Quote:
Originally Posted by aoFrantic
You can't say being able to see CL football for nearly 20 years isn't a top product. It's so arbitrary that Pool/Arsenal aren't "top products" but City are. Imagine if when City were bought, they started charging triple because a billionaire was rolling their team and the "product" was now the very best? That would be absurd. It's a terrible way to judge ticket prices.
Hoopie, your point about fun doesn't really hold any water to me though. If the prices for Arsenal or West Ham were cut 20% tomorrow, would it be more fun? I really don't think so. Fans would save a couple hundred bucks. Good for them, but who cares really? That's an extra drink or snack per game. What point of savings do the games become more fun? If fans in England paid 50% less for games would everyone be having a better time by 50%? Of course not, it doesn't work this way. Fans want success. They'd prefer not to be gouged and pay a ton, but that is so far down the list of issues for so many people.
Whats your solution Hoopie? Charge fans more when the team "should" be better? When we win trophies? Give fans discounts on the years when Cesc had half a hamstring and RVP had groins made of jelly? Should Arsenal have charged full price the last time we seriously challenged for the first 2/3 the season, then when our lead slipped away after Eduardo broke his leg gave huge refunds?
It might not make it more fun, it will make it better value. I find it pretty astounding that you can talk about value and ignore it because it is a long way down the list of issues for so many people - all I know is that price (more than value) is an issue for many.
The ship sailed long ago for my solution, but then my motivations are different from many people. In no particular order, I would:
1) Reintroduce terraces.
2) Return football so that Saturday 3 o'clock kick offs are the vast majority - maybe 1/2 games per weekend can be moved to Sunday.
3) Change the ridiculous structure so that those that qualify for the Big Cup are winners and everyone else is a loser.
4) Distribute money more evenly throughout the pyramid.
5) Either abolish the Europa League or make it relevant.
6) Changing ticket pricing to prevent games being full of middle-aged blokes, who are pretty much the only people that can afford it.
There's probably a ton of other stuff as well, but since US sport fans aren't complaining I won't go any further.