Making an Argument for Serie A as the World's Most Interesting League

Now that Serie A has passed its darkest days post-Calciopoli, the league has made a significant rise in recent years.

Still plagued by the occasional match-fixing scandal or racist diatribe by a rival fanbase, Serie A has had to battle plenty of adversity while trying to establish a marketable product both domestically and overseas.

To start, the league has plenty of parity, especially in the upper third of the table. With only three Champions League places, any one of eight different teams can realistically contend for these spots this season.

Blowouts aren't frequent in Italy, as minnow sides are often defensively compact and close themselves well against top-tier teams. 

However, the real reason why the league is perhaps the most interesting is because of the plethora of characters surrounding it. Here are some of the most interesting story lines going into next season.

1. Wacky Presidents

Perhaps the most riveting part of Serie A is the constant battle between presidents, both against rival teams and internally. What else could you expect when the likes of movie mogul Aurelio De Laurentiis have a chance to express themselves publicly every weekend?

You might remember De Laurentiis' famous outburst when he insulted journalists and proceeded to get away from them by hopping on the back of a random passing scooter.

The volcanic Maurizio Zamparini won't be gracing Serie A next season as his Palermo side was relegated after he swapped five different coaches last season. More incredibly, the wacky Sicilian boss fired 42 different coaches in his 26 years in charge of various clubs.

We haven't even begun to mention the sexual escapades of Silvio Berlusconi, which included strippers wearing Ronaldinho masks, the well documented disco dancing of Genoa boss Enrico Preziosi or Cagliari owner Massimo Cellino being jailed for telling his fans it was okay to enter the new stadium which failed to meet Serie A safety requirements.

You'd be hard-pressed finding a league with that many colorful, wacky characters prominently involved on a weekly basis.

2. Incredible Derbies

Aside from all the derbies Serie A has to offer, there'll be a new one added to the mix next season when recently promoted Hellas Verona takes on Chievo.

A funny side note involves the nickname Flying Donkeys, which Chievo fans proudly adopted after Verona fans mockingly said that donkeys would fly before Chievo made it to Serie A. 

In the end, this is a light-hearted take on the league, but it can't go without saying that Italy needs to figure out a few key issues before it truly can flaunt its feathers in a marketing sense.

Racism and violence between opposing fanbases still makes the front pages, and it remains to be seen what actions the FIGC can take to eradicate these problems from the game.

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