What Can The Premier League and The NFL Learn From Each Other?

In the last week, one of Manchester City’s directors has come out and stated that English football should look at the example set by the NFL and eliminate promotion and relegation from the top division and instead focus on an elite group of 10 or 12 ‘franchises’.

The idea is, of course, aimed at making those top 10 clubs icons in their sport, and ultimately, make more money.

Sceptics amongst us have already pointed out how it’s funny that Mr Garry Cook, the director in question didn’t mention this until Manchester City had become an established Premier League club.

But lets look at this idea properly, because until you do so it doesn’t become apparent just how awful it is.

The Premier League is the summit of English football, and contains the most glamorous teams. But at the same time some of the best stories come from the sides promoted to the division and upset the established order.

We sport fans are all romantics at heart and the underdog story is the pinnacle of this. The Premier League is littered with such stories.

Ipswich getting into the UEFA Cup in their first season in the top flight, Wigan and Reading both finishing in the top half in their debut seasons, and now Stoke and Hull mixing it up with the big boys.

These stories are the ones that make the Premier League and taking them away would be sacrilege.

The other issue is how do we determine how the ‘elite’ clubs are?

If you go by who has spent the longest in the top division throughout their history one thing would be sure, Chelsea might not be in there.

 If you go by how many league or European titles have been one the Chelsea and Arsenal would both be found wanting.

The fact is some of the league’s most established clubs weren’t in the division 10 years ago. Manchester City were in the third tier of English football.

Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal; the big four, have all been relegated at some point, and yet now they dominate. So it can be argued there is no elite in English football.

On top of this clubs like Fulham, West Ham, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth would all argue they are part of this ‘elite’, and yet all of them have spent time outside the Premiership in the last decade and they all fought their way back in. Where do you draw the line?

Turning to the NFL, where I don’t claim to be an expert, things are different. The NFL has a way of freshening things up each year, The Draft.  It can give the impression of new teams joining the league as squads change, but does it really do that much. Last time I checked, and feel free to correct me here, the New England Patriots were still the team to beat, and well done to the Giants for doing so, and teams like the Carolina Panthers were never going to win the Super Bowl.

Maybe the NFL should adopt a promotion and relegation system?

All you NFL fans out there, wouldn’t you like to see a small team from Indiana lets say, make into the NFL, say they’re just here to enjoy the experience and then on the opening day of the season go to Green Bay and stun an established team like the Packers?

I hope I have started a debate, so lets hear from both sides on this.

Should the Premier League be more ‘razzle dazzle’?

Or should the NFL be more romantic?

Maybe both could come true.