I'm sorry but it's yet another thread about football. But more specifically the transfer fees. As you can see I support United and actually I should be grinning because our club (stupidly) sold our 2 very good players and got an excellent deal for Ronaldo. But what I'm really worried about is the ridiculous fees being payed for players these days. Apparently the 90 million pounds spent on Ronaldo to go to Real Madrid is more than what the UK government spent on bailing out Northern Rock. When you think that Kaka went for 50 million pounds and now potentially 30 million pounds for a Benzema who hasn't even won world player of the year or anything like that you start to wonder what the **** is going on? That's a combined total of 170 million pounds. The fee for Ronaldo was so high I think I read somewhere that Real Madrid are offering to pay it over the course of 3 years, 30 million a year. Borrowed money. Isn't that the same way the economy buckled? Is it just me but Football has just become COMPLETELY unsustainable as a business model. I mean this was the case a few years back but now I am convinced it's over. What I hate about all of this is these players aren't worth that amount and these are only Prima Donnas. Ronaldo has only had one spectacular season, this last season at United was far from his best. Let's see how all these million pound players perform at Real this season. </Rant over>
Tthey will make the £90 million back in ronaldo merchandise alone. Its not like a local club or anything, all that stuff will get sent worldwide for years to come (let alone ticket sales etc). What IS ridiculous is that anybody would pay money for ronaldo, hes a cock master (though I would pay real madrid £100 if I could punch him in the face).
I should have wrote this was the case a long time ago but now it's just blatantly obvious. But from the sounds of it Nexxo you clearly aren't a foot ball supporter. It's not only Football that is ridiculous most mainstream sports are. Look at the amount F1 drivers, tennis players, NBA players are all paid. Following your logic all those sports are ridiculous as well. I'm sure they will make a lot of money from him but Beckham was a huge marketing stunt for them as well and he didn't cost nearly as much, mind you apart from crossing I'm not sure what else he can offer, certainly not intelligence. I would join you in punching Ronaldo as well. I appreciate his skill but definitely not his attitude.
Yeah I agree....all those sports are ridiculous too ou7blaze. Rugby is starting to be affected by "footballer behaviour", namely in the form of Danny Cipriani. It's pretty disheartening as a die-hard supporter to see our game ruined slowly by another.
^^^ This. Football always has been, and always will be, an exercise in futility. They're paid obscene amounts of money, the clubs pay even more to get the players. And then what happens? Some of the best athletes (Admittedly wasting their time chasing a bag of air and 22 men around) get advice shouted at them by the fans. Who are not athletes in anything other than beer drinking. Yes, that is a generalisation and I do know that a lot of football fans are in shape etc etc. It's just not as funny. Neither does it help that they are not athletes in the big leagues either.
Two things that are ruining sports in the UK and most likely in other countries as well. Alcohol (really the consumer of it) and Businessman looking to squeeze out money everywhere (look at the gate prices at Old Trafford). And who was the cricketer who was most recently on the news for missing a test match, Ian Flintoff or something? Why did he miss the match? He was on the piss the night before. That's the kind of attitude a sportsman has for representing his country? Now I'm a big fan of Formula 1 but at times I can't help by notice the precession that takes place in a race between namely Mclaren and Ferrari. It's always the same people winning except for Button this year purely because of the most recent rule change. The only way to get real racing is to have everyone race in a same car then maybe Force India will have a chance. The sad thing about all of this is all sports people are overvalued and overhyped and they start believing it over time. Look at Rooney with his what 15 bedroom mansion for him and his fiancee or is it wife now. He's as thick as a <can't think of anything that dumb> ... These people are terrible role models. Now some one I DO respect is someone like Fedor Emelianenko and Paul Scholes, avoids the lime light plays the sport and never complains. Well let's try to ignore Scholes' pathetic tackles I know I've sort of gone off on a tangent there but I just can't help but seeing the faults in so many sports now that when you get a great race, fight or event it just seems like you've witnessed a miracle. So what do you guys have to say?
I disagree that all sport is overhyped. Rugby and rallying are sports for gentlemen and cannot be overhyped because people will just upsticks and leave. If they ever try and charge rally fans for the joy of getting rained on then i feel it would kill the sport. The super special stages aren't to expensive to go and watch in stadiums either.
Real Madrid is ridiculous. Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema & Ribery (maybe). What pisses me off is that they got a loan to pay for these players.
Isn't it really just the market at work? Athletes can demand bigger and bigger salaries because there are enough people in this world willing to pay more and more for tickets, shirts, sneakers, towels, underwear, and anything else with the athlete's name on it. If people don't like it, they should should stop supporting it and spend their money on the local library instead. I once volunteered to help at a charity golf event. One of my co-workers was playing in the event, and when it was his turn to tee off he walked over and showed off his expensive balls (yeah yeah, I know). $20 per ball. They were practically guaranteed to make you play as well as your favorite pro - he was so proud. He placed the ball on his tee, took his swing, and sent the ball careening into the rough, about 80 yards to the right. I can't remember if he ever found it. Another co-worker leaned over and whispered, "Well, that was money well spent." Nike would agree, that was money well spent. $20 for another ball, please. Just a few more shots and you'll be a pro - we promise . Just buy a few more, and don't forget the Tiger Woods hat, and signature clubs, and bag, and socks, and energy drink, and... But then, there is the other side to the story. Another reason athletes can demand such high salaries is because they can hit/kick/shoot the ball better than most, time and time again, with reliable accuracy. If I could do that you can be sure that I would ask for as much money as someone was willing to pay for my performance. -monkey
Someone spends more money than Man U = football is RIDICULOUS! football has been ridiculous for absolute ages, there is no way in hell that salary caps or anything will happen without FIFA-wide agreement
QFT! My dad has done both in the past (Canadian College Rugby and U.S. Semi-pro Rally in the 70's) and upon showing him this thread definitely agrees with the above statement. Although you can also toss in sailing/wind surfing into that category because the only price you pay is for the beer consumed at the beach.
Salary caps won't happen unless you have a Mosley situation where he agrees to leave (temporarily). To be honest I have no idea how I would solve the situation. All I know is it's all about $ and not sports so much.
My arse they'll get that, anyway you want to moan tell Blatter, for years he talks about the premier league destroying the game. Then when Real Madrid spend like this he says it shoes how football is healthy. Then turns around a week later and talks about premier league club ownership and how it should be changed to stop the clubs spending money unsustainably. When Real Madrid get funded by the local council and the goverment. But wait Blatter is an honourary member of Real Madrid with his diamond and ruby badge, I keep forgetting that.
He's also French as well isn't he? I'm not hinting at anything. On a serious note Keane has just come out and said this - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8158644.stm I'd like to draw your attention to this part - Keane, whose Ipswich side are in Ireland on a pre-season tour, added: "He's the best player in the world. Footballers are classed as entertainers and if you look at any industry the top people get the top money." What do you think? It's a pretty valid assessment. Although it doesn't help that most foot ballers sadly are as thick as a plank of wood.
Look, it's a business. People wouldn't be offering these kinds of salaries or paying these sort of franchise fees if they weren't able to make money doing so. And they make money off of the hairless apes that watch the games and buy the merchandise. So if you want to complain, do so to the people that make this possible, the fans.
Won't happen, banks were bailed out because there are serious issues when a bank goes under, the same would not be done for a football club.
