Fuck that shitty ass plastic money grabbing league. What kind of soccer league uses a goddamn franchise model, territory rights, and billion dollar expansion fees. They are monopolizing and have done more harm for the game than good, boycot that shit.

Lower league American soccer is its own fun-ass mess though. The drama between leagues, the constant hope for promotion and relegation, and the high chance that there’s a team in your area makes it metal as hell. The USL Championship (2nd division of American soccer, although there is no pro/rel in this country) final was last Saturday and it was sick as hell. I’m bummed the fuck out that Charleston didn’t make it into the final but Colorado Springs played a great game vs Rhode Island. If you go further down the pyramid you’ll find even more authenticity and good times. USL2, The League for Clubs (coming soon), and UPSL are all fun places to start down the rabbit hole. I love this shit.

spoiler

90% sure none of this made sense but it was a fun rant, watch and support lower league soccer nerd

  • AtomPunk [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    4·
    2 days ago

    For the league’s faults, I do appreciate that fans/supporter groups have shown the power of collective bargaining even if that only amounts to a consumer boycott. LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew are examples that come to mind where supporter groups confronted franchise owners and won their demands (removal of incompetent management and a halt to team relocation respectively).

    • CantaloupeAss [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      5·
      2 days ago

      Columbus was supposed to move to Austin to form Austin FC, right?

      That shit makes no sense to me, like, you built a stadium without knowing 11 guys who play football???

      What did Columbus supporters do to oppose the move?

      • AtomPunk [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        5·
        2 days ago

        I found this article that covers the saga. It amounts to the club supporters pledging future ticket purchases, getting local businesses to sponsor the team, and finding a new billionaire owner (co-owner of the Cleveland Browns).

        So technically, the Crew were saved by the Columbus Partnership and the Ohio AG’s office; a fan organization was never going to have the money or legal power to keep a team from moving. But Save The Crew matters in all this. Their effort demonstrated that the Crew were worth an owner’s time and money.

        I talked out my ass earlier but no, it wasn’t a consumer boycott that saved the Crew. And the previous owner sold the Crew to start Austin FC, like you said.

        Capitalism is again the impetus for all American professional sports, yet is also responsible for its rot. Personally I tip my hat to the community that organized the movement; they managed to retain some aspect of their local sports culture.