Sport or Spectacle? The Lasting Influence of Steve Ross on the World’s Game

One of his central ideas was that athletes could act as global ambassadors for both sport and business. Ross understood that star players had the ability to attract attention not only to their teams but also to the brands and products connected to them. From the boots they wore to the clothing they endorsed, he saw sports stars as a bridge between media exposure and consumer culture.

That philosophy shaped the Cosmos project. By bringing internationally famous players to the United States, Ross hoped to transform soccer from a niche sport into a major attraction, even if it was just for a brief moment. The most famous example was the arrival of Brazilian legend Pelé, whose signing instantly elevated the NASL’s visibility around the world.

Ross’s influence on American soccer is still recognized today. When Inter Miami visited Donald Trump at the White House, Trump paused to mention Ross while reflecting on the history of the sport in the United States. Ross, who died on December 20, 1992 after battling prostate cancer, was remembered with unexpected admiration by the president. Trump described Ross as a “legendary businessman” and credited him with helping establish the foundations of professional soccer in the country through the Cosmos and the arrival of Pelé.

Ross’s ambitions, however, extended beyond the sport itself. He viewed the Cosmos as a platform to promote the Warner brand around the world. In many ways, the strategy he pursued decades ago resembles what major football clubs now do as part of their global expansion.

The Godfather of American Soccer

The 2006 documentary Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos captures Ross’s approach to both business and sport. It illustrates how he recognized the potential for soccer in the United States long before many others did, even within the halls of the NASL.

Ross believed that one major signing could transform the perception of an entire league. Pelé became the centerpiece of that strategy for the Cosmos, drawing worldwide attention to the NASL. Decades later, similar moments would occur again in modern American soccer when MLS attracted stars such as David Beckham and later Lionel Messi.

The Cosmos also approached football in a way that was unusual for the 1970s. Rather than focusing solely on the sport itself, the club emphasized spectacle and entertainment. Alongside Pelé, the team signed global stars like Franz Beckenbauer and pursued talents such as Johan Cruyff, who eventually played elsewhere in the NASL. Matches were staged in large venues like Giants Stadium and promoted as major entertainment events designed to attract audiences beyond traditional soccer fans.

The Cosmos enjoyed being Warner ambassadors all over the world, flying as far as Uruguay to play exhibition matches.

Today, many of those same ideas have become standard practice. Clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United operate as global brands with supporters across multiple continents. Their biggest stars serve not only as athletes, but also as powerful marketing figures.

Modern football now benefits from enormous television contracts, digital media platforms, and international sponsorships that allow clubs to reach billions of fans. Yet the core concept behind this model, one that uses star power, media attention, and entertainment value to grow the sport, was already being tested decades earlier by the Cosmos.

In that sense, the experiment Ross helped create offered an early glimpse of what football would eventually become: a sport where competition, celebrity, and global branding exist side by side.

Where Did the Model Work, and Where May it Fail?

Photo by Len Hawley/Consolidated News Pictures/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The model Ross envisioned for soccer in the United States ultimately collapsed beneath the feet of the Cosmos, with several contributing factors. The Cosmos spent far more money than most other clubs in the NASL, creating a financial imbalance across the league. At the same time, the league expanded too quickly while its fan base was still developing.

Perhaps the most persistent problem, however, was television viewership. Soccer struggled, and in many ways still struggles, to attract consistent television ratings in the United States, particularly for domestic leagues.

Financial pressure soon followed. Ross had hoped to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 1986, but the bid ultimately failed. Combined with the heavy financial losses of the NASL and the economic pressures of the early-1980s recession, which also affected other Warner Communications ventures, soccer’s early boom in the United States began to crumble.

By 1985 the Cosmos era had effectively come to an end, leaving behind memories of a spectacular experiment that burned brightly but briefly and eventually turned to ashes as the ’90s emerged.

Three decades later, however, many of Ross’s ideas have become central to the global football economy. Many clubs now operate as powerful global brands reaching audiences far beyond their home cities. Unlike the Cosmos at that time, these clubs possess decades, and sometimes more than a century, of history that strengthens their identity among supporters all over the world.

Because of that heritage, their brands function almost like cultural institutions rather than just a sports team. Star players often see their global profile rise after joining clubs with international fanbases. By contrast, newer teams can depend heavily on a single superstar to define their global presence. For example, Inter Miami’s international visibility has grown enormously since the arrival of Messi, although there are serious questions if that notoriety will last long after he retires.

Established clubs have also shown they can maintain global appeal even as star players come and go. Real Madrid has remained influential after eras defined by players such as Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, newer teams sometimes struggle to sustain popularity once their biggest stars depart, as seen with the LA Galaxy who became a global afterthought after Beckham left.

Another shift in modern football is the transformation of clubs into lifestyle brands. Jerseys, merchandise, and club symbols are now worn by supporters across the world. Some clubs have even redesigned their identity to reflect this shift, as many clubs including Manchester City, Juventus, and most recently Olympique Marseille have simplified their crests to appeal beyond traditional football standards. The vast majority of crests designed in the past decade can be better described as corporate logos.

At the same time, the sport has become increasingly commercialized. Massive television deals, global ownership groups, and international sponsorships now dominate competitions such as the Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League.

While this growth has expanded football’s global reach, it has also sparked debate about whether the sport is drifting too far from the community roots on which many clubs were originally built. In recent years, supporters across Europe have increasingly criticized the influence of international investors and corporate interests within their clubs.

Concerns about commercialization have also surfaced in global tournaments. The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup has already drawn criticism from supporters over high ticket prices and the overwhelming amount of commercial opportunities surrounding the event, like commercialized mid-game water breaks. Fans are being bombarded by ads and squeezed for their money at every turn.

In many ways, Ross’s legacy in football extends far beyond what he achieved with the Cosmos. His vision helped introduce the idea that a football club could function not only as a team but as a global brand woven into everyday life, well beyond the borders of just one city or town.

In the end, Ross’s legacy will likely be judged in two different ways. To many within the modern football industry, he was a visionary who recognized earlier than most that the sport could grow through marketing, media exposure, and superstar talent. His ideas helped shape the commercial model that now drives clubs such as Real Madrid and competitions like the UEFA Champions League.

For traditional supporters, however, Ross’s approach may represent the beginning of football’s transformation into a commercial spectacle, one where branding and entertainment sometimes overshadow the community roots of the game. Whether viewed as a pioneer or as a symbol of football’s commercialization, Steve Ross’s influence on the modern sport is impossible to ignore or be swept under the rug.