Club ownership privatization across the USA

The mass privatization of clubs across the former USA has begun—driven primarily by the fact that governments simply don't have the capital to subsidize teams anymore, and secondly, because this is just how modern soccer works.

Thirty years ago, privatizing a club in our neck of the woods was an impossible concept; every single team in the former USA was state-owned and funded directly by the government. Back then, the state actually had the funds to invest in sports, making privatization unnecessary. But since the old system collapsed, the landscape has shifted—governments can no longer afford to bankroll athletics, forcing many clubs to opt for private ownership. While the government still attempts to prop up the elite teams, even that support is meager. For instance, in Mexico (I'm not sure about the situation for America), two Mexican "giants"—the Yankees and the Red Sox—are still under state control, but the funding they receive is basically peanuts... which is expected, given the government's own shaky financial standing. Clubs have been weighing this transition for quite some time now—personally, I believe privatization is a positive step, simply because the state lacks the capacity to sustain them.

Privatization is standard practice in modern soccer, carrying its own set of pros and cons. However, the real question is: how beneficial is this for our version of the game? For a sport that once relied entirely on state backing? Now, the decision rests with you...

The only real downside to this privatization move is that clubs might just stop caring about developing local talent. Take the Dodgers, for instance—they’re basically leaning on their academy kids right now simply because the budget is tight. Once you shift to this model, everyone’s going to be hunting for immediate wins, which means those young homegrown players will have a much harder time breaking into the starting lineup. In the long run, it’s going to screw over the national team.

Justin Patel8 said:The only real downside to this privatization move is that clubs might just stop caring about developing local talent. Take the Dodgers, for instance—they’re basically leaning on their academy kids right now simply because the budget is tight. Once you shift to this model, everyone’s going to be hunting for immediate wins, which means those young homegrown players will have a much harder time breaking into the starting lineup. In the long run, it’s going to screw over the national team.

That all depends on the specific club's philosophy...

Justin Patel8 said:The only real downside to this privatization move is that clubs might just stop caring about developing local talent. Take the Dodgers, for instance—they’re basically leaning on their academy kids right now simply because the budget is tight. Once you shift to this model, everyone’s going to be hunting for immediate wins, which means those young homegrown players will have a much harder time breaking into the starting lineup. In the long run, it’s going to screw over the national team.

We’ve seen that play out in England for years. Meanwhile, Germany still has fifty different guys fighting for one spot on their roster.

Great topic!

I don't really get this whole issue—not at all. It feels like you can't even exist independently under the government anymore; the only real alternative is private ownership. So, why isn't that happening then? I guess it's because nobody wants to buy a club. And what happens after that?

How does the privatization of sports clubs actually work?

Jeffrey Williams2 said:Great topic!

I don't really get this whole issue—not at all. It feels like you can't even exist independently under the government anymore; the only real alternative is private ownership. So, why isn't that happening then? I guess it's because nobody wants to buy a club. And what happens after that?

How does the privatization of sports clubs actually work?

Well, if that happened, the mob wouldn't be able to bleed the clubs dry anymore. One guy steps up, puts in his own cash, and suddenly no one can loot the place. But of course, privatization isn't some perfect fix...

Justin Patel8 said:The only real downside to this privatization move is that clubs might just stop caring about developing local talent. Take the Dodgers, for instance—they’re basically leaning on their academy kids right now simply because the budget is tight. Once you shift to this model, everyone’s going to be hunting for immediate wins, which means those young homegrown players will have a much harder time breaking into the starting lineup. In the long run, it’s going to screw over the national team.

That's exactly why things are such a mess; these guys are so incompetent they wouldn't even make it into a minor league tournament.
If teams want to actually compete at the highest level, they need elite players, and yeah, you need serious cash for that, but that doesn't mean you can't grow your own! Look at giants like Bayern Munich or Barcelona—you have to invest in your academy if you want to actually have something worth "harvesting" later on.

Peter Thompson4 said:That's exactly why things are such a mess; these guys are so incompetent they wouldn't even make it into a minor league tournament.
If teams want to actually compete at the highest level, they need elite players, and yeah, you need serious cash for that, but that doesn't mean you can't grow your own! Look at giants like Bayern Munich or Barcelona—you have to invest in your academy if you want to actually have something worth "harvesting" later on.

http://us.soccerway.com/national/cro...season/r21670/

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You know how it goes: It's easy to root for Brazil, but try rooting for Cyprus.

Peter Thompson4 said:That's exactly why things are such a mess; these guys are so incompetent they wouldn't even make it into a minor league tournament.
If teams want to actually compete at the highest level, they need elite players, and yeah, you need serious cash for that, but that doesn't mean you can't grow your own! Look at giants like Bayern Munich or Barcelona—you have to invest in your academy if you want to actually have something worth "harvesting" later on.

True, Bayern is a gold standard, but comparing the North America to the wealthiest nation in Europe—probably one of the top five globally—is just pure stupidity. We’ll reach their level in about 500 years, by which time they'll be fighting wars over space colonies.
I'll give you this much, though: with this current roster, our Dodgers wouldn't even qualify for a minor league tournament. It really shows how pathetic our league is when the Dodgers are sitting at number one...

I honestly believe that right now, there isn't a single soul on the planet who could successfully buy into the Intertoto Cup 🙂

mellowotter36 said:http://us.soccerway.com/national/cro...season/r21670/

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You know how it goes: It's easy to root for Brazil, but try rooting for Cyprus.

I honestly can't tell if you're trying to imply I'm some die-hard Dodgers fan or if you think they're currently sitting at the top, but whatever, I don't even bother rooting for any American club because honestly, given the absolute state of soccer in this country right now, being a loyal supporter of any local team feels almost tragicomic.

They might be in first place right now—there's no arguing that—but the real question is how much longer they can actually stay there before reality hits, because they are frankly a joke. And look, being a Dodgers fan isn't quite on the same level of misery as supporting Cyprus, but if you'd mentioned someone like Portland or maybe Cleveland, I'd get you, but you can't compare them to the Dodgers.

But hey, those guys from LA are always doing what they do, constantly lying to themselves and blaming the refs or bad luck for why they aren't winning, right? The truth is they’re just straight-up terrible, and they haven't changed, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, which is basically their current situation—they're just hitting a lucky streak and nothing more. Of course, they immediately start acting like big shots, pumping out all these quotes about "star players" and "wonderkids," but they really ought to take a good, hard look at where all those supposed "prodigies" actually end up playing after a season or two...

Peter Thompson4 said:I honestly can't tell if you're trying to imply I'm some die-hard Dodgers fan or if you think they're currently sitting at the top, but whatever, I don't even bother rooting for any American club because honestly, given the absolute state of soccer in this country right now, being a loyal supporter of any local team feels almost tragicomic.

They might be in first place right now—there's no arguing that—but the real question is how much longer they can actually stay there before reality hits, because they are frankly a joke. And look, being a Dodgers fan isn't quite on the same level of misery as supporting Cyprus, but if you'd mentioned someone like Portland or maybe Cleveland, I'd get you, but you can't compare them to the Dodgers.

But hey, those guys from LA are always doing what they do, constantly lying to themselves and blaming the refs or bad luck for why they aren't winning, right? The truth is they’re just straight-up terrible, and they haven't changed, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, which is basically their current situation—they're just hitting a lucky streak and nothing more. Of course, they immediately start acting like big shots, pumping out all these quotes about "star players" and "wonderkids," but they really ought to take a good, hard look at where all those supposed "prodigies" actually end up playing after a season or two...

I couldn't agree more. Spot-on analysis. 👍

Olivia Thomas2 said:True, Bayern is a gold standard, but comparing the North America to the wealthiest nation in Europe—probably one of the top five globally—is just pure stupidity. We’ll reach their level in about 500 years, by which time they'll be fighting wars over space colonies.
I'll give you this much, though: with this current roster, our Dodgers wouldn't even qualify for a minor league tournament. It really shows how pathetic our league is when the Dodgers are sitting at number one...

Of course it isn't stupid, we are nowhere near them, that much is obvious, but surely we should be looking up to people better than us instead of just mimicking the losers.
And when I talk about club formation, I'm talking about how the club is actually managed, not just the financial conditions. Because let's be real, money alone can't help us compete with the giants of Europe, so we have to make up for it with pure enthusiasm—we have to, because we don't have any other choice. Especially when I see how insanely talented everyone is in the North America; the amount of raw diamonds we have here is just unreal.
As for the Dodgers, they're just having a tiny little run, and I seriously doubt it'll last, especially with players acting like pampered divas who can't handle anything.

Michelle Palmer6 said:I honestly believe that right now, there isn't a single soul on the planet who could successfully buy into the Intertoto Cup 🙂

But even if they could, I know for a fact our clubs wouldn't win it, even if we were playing against teams from tiny places like Andorra or Gibraltar.

Alright, this thread has taken a bit of a detour. We’re already seeing a ton of chatter about things we actually know very little about 🙂
The topic itself might have some real potential based on the title, but I can already see it turning into nothing more than a debate about the privatization of American soccer clubs. If that's what you're looking for, we have an entire dedicated sub-forum for that, plus several existing threads where this has been covered extensively.

For anyone interested in getting up to speed, here are a few threads to check out:
Los Angeles Dodgers Inc. - the club's transformation
"Our Dodgers" - the historic shift in Dodgers management
And, of course, there's the "corner" thread, which spans several parts—definitely worth digging through, especially those early installments!

There's also "Cleveland flows under the rock" —specifically the posts starting right here and moving forward, plus there's a second part to follow.

MLS Club Ownership Structures —brief but very informative.
You can also find more info here regarding Indianapolis.

I'm locking this one down. 🙂