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| Friday, September 14, 2001 24:18 EST |
In a shocker, Cantor leaves Univision
By Jamie Trecker
[Special to ESPN.com]
Geez, you take a break around here and people start thinking you're dead. No, folks, I am not gone, just taking a little time off to enjoy some quality time with the family. That said, we've got two weeks of news to catch up on, so let's start in TV-land:
Andreas Cantor quits
In a shocker, Univision's on-air soccer voice, Andreas Cantor, terminated his involvement Tuesday with that network following negotiations that his agent, William Morris' Raul Mateu, called "fair."
"They made a fair proposal, but ultimately, Andreas was looking for opportunities above and beyond what Univision could provide. Those include things such as the Internet and English-language television," said Mateu.
The departure of Cantor -- known around the world for his trademark call of Gooooooooooooooooooooooooaallllllllllll! -- is curious on both sides: for one, Cantor has previously turned down English-language opportunities (he was offered a spot in ESPN/ABC's World Cup coverage in 1998), citing a lack of confidence in his own mastery of the language. Second, with Univision set to launch the category-killing Univision.com (with Microsoft), Cantor's departure seems, well, unusual. Says Mateu, "It was exclusivity that was a problem."
Cantor, traveling in Argentina, was unavailable for comment.
Univision thus loses its most visible announcer and its lead soccer presence -- the question is, does the network care? The net's ratings are so strong in categories such as novellas (that's soaps to the rest of us) that they can afford to let the sports side slide. And, truth be known, Cantor -- while the best-known Spanish-language broadcaster in the English-speaking world -- isn't the best-known, or best-respected, in the Spanish community.
(Editor's note: Cantor subsequently has signed with NBC television to call soccer at the Sydney Olympics in September.)
Celtic spin-off
Every couple of years this one comes up: the Scottish Premier League is going to lose two (or three or six, depending on the year) teams to a super league that will compete in a "second tier" behind the Champions League.
In the past, this might have seemed loony, but now it seems inevitable: with clubs such as Manchester United raising the bar for everyone (even if they are lousy investments) clubs such as Glasgow Celtic will have raise funds from somewhere to compete. Right now, TV and licensing are poor for this proud but less visible team, and like a number of bubbling-under clubs, they want a bigger piece of the pie.
As shocking as this seems to those fans that aren't used to this sort of thing by now (such as those folks who are outraged -- outrageds -- at the fact that Wembley has some luxury seats that the commoner might get to see vacant), one senses a move toward the super league is inevitable. Ultimately, these TV-friendly leagues are the wave of the future; the Champions League has already proved that. Also inevitable, ultimately, is the demise of lesser leagues like the Scottish Premiership -- teams that don't make the cut will be forced into a semi-pro existence.
What is MLS doing?
Major League Soccer can't be pleased with the debut of Lothar Matthaeus in Miami on Sunday, especially when the press hits them with zingers such as Charlie Nobles did in the New York Times on Monday: he noted that the crowd was about half that announced -- putting the totals closer to 5,000 fans at Lockhart. As Matthaeus' key asset to the league is to bring publicity, one can only assume that this one wasn't managed as well as it could have been.
Where were the MLS paid-for ads on network TV trumpeting the game?) Did the team or league try to give away tickets to get people to attend, to at least get some buzz around this ailing franchise? Humbling for Matthaeus, as Nobles suggested? Nope, but it was another bad day at the office for this embattled league, which seems to be retreating more and more into a bunker mode.
An insular mentality that seems to have gripped this league -- from such foolish things as pointing to Internet message boards as a sign of a solid fan base (does MLS actually take the time to look at how few participants there truly are on these chatboards?) -- and the knee-jerk spins on things that are inalienable facts have me wondering just what's going on at East 42nd Street.
At the top of my mind: the lawsuit. Let's face it, folks, this one is a no-win situation. If the league wins, the players keep getting screwed -- most of these guys are playing for wages most of us who traffic this Web site wouldn't even sniff twice at. But if the players win (and I think they will, given labor laws), then the league is likely to pull up and go home, with the owners claiming the costs of business are too prohibitive. Despite the fact that that's hogwash -- what's really killing the league is the stadium costs and a bullheaded unwillingness to spend dime one on real promotion -- it seems that will be the excuse placed before the court and the players. Take it or leave it.
I am slowly getting a nasty feeling that the league and the owners are preparing to put forward as bleak a picture as possible before the judge, in an attempt to sway the court to rule in their favor. Again, I don't think the court can, given sport's history of free agency in this country and the fact that the MLS structure seems to be a hybrid of a corporate and a one-owner model. I don't think they can have it both ways, and the NFLPA is right to fight for the players' rights on that behalf.
Why do I feel this way? Well, I find it strange that the league isn't moving more swiftly to address the key stadium issues. Since the league began, one stadium has been built. A lot have been talked about. Others have fallen through. There's a lot of talk about expansion, but it all falls apart when someone takes the microscope to it, to find -- you guessed it -- no field.
Also, I find the lack of attention paid to anything outside of shoring up sponsor support troubling. This league is getting harder and harder to find on the radar by the minute, and yet the same decision-makers are in place.
Fans are understandably upset when negative stories appear in the press; after all, there's a legacy of soccer-bashing in America. But today's fans seem to be turning now on even the most seasoned soccer pros, when they join the chorus that when it comes to the MLS, the emperor has no clothes. That's too bad, because everyone has the same goal: to see a healthy pro league. Problem is, with this bunch running things, many people with knowledge see it as an uphill battle.
Random thoughts
Well, how about that Fire? What's that? They're 0-2? Even with Stoichkov? Oh, hmmm ... Anyone who believes that the fledgling (and, as yet, unsanctioned) WUSA will actually get rights fees from TV is smoking something funny. The WNBA didn't get them, folks ... Back to Stoichkov: I thought he looked pretty good blowing by those MLS vets; it was guys like Jesse Marsch who looked like goons missing his crosses ... Was anyone else wondering just what game the Fusion and MetroStars were playing the other night? It looked like kickball ...
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