MLS Multiplex
Fansided

MLS: Explosive BCG report defines American troubles

By Andrew Dowdeswell

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 02: Don Garber Commissioner of MLS at the press conference to announce ongoing relationship with adidas prior to the MLS All-Star match between the MLS All-Stars and Real Madrid at the Soldier Field on August 02, 2017 in Chicago, IL. The match ended in a tie of 1 to 1. Real Madrid won the match on a 4 to 2 in penalty kicks. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 02: Don Garber Commissioner of MLS at the press conference to announce ongoing relationship with adidas prior to the MLS All-Star match between the MLS All-Stars and Real Madrid at the Soldier Field on August 02, 2017 in Chicago, IL. The match ended in a tie of 1 to 1. Real Madrid won the match on a 4 to 2 in penalty kicks. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

A superb piece by Paul Tenorio and Pablo Maurer revealed that in 2016 MLS commissioned the Boston Consulting Group to analyse every single aspect of the league. Some of the advice in the report is utterly maddening, a clear definition of the American troubles the league struggles from.

Major League Soccer is unlike any other football league in the world. While English football has existed for more than 150 years, Mexico has long entwined itself with the world’s most popular sport, and countries like Italy, Spain, Germany and many of the South American giants have played the game for as long as they have existed, in America, that same inherent interest in the sport does not exist.

Even more pertinently, the very manner in which sports are governed in America is different to the rest of the world. The playoff system is unusual, roster designations are extremely rare in world sport, while salary caps, trades, allocation money and drafts are somewhat alien to many other sports.

This dichotomy of wanting to attract an American audience while remaining a respected league in a global sport. It unhinges many of the governmental decisions that are made within the league. And this week, this curious and distanced decision-making was brought into the limelight by some superb journalism by Paul Tenorio and Pablo Maurer of The Athletic.

The piece from the pair reveals the findings of a 2016 study from the Boston Consulting Group, who MLS commissioned to conduced a top-to-bottom analysis of the league, scrutinising every aspect of the organisation, from the financial prospects to the quality of play, from the schedule issues to the television deals.

You can read the piece here — It is behind a paywall and is an extremely long read, but it is a superb piece that is most certainly worth your time.

I will not bore you with repeating many of the suggestions that the BCG supplied MLS. Some of their findings are rather complicated, especially those towards the more business end of the scale. But it would be fair to say that many of their ideas are rather idiotic.

More from MLS Multiplex

There were plenty of egregious statements in this report, but these were some of the more worrying, should MLS act upon them:

"“With regard to perceived quality, the study suggests that MLS would be better off de-emphasizing a high-profile player’s footprint and focusing more on the quality of their play. They recommend coaching the league’s broadcast partners to “reinforce quality in broadcasts,” even suggesting that the league might launch a national “play quality” campaign to change its perception.”“The study recommends filling roster spots 11 through 18 by sourcing talent globally instead of locally. ‘Fans prioritize quality over ‘native sons,'”“BCG recognizes that two key groups of fans — soccer enthusiasts and large market fairweathers — prioritize different competitive models. Enthusiasts want closely-contested games; in other words, parity. Fairweathers prefer a local championship contender.”“BCG’s research suggests dramatically altering MLS’s regular-season schedule so that the league would start play in late February or early March and conclude the playoffs at the end of August.”“The month after MLS Cup, September, would be filled with a ‘post-season international inter-league tournament,’ ostensibly between MLS and Mexican sides.”“Strikingly, the study recommends that MLS significantly reduce its investment in youth development.”"

Some of these suggestions are not just ill-advised but actually plain wrong. BCG’s definition of ‘fairweather fans’ and ‘soccer enthusiasts’ is the opposite of what is actually the case — those who love the sport will watch it irrespective of the competitiveness of the game; those are less interested will only watch it if games are exciting (more competitive). The suggestion to shrink the schedule such that it runs from March to August is utterly asinine, as is the complementary introduction of another international tournament, while the less said about their proposition to restrict funds on player development the better.

It pertains to the point that MLS is a league ran in an American, business-like manner that does not understand the global machinations of football. The American way is not necessarily the best way, and in football, the world has proven that there is another way to govern the sport.

Next. MLS: Top 4 overarching ways to improve league. dark

As this report so plainly and painfully proves, MLS is yet to learn that lesson. The quicker Don Garber and co. do, the better.

Home/MLS News