Football Clubs: Commercial Success v Tradition?

Question; Why is it that in Britain we see it as being immoral to relocate a football club to another location, when we would not object to any other leisure business being moved? For example, were a pub or a nightclub not attracting sufficient custom in a town then it may move to a new facility in another part of that town, or to a new town or city altogether.

Should football clubs be looked upon as businesses, who require to garner our support actively to stay afloat (at the very least), or should they continue to be treated as "crown jewels", untouchable by change and exempt from (or at least exempt to an extent, where it suits the traditions of fans or conversely their sudden desire for success a la Manchester City) economic / commercial development?

It is not uncommon in the United States for sports teams to be relocated to garner new interest and, in fact, it is common and accepted that where cities without a particular sports team are identified as a viable market, a new sports team may simply be built therein where none existed previously. Is it then simply the case that tradition within the sport of football and possibly within British culture prevents such activity from becoming commonplace on these shores?

Today's Fa Cup meeting between MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon raises the question of football "franchises" in Britain anew. Now, for clarity, the notion of football clubs being created, merged and relocated is not a new one, and in fact many of Britain's football clubs have been moved, renamed, merged etc in their history. However, it is only now, in the modern era, that teams such as MK Dons, Livingston, Airdrie United, Chester City, Accrington Stanley et al, not to mention the recent furore over Cardiff City's strip / badge change, that has brought this issue into modern media focus.

Is the formation of MK Dons so much more abhorrent than the formation of Arsenal from Woolwich Arsenal? Would those Manchester United fans who wave green and yellow scarves at Old Trafford prefer to watch Newton Heath LYR FC? And, if so, why not form a new version of that club in a similar vein to the formation of the other Manchester United protest club, FC United of Manchester?

As a Dumbarton FC season ticket holder, I am opposed to mooted proposals to move Dumbarton to a new arena outside of the town (at an as yet unspecified location), but not because I am opposed to the moving of clubs in principal, simply because the move to a new stadium is unneccessary for a club who reside within a wholly owned and purpose built modern facility already and which meets their needs more than adequately. Should a need arise in the future for the club to move to a new facility for justifiable reasons then I would not necessarily be against the idea, provided that the situation merited the move and the terms were right for the club, whereas the current hotch potch proposals serve no purpose for the club and have no justification beyond lining the pockets of the carpet baggers who hold a majority stake in the club.

However, I do believe that football clubs should not simply expect the support of their local areas (and many of them do, after all, how many times have we heard the demand that "X FC requires your support, come out and support your local team"? thereby implying that it is the local communities' fault that the clubs are in whichever mess they happen to find themselves in on that particular day, or at least the communities' responsibility to rescue them from same, a scenario currently being played out at Dunfermline FC, for example) but instead should be required to actively try and generate new business like any other commercial entity does. For too long football clubs have been run fast and loose and allowed to spend unwisely and then expect fans, supporters trusts and financiers to bail them out and keep them afloat. If a cinema or a restaurant were to be operated in such a way, it would simply go out of business and their would-be customers would simply eat elsewhere or go to another cinema. Is the romanticism of football support allowing some clubs to get away with treading water rather than proactively trying to increase their revenue streams? All evidence points to yes.
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