The Scudamore "Gift"

Football just reflects society.

Look at the bloke who was forced out at that builders because they were worried about the PR of him getting a 'bonus' (i.e. shares windfall) of £75m. The boost in share price was related to the boom in profits arising from the Help to Buy wheeze - so underwritten by taxpayers. Communism for the rich just like the bank bailouts. Socialised risk taking - look who picks up most of the tab for the collapse of Carillion (the flip side of Persimmon).

The Premier League is pretty much the same thing - poorer people paying for TV subscriptions, creating millionaires and subsiding billionaires seeking to boost their image or launder ill-gotten gains.

Quoted from grimsby pete

With all the people that are struggling in this country,

With all the ex service men and women that need help.

With the NHS waiting lists getting longer and longer,

With people dying waiting for cancer treatment,

They think its ok to give a very rich man another £5 million ,

For doing what ?

Pathetic the lot of them.

Well said.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Football just reflects society.

Look at the bloke who was forced out at that builders because they were worried about the PR of him getting a 'bonus' (i.e. shares windfall) of £75m. The boost in share price was related to the boom in profits arising from the Help to Buy wheeze - so underwritten by taxpayers. Communism for the rich just like the bank bailouts. Socialised risk taking - look who picks up most of the tab for the collapse of Carillion (the flip side of Persimmon).

The Premier League is pretty much the same thing - poorer people paying for TV subscriptions, creating millionaires and subsiding billionaires seeking to boost their image or launder ill-gotten gains.

Not disagreeing, but is the problem the rich or society itself? It's the poor people that are paying for the tv subscriptions that enable this behaviour, if everybody stopped paying then the companies would have no choice but to lower prices and reduce costs. Society is saying that this is ok by continuing to allow it.

The housing situation you describe is a bit different, because everybody needs to live in a house. But Sky tv is a luxury and people are willing to pay that much for it.

'Aint life a bag of spanners.' (Quoted from the Dutch author Jens Mohll Gripps)

Little surprises me at the top level of football, especially when it comes to pure and utter greed of those eating at the very top of the table.  

However this managed far more than a roll of the eyes.  Simply outrageous.

If any club even considers contributing to this abomination they have failed every single fan at their club.  Unfortunately I can't see any saying no as they're all now eating at the trough that he's provided.

Scudamore has, regardless if you agree with the concept of the Premier League or not, a very good job as Chief Exec.  He's turned the league into the dominant global player and generated income way beyond what they would have imagined 20 years ago.  He is also paid a very handsome wedge for doing so, including a very tidy bonus.

It's things like this that make me want the Premier League to set itself alight as soon as possible.  Clubs have done, are doing and will continue to go to the wall for figures far less than the requested contribution from every single club.

[quote=140128]

Not disagreeing, but is the problem the rich or society itself? It's the poor people that are paying for the tv subscriptions that enable this behaviour, if everybody stopped paying then the companies would have no choice but to lower prices and reduce costs. Society is saying that this is ok by continuing to allow it.


I see what you mean, however people just love watching football in this country so unfortunately they will pay the subscriptions as attending games is probably out of reach cost wise. Can you imagine not being able to watch football at all? It is ingrained in us to watch the beautiful game even at the expense of being ripped off

Whatever happened to sending someone off with a carriage clock from Argos?

Quoted from carrot top

[quote=140128]

Not disagreeing, but is the problem the rich or society itself? It's the poor people that are paying for the tv subscriptions that enable this behaviour, if everybody stopped paying then the companies would have no choice but to lower prices and reduce costs. Society is saying that this is ok by continuing to allow it.


I see what you mean, however people just love watching football in this country so unfortunately they will pay the subscriptions as attending games is probably out of reach cost wise. Can you imagine not being able to watch football at all? It is ingrained in us to watch the beautiful game even at the expense of being ripped off

If you were talking about fans of the clubs that regularly appear on T.V. then I can see your point. If people love football there are plenty of ways to get a fix other than via an extortionate T.V. package. Personally I'm not interested in anything the P.L. has to offer. I would never consider getting a SKY or any other pay contract. I'd rather my money went towards maintaining a football club at our level. People have choices to make based on their personal but in my opinion it shouldn't be dressed up as T.V. being the only choice. That is exactly what the big players in the T.V. provision area want...

Exactly Barra. Paying to watch football on telly isn’t the only way to get a football fix. And remember, football wasn’t invented in 1992 by Sky. We used to manage pretty well before that : just with a lot less of it on the box, and live televised matches were a rare treat.

It’s completely discretionary.

And PP, I agree, it is the non-wealthy who have the power to say no, I’m not paying. ‘Televised Football is the opium of the masses,’ and ‘Viewers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your Sky contract’ as that beardy, German hipster might say if he were alive today.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Exactly Barra. Paying to watch football on telly isn’t the only way to get a football fix. And remember, football wasn’t invented in 1992 by Sky. We used to manage pretty well before that : just with a lot less of it on the box, and live televised matches were a rare treat.

It’s completely discretionary.

And PP, I agree, it is the non-wealthy who have the power to say no, I’m not paying. ‘Televised Football is the opium of the masses,’ and ‘Viewers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your Sky contract’ as that beardy, German hipster might say if he were alive today.

Interesting.

I suppose the thing is that that whilst TV games as a rare treat was the norm for those growing up in the 70's/part of the 80's, it isn't the norm now.  Growing up as kid in the late 80's and early 90's there was football on more or less every weekend.  The first memories I had was of The Big Match nearly every Sunday on ITV.  That was the norm.  One treat a week but it wasn't always the biggest clubs, it was often two crap sides but it was still a treat.  Then when Sky came along ITV had a wonderful idea of showing regional Football League games on Sunday.  As one of the higher placed (Leeds and Sheffield clubs in the Prem) Yorkshire TV area, Town got a fair share of games on the TV.  

People who are ,say, 25 and under won't understand the concept of a rare TV treat.  If you follow a Premier League side, you've a high chance your game will be on Sky or BT over the weekend.  If it's not, there's a full-match replay as early as 8pm on a Saturday night.  Even for FL sides, there's now iFollow and Sky show every midweek Championship game live.  The goalposts have changed.

With regards telly not being the only way of getting a fix.  I agree, it isn't.  But everything costs and like it or not the common man/woman is getting priced out of the game at all levels.  £20 on the nose if you wanted to watch Town and MK Dons on Saturday.  I know it's relative and everywhere is charging there or there abouts, but it's not really cheap is it?  Whilst I enjoyed the second half, I'm certain I could have spent £20 on something else.  
Go down to grass roots level, I think it's something like £8 to go and watch Clee Town.  Now I think what they're building there is something to be admired, but for all sense and purposes you're still stood in a field watching the game at eye level and paying a tad more than the Hourly Minimum Wage (something a lot of people, especially in this area, will be on) for a game of football.  For the casual fan, it's a no-brainer.  Anywhere from £8-20 every two weeks for a single game or a similar pricing  structure for a TV package with countless TV games from the comfort and warmth of your own armchair.  If you've only ever known wall-to-wall football coverage around the clock, that's the norm.  That's the drug that the TV companies have served you up and it's the cheapest and most accessible way for a lot of people to get their footballing fix.

TV has changed the game, beyond what anyone could have imagined.