A post from ZimPaul.
The role of mass media is not in any way to reflect consensus, especially a consensus that will upset a status quo and vested interests. A nod in the direction of “popular consensus” maybe, where it doesn’t matter, while all the time selecting “news” in the opposite direction to that of consensus. The role of the mass media is to reflect the interests and perspectives of the establishment, or more specifically the money order.
The stakes are probably quite high. The entirety of EPL, as a global brand, its major clubs as global brands, players, the football association, and layer upon layer of economic interest built around this, Sky being in super-league stakes, but there are many others, many forms and methods of derivative income, such as advertising, and these represent the “money order”. It’s worth many billions in annual revenues. The key individuals making the key decisions number not more than hundreds. These people and their money matter, and their perspective, shaped largely by how to increase revenues and market share, is more important than consensus. The new money is very important in this (City, Chelsea, others).
EPL is in competition with the other Euro leagues, and streets ahead in terms of global market share. The point is to maintain and improve market share. Ultimately, there might be some forms of merger over market share, if it can be shown that revenues would increase, and in which a Euro super-league would result, a decision of the market, not football, but for now its competition, and EPL rules the roost globally.
The EPL product is in one way pure marketing genius, and in another way simply a crass formula that has been proven to work; see my earlier posts. this is why it will not change, the market is essentially conservative. I may be off here and there, since I don’t actually know the formula, but the principle is correct. It’s just TV, and revenues.
One asks again then what kind of influence Arsenal, one club, representing miniscule economic interests relative to the whole money order, might bring to bear? We are also capitalists, making money and large personal incomes, sometimes fortunes, but we run a tight ship and play by the rules. We run a business enterprise, and at the same time have a great deal of integrity when it comes to respect for football culture.
And yet, this highly negative, but I think realistic appraisal ignores facts in our advantage. Popular consensus is one, and it is clearly changing fast in our favour. Another is that the EPL has powerful competitors, such as Bundesliga, who have much in common with Arsenal’s approach and highly respect us. Yet another are the smaller clubs, who will increasingly see their future, indeed their only route, by broadly adapting Arsenal’s strategy to their own situation (financially and in football) despite the money order. We are showing what can be done to bring greater equity into the equation. We are showing that the interests of football, as opposed to rampant consumerism, is not powerless. It has more leverage than it thinks it has.
Therefore, the future is with us. But don’t expect it to be easy, or comfortable. I would have thought it has already been discussed amongst a few people that a City win makes perfect sense for the future of the EPL super-brand and its global market. When Pellegrini says “we are the Real Madrid now”, I suspect he is not only talking to the masses, but to the money. Very marketable that one.
Positively Arsenal 
epic!
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Show me the money!
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/23/fan-999-police-sir-alex-ferguson-manchester-united
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
! ! !
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Sadly ZimPaul has wrapped it up so tightly,there is nothing left to discuss.
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intelligent and sober stuff and all the more damming because of it ZimPaul.
I must say the quality of recent posts on PA has been astronomical.
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ZP is clearly on the ball.
One point I think is worth adding to.
The Arsenal ‘way’ is indeed the future and that extends to every elite club. The notion that owners, actually want to spend £100s of million each and every season in so unstable a market as professional football is improbable. Why would you ? They may be able to afford it but why would they want to afford it indefinitely ?
Much better to mix the ingredients for and bake a very large and lucrative cake, and ensure that your business is able to recoup a large slice, not just crumbs.
Expect within the next few years the global football business/shop to become very much more closed than it is even now.
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anicoll5
January 23, 2014 at 2:33 pm
european super league?
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I am on a big night out Tomorrow,so if anyone can do the review,please speak up
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Another excellent piece to follow those post over the last couple of days, the quality is coming thick and fast and the expertise from many angles. One thing we have added to the PL is our European coefficient, we are responsible for four English clubs getting in the ECL and therefore increasing revenue for the PL.
Football is a new product, its not the working mans game, its a business to be run and sold to every corner of the world and anyone who is still naive enough to think the fans are a priority needs a wet fish in the face and soon.
Commercialism is a necessity now not a thing on the side to be played with. This is one thing certain fans groups do not understand and although I have sympathy with them its a ship that needs to be steered not sunk
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I can do it G
Hunter – probably more games between the biggest teams in Europe and South America although in a League format I don’t know, almost certainly real games played in Asia and the Middle East in stadiums between biggest clubs. If Asian fans pay a £1 billion a year to the PL then they want to see the real thing from time to time, and not Hull v West Ham.
My particular favourite guess though is the top clubs getting together, setting up their own delivery platform to consumers, via the internet probably, and cutting out the broadcasters – Ker fucking ching
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Good point Coll. The battle line – producer and owner of content versus de facto monopoly distribution platform – and which will call the shots and define future content, is taking place across many industries now, most acutely in TV, audio-visual and IT-based sectors (which football risks becoming in a sense).
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Madrid and Barca had had a monopoly in Spain for decades (TV deals have been outrageously unbalanced) – only occasional runs of form from Valencia or Atletico have ever been a nuisance but when that happens the teams eventually get picked apart by bigger fish.
I Bet City and Chavski plan on setting us a similar pattern in the Premier League.
PSG and Monaco are doing the same.
Fans will get bored of the same old same old. Or will they?
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Thanks anicoll
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Another good post up. Summarised it so well that there is no real need for discussion. Posts lately have been rather decent.
If any of you guys like a pod with lots of filth & a touch of Arsenal, 3 Blokes Talking Arse season review is up on Goonertastic.
Predictions for tomorrow?
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Brilliant, ZP.
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Transfer of Juan m. To manIOU IS off and canceled…
He couldn’t sign the contract due to all the terrible pens at
old turdfordd.
What’s the mata? You no like it.?
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I hate roman, chelski and Maureenwhore. And everything they stand for. This is so f••••Ing crooked its not funny.
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Barkaloona in disarray as their crooked leader resigns. Way too much drama in football lately and not enough of the finer aspects of the game. THANK GOD FOR ARSENAL!!!!!
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Nice to see a logic perspective on the inevitable European Super League.
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