The last few days and after Chelsea’s new owner, the American Todd Bohely, made controversial remarks at a finance conference regarding the “business opportunities” that the Premier League should delve into, we were all left wondering on how the future of the competition looks like.
Bohely made some business-driven comments proposing an All-Star Game between “North vs South” featuring the best players from around the league. Another of his “bright” ideas included making a Relegation/Promotion tournament at the end of the season to attract viewership and make additional profit from both the Championship and the Premier League, both which score high ratings even from small clubs in the country as the season is coming to an end, when teams are playing to maintain, or obtain the privilege of playing on England’s top flight.
Subsequently, after sharing his vision on how the Premier League could earn further profit in the near future, the American Business man received heavy backlash from everybody involved in the Premier League. Fans, players, retired players, media, and other owners, came together to slam his outrageous proposals.
The backlash the fresh owner is receiving is very much justified, because he has been an owner of an English team for about 8 weeks, and even though he also owns shares in a couple power house teams in American sports, (LA Lakers and LA Dodgers) and has been involved in plenty of professional sports business ventures.
The Game We Love
English Football is way beyond Todd Bohely’s understanding at the moment. On one hand, the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world, but on the other, and most importantly, is the legacy and traditions that clubs, players, and most importantly fans, have contributed for more than a century to English Football. Many years of hard work, loyalty and dedication laid the foundation for what we know today as the English Premier League. Even though the league as we know it today was formed in 1992, the EFL (English Football League) exists since 1888, and is the oldest of its kind in the world.
One of the main concerns in modern football is how to maintain the traditions that have forged the game we love. We understand “times change”, but football should not. This does not mean that the game shouldn’t adapt as it has for the last couple decades. After all, football is a business, and it cannot run without money. There has been a lot of adaptability in present times, but the Premier League maintains its core, and values, and still is the most competitive league in the world.
Its no coincidence that fans, players, and owners from around the world are seduced by the magic and mystique that English Football possess. This is in part by the effort the Premier League has made to bring in talent, viewers, and investment from all around the world, but never putting at risk any of the foundations. It may sound contradictory, but this has made England’s top flight endure and prosper, the objective is to share the ”Beautiful Game” with the world, because football is for all.
Everybody new to English Football is welcome, doesn’t matter if you are a fan, player, owner, or board member, let’s just keep the traditions intact. Here’s for another 100 years, and beyond.
