There was more LA Galaxy jerseys sold abroad when Beckham moved there.
When Ronaldo left United, there were more Real Madrid jerseys sold.
It still didnât stop the Premier League from continuing to grow and grow with much of the world star power not in England.
Itâs a saturated market, thereâs just too much of it on the tv. Champions league, premier league, uefa cup. Its on every night of the week. Another league wonât take any market share from europe. Theyâd have to completely take over and it just wonât happen
I suppose the only possibility is if that Club World Cup takes over.
No they didnât though.
I would say people thought it would be further ahead than it is though.
The idea is to bring tourists to Saudi Arabia like Dubai.
This will help that.
I donât think they care about much else.
There is many good podcasts about why they done what they did to golf.
They donât care one jot about competing with the epl.
I dont think tourism will kick off in Saudi if 50% of humans are second class citizens or if homosexuals are treated like murderers. Leave them spend all their blood money and myself and @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy will stop oil to take away their income
I think they will change their ways but very slowly.
I listed to a lot of podcasts on this by all accounts the Saudis are very helpful with the counter terrorism post 9/11 which is a reason why the pga agreed some sort of deal of sorts.
By all accounts the scenery is beautiful in the country and is perfect for golf.
They are competing with the likes of Dubai and other Middle Eastern cities.
Not the epl.
The Saudi private investment fund has the bones of 800 billion US dollars in it.
They ainât running out of cash anytime soon.
MLSâs growth strategy is predicated on the US rising as a football power in general and on Americaâs cultural cachet in general. Itâs easy to see how MLS could slowly but steadily grow into a powerhouse by say, 2050. Itâs not a strategy that will bear fruit overnight, but over several decades. A lot of MLS clubs have slowly become part of the sporting and cultural furniture in their areas.
The Saudis are trying to turn their league into a world attraction pretty much overnight. Wonât happen. Saudi Arabia has probably the least cultural cachet of any country on earth. Nobody will give a fuck.
Qatar attempted to turn PSG into a European powerhouse, a task that on the face of it should have been considerably easier than what the Saudis are attempting. PSG are in Paris, the city with more cultural cachet than any on earth, and signed Messi, Mbappé and Neymar. The rest of Europe treated them, and still treat them, as a joke.
You clearly donât understand what they are upto at all if you think this is to do with improving a league.
Theyâre after building excellent relations with any number of football clubs in Europe after taking all their dead wood off them for above market value who have powerful owners.
Liverpool and Chelsea being massive beneficiaries this summer.
I wonder what odds a Liverpool v Chelsea friendly out in Saudi Arabia in the next few years or maybe even an epl game??
What are they up to, so? Tell us?
Become the go to area for tourists travelling to the Middle East.
It wasnât that long ago a 39th game was floated in the premier league.
Thatâs what theyâre really after. A champions league final as opposed to a team in the champions league.
Same with the golf. Their terms are just to get worlds top players to play semi frequently in Saudi. Also get to sponsor some of the bigger American tournaments.
The idea they want to become a competition to rival the epl is silly.
These guys arenât completely stupid and they have endless amounts of money.
Theyâll burn through 800 billion quick enough when the rest of the world stops buying their oil and they know that. Thatâs why they are frantically trying to invest in everything that moves in the west. But their fundamental problem is that they have become a nation of lazy cunts who wonât work to warm themselves. Their idea of a tourism industry will be shit hotels built by Pakistani slave labour and staffed entirely by foreign servants. Itâll appeal to the same slack jawed cunts who wander around Dubai with their gobs open.
You couldnât pay me to go to Dubai or anywhere of that ilk but itâll appeal to plenty of people.
Listening to some of the golf stuff they do have beautiful country side where you could build world class courses.
Sure thereâs 1000s of Irish out there in Dubai teaching English.
It all helps.
And taking photos of their arses for the Gram
All the world craves to play golf in 50 degree heat.
Hasnât stopped them in Dubai has it? I thought the winter in Saudi was very pleasant.
Golf and football arenât going to make them a Mecca for tourism. Mecca already does that but its a very particular kind of tourism.
Qatar has just had the World Cup but I donât see people wanting to flock there for tourism after it. Thereâs nothing there and thereâs very little in Saudi Arabia other than sand. It has a horrific climate and itâs a horrific country.
I think you overestimate the intelligence of people who have lots of money. A lot of the time people with massive amounts of money engage in things which are nothing more than dick measuring contests. Thatâs what the Saudis are doing here. I donât believe thereâs any real strategy about it other than âlook at usâ. But people in Europe arenât going to take them or their football league seriously.
If they donât want a competition to rival the Premier League, as you say, then thereâs zero real point to doing what theyâre doing.
You honestly think they want to build a league to rival the epl?
They do in their eye.
They want to build a tourism industry similar to Dubai.
Now as I said it doesnât interest me in the slightest but every swinging dick is out there.
Ffs there was lads flying out there for a Cheltenham preview night this season.
Itâs one giant sport washing project.