're talking about a domestic playoff format, I'm sure it would lead to some exciting games, but on the whole I'd rather watch a 90-minute special in which the TV executive who prioritized Wigan-Chelsea over Liverpool-H&W would be mercilessly taunted by the audience. Definitely would be interesting to see some hard ratings figures for FSC and Setanta. I keep hearing that more people in America watch soccer than hockey etc., but I never see numbers, and it's never clear how much of the audience is watching the Premier League compared to the Mexican league on Spanish networks or---I don't know---Real Salt Lake. Tom, sorry I missed that. If we’re talking about a domestic playoff format, I’m sure it would lead to some exciting games, but on the whole I’d rather watch a 90-minute special in which the TV executive who prioritized Wigan-Chelsea over Liverpool-H&W would be mercilessly taunted by the audience.

Definitely would be interesting to see some hard ratings figures for FSC and Setanta. I keep hearing that more people in America watch soccer than hockey etc., but I never see numbers, and it’s never clear how much of the audience is watching the Premier League compared to the Mexican league on Spanish networks or—I don’t know—Real Salt Lake.

]]> By: Tom Dunmore http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-3023 Tom Dunmore Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:53:47 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-3023 Brian, I agree point three is the most devastating. But again I'm also suggesting such playoffs could be played in England and make a boatload of money: it's more about the potential global television audience than anything. Brian, I agree point three is the most devastating. But again I’m also suggesting such playoffs could be played in England and make a boatload of money: it’s more about the potential global television audience than anything.

]]> By: Brian http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-3022 Brian Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:48:49 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-3022 Tom, Ian's point #3 seems the most devastating to me. The idea of the league champion being determined by a game played in a foreign country sounds to me like something that would provoke even as much outrage as the 39th-game idea. England would suddenly be the host of a massively devalued regular season and then bid the top teams farewell to play for the championship in Tokyo? I'm afraid the <em>Sun</em> might actually cave in on itself and become a black hole. Of course it's a whole separate question whether Richard Scudamore is secretly using the 39th game as a decoy and playing for some other stakes. I'm increasingly having a hard time seeing him as that crafty or intelligent, but man, if he wants us to underestimate him, he has done an amazing job. Tom, Ian’s point #3 seems the most devastating to me. The idea of the league champion being determined by a game played in a foreign country sounds to me like something that would provoke even as much outrage as the 39th-game idea. England would suddenly be the host of a massively devalued regular season and then bid the top teams farewell to play for the championship in Tokyo? I’m afraid the Sun might actually cave in on itself and become a black hole.

Of course it’s a whole separate question whether Richard Scudamore is secretly using the 39th game as a decoy and playing for some other stakes. I’m increasingly having a hard time seeing him as that crafty or intelligent, but man, if he wants us to underestimate him, he has done an amazing job.

]]> By: Tom Dunmore http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/comment-page-1/#comment-3021 Tom Dunmore Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:23:32 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/15/premier-league-playoffs/#comment-3021 Well, first they'd have to start filming every Premier League in HD and providing live production for the games, which doesn't happen right now in England and isn't cheap. I would be interested to know how many currently watch games on FSC and Setanta -- anyone have any ratings info? Well, first they’d have to start filming every Premier League in HD and providing live production for the games, which doesn’t happen right now in England and isn’t cheap. I would be interested to know how many currently watch games on FSC and Setanta — anyone have any ratings info?

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