A curiosity of a story today, one that almost slipped by me; thanks to a few folk who pointed it out.
It’s the suggestion, by one of our hacks, in a question and answer session with the new SFA CEO that Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football might be bad for ratings, and therefore for the governing bodies in their impending television deal negotiations.
I’ve heard some manufactured controversy about our club before, but this takes the piss. Thankfully it will have no bearing whatsoever on the future deal the SFA and SPFL is able to get, although it does set up a nice story that it could have been better “if.”
Scottish football is in good health. And more than that, a lot of teams are playing good football.
Grounds are busier than they’ve been in ages. Clubs are spending what they earn (some of them anyway) and are actually able to invest profits not only in players but in new grounds and stands which will increase their revenue potential.
These clubs know that Scottish football can still represent good business. They aren’t doing these things because the game itself is on the skids, and for all the Sevconuts believe we are a backwater and that Celtic only wins because everyone else is dreadful, fans will watch their team whatever the circumstances, whether they know they’ll win or worry they’ll lose. The domestic audience is interested in their own teams and a handful of games involving their rivals and the closest opposition. Some will watch anyway because it’s football and it’s on the telly and they’ve paid for it and they’ll be damned if they don’t have it on!
Neutrals would not suddenly develop an interest in our game if title races were on a knife edge. They may watch select games towards the end of the season, but that would be it.
We’re stuck with being Scotland, we’re stuck with having a small audience footprint next to the global reach of the people next door. And realising that enables you to get real.
We aren’t going to get a game-changing offer, but it should be a significant improvement on the current one. But whatever it is, the sniping from the side-lines about Celtic’s dominance being a “bad thing” will still go on, and it’ll be a lie.