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Goal.commentary: Pleasures of Parity in MLS
Goal.com's Seth Vertelney celebrates what makes Major League Soccer unique - any team can end up on top.
Oct 21, 2008 5:05:20 PM
By Seth Vertelney
When the MLS marketing honchos meet in Manhattan after this season, they will undoubtedly dedicate a large portion of time towards coming up with new and innovative ways to promote the league heading into the 2009 season. Well, there is some good news for this group; I have already come up with a campaign premise, complete with a catchy slogan.
"MLS - Is your team next?"
It’s simple, effective, and most importantly, true. If there is one thing that differentiates this league from most top European leagues, it's parity. The sixth place finisher in the Eastern Conference last year is now the league's best team. An expansion team was the league's hottest team for six weeks after the all-star break. No team was eliminated from playoff contention until this past weekend - the penultimate round of games this season.
Unlike Europe, where tradition, hierarchy and most importantly, cash, tend to keep the same teams at the top of the table each year, the MLS is an oddsmaker's nightmare. D.C. United, last year's Supporter's Shield winner, could miss the playoffs entirely this season. One gets the feeling that Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan won't face quite the same hardships this season.
This is definitely a positive thing for a league like MLS. Every team in MLS exists in a market with at least one team in one of the big four professional leagues in North America (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL). This means teams can ill afford to develop the moribund fan base that comes from a perennial losing squad. There are too many other more established sporting alternatives around.
The league has accomplished their goal of parity through four main factors:
1. The salary cap
Each team must keep their payroll under $2.3 million. Similar payrolls mean relatively similar talent levels.
2. Revenue sharing
The league exists as a single-entity structure, meaning revenue is shared amongst all the teams. When one team suffers financially, they all do.
3. Allocation money
The worse a team's record is, the more allocation money they receive at the end of the season. That's not all though, as teams can also get paid for losing players via transfers abroad.
4. The playoffs
This is perhaps the most effective way of maintaining parity. After a 30 game season, teams are eliminated in a two-leg playoff in the conference semifinal. After that, it's a one game conference final and of course, a one game MLS Cup. This is a format where favorites go to die.
There are arguments against parity, to be sure. The league's revenue sharing doesn't encourage individual owners to go all out financially in order to win. The salary cap prevents teams from signing and retaining great players, who might be inclined to look abroad to seek higher wages. The regular season's importance is minimized by the lottery-esque nature of the postseason. Dynasties are always good for a sport, because they create natural rivalries and a Yankees-like team that everyone either loves or loves to hate.
Ultimately, though, parity is what the league needs. The success of the MLS has been well documented recently. Four new teams will join the league in the next three seasons. Six new soccer specific stadiums have been built in since 2002. Red Bull Arena becomes the seventh next season.
Parity isn't solely responsible for all of this success, but it hasn't hurt either. Games are exciting and unpredictable. Fan bases grow stronger when teams are contending. Teams have to show up and perform each match because there are no easy wins. Top players are spread evenly over all teams, rather than a few teams collecting all the big names. This ensures visiting fans will almost always have a star player to watch on the opposing team, increasing attendance at more games..
Really, though, the true value of parity is nothing more than a feeling. That’s the feeling that every L.A. Galaxy fan will have at the start of the 2009 season. The feeling that fans of Toronto, Dallas, San Jose, and yes, even the expansion Seattle Sounders will all have heading into next season. They will all look at this league, look at the way it has shaped up for years and say, without a hint of sarcasm or irony, "Is my team next?"
Seth Vertelney covers Major League Soccer for Goal.com.
When the MLS marketing honchos meet in Manhattan after this season, they will undoubtedly dedicate a large portion of time towards coming up with new and innovative ways to promote the league heading into the 2009 season. Well, there is some good news for this group; I have already come up with a campaign premise, complete with a catchy slogan.
"MLS - Is your team next?"
It’s simple, effective, and most importantly, true. If there is one thing that differentiates this league from most top European leagues, it's parity. The sixth place finisher in the Eastern Conference last year is now the league's best team. An expansion team was the league's hottest team for six weeks after the all-star break. No team was eliminated from playoff contention until this past weekend - the penultimate round of games this season.
Unlike Europe, where tradition, hierarchy and most importantly, cash, tend to keep the same teams at the top of the table each year, the MLS is an oddsmaker's nightmare. D.C. United, last year's Supporter's Shield winner, could miss the playoffs entirely this season. One gets the feeling that Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan won't face quite the same hardships this season.
This is definitely a positive thing for a league like MLS. Every team in MLS exists in a market with at least one team in one of the big four professional leagues in North America (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL). This means teams can ill afford to develop the moribund fan base that comes from a perennial losing squad. There are too many other more established sporting alternatives around.
The league has accomplished their goal of parity through four main factors:
1. The salary cap
Each team must keep their payroll under $2.3 million. Similar payrolls mean relatively similar talent levels.
2. Revenue sharing
The league exists as a single-entity structure, meaning revenue is shared amongst all the teams. When one team suffers financially, they all do.
3. Allocation money
The worse a team's record is, the more allocation money they receive at the end of the season. That's not all though, as teams can also get paid for losing players via transfers abroad.
4. The playoffs
This is perhaps the most effective way of maintaining parity. After a 30 game season, teams are eliminated in a two-leg playoff in the conference semifinal. After that, it's a one game conference final and of course, a one game MLS Cup. This is a format where favorites go to die.
There are arguments against parity, to be sure. The league's revenue sharing doesn't encourage individual owners to go all out financially in order to win. The salary cap prevents teams from signing and retaining great players, who might be inclined to look abroad to seek higher wages. The regular season's importance is minimized by the lottery-esque nature of the postseason. Dynasties are always good for a sport, because they create natural rivalries and a Yankees-like team that everyone either loves or loves to hate.
Ultimately, though, parity is what the league needs. The success of the MLS has been well documented recently. Four new teams will join the league in the next three seasons. Six new soccer specific stadiums have been built in since 2002. Red Bull Arena becomes the seventh next season.
Parity isn't solely responsible for all of this success, but it hasn't hurt either. Games are exciting and unpredictable. Fan bases grow stronger when teams are contending. Teams have to show up and perform each match because there are no easy wins. Top players are spread evenly over all teams, rather than a few teams collecting all the big names. This ensures visiting fans will almost always have a star player to watch on the opposing team, increasing attendance at more games..
Really, though, the true value of parity is nothing more than a feeling. That’s the feeling that every L.A. Galaxy fan will have at the start of the 2009 season. The feeling that fans of Toronto, Dallas, San Jose, and yes, even the expansion Seattle Sounders will all have heading into next season. They will all look at this league, look at the way it has shaped up for years and say, without a hint of sarcasm or irony, "Is my team next?"
Seth Vertelney covers Major League Soccer for Goal.com.
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