Todd Boehly has been in charge of Chelsea Football Club for less than four months, and he’s already trying to Americanize the Premier League.
Speaking at a conference on Tuesday, the American businessman who is new to the sport of soccer, talked at length about the changes he envisions for the English league. As a co-owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team and minority owner of LA Lakers basketball team, it appears that Boehly thinks he’s well equipped to suggest improvements to the world’s most popular sports league.
“Ultimately, I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports,” said Boehly. “MLB did their all-star game in L.A. this year. We made $200 million from a Monday and a Tuesday.”
Boehly’s concept for his all-star game is a north versus south battle in England. In addition to the all-star game, Boehly suggested a playoff system to determine relegation from England’s top flight.
Jurgen Klopp’s reaction to Todd Boehly’s comments
After Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League match against Ajax, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked by a reporter what he thought about Boehly’s wacky ideas. At first, Klopp thought the ideas were a joke.
Klopp raised several reasons why Boehly’s ideas are dumb.
First, professional footballers already play too many games, so there’s no time in the schedule to fit in an all-star game.
Second, the concept cheapens the sport by creating a meaningless, inauthentic game. Like Klopp said in the press conference (see below), “Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well and make them play against a football team?”
Third, the Liverpool manager explains that no one wants to see an all-star game, let alone a northern versus southern all-star game.
Obviously, Boehly has no idea what he’s talking about. Instead, his ideas are driven by how he can, in his mind, help the league’s clubs make more money, including his own.
Many of the Americans who are owners of Premier League clubs in the United Kingdom have worked hard for years to earn credibility. For example, just a few months ago, 50% of Premier League clubs were owned by Americans (including minor ownership).
From here on out, hopefully Boehly will focus his attention on improving Chelsea’s results on the pitch instead of trying to talk about Americanizing the game of soccer.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Eibner
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Hans
September 15, 2022 at 6:31 pm
Douche Boehly was roasted by Gabe Marcotti just quoting two of his points:
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“First off, when you start a sentence by saying you are “hoping that the Premier League take a bit of a lesson from American sports,” the odds are nothing good will come of it. The implication, whether it’s what he meant to say or not, is that American sports are better at monetizing fan experiences, and European football has something to learn from it.”
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“The suggested All-Star games, the NFL’s version has seen viewership decline since 2011, the NBA’s was the lowest since at least 2007 and, in baseball viewership was at a record low and one-fifth of what it was in 1980 maybe the lesson to learn from American sports is that fans don’t want this. Why? Because they like to see competitive games, not exhibitions.”
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Looks like citing the as things to implement in the EPL is on the same level as the blunders he made regarding the academe Sala and KGB came through. As an Arsenal fan Chelsea deserve such a clueless owner.
Michael F
September 15, 2022 at 6:37 pm
I listened to this podcast as well. It underlined how ill prepared and ill timed Boehly’s comments were. He is the new kid on the block and totally wet behind the ears in his role of owner of an PL club. And btw… it shows early on. His remarks get some flack and for good reason. Be quiet and earn your place first.
Hans
September 14, 2022 at 10:54 pm
Boehly is a know nothing when it comes to EPL football. First off he should get his own club in order before he suggests changes for the EPL. Looks to me more like he is deflecting from the mess that is Chelsea.
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His suggestions are nonsensical Clap Trap, an artificially generated N v S competition that has absolutely no meaning in the UK, a plastic competition, very American.
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200mil is peanuts for the global rights of the EPL, the contracts in the various global markets go for multi billion dollars.
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He is so clueless about European football as born out by the fact how he is trying to run Chelsea, trying to convince Tuchel to get Ronaldo and Tuchel is telling him he doesn’t fit into our playing system. After getting rid of the competent staff under RA’s Chelsea he tried to wing it with players that he had no clue how they would form a competitive team. Tuchel dodged a bullet here and it did not hurt his stock and Potter better take note because the handwriting is on the wall, you are dealing with a business man that failed to hire qualified managing personnel.
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This was the wrong time to mouth off, show us what you can do with Chelsea set an example and then bring forth the suggestions. But above everything else, US business men don’t get the culture nor the fan support. Football without fan support is worth very little as the pandemic showed. For Boehly required viewing material would be “Sunderland till I die” and “Welcome to Wrexham”.
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What a total douche bag Boehly is and for me he is doing an excellent job at Chelsea because they will not compete for top 4 this season and Arsenal for sure will take their place. Many thanks for that due to your lack of Football nous.
locofooty
September 15, 2022 at 9:18 am
Excellent post Hans.
Nosferatu
September 14, 2022 at 5:50 pm
The idea of a relegation/promotion playoff game isn’t exactly new, of course–it’s how the Bundesliga does it, for example. But the Championship already has their playoffs to decide the third team promoted. I don’t think you could have both; it would be messed up to play out those playoffs only for the winner to then have to play the 18th place PL team for promotion. So the Championship playoff would have to go and honestly, I don’t think that’s a trade-off I would want to see.
The All-Star Game idea is just a silly demonstration of greed talking, so it’s not really even worth wasting time thinking about.
Mercator
September 14, 2022 at 6:38 am
Typical BS from Klopp im sorry. The context of the comments was how to raise additional revenues for the FA and lower leagues. No one has any suggestions, Bohley rightly points out an all star game would make good money, and people like Klopp mock him when he has no ideas himself and Liverpool has no intent of splitting current revenues down the table. All critique, no solution.
Bohley is smarter than he seems. Obviously feeder clubs are great for Chelsea. City have been doing it a decade but expect it to become a real issue now that an American is doing it. People mock his all star game comments – you would watch, most of us would, and it would raise good money for lower league clubs.
He isn’t an idiot who misunderstand the situation… he will make good money on Chelsea. If this makes him a good owner who knows, the glazers have done well for themselves and are awful, FSG is good and has done well for themselves as well. The point is questioning his competence is wrong – he will do well for himself I guarantee it. Question his intentions. But no one will do that because for as much as they mock the money grubbing schemes of the owners, this is ultimately what has set the EPL apart from other leagues. Greedy Americans and regimes trying to launder their reputations. Sorry to rant I just get sick of Klopps hypocritical high minded nonsense sometimes, of course the scousers love it.
mc=ichael
September 14, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Absolutely right. Klopp great manager and sticking his foot in his mouth here. Show me a better run league than the NFL or MLB or for that matter MLS.Why wouldn’t the EPL benefit from some help? FIFA could except it is a damn monopoly mafia.
Michael F
September 15, 2022 at 10:19 am
Imagine an Englishman taking over an NFL or MLB team and open;y suggesting promotion and relegation and dump the current regular season for playoff spots structure. You don’t think any Management or coaches of the leagues wouldn’t immediately have a negative response.
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You both are completely overreacting to Klopp’s response to Boehly’s suggestion in the same way that you are implying Klopp is out of line or anyone who might agree with him. Just plain silly. These are simply trying to protect tradition of its sport. Nothing wrong with that.
Mercator
September 15, 2022 at 12:44 pm
I would absolutely love it if an MLB/NBA/NFL owner came in and suggested kicking the worst team out of the league every year. Wouldn’t happen, but it’s a good discussion yo have and it would be ridiculous to be offended by someone making a suggestion.
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The issue I have is his holier than thou attitude when Liverpool is run by an American investment firm that has no intention of further splitting revenues to help the lower leagues. So he comes out and mocks a new owner who actually is throwing out ideas to financially stabilize the lower tiers of the game in England, real big of you Jurgen.
Michael F
September 15, 2022 at 12:58 pm
More overreaction by you the viewer and the fan.
Michael F
September 15, 2022 at 2:55 pm
@Mercstor btw… you are definitely in the absolute minority of feelings expressed in your first paragraph when speaking to the American sports fans.
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No one likes a new guy on the scene that comes in with a ‘know it all’ approach chiming in. That’s what Boehly just did. That was the point of my comparison of an englishman crashing the party to suggest changes to american sports just months after taking over a club that is in turmoil. Just silly.
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Listen to Gab and Jules. Great podcast commentary on this topic. Boehly wasn’t very prepared and didn’t think it through at all.
Chris
September 13, 2022 at 11:19 pm
He wants the EPL to learn a lesson from MLB? MLB is in a state of crisis. Major rule changes were just voted on for next year to literally save the sport. The All-Star Game he brags about had the lowest tv ratings of any all-star game in history. What is there to learn from that? Maybe this guy should know his place and learn to respect the culture of the sport, the league and the club. Someone else in the long line of owners who just want to make money and everything else and everyone else be damned.
Eric T
September 13, 2022 at 11:30 pm
Huh?
Russ
September 13, 2022 at 11:02 pm
North versus South?!?!?! Does he literally not know anything about the history and culture of the UK?! .. MLS has playoffs .. but they are a joke .. It’s the only way they can generate interest in the league of utter mediocrity .. What he doesn’t understand, in the PL, it is so tight that EVERY game is a playoff game!
Roberto
September 14, 2022 at 7:21 am
In the EPL the winners are known by December! It is almost always only about four teams vying for the top spot.
Kate
September 13, 2022 at 10:59 pm
Klopp is right. American sports are not necessarily a good role model for international football (soccer) and the EPL. Compared to (football soccer) around the world, the USA is barely out of its soccer infancy. American soccer has a lot to learn from international football (soccer) as is shown by our constant recruiting football (soccer) players from around the world.
mc=ichael
September 14, 2022 at 1:41 pm
Kate kate kate…ignorince is now way to go through life. Can’t wait for our USA vs England world cup game… The infant crushes the forever failure of English football.
CHEERS
Michael F
September 15, 2022 at 10:37 am
I for one, am glad Klopp spoke up. He is smart too like Boehly. Kind of lame to not fully understand why Klopp would’t have an immediate response to an Americanized suggestion. He is simply doing his duty to protect the century long tradition and culture of its sport. This is a silly overreaction here about Klopp’s reply, in the same way you are suggesting any are overreacting to Boehly’s suggestion.
Hans
September 15, 2022 at 2:47 pm
I am with you on the overreaction and I can see one good thing coming out of this Klopp will never manage Chelsea and they may have difficulties attracting talented managers. Potter always worked in the previous clubs with talented staff & DofF this is not the case at Chelsea at the moment and he will have difficulties unless that hole is being plugged.