Hey folks! I know it's been a while since either one of us has written anything on our blog and you all probably considered it dead. But fear not! We are back, ready to bring you more on the beautiful game!
Tonight, I am reacting to a couple articles I have read on the ESPNSoccernet. The first is an article that broke the news that some "foreign owners" want to end relegation. I say foreign owners because I believe there are undoubtedly some English owners who want their investments safe (even if they won't openly admit it). The second was an article which talked about what we all thought, which is WTF?
Mike and I discussed that relegation is what brings so much appeal to some us Americans about English soccer. The thought that a team in a division 10 leagues below the Premier league could, someday, be playing on the Premier stage. That the teams we like to follow could be relegated if they have a poor season (Newcastle for example which was in the Championship 2 years ago). It brings some excitement because all teams have something to play for. Either it winning the regular season crown or avoiding being humiliated and dropped down a league. What do our losers have to look forward to here in America? The #1 draft pick? Oh boy. In which case, fans actually root for their team to lose.
Wouldn't it be cool to have our soccer system set up like the English system? Here is a breakdown of the American soccer pyramid. Of course as another blog points out, it's missing one key item about being a pyramid. There is no upward or downward movement. So all the teams are bookmarked into their divisions with no chance of moving up or down.
Imagine how much fun it would be to be a fan of, for example, the Harrisburg City Islanders if there were relegation and promotion. They are a team that plays in the USL Professional Division (formerly USL-1). They are quite competitive, having won their respective league (USL-2) in 2007, came in second this year in the new USL Pro, and have beat 3 different MLS teams when they have gotten the chance during the U.S. Gold Cup. Heck, even the former Milwaukee Rampage beat the Chicago Fire.
Point is, these teams can play with the big boys, given the chance. But it will never happen. American professional sports teams are franchises where investors don't want to have anything unpredictable happen and therefore, lose money. It's unfortunate but it shows what really drives American sports. Money.
That's it tonight. Stay tuned for a review of the game Mike and I had pre-ordered and are currently obsessing over currently, FIFA 12. Oh and check out the new poll!
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