August 30, 2002

This just in: you can now submit a column to SportsFilter. (Subject to our merciless editorial standards, of course.)

posted by kirkaracha to editorial policy at 11:04 AM - 9 comments

Yay! The Pantheon rocks! Woop! Woop! OK. Off to write a 700-word essay. Haven't written something that long since my parole application days. Just kidding.

posted by worldcup2002 at 11:30 AM on August 30, 2002

I'm just waiting for worldcup2002's explanation of the rules for transfers in European football/soccer leagues (and I thought the trade deadline and waivers was confusing for baseball).

posted by trox at 02:37 PM on August 30, 2002

What, you expect me to do some real work? Best I can do is some big-time inference. Here's my layman's description based on 20+ years of observation. Different transfer deadlines exist for national leagues and Euro championship play. So, if you wanna play in X country's league, you need to be transferred by that league's deadline. If you want to play in UEFA championships (Champions League, UEFA, etc.), then you also need to meet UEFA's deadline. Transfer deals consist of these elements: 1. Transfer fee: Club-to-club payment 2. Player salary: What the player gets paid weekly 3. Player term: How long the player and team promise to stay together (until something happens to change it) 4. Sports marketing stuff/deal sweeteners: Any concessions teams will make to seal a deal, including throwing in another player or two. Also, see image rights, PR appearances, post-season play, win bonuses, etc. Player term defines whether a transfer fee is needed. If a player's term runs out (i.e., contract ends), he has the option to re-sign with his current team or leave on a "free transfer" to another team. That is, leave without the clubs exchanging a transfer fee. Oh, and there are loans. This means team A can lend player Z to team B (I'm running out of letters!) for M months. I'm not sure if team A gets any payment or team B just agrees to pay player Z's salary. [more research needed] I also don't know if different UEFA qualification rules apply. [more research needed] Often, this is is used by the "owner" team to keep expensive bench-sitters playing and avoid losing them. Or, conversely, the loan serves as a "tryout" period before a player is sold. Gosh, can we call that my article? Of course, I have to substantiate my observations and hypothesis with third-party info, but that's work. Further research (erm, Googling and then linking to it) pending.

posted by worldcup2002 at 04:17 PM on August 30, 2002

(cue Jim Mora voice) Research? There was supposed to be research? *tiptoes away, hoping nobody's noticed the columns I've written are 1000% fact-free*

posted by owillis at 08:55 PM on August 30, 2002

I tried to use "sotto voce" tags but they didn't show up... So I'm saying this quietly... How about poetry submissions?

posted by vito90 at 12:43 PM on September 03, 2002

let's do sport haiku plain prose is insufficient poetry fills the void

posted by worldcup2002 at 02:12 PM on September 03, 2002

Is that a yes? Cause I've got a few ready for submission...

posted by vito90 at 02:33 PM on September 03, 2002

the columns I've written are 1000% fact-free* Is this why every time I read one I feel like an hour later I have to read another one?

posted by vito90 at 03:16 PM on September 03, 2002

The floodgates have been opened (and I just started doing sports reporting at school)

posted by insomnyuk at 08:59 PM on September 03, 2002

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