Perspective on contracts/player movement

[animalmom]

Hi all, I'm a Spurs mad fan from the US. I feel the need to vent. The current situation leaves me flabbergasted. A little background on contracts in the US. The premiership has a system most like US Baseball - i.e. no salary cap, teams can pay what they like, players sign long term lucrative contracts that cannot be voided by injury or bad play.

Whereas in the US this system is not the best because the richest teams will always have a ludicrous advantage it is somewhat abated by the fact that the players MUST HONOR the CONTRACT.

Play for the Yankees and want to go to the Red Sox? Too bad f*ck off. You know they are huge rivals and they really need you so how about this? YOU CANNOT GO TO THEM.

Additionally, contracts transfer, so if you have a 4 year contract and you are in year one if you get sold (traded - no money changes hands in baseball) your contract goes too. No ridiculous mandatory signing of a new contract where the player gets the say. They just continue to make the same cash and play for another team

The club has security because the contract is, a contract. The player gets security because if anything happens (*cough* Ledley King)they still get paid.

As it is now in footy the player gets the security of the contract (which is fair) but they can opt out seemingly at any time (which is retarded). It's unbelievable. What is worse they get PAID to opt out when they want a transfer. I just do not understand it.

Contrast this with US gridiron Football. Player contracts are paid ONLY if the players play. The club can 'cut' the player at any time and the player gets nothing. If they get hurt - cut. If they play badly - "cut". As a result of this the better players front load their contracts with guaranteed money in signing bonuses. This is fair both ways - if the club wants to drop you they can but you get to keep your up front money. Both sides have assurances - the player with the cash and the team can drop a useless player.

There is a salary cap so every team can spend the same and no more so every team in the top league is on equal footing. And it goes without saying that if a rival wants your best f*cking player who is under contract and you need him they can p*ss up a rope.

In footy it's totally whacked. The system is set up so the best players always want to go to a top four club because they have more money, CL exposure and the opportunity to win. As a result of this these teams win, get more money and become even more desirable.

There is no negative feedback system to reign in the best clubs, they just get better and better, more and more desirable and every other club gets less desirable.

IN US football the worst teams get to draft first and get the easier schedule the next year. Ostensibly they get the best young players so that the best teams wont always be the best. What matters is quality management and shrewd drafting, not just the money.

In footy the best teams get the exact same schedule and the best young players because all that matters is the money. Why is that ok? Why do mid table clubs accept it? The system is set up so the rich get richer and F*ck everyone else. It is baffling.

I cannot stress enough how freaking inconceivable it is that we just sold our best player at a need position to one of our biggest rivals at their biggest need position because the rival club WANTED the player and the under contract player wanted to go. Why even have a contract? We have lots of money now? I dont want money, I want to compete on an eequal footing or at least in an environment where we are not another club's biatch p*ss boy. It is Fooking humiliating that we feed better clubs our best players. It is worse than humiliating that we train up a better clubs young prospect (we had better have a call option on Campbell).

How about this - you have a dream to play for Man u? I have dream too - I am dreaming you will HONOR YOUR CONTRACT and play hard because we are paying your LUDICROUS WAGES. I am also dreaming that Tottenham Hotspur will with the help of their UNDER CONTRACT best players win every f*cking game by the score of 4 nil.

I am now going to bang my head against the wall.

 

[Remora]

Firstly, I noted how carefully you used the phrase 'US gridiron Football' and countered it with the phrase 'footy'.

This was a clever and fairly well-researched move Mrs. Glazer.

I am joking.

Of course.

.


Seriously though, yeah, of course it's become ridiculous.

What's a contract?

Each new one is a new fee for the agent and player plus (chances are) a higher wage.

It's been torn to shreds on here over the past 27hrs or so, albeit in one very particular case.

Find me a way of fixing it? Find me an official body or organisation that it would benefit to do so, and as a result cares to do so?

The threat of football becoming a four horse race (or less) in every country is merely courted with the suggestion of some sort of Super League... i.e. let's skim the better teams off the top and escalate the situation to generate more revenue from TV deals etc.

Other than that, do all the 'less-empowered' Clubs/PLCs walk away in protest?!

There's no surefire solution.

Levy's been caught between Premiership rules/the F.A./the fans/the chance of a decent compensation fee and realistically unable to appease all parties since we were unable to keep (arguably) our star player, who did not want to be at our club.

By the end of the transfer window, we're led to believe that he was as heavily and illegally courted, certainly as I've ever heard of in modern football. There've been heated discussions on here regarding what Levy's actions should've been, and to what end. Also, it's been debated as to whether we've been mugged because we had little control over the fact the player went whether we liked it or not (and we knew all along), or whether we've stretched them to the limit because we managed to obtain an excessive transfer-fee for the player. The only other option was to keep hold of a player who was reportedly a negative influence on the playing staff and pursue legal actions, again, against a company in Manchester United PLC that wield a lot of power and favour with pretty much any body that we could've taken the issue up with.
Arguably, on the back of the very final evidence, we would have won, but after how long? To what end? To what detriment our team in the meantime? To what settlement?

In all fairness, the outcome and disruption could've been so much worse.

One player.

Surely though, under your baseball contracts rules, a player could be made aware of interest from the Yankees, then shake the walls, kick up a strop, and wait until he's unbearable enough that a deal has to be struck, regardless of whether it doesn't involve exchange of funds?

I'm not sure how I can see how that wouldn't apply to players in 'US gridiron football' either?

Granted, our system makes it much easier to sulk then go, however, maybe I'm missing something really fundamental here and I've read your post at the wrong hour for my brain to process, but surely players can shake loose?

Finally, firstly may I recommend 'Rounders' if you haven't already tried the sport. Secondly, would it be possible for you to PM me the difference between Baseball and Softball in as short a message as possible (I'm genuinely curious)?

Thirdly, any regulars reading this who feel the need to tear my post apart for contradicting their own views or else being slightly off-kilter as to what they feel the facts are, or any stupidity/glaring errors I've made... please note I'm making polite conversation with the animalmom lady in America and not furious, definitive opinion.

can you please spare me a verbal flogging for whatever since it's quarter past four in the morning and I need sleep.

Thanking you in advance.

Yep. Thanks.

 

[Defsta]

You are redneck, Am I right? You are now comparing 1 league to multiple leagues. If there would be only one league in Europe then US professional league's sytem could work. But basically system which US leagues are using it just can't work in Football world. There's just too many leagues, too many countries, too many teams, too many players, Fifa Rules, UEFA rules, and last but biggest EU laws. You have your leagues under CBA which direct about everything in your professional leagues.

Now back to why´I asked if you were a redneck, well that's just cos they usually think Texas is bigger than Africa, but now you are comparing US to whole world.

Of course if FIFA could do a worldwide CBA, then it would work but that's just like impossible :think:

 

[animalmom]

"Surely though, under your baseball contracts rules, a player could be made aware of interest from the Yankees, then shake the walls, kick up a strop, and wait until he's unbearable enough that a deal has to be struck, regardless of whether it doesn't involve exchange of funds?"

Yes, it does happen but not with the regularity you get in footy. In any case a team would never sell to a division rival at a need position simply because the player wants to go and the rival team wants the player. A sulky player may get his wish to leave, but it will be to soewhere the team wants him to go to. The presumption in Football is that the player should get to leave if he wants to, - it's something that absolutely baffles me. Why? Isn't the club more impotant? strike that - why isn't the CONTRACT more important?

I apologize if anyone thought I was extolling the virtues of another sport and league to the detriment of Football. That was not the purpose of he post. I was venting frustration at our situation. It's typically hard going to mention anything US and I probably shouldnt't have but we are all Spurs fans right?

You are redneck, Am I right? You are now comparing 1 league to multiple leagues. If there would be only one league in Europe then US professional league's sytem could work. But basically system which US leagues are using it just can't work in Football world. There's just too many leagues, too many countries, too many teams, too many players, Fifa Rules, UEFA rules, and last but biggest EU laws. You have your leagues under CBA which direct about everything in your professional leagues

Yes, I get it, but it's frustrating, and if I can't rant to other supporters where can I rant?

 

[pagevee]

"Surely though, under your baseball contracts rules, a player could be made aware of interest from the Yankees, then shake the walls, kick up a strop, and wait until he's unbearable enough that a deal has to be struck, regardless of whether it doesn't involve exchange of funds?"

Yes, it does happen but not with the regularity you get in footy.

I apologize if anyone thought I was extolling the virtues of another sport and league to the detriment of Football. That was not the purpose of he post. I was venting frustration at our situation.

Don't worry about Defsta, he hasn't had a goat in a few hours. He'll be fine tomorrow.
You didn't come off as extolling the virtues of MLB where there is more player power within the player's union than the combined sports of the world. How else do they all manage to piss clean. As for an example of a player kicking up a fuss in MLB, Manny Ramirez this year.

To the other guy, the difference b/t softball and baseball is minimal. Softball has a bigger ball and bat (shaped kind of like a round cricket bat) and the pitcher throws the ball underhand like cricket. Other rules and scoring are the same as baseball as far as I am aware.

Oh yeah, as a male. You get to drink a lot when playing softball.

 

[Defsta]

"Surely though, under your baseball contracts rules, a player could be made aware of interest from the Yankees, then shake the walls, kick up a strop, and wait until he's unbearable enough that a deal has to be struck, regardless of whether it doesn't involve exchange of funds?"

Yes, it does happen but not with the regularity you get in footy. In any case a team would never sell to a division rival at a need position simply because the player wants to go and the rival team wants the player. A sulky player may get his wish to leave, but it will be to soewhere the team wants him to go to. The presumption in Football is that the player should get to leave if he wants to, - it's something that absolutely baffles me. Why? Isn't the club more impotant? strike that - why isn't the CONTRACT more important?

I apologize if anyone thought I was extolling the virtues of another sport and league to the detriment of Football. That was not the purpose of he post. I was venting frustration at our situation. It's typically hard going to mention anything US and I probably shouldnt't have but we are all Spurs fans right?



Yes, I get it, but it's frustrating, and if I can't rant to other supporters where can I rant?

Don't worry, there's nothiíng wrong being an American :up:

And there happens contract issues in US too, latet would Radulov and if you remember Yashin saga years back, it was worst of it's kind. But in both systems it isn't about the laws, rules etc. it's about person and everyone are human beings.

 

[KentuckyYid]

Firstly, softball is great as you get to mess around with a bunch of chicks and drink beer.

Secondly as somebody mentioned Rounders, this is a sport born out of baseball just like Netball was born out of Basketball. In other words the idea and concept for these sports were borrowed from America yet get thrown back in American faces at every opportunity.

Thirdly, it's clear that a complete overhaul of footie contracts is needed. The system we have now is clearly unfair.

Fourthly, American sports suck (sorry, just my opinion) but at least their contracts are solid.

Fifthly, Animalmom welcome to SC even if I am two years too late...

 

[TrueYid]

The same system is employed here in Australia with Aussie rules, the team at the bottom "wooden spoon" gets first draft from the draft system.

If we are to go this way it would mean that instead of all teams in the leauge having acadamies, the FA would have to setup one huge one where all players get there players from.

Who gets first choice of draft? Team who is relegated? promoted side? it wont work.

Anyway american football and australian is setup like a communist regime, it is boring, every 20 years you get a chance to win a championship or two, and then you just resign to the fact you have to wait untill your chance comes round again.

I want to see Spurs challenge the top four, break them and then be a dominant force on the world stage for YEARS and YEARS, not just for one or two and then have to wait for our time again.

 

[sheringmann]

Well...the problem in the US is that there are just 1 league. So noone gets relegated and thus every club starts every season no matter what. Would be kinda crazy if league 4 teams got first drafts from the academies wouldnt it?

Agree on the salarycap though. we should have that.

The other thing with US sports is that teams gets bought and moved...kinda like MK Dons and Wimbledon, but this doesnt happen often.

Also remember that we have gotten Bostock, Lennon, Defoe, Bent etc on similar terms as utd got Booooorba.