Florentino Perez

[Luftstalag14]

Is the "young people dont care about football anymore"-thing true, or just another one of his delusions?
Actually curious.

I'd say it is true. Today's young people have much more choices and alternatives than before, spending more time on their mobile device and less on TV, having shorter attention span.

Case in point, people chat during games here. They are certainly not giving their 100% attention to the game itself.

 

[BarcaOG]

I'd say it is true. Today's young people have much more choices and alternatives than before, spending more time on their mobile device and less on TV, having shorter attention span.

Case in point, people chat during games here. They are certainly not giving their 100% attention to the game itself.

Again: is there any solid evidence that shows that's the case? Young people can use their devices to watch games. This is a very flimsy claim.

 

[Joan]

Do you have any evidence for the opposite? It's a pretty bold claim, young people watch/are interested in football as much as before.

Lots of factors to take notice of, btw.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Again: is there any solid evidence that shows that's the case? Young people can use their devices to watch games. This is a very flimsy claim.

When you are chatting, you read other people's comments and you type your response, no? How are you dedicating 100% of your attention to the game while reading comments from other people and typing your responses and comments at the same time? How do you do it?

 

[BarcaOG]

When you are chatting, you read other people's comments and you type your response, no? How are you dedicating 100% of your attention to the game while reading comments from other people and typing your responses and comments at the same time? How do you do it?

This assumes older fans dedicate every second of a 90 minute game to the match. I highly doubt that happens.

When fans are in stadiums and the camera zooms in on the people in the president's box, most of them are on their phones.

Explain your logic, though. At what age does a football fan magically put the phone down to focus entirely and without reserve on the match? I'm assuming you're not a 'young fan'. Are you saying you watch every single second of every match? No distractions whatsoever? You never look at your phone? Suppose you turn 26--is that when you are no longer on your phone? How exactly does that work?

 

[Morten]

Considering Perez used it as a talking point for creating this super league, i'd say the burden of evidence lies entirely on those in support of the super league, those who are against doesnt have to prove anything.

 

[BarcaOG]

Considering Perez used it as a talking point for creating this super league, i'd say the burden of evidence lies entirely on those in support of the super league, those who are against doesnt have to prove anything.

Yes. Not only this, but the supporters of the idea then need to explain how the Super League would change that (if it were true, which I doubt it is). Why would young fans be interested in the SL but not the competitions we already have? Because it would be top teams playing all the time? Doesn't that then imply that the CL KOs in which Madrid and Bayern and Barca and Chelsea and all the others play have all the young fans' attention? So what's the problem? It just doesn't make sense. It's an impressionistic view about young fans.

 

[Luftstalag14]

This assumes older fans dedicate every second of a 90 minute game to the match. I highly doubt that happens.

When fans are in stadiums and the camera zooms in on the people in the president's box, most of them are on their phones.

Explain your logic, though. At what age does a football fan magically put the phone down to focus entirely and without reserve on the match? I'm assuming you're not a 'young fan'. Are you saying you watch every single second of every match? No distractions whatsoever? You never look at your phone? Suppose you turn 26--is that when you are no longer on your phone? How exactly does that work?

When I watch our (Barca) games, I watch it on TV mostly and I rarely bring my phone with me, I tried to dedicate my 100% attention as I want to capture very little detail. However when I watch other teams' games, I often watch them half-assly, checking my phone and do a few other things at the same time.

I am by no means young. I have a son who is going to be a teenager soon and I can tell you he has a lot shorter attention span than I do, jumping from one thing to another pretty quickly.

Speaking fro my anecdotal experience.

 

[BarcaOG]

When I watch our (Barca) games, I watch it on TV mostly and I rarely bring my phone with me, I tried to dedicate my 100% attention as I want to capture very little detail. However when I watch other teams' games, I often watch them half-assly, checking my phone and do a few other things at the same time.

I am by no means young. I have a son who is going to be a teenager soon and I can tell you he has a lot shorter attention span than I do, jumping from one thing to another pretty quickly.

Speaking fro my anecdotal experience.

Right--so it varies. And it might have little to do with age and everything to do with personal interest. I try to watch as many Barca games as I can and I will fully admit I don't watch every second of them. I am also not 'young'.

Young people are interested in lots of things. That doesn't at all mean they don't care about football. Neither is there any reason to think young fans as a whole are less interested today than say, 20 years ago. If that were true, why invest in a super league? If young people today are uninterested that would mean the future of football is compromised. Hardly a stirring reason to invest in a new competition.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Right--so it varies. And it might have little to do with age and everything to do with personal interest. I try to watch as many Barca games as I can and I will fully admit I don't watch every second of them. I am also not 'young'.

Young people are interested in lots of things. That doesn't at all mean they don't care about football. Neither is there any reason to think young fans as a whole are less interested today than say, 20 years ago. If that were true, why invest in a super league? If young people today are uninterested that would mean the future of football is compromised. Hardly a stirring reason to invest in a new competition.

I don't know, I have read scores of sport analysts/media experts etc. saying something similar to what Perez said, basically young people today have many other competing options to football (or any sport) and increasingly football clubs need to create content away from the games themselves to keep young people engaged etc. It is increasingly an entertainment business more than just sport etc. I'd think they probably have done some studies to support such views and have data to back it up, didn't just pull it out of their butt etc.

We will see.

 

[BarcaOG]

I don't know, I have read scores of sport analysts/media experts etc. saying something similar to what Perez said, basically young people today have many other competing options to football (or any sport) and increasingly football clubs need to create content away from the games themselves to keep young people engaged etc. I'd think they probably have done some studies to support such views and have data to back it up, didn't just pull it out of their butt etc.

We will see.

Even if that were true--which, again, I doubt--what exactly would the SuperLeague do differently to fix it?

This argument also steers us away from the key issue here, which is money. The young fan position is just a sophistic justification. Young fans have less money than old fans. I doubt they would have the money to pay for the SupearLeague broadcasts and what not. When I was younger I certainly didn't have money to pay for PPV. All that would do is steer young people away from football.

But it's actually simpler than this: the SupearLeague is about generating more revenue. It is not about fans, or competition, and it is certainly not about cash-strapped young fans.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Even if that were true--which, again, I doubt--what exactly would the SuperLeague do differently to fix it?

This argument also steers us away from the key issue here, which is money. The young fan position is just a sophistic justification. Young fans have less money than old fans. I doubt they would have the money to pay for the SupearLeague broadcasts and what not. When I was younger I certainly didn't have money to pay for PPV. All that would do is steer young people away from football.

But it's actually simpler than this: the SupearLeague is about generating more revenue. It is not about fans, or competition, and it is certainly not about cash-strapped young fans.

I have no disagreement on the wrongs and ills of the ESL, I am against it like most fans are.

Just trying to opine on the point about young people (perhaps people in general nowadays) have shorter attention span and more choices/alternatives etc. ever than before, which I believe is true.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Comparing own childhood to kids today. You have way more options.. I doubt as many kids end up following football or playing.

 

[Morten]

I have no disagreement on the wrongs and ills of the ESL, I am against it like most fans are.

Just trying to opine on the point about young people (perhaps people in general nowadays) have shorter attention span and more choices/alternatives etc. ever than before, which I believe is true.

Perhaps, but as i said, its entirely up to those in favor of the ESL to prove that young people indeed watch less football than older people, the rest doesnt have to do anything.

Sounds lazy, i know, but the burden of proof lies upon those who makes the claim, not those who dont.

It may very well be that its indeed the case, but im just asking, can someone give me a real study on the subject?

 

[BarcaOG]

When I was a kid in the 1990s I had lots of interests. On any given day I played this, and then that, and then I went outside, and then I came back inside, and watched TV, and played PS1, or anything. I also loved football. I'm sure most of you were the same.

Has there been any point in history in which kids were 100% focused on football? I doubt that. Kids have always been into a ton of things. Kids have short time spans because they are kids.

Why can't kids like playing Fortnite and soccer? The same way I liked playing the PS1 and soccer? Or Nintendo/the Arcade/Atari?

The notion that kids can't focus on 'what's important' is as old a prejudice as there is. We think it now; our parents thought the same about us when we were kids, and our grand-parents thought the same about our parents. And on and on and on.

I don't buy it.