LaLiga players protest playing reg season game in Miami

Cobra Mgr · 10-17-2025, 09:11 PM

Nice to see some lands don't take corporate greed and bullying lightly. Games that count shouldn't be for the fans that give the teams a vacation rental, but a home year round.

Westheim · 10-18-2025, 04:26 AM

**** international games. If I was a season ticket holder, I would be *pissed*.

It should also be noted that while this game is on December 20, and La Liga does not play through the Christmas holidays (unlike the Prem f.e.), there's a Copa del Rey round being played on the 17th. Barcelona being Barcelona, they'll likely be on TV and play late into the night (and the same might be true for Villarreal).

Insane.

Nothing will move the league's decision though unless the two teams in question decide to stay their butts home - a decision I would support. There's not a single reason besides CORPORATE GREED why they would play a game in the middle of the season game a quarter of a globe away from home. I would listen to arguments for a season opener (or re-opener after the winter break), when teams are usually away for training camps anyway, a couple days earlier than usual to allow for travel afterwards. But this is asinine and GREED.

Never mind that I consider Miami one of the top 10 worst places on the planet, along with Vegas and Kabul.....

Déjà Bru · 10-18-2025, 11:12 AM

In that article, and in this follow-up Madrid's Alonso: Protests over Miami LaLiga game 'positive', there is no clear statement as to why this is such a lightning rod. I mean, this fellow Alonso mentioned a "possible strike".

The closest that either article comes is this:

Quote:

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong also criticized playing the game in the U.S., saying players were already overloaded with travel and a packed playing calendar.

This is one game, involving two teams, correct?

I fear that the real reason is anti-Americanism which I certainly understand at this time and which I do not care to discuss here.

Westheim · 10-18-2025, 11:40 AM

No, the calendar is actually ridiculous. The players on the best teams in Europe play two games every week for pretty much ten months out of every year, and everybody's ever happy to cram some more games into the schedule.

Over the last decade we got two additional "group phase" games in the Champions League, and the entirely useless Nations League baloney that adds from four to eight games in a two-year cycle for national team players. And then there was that extra Round of 16 game added to the European Championship. The Euros and the World Cup take away the summer rest period every other year, too, at least for the best players in the world.

An English national team player on a top-tier Premier League team (say, Liverpool) will play in up to

38 Prem games
6 FA Cup games
6 League Cup games
8-15 Champions League games (already involving places most American middle schoolers won't find on a globe, like Cyprus)
some useless Supercup game, probably
very likely at least one or two pointless friendlies for big dosh in Arabia
6-8 Euro/World Cup qualifier games ("Nations League" or otherwise), not including useless friendlies on ECQ/WCQ play dates where his country actually doesn't have a game scheduled
3-7 Euro/World Cup games (every other year)

This could be up to EIGHTY games in a year. And it doesn't include pre-season friendlies against Upper Hoppington Borough from ninth league for conditioning / charity / general clownery.

The FA actually at least tried to do something and eliminated FA Cup replays a couple years back - prior to that, ties were replayed at the away team's place a week later, regularly wrecking the schedule down the line. In the olden days (pre-1990s), replays were even unlimited, because people actually had time back then.

La Liga is only making everything worse. I guess you have to somehow generate revenue when your two shiniest horses are either a BILLION dollars in debt or regularly threatened with the banhammer for "creative tax filings".

Déjà Bru · 10-18-2025, 02:36 PM

There is somewhat of a fallacy here as well. American-based sports organizations, specifically MLB and NFL, can be excused to some extent for attempting to colonize Europe and other continents with their games. There are no viable major league to replicate and compete against. However, in the case of soccer as we term it here, we already have Major League Soccer.

Feel free to correct me or debate what I said.

mytreds · 10-19-2025, 12:27 AM

The English Premier League was created based on the success of the NFL. It’s already been “colonized” Bru.

monkeyman576 · 10-19-2025, 03:01 AM

Yeah except for that whole promotion/relegation thing. Imagine Jacksonville having to play in the UFL!

10-17-2025, 09:11 PM	#1
Cobra Mgr Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Parts unknown Posts: 8,575	LaLiga players protest playing reg season game in Miami Nice to see some lands don't take corporate greed and bullying lightly. Games that count shouldn't be for the fans that give the teams a vacation rental, but a home year round. __________________ If a man is guilty 4 what goes on inside of his mind, then let me get the electric chair 4 all my future crimes. - Prince Batdance June 7, 1958 - Apr 21, 2016 Don't fall for the spin

10-18-2025, 04:26 AM	#2
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,718	**** international games. If I was a season ticket holder, I would be pissed. It should also be noted that while this game is on December 20, and La Liga does not play through the Christmas holidays (unlike the Prem f.e.), there's a Copa del Rey round being played on the 17th. Barcelona being Barcelona, they'll likely be on TV and play late into the night (and the same might be true for Villarreal). Insane. Nothing will move the league's decision though unless the two teams in question decide to stay their butts home - a decision I would support. There's not a single reason besides CORPORATE GREED why they would play a game in the middle of the season game a quarter of a globe away from home. I would listen to arguments for a season opener (or re-opener after the winter break), when teams are usually away for training camps anyway, a couple days earlier than usual to allow for travel afterwards. But this is asinine and GREED. Never mind that I consider Miami one of the top 10 worst places on the planet, along with Vegas and Kabul..... __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

10-18-2025, 11:40 AM	#4
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,718	No, the calendar is actually ridiculous. The players on the best teams in Europe play two games every week for pretty much ten months out of every year, and everybody's ever happy to cram some more games into the schedule. Over the last decade we got two additional "group phase" games in the Champions League, and the entirely useless Nations League baloney that adds from four to eight games in a two-year cycle for national team players. And then there was that extra Round of 16 game added to the European Championship. The Euros and the World Cup take away the summer rest period every other year, too, at least for the best players in the world. An English national team player on a top-tier Premier League team (say, Liverpool) will play in up to 38 Prem games 6 FA Cup games 6 League Cup games 8-15 Champions League games (already involving places most American middle schoolers won't find on a globe, like Cyprus) some useless Supercup game, probably very likely at least one or two pointless friendlies for big dosh in Arabia 6-8 Euro/World Cup qualifier games ("Nations League" or otherwise), not including useless friendlies on ECQ/WCQ play dates where his country actually doesn't have a game scheduled 3-7 Euro/World Cup games (every other year) This could be up to EIGHTY games in a year. And it doesn't include pre-season friendlies against Upper Hoppington Borough from ninth league for conditioning / charity / general clownery. The FA actually at least tried to do something and eliminated FA Cup replays a couple years back - prior to that, ties were replayed at the away team's place a week later, regularly wrecking the schedule down the line. In the olden days (pre-1990s), replays were even unlimited, because people actually had time back then. La Liga is only making everything worse. I guess you have to somehow generate revenue when your two shiniest horses are either a BILLION dollars in debt or regularly threatened with the banhammer for "creative tax filings". __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

10-18-2025, 02:36 PM	#5
Déjà Bru Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Long Island Posts: 11,725	There is somewhat of a fallacy here as well. American-based sports organizations, specifically MLB and NFL, can be excused to some extent for attempting to colonize Europe and other continents with their games. There are no viable major league to replicate and compete against. However, in the case of soccer as we term it here, we already have Major League Soccer. Feel free to correct me or debate what I said. __________________ - Bru

10-19-2025, 12:27 AM	#6
mytreds All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 1,182	The English Premier League was created based on the success of the NFL. It’s already been “colonized” Bru. __________________ “Baseball isn’t statistics; it’s Joe DiMaggio rounding second.” “Once, centuries ago, it was the beloved national pastime of the Americas, Wesley. Abandoned by a society that prized fast food and faster games. Lost to impatience.” “ The term ‘WAR’ should be replaced by ‘WAG’. WAR isn’t an actual measurement; it’s just a wild-ass guess” -Bill James RIP National League 1876-2022 Floreat semper vel invita morte. I make custom ballparks. Last edited by mytreds; 10-19-2025 at 12:28 AM.

10-19-2025, 03:01 AM	#7
monkeyman576 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 3,590	Yeah except for that whole promotion/relegation thing. Imagine Jacksonville having to play in the UFL!