When Premiership soccer and MLSE are mentioned in the same sentence, well, that catches my attention – and apparently everyone else’s. The story made the media rounds earlier this week; MLSE having possible interest in buying a soccer team in the UK.

So, as members of the Toronto sports community, how should we take this news?

As Sandor put it, it would definitely shift the scale in terms of importance of the existing MLSE properties.

Overseas, foreign ownership has, and will continue to be an issue of contention, and it’s completely out of our realm of concern at this point.

Before I go any further, I should say I am not against MLSE pursuing this kind of venture. They are a business and there are substantial profits to be made in the business of Premiership soccer (that is, if it’s done right).

In saying that, for the average fan of the Toronto MLSE franchises, the optics of this are not good.

MLSE’s most recognizable and defining property, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have struggled for years. Aside from profit margins, things with the team are not good. ESPN Magazine ranks every North American team each year on fan satisfaction. Some of the indicators are fan relations, ownership honesty and commitment, affordability and bang for your buck. Guess where the Leafs ended up? They came in at 121st overall – in other words, second last. That’s only one spot ahead of the embarrassment known as the New York Knicks. Yikes! And this is a team capable of taking control of a Premiership soccer team.

This latest example is case and point. While the team has no general manager, no direction (Pogge not playing in the Marlies pursuit of the Calder boggles my mind), and faces huge decisions that will define the way next 5 years play out, it’s liaison to the Board of Governors, Peddie, is off gallivanting in a foreign land planning for bigger and better things? This is not right. This leaves the interim GM, Uncle Cliff in a position to make all the decisions. The guy’s who’s supposed to be a stop-gap? The guy’s who’s just supposed to be the ‘short-term’ solution. You watch; the short-term solution’s going to turn into a long-term band-aid – just trying to hold everything together. Nothing’s going to get done.

Perhaps I’m wrong here in my general assessment. Perhaps a UK-based soccer team has nothing to do with the plight of the Leafs. Separate teams have separate people taking care of different things. However, as long as the public is being told that Peddie is in part responsible for the hiring of the new general manager, then it seems to me that’s where his focus should be. With one company is controlling so many franchises, and one man (Peddie) wearing so many hats, the spreading and motivation behind the use of resources will be questioned – rightly or wrongly so.

Once again, I’ve got absolutely nothing against MLSE. Once they’re not only running profitable, but WINNING franchise on the home front, do whatever the hell you want. It’s been said before and it will be said again; take care of your business at home before going outside. Problems at home should always come first.

As always, share your thoughts on this blog and others here, or you can email me at gareth.wheeler@suntv.canoe.ca

Gareth Wheeler

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