Hiya
'Football' in the UK has from what I can see, moved from what it was when i was little - i.e the enjoyment to play football, to the multi billion pound commercial business it is today. I guess i'm 'guilty' of being part of that machine as I only follow Liverpool and the going's on in the top 4 of the premiership - the rest of the teams, I know nothing about.
I would love to start playing football again on a sunday junior amatuer league - but i haven't got the time, so I do 'know' about football but am mainly a TV spectator.
the TV is dominated by the premiership and the media often focusses on the top premiership's players in other tv shows, magazines and so on ' the '(f)Beckhams being the prime example.
From a 'business' point of view, yes, I can see that by having Premiership matches in the US could be a good thing in terms of promoting the game and subsequently 'business' to the Americans - their own MLS (is that the name ?) league isn't exactly alight with talent on the scale it is here in the UK and other great footballing nations but in the long run 'could be'
What does it mean for the UK based fan? well yes, increased costs and time burdens that are becoming increasingly even more squeezed with the state of the economy on the whole. So yes, only those 'die hard' fans who'll spend 50% of their paycheque this month on flights to the USA to watch 90 mins of footy by their favourite team and/or the well off will be able to afford to go.
I think that's not the aim of holding games abroad, the hope is that the USA, the biggest economy and market, will take to soccer in a bigger way and ideally be up alongside with Gridiro, basketball and baseball - of course then that means MUCH MUCH bigger business scope. In turn that means ever fatter wage packets for players managers etc - will we see in a few years Theo Walcott and the young upcoming talent on a million pounds a game?! (I was shocked when back in 88 i think it was, wsa it John elway who was the first NFL guy to get a million dollars a game?)
Will be interesting to see what pans out over the next few years about this...
cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!