#ProSoccerTalk » Feed ProSoccerTalk » Comments Feed ProSoccerTalk » Monetize, commercialize and “Americanize” the stadiums of Europe? I say “Be careful what you ask for” Comments Feed Chris Rolfe’s offseason withdrawals regimen Video: Wonder goal from kids in their wonder years alternate alternate ProSoccerTalk WordPress.com Skip to content * NBC Sports Home * NFL * NBA * NCAA FB * MLB * NHL * NCAA BK * GOLF * TENNIS * AUTOS * SOCCER * MORE SPORTS * NBC News NBCSports.com ProSoccerTalk * ProFootballTalk * HardballTalk * ProBasketballTalk * CollegeFootballTalk * ProHockeyTalk * GolfTalkCentral * OlympicTalk * ProSoccerTalk * CollegeBasketballTalk IFRAME: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/?get_ad=header&cb=75641618856&positi on=0&rand=77753268229 * West Bromwich Albion's Olsson challenges West Ham United's Cole during their English Premier League soccer match in West Bromwich 10d Ripple effect connecting Jonas Olsson, Ryan Nelsen and Toronto FC * Robb Heineman 10d Sporting Kansas City closes in on jersey sponsorship * Hainault 2 10d It’s “next man up” along Houston Dynamo back line * Aston Villa v Bolton Wanderers - Carling Cup Third Round 10d You be the judge: Is Holden ready to return? * Fulham v Sunderland - Premier League 11d It’s been exactly six years since Clint Dempsey went to England * MLS Sounders Timbers Soccer 11d MLS will work on this whole Cascadia Cup trademark thing * Toronto FC v Sporting Kansas City 11d Sporting Kansas City will host the 2013 MLS All-Star Game * Screen Shot 2013-01-10 at 2.06.36 PM 11d Portland Timbers sign Designated Player Diego Valeri * FIFA 11d FIFA and ethics reform: “So, you’re saying there’s a chance” * Italy v Ireland - Group C: UEFA EURO 2012 11d Defensive DPs (like Richard Dunne) as keys to MLS success * Stuart Holden 11d Could Stuart Holden join Bolton’s first team within a week? * Greek kids 11d Video: Wonder goal from kids in their wonder years * Emirates Stadium 11d Monetize, commercialize and “Americanize” the stadiums of Europe? I say “Be careful what you ask for” * Screen shot 2013-01-09 at 5.51.38 PM 11d Chris Rolfe’s offseason withdrawals regimen * NWSL logo 11d U.S. Soccer releases list of players available for NWSL allocation * Chelsea v Swansea City - Capital One Cup Semi-Final 11d Swansea, Bradford City turn England’s League Cup on its head * NBC_Sports_Logo 12d What the new MLS schedule means for you, the NBC/NBCSN viewer * BAMGlACCEAAtANO 12d Fredy Montero says goodbye to Seattle * BAHHDLFCAAApB4S 12d Megan Rapinoe’s first day at Lyon and the value of her big move * MLS logo 12d MLS Schedule Announced – Are you ready for Rivalry Week? * DCUnited 12d D.C. United jumps into the young Designated Player game * Carlos Valdes, Lionard Pajoy, Sheanon Williams 12d Union All-Star Carlos Valdes closing in on loan deal * U.S. fans 12d Let’s play “Choose the site for U.S. World Cup qualifiers” * FBL-US-MLS-GALAXY-BECKHAM 12d David Beckham closing in on return; decision to come next week * Emirates Stadium 12d Big time soccer involves big time prices * Crew preseason 12d Major League Soccer schedule due out today * Caleb Porter, Gavin Wilkinson 12d Caleb Porter finally unveiled as Portland Timbers head coach * Holden-Bolton 2 12d U.S. international Stuart Holden back on the field for Bolton * Jesus redeemer 13d Let’s talk about Brazil, World Cup, massive parties and … prostitution? * Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo introduces the club's first designated player Marco Di Vaio in Montreal 13d Wait a minute, let’s review Joey Saputo’s checklist of MLS coaching requirements one more time Monetize, commercialize and “Americanize” the stadiums of Europe? I say “Be careful what you ask for” Steve Davis Jan 10, 2013, 9:02 AM EST 4 Comments Emirates Stadium In terms of transfer news happening overnight – It’s not really “overnight” in Europe, see? So things, you know, “happen” – there were no big haymakers, only a few little jabs here and there. In terms of potential U.S. players moving overseas, there wasn’t even that. But one prominent newspaper took the opportunity to evaluate how a significant element of American sports definitely is being transferred overseas, if only bit by bit. It’s the American ability to monetize a facility. Personally, I do enjoy the older world European model, where a stadium is actually a place to play an athletic event, and for fans to actually get lost in an athletic event (rather than getting lost in a gooey bowl of nachos). You might get a beer or a hot chocolate before kickoff, and if you’re fast, you can sneak in a bonus refreshment at halftime. If you’re fast – because those lines inside the cramped concourses get long in a super-big hurry. I don’t need to stock up on chicken tenders and all beef doggers or purchase bags full of memories. And I certainly don’t need to be up-sold the “premium experience,” whatever that is. (Jeezey-Pete, it’s a soccer game, not a Caribbean Cruise!) But some people clearly like it and are willing to pay for it. Hence, the massive American football grounds with massive opportunity to throw down as much green as you darn well please. We enjoy our excess in American, and this is the reality of modern sports. Now, the author of this piece in the Guardian, who works for a design firm that specializes in facility research, says Europeans are slowly getting better at emulating their American counterparts. He uses Arsenal’s relatively new Emirates Stadium as an example, and says the new ground recently announced for AS Roma (you go, Michael Bradley!) will feature much of the same lucrative fancy-schmancy. It’s not just the premium pricing where Americans excel, it’s also the overall commercialization aspect. Over here, of course, we probably are thinking, “Be careful what you ask for.” Where I live, the big colossus of a football stadium includes a store just to sell freakin’ women’s panties. Panties! At a football stadium. Any-who … here’s what Joshua Boren has to say about it in this morning’s Guardian (linked above). Given the overall success of the business model it was only a matter of time before it was imported and replicated by overseas clubs seeking new – and renovated – stadiums. The most notable and easily recognizable example is that of Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal and opened in 2006. Emirates, boasting American influence and design elements, became the model for UEFA and other European clubs seeking ways to maximize revenue and better the overall fan experience. Emirates has been hailed for its success and has highlighted another area where clubs could compete beyond the pitch in the ever-growing arms war that is football; stadium development and commercial rights. Skip to Comments (4) Tweet IFRAME: http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fprosoccertal k.nbcsports.com%2F2013%2F01%2F10%2Fmonetize-and-commercialize-the-stadi ums-of-europe-i-say-be-careful-what-you-ask-for%2F&layout=button_count& show_faces=false&width=90&action=like&font=arial&colorscheme=light&heig ht=21 Email « Newer Video: Wonder goal from kids in their wonder years Older » Chris Rolfe’s offseason withdrawals regimen More ProSoccerTalk * Question that need answers in MLS preseason camp: Chivas USA * Landon Donovan IS returning in 2013. Just not yet * Still wanted: a New York Red Bulls manager Back to Homepage 4 Comments (Feed for Comments) 1. pmacd82 - Jan 10, 2013 at 10:09 AM Yankee Stadium and Citi Field were two stadiums built to maximize the “fan experience.” Yankee Stadium, that luxury only exists on the levels where people have money, and in both stadiums’ cases, there are areas that have poor sightlines or obstructed views, something that shouldn’t happen in a modern stadium especially when being able to watch the game should be most important. So, agreed, be careful Europe. Log in to Reply 2. dfstell - Jan 10, 2013 at 10:30 AM I mostly miss watching with other people who are passionate fans. But….the blow of the good, old-fashioned stadiums going away is that we have much better televisions than we used to and do things like stream games on our iPhones. It’s not a true replacement, but imagine how awful it would be if we didn’t have technology making it better. Log in to Reply 3. archlobster - Jan 10, 2013 at 10:40 AM I have to say, with American Football at least, it is better to watch on TV, so the big American stadia argument makes more sense because, like dfstell said, we have awesome TVs now. But with soccer… eh. What do people expect? The wages being demanded require cold, hard cash to be paid. Supporters, fans, merchandise are all just individual pieces to a massive paycheck. Or you can be a league 2 team I suppose. This is reality, and will continue to be. Running away from it and throwing temper tantrums only serve to delay the inevitable. I hate it but I’ve accepted it as the fact that it is. Log in to Reply 4. dws110 - Jan 10, 2013 at 7:16 PM Just finished the original article, and what bothers me most about it is that it accepts as a given that the future of soccer in England (and by extension, the rest of the world) is to increase the gaps between The Big Number of clubs with insane resources and the rest of the league. The article reads like the sales brochure of an instruction manual to, say, Chelsea, on how to keep up with Man City in terms of $$$ to spend, and vice versa. That’s the kind of thinking that drove wages/transfer fees/ticket prices into the stratosphere in the first place. Log in to Reply Leave Comment You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now! « Newer Video: Wonder goal from kids in their wonder years Older » Chris Rolfe’s offseason withdrawals regimen More ProSoccerTalk * Question that need answers in MLS preseason camp: Chivas USA * Landon Donovan IS returning in 2013. Just not yet * Still wanted: a New York Red Bulls manager Back to Homepage _______________ Search * iPhone * iPad * Android * * About this Blog * Send Tip/Feedback * Login/Register * Subscribe to RSS * Add to Facebook * Follow on Twitter Top Posts * Landon Donovan IS returning in 2013. Just not yet 0 * Questions to answer in MLS pre-season: Chicago Fire 3 * What is a worthy attendance for U.S.-Canada in January? 3 * Chicago Fire say goodbye to retiring Pavel Pardo 0 * Who saw that coming? Barcelona loses first league game of season 1 IFRAME: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/?get_ad=widget-dart&cb=46675557969&p osition=1&rand=77753268229 Most Commented * Garber comments show league, PNW fans heading for Cascadia Cup impasse (38) * MLS Draft warnings, caveats and context: Looking at those 2010 top selections (25) * Believe it when you see it: New York Cosmos propose $400 milllion stadium (15) * Let’s discuss Juan Agudelo, MLS doctrine and the slippery slope of skewing contracts (12) * The Stoking of America goes on! Brek Shea to Stoke City? (12) NBC Sports Headlines Feed * PFT: Colin Kaepernick vindicates Jim Harbaugh * PFT: A Super storyline: Brother vs. brother * CSN: Early look at 49ers-Ravens Super Bowl * PBT: NBA confirms deal to sell Kings to Seattle * PBT: Buford, Jackson could be in Seattle front office * PFT: Bill Belichick isn't going anywhere * Trash Talk: Time for Belichick to move on? NBC Sports Videos * Play Video: Rapinoe scores amazing goal for US * Play Video: What's next for Beckham? * Play Video: Dynamo celebrate Eastern Conference title * Play Video: Bruin propels Dynamo to win * Play Video: Brandi Chastain talks lessons learned on the field * Play Video: Dynamo take first leg of Eastern finals NBC Sports Photos * Slideshow: Beckham says goodbye * Slideshow: Best of MLS * Slideshow: MLS team spirit * Slideshow: Best of Euro 2012 * Slideshow: National pride * Slideshow: 2010 World Cup action RotoWorld.com Fantasy Sports Top 10 Player Searches 1. C. Paul (NBA) 2. S. Curry (NBA) 3. D. Granger (NBA) 4. D. Harris (NBA) 5. A. Bargnani (NBA) 6. A. Varejao (NBA) 7. A. Bogut (NBA) 8. D. Rose (NBA) 9. A. Johnson (NBA) 10. R. Rubio (NBA) Search player news RotoWorld Last name___________ Go IFRAME: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/?get_ad=widget-adsense&cb=818075 55911&position=2&rand=77753268229 NBC Sports - Pro Football Talk + Boomer Esiason: If you want to hate Belichick, he gives you a… + Ravens keeping Caldwell as coordinator beyond this year + PFT on NBC Sports Network wraps up the weekend + Baltimore billboards declare Lewis retirement party delayed + Pair of Broncos replaces pair of Patriots in Pro Bowl + Gus Bradley keeping a pair of Mularkey’s assistants NBC Sports - College Football Talk + Lloyd Carr one of eight named to NCAA’s Committee on Infractions + 2014 recruit creates stir with fake visit to Notre Dame + ‘Cuse assistant abruptly quits, is quickly replaced + Three SEC schools the front-runners for nation’s top 2013 recruit + Gators set to nab long-time Gamecocks assistant + Mike Bellotti calls Helfrich hire ‘great for everybody’ CollegeBasketballTalk + Oregon State’s Craig Robinson photo-bombs President Obama’s inauguration + Bob Huggins tees off on team’s effort, apologizes to West Virginia fans + Utah State loses Preston Medlin, Kyisean Reed, WAC title hopes + Pregame Shootaround 1.21.13: Bigger Monday features Cincy-Cuse + VIDEO: Aaron Gordon dunks, commits felonious assault in the process + The NCAA denied Iowa’s request to wear Chris Street jersey on Saturday Hardball Talk + The Indians sign Ben Francisco to a minor league deal + Reports: Shortstop Alexander Guerrero defects from Cuba + Pirates, Francisco Liriano reach a revised deal + Legendary college baseball coach Ron Fraser has died + David Murphy and the Rangers avoid arbitration + The Mets sign Pedro Feliciano ProHockeyTalk + CBC sets TV ratings records for Saturday games + Todd Bertuzzi doesn’t have mono after all + New Edmonton arena deal to be presented to city council Wednesday + Video: Caps’ Hillen injured (shoulder) by Lecavalier hit, placed on IR + Today’s Isles-Lightning game featured dueling opening-faceoff fights + Rangers waiting on Kreider’s status after Orpik hit (w/video) ProSoccerTalk + Question that need answers in MLS preseason camp: Chivas USA + Landon Donovan IS returning in 2013. Just not yet + Still wanted: a New York Red Bulls manager + Questions to answer in MLS pre-season: Chicago Fire + A fresh wrinkle in the Frank Lampard-Galaxy transfer talk + Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth says Freddy Adu done at PPL Park NBC Sports - Pro Basketball Talk + Anthony Davis leaves game with ankle injury + NBA Power Rankings: Clippers back on top, showdown with Thunder Tuesday + Nike Basketball honors MLK day with special edition shoes for LeBron, Kobe,… + Luol Deng a game-time decision Monday vs. Lakers + Kevin Durant, Carlos Boozer named conference players of the week + Bobcats president says team is ‘very active’ as trade deadline approaches GolfTalkCentral + Spieth receives late Torrey Pines exemption + Wooding receives Northern Trust Open Exemption + Els starts season with substitute caddie + More distance off tee helped Gay win Humana + What We Learned: Abu Dhabi + Gay wins Humana Challenge over Howell, Lingmerth Off the Bench + God’s dunking booth: surfers brave 30-foot waves, icy temperatures, random toys at… + SURPRISE! Madison Square Garden light careens from the rafters onto unsuspecting HS… + Toronto police break up ‘scuffle’ between figure skaters + ‘Harbaugh Sister’ is the feel-good hit of Super Bowl XLVII (video) + Australian library says it’s placing Lance Armstrong books in fiction section + Here it is, hot off the assembly line: Super Bowl XLVII ball… More ProSoccerTalk Latest Posts + Question that need answers in MLS preseason camp: Chivas USA + Landon Donovan IS returning in 2013. Just not yet + Still wanted: a New York Red Bulls manager + Questions to answer in MLS pre-season: Chicago Fire + A fresh wrinkle in the Frank Lampard-Galaxy transfer talk + Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth says Freddy Adu done at PPL Park Top Posts + Landon Donovan IS returning in 2013. Just not yet + Questions to answer in MLS pre-season: Chicago Fire + What is a worthy attendance for U.S.-Canada in January? + Chicago Fire say goodbye to retiring Pavel Pardo + Who saw that coming? Barcelona loses first league game of season + Starting Sturridge with Suarez, Liverpool explodes for five against Norwich Subscribe + Follow ProSoccerTalk on Twitter + Add ProSoccerTalk on Facebook + Latest Posts (RSS) + Top Posts (RSS) + Soccer Tickets Log in Corrections Independent Programming Report [ss-100711-wc-tease.thumb.jpg] AdChoices Copyright © 2010-2013 NBC Sports. Images provided by Getty Images. Powered by WordPress.com VIP.