As we do every so often, today we present a business blog of a prominent televised soccer
event. The New York/Los Angeles rivalry provides the latest installment in this regular feature.
The match was rescheduled into weekday prime time because of Hurricane Irene and provides a
national outlet for the Red Bulls' diminishing playoff hopes.
We often discuss Major League Soccer's various corporate sponsors and the important role they
play in funding league operations and cementing the league's legitimacy in the eyes of the busines
community. We often discuss those sponsors individually, but thought it worthwhile to list all of
them here: Adidas, Allstate, AT&T, American Airlines, Aquafina, Budweiser, Bimbo, Castrol,
Continental, Degree, Dick's, el Jimador, Four Points, Gatorade, Home Depot, Jeld Wen, Makita,
Panasonic, Pepsi Max, Red Bull, Visa, VW and X Box 360.
Yesterday we discussed some of the great success enjoyed in year two of the revamped
MLSSoccer.com. Page views are up and the site has become a hub for soccer news seeking web
surfers. Today, the site launched a great project chronicling North American Soccer. Check here
for a link.
We thought it worth taking a look at how far the site has come.
I've written very little on the running feud between WPS and the Dan Borislow, owner of
Magicjack (née Washington Freedom), but events just after my last piece on the uncertain future of
women's pro soccer have rendered me past due. Beau Dure's post will bring you up to speed on how
the troubles with magicJack and Borislow started and then expanded earlier in the year:
Borislow moved the team to South Florida and renamed it after his product, magicJack,
the device that allows users to make phone calls over the Internet.
Here are some scattered business thoughts on the MLS All Star Hub and other items from Major
League Soccer's descent on New York. The Hub itself is set in a swanky SoHo building decorated
with a clubby feel. Most of the league sponsors are represented through various themed booths
in the Hub that offer an array of interactive events.
Here are some quick hitters from around the world of business and American soccer. We'll start
with this piece from Simon Kuper in the Financial Times. Following a theme we have touched on
over the last week (both through our interview with Mr.Kuper and our excellent guest post from Dave
Laidig), the new Kuper article looks at the growing impact of statistics in club soccer.
I have no idea how much I would spend for a quality ticket to see this year's Champions League
Final. It's a moot point as I wouldn't be able to travel to London for the match but it's a fun
topic to discuss.
The cheapest ticket for this Saturday's showdown between Manchester United and Barcelona at
Wembley Stadium is £150 - but touts (aka scalpers) are offering them for up to £7,000 on the
black market.
By Chris Wright
Premier League sponsors Barclays and the League Managers' Association banded together to set the
twenty 2010/11 top flight managers some homework a couple of weeks ago to pick their 'team of the
last decade', though it seems that all twenty misread the instructions and just picked their
favourite Manchester United and Chelsea players from the past ten years instead.
