Much has been made of the La Liga decision to play overseas.
As a commercial entity or at least a revenue maximising entity, La Liga is within its rights and scope to ponder this.
There also has been legitimate opposition from the fans, players, and clubs in Spain, considering the amount of disruption it could cause to their seasons and overall plans.
Despite these valid points, is there at least some scope for it though?
Football, whether one likes it or not, has become highly finance-oriented. Money is key in the sport, and all major global sports, which has in turn driven big business interests, mega-wealthy owners, huge transfer fees, and world-class stadium and training facilities.
La Liga's intention to move a game to the USA is fully rooted in this paradigm. And the USA itself is a strong choice, given football's rise in acceptance in the country. At the time of the 1994 World Cup, football was roundly mocked but has since then become a growing sport, and a potential rival to the traditional US sports such as gridiron, basketball, baseball, etc.
And with a large and growing Spanish-speaking population in the country, it's opportune to connect with them. As many Hispanics are originally from central and Latin America, and more recent immigrants may have stronger footballing ties than earlier migrants, it's understandable why La Liga is opting for this strategy.
So, could La Liga's plan work? Maybe. But there would have to be some key points put in place, to ensure it was not skewed in the favour of some.
Some in this case meaning Real Madrid and Barcelona. Yes, they are the two biggest clubs in Spain, and arguably the world. However, they already share much of the pie in Spain, vis a vis TV revenues. Any such attempt to move La Liga away for a game possibly shouldn't extend their grip in the Spanish game.
SUBSIDISED TRAVEL
Give club members free travel, or specially chartered flights and accommodation.
They could even pay only 20% of flight/accommodation costs, and have free tickets for the games themselves.
Spanish football tickets often aren't expensive, vis a vis English Premier League games. However, to travel to the USA, arrange a visa, and accommodation can be costly.
Accordingly, this move has gained some ire in some quarters, due to the aforementioned factors. Fans also have families, jobs, and lives beyond supporting their teams. So going to the US, even for a few days even, could cause unnecessary disruption.
Nonetheless, Girona has stated that it may consider its game vs. Barca in Jan 2019 as an early exhibition or example. Girona, like Barca a Catalonian club, is far smaller than Barca (or Real Madrid for that matter) and would welcome the opportunity to grow the club and the brand.
There may be other smaller clubs that would turn around, or at least be warmer to the opportunity. They arguably need the monies more than Real Madrid and Barca. At the time of writing though, Real Madrid is against the notion.
HOLD IT BEFORE THE SEASON
The International Champions Cup (ICC) has been started to try and spread friendly costs, and streamline matches. As clubs often go on pre-season tours, maybe do it in place of one of them.
However, a proper match as it were between Spanish teams could bring in more revenues and still allow overseas fans to watch their beloved teams.
Localised fans, especially those who are members of approved fan clubs, can also get subsidised tickets alongside Spanish-based supporters.
A number of fans dislike pre-season overseas friendlies for varying reasons. A meaningful game could provide greater attention and less angst and boredom.
PRIZE MONEY
The winning club, whoever it is, gets a cash bonus, as an incentive.
This could be a one-off payment or even a bye in a cup.
It could also translate to an extra payment if they beat Real Madrid or Barca, which may seem unfair, but could make things more competitive.
Money is all important in modern football, but if it better re-distribute monies to the smaller clubs, then fine. It would help rebalance the league, at the least.
If clubs like Girona, Eibar, Alaves, and Getafe can receive more funds, and even get big name players, then all the better holistically for the league.
DON'T FAVOUR LOS BLANCOS AND BARCA
Real Madrid and Barca are by far the two biggest Spanish clubs, and possibly the two biggest in the world.
However, it would also reinforce the notion and view that Spanish football is rigged in their favour. The reality is more complex than that and stems from the Nationalist Franco-led period's government links. All the same, the revenues that Real Madrid/Barca make overshadow much of the rest of Spain, and ensuring they don't get too much of the pie as it were would not allow cynics and conspiracy theorists to think the worst.
Let's be honest here - Real/Barca can argue that they warrant the bigger slice since they are the two biggest clubs, and thus generate much global attention to the Spanish football scene. This is true, undeniably. And this goes way before the Ronaldo/Messi rivalry, as they've both had great players, teams, and moments long before Ronaldo and Messi rose to prominence.
And the average American would rather see Barca vs. Valencia, or Real Madrid vs. Betis, than Racing Santander vs. Espanyol. It's not to disrespect Racing or Espanyol in any event. But Real/Barca do generate greater scope, as the two biggest clubs on Earth.
This doesn't mean however they must gain all of the attention. A balance thus must be struck.
AFRICA AND ASIA ARE ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Africa, I feel at least, is the third strongest footballing continent after Europe and South America. This is not in terms of domestic league structures, but participation, and the number of great players produced by the continent. Weah, Essien, Eto'o, Drogba, Kanu, Lauren, the Toure brothers, etc. all stand amongst the very best in their positions and were from Africa. There has not been a top team in club football over the past twenty years or more that has not had a top African player in it. Real Madrid, Barca, to Juve, Bayern, PSG, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United, and Man City, can all lay claim to at least one.
And whilst still a very poor continent economically, Rwanda is the official sleeve sponsor of Arsenal, which stands as a record for any club on Earth. Football is huge in Africa, and with Morocco literally, just over the water from Spain, this is a prime opportunity for La Liga.
Asia is mixed, as whilst the sport is strongest perhaps in the Middle East and East Asia, southern and central Asia still lag behind. Cricket and localised sports such as Kabaddi, still predominate in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
Nonetheless, football has a huge and passionate following in a number of Asian countries, and it's something that can be readily exploited.
Big English clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea have gone on tours to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, which met with great enthusiasm and fanfare from the local supporters. There is no reason why the Spanish clubs cannot do the same.
IT COULD WORK, BUT WITH SOME REVISIONS ALONG THE WAY
The intention here is understandable.
La Liga in some part envies - and wishes to emulate - the commercial success of the Premier League in England.
And it has competition in this regard from the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A. Ligue 1 in France has aspirations to reach this level also, whilst the Chinese Premier League is another long-term threat.
But then commercial growth must be balanced with practicality, and a need not to further Real Madrid/Barca's position and to ensure the smaller clubs get a slice of the action.
La Liga stands as a premier global football league. But given the grasp that Real/Barca possess, it's hard to see the requisite changes in TV revenues to other La Liga clubs being made. This would not be something that these two clubs would favour, given their dominance and power in the Spanish game.
Moving a game to the USA could be an easier solution, provided that all clubs in the country gained the opportunity to play overseas.
