Breaking Away - "Top cycling teams explore creating new competitive league"

[Berniece]

The sponsorship value of teams have increased quite some over the years, and that is of course in large part thanks to the venue of the main races. To thus say that they don't get 'their share' of profits is to turn a blind eye to the value of their participation.

But so does the main races itself. The division of the pie stayed the same, the pie just became bigger. And the whole point of this new league is to create a MUCH bigger pie, but the division will be more equal. With the idea the due to it being a much bigger pie, the smaller percentage of it will be worth more than the current slice.

 

[pastronef]

But so does the main races itself. The division of the pie stayed the same, the pie just became bigger. And the whole point of this new league is to create a MUCH bigger pie, but the division will be more equal. With the idea the due to it being a much bigger pie, the smaller percentage of it will be worth more than the current slice.

will ASO accept it? I don't know. RCS could well be fine with it. but ASO? mmh...

 

[theyoungest]

The sponsorship value of teams have increased quite some over the years, and that is of course in large part thanks to the venue of the main races. To thus say that they don't get 'their share' of profits is to turn a blind eye to the value of their participation.

The Tour de France is one of the biggest sports events in the world, watched by millions of people, yet the athletes and teams involved get zero percent of the tv rights. In which other major sport would this even be possible?

Of course they do need the Tour, but the Tour needs them just as much. I do wonder how this will work if ASO aren't involved though. Where will those hundreds of millions of euros even go to? What will these Saudis be buying?

 

[pastronef]

it'll take a cultural shift for the public to not watch the TDF if they won't join. it will depend which races will join the new league. you can have as many Rondes and Gents and Polands and Itzulias as you like, but the new league will not have the TDF

 

[Tim Cahill]

The Tour as an institution is big to the point of being a mechanism of soft-power for the French, therefore political, I get the impression you'd have to pry it from their cold, dead hands. Tbh I think most people here would still watch even if it were just Kevin Vauquelin and Lenny Martinez duking it out on the upper slopes.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

If they do this stupid cycling leavgue I'll retire from the forum.

 

[Netserk]

The Tour de France is one of the biggest sports events in the world, watched by millions of people, yet the athletes and teams involved get zero percent of the tv rights. In which other major sport would this even be possible?

Of course they do need the Tour, but the Tour needs them just as much. I do wonder how this will work if ASO aren't involved though. Where will those hundreds of millions of euros even go to? What will these Saudis be buying?

If ASO gave all profits made from the Tour to the teams, they would receive each ~€1M. That is peanuts compared to the sponsorship value of participating.

Teams get more value from the Tour being broadcast as widely as possible than from TV right being sold to highest bidders and then receiving some share of that.

 

[Berniece]

will ASO accept it? I don't know. RCS could well be fine with it. but ASO? mmh...

If they are able to create a better format and a different league with the best riders, they don’t need ASO.

 

[Netserk]

It's simply illiterate to only see explicit transfers as wealth sharing.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The average viewer doesn't watch the Tour because it has Pogacar and Vingegaard in it, they watch because it's the Tour. So I still think this doesn't fly so long as ASO aren't on board. Even so, ugly times for the sport are coming up - competing circuits would be a disaster.

 

[pastronef]

The average viewer doesn't watch the Tour because it has Pogacar and Vingegaard in it, they watch because it's the Tour. So I still think this doesn't fly so long as ASO aren't on board. Even so, ugly times for the sport are coming up - competing circuits would be a disaster.

that's a problem too

 

[Berniece]

The average viewer doesn't watch the Tour because it has Pogacar and Vingegaard in it, they watch because it's the Tour.

I’m not so sure. I wouldn’t forget the influence core cycling fans have on swaying what to watch, and those fans will prefer to watch the best riders. I rather watch the big 6 in any race then none of them at the TDF.

 

[Samamba]

If ASO gave all profits made from the Tour to the teams, they would receive each ~€1M. That is peanuts compared to the sponsorship value of participating.

Teams get more value from the Tour being broadcast as widely as possible than from TV right being sold to highest bidders and then receiving some share of that.

Even tho ASO's revenue and profit numbers are public for everyone to see, people who think them giving all of it would change anything relevant for the teams still exist. I don't get it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

270 million dollars from SRJ Sports Investments (Saudis), and 8 teams that are currently onboard with the plan.

$270 million from Saudi Arabian investor could drive One Cycling reform project

Reuters says SRJ Sports Investments is in final talks, but only eight teams said to be onboard revolutionary project

www.cyclingnews.com

Cool, money grubbing shitheads who want to strangle all life out of the top level to make sure that only their teams can be big and nobody can join them at the top. Strong-arm the others into voting for it for FOMO reasons. Within ten years any historic races will have been jettisoned to make room for selling race hosting to the highest bidder like F1. The Premier League-ification and concentration of all of the talent into as small a number of teams bogarting all the results and pissing all over the cast-of-thousands appeal that the sport has historically had has been bad enough in the last 10-15 years without oil-rich sportswashing dictatorships having a ***-waving contest and locking the door behind themselves.

And still they can't figure out that cycling is more like sportscars than F1, and ASO call the shots because the Tour de France is bigger than cycling. Just like how CART/CCWS had the better cars, the better drivers, the better circuits and more prestige, but within 12 years it had died and been absorbed by the IRL because the IRL had the Indy 500.

 

[houtdffan]

do these dolts not understand what happened to IndyCar? Do they not see what is happening to golf?

These knuckleheads should be confined to the looney bin

 

[Rob5091]

British Cycling could definitely do with some of that cash ... nobody in Riyadh thought of throwing them a lifeline?

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-million-to-back-the-new-cycling-super-league

This idea is being explored, as many more ideas are being explored to come up with a sustainable business model for cycling in the future," Visma-Lease a Bike told Reuters.

By the way, have you got your Fan Peloton Cycling Jersey from the Visma shop? A snip at only 90 Euros!

 

[pastronef]

I’m not so sure. I wouldn’t forget the influence core cycling fans have on swaying what to watch, and those fans will prefer to watch the best riders. I rather watch the big 6 in any race then none of them at the TDF.

I don't. I watch the TDF to see left corner around the houses in Eaux Bonnes leading to the Aubisque, the Lac de Payolle, the Galibier turn, the Tarn valley, the Albi cathedral with the pelotong riding on the bridge nearby, etc etc.

 

[scribers]

I might be missing the obvious, or even perhaps it was already discussed on the previous page. But why is it the other Middle East sponsor teams aren’t listed as any of the 8 teams in favor of this proposal?

 

[Rob5091]

SRJ Sports Investment's (SRJ is pronounced "surge" according to their website) Chief Executive Officer is Australian Danny Townsend. He comes from Australian soccer's Australian Professional Leagues (APL) which did a make over of Australian soccer.
According to this recent Guardian UK article, it was supposed to be all rainbows and unicorns, but

Three years after an “unbundling” process was completed and it took control of Australian top flight from Football Australia, the private Australian Professional Leagues (APL) moved to make redundant nearly half its workforce, commencing the latest in a long line of upheavals surrounding the league’s viability.

The interesting bit for cycling fans is the paragraph,

One would be forgiven for observing the past three years and concluding that the APL wasn’t in the football business, nor did it want to be. Instead it envisioned itself at the forefront of a burgeoning sports entertainment empire, with a bit of tech thrown in, where everything was slick, polished and presented in the indecipherable language that justifies these kinds of things. “Strap yourselves in. Here Comes The Future,” wrote former chief executive Danny Townsend just over two years ago, as tens of millions of dollars were invested.

A 5 year deal with Paramount meant some free on air and some subscription only broadcasts of Aussie soccer.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I might be missing the obvious, or even perhaps it was already discussed on the previous page. But why is it the other Middle East sponsor teams aren’t listed as any of the 8 teams in favor of this proposal?

I don’t know, but my guess it’s down to the fierce rivalry between those countries (kingdoms) and, more specifically, their ruling kings and princes. They all desperately want to pursue each other, so supporting another kingdom’s league as a lesser than participating team might be viewed as distasteful and counterproductive. This is all speculative and not well informed.

 

[Berniece]

I don't. I watch the TDF to see left corner around the houses in Eaux Bonnes leading to the Aubisque, the Lac de Payolle, the Galibier turn, the Tarn valley, the Albi cathedral with the pelotong riding on the bridge nearby, etc etc.

That’s your choice. If you prefer a single 3-week race above the rest, then sure. Since I’ve been watching cycling (20 years now) I’ve seen more exciting Giros than TDF’s.

 

[pastronef]

That’s your choice. If you prefer a single 3-week race above the rest, then sure. Since I’ve been watching cycling (20 years now) I’ve seen more exciting Giros than TDF’s.

I watch every race. would I prefer to watch the Eneco Tour or Tour of Poland with the big 6 instead of the TDF even without star riders? no. the TDF gets the nod for me

 

[Potomac]

LMAO

Without TdF / ASO anything else is DOA.

 

[Berniece]

I watch every race. would I prefer to watch the Eneco Tour or Tour of Poland with the big 6 instead of the TDF even without star riders? no. the TDF gets the nod for me

Eneco tour? Tour de France is a name. They can still organise a 3-week stage race in France

 

[Netserk]

Eneco tour? Tour de France is a name. They can still organise a 3-week stage race in France

Without the goodwill of the French government? For an event that is meant to capture value only for the narrowest shareholders?