English football continues to deliver some of the most exciting and entertaining soccer available to viewers in the United States. But unlike the 1990’s and 2000’s when the back-and-forth competitiveness of England’s top division – the Premier League – converted a generation of fans to soccer and English football in general, it is now the second-tier, the Championship, that is providing the type of open and attractive soccer that fans in the United States crave.
While Premier League interest and ratings remain steady in the United States, many fans I speak with including several who post on social media have come to a similar conclusion as me – the Premier League is less compelling, less competitive beyond its top clubs and less entertaining than any time since it became an accessible property on US television. Some weeks the Premier League entertains like none other, and the talent on NBC Sports is quick to point out how exciting the gameweek was. However, all too often the league throws up boring fixture after boring fixture.
At the same time, the Championship is providing entertainment and exciting soccer on just about every matchday. The league, that moved 18 months ago from beIN SPORTS where it was largely buried to ESPN, now is a centerpiece of the ESPN+ soccer offering. For just $4.99 a month, fans across the United States have almost as much access to England’s second-tier as they do to the Premier League without purchasing NBC Sports Gold.
The Championship now has similar potential penetration to what the Premier League enjoyed from 1999 to 2009 when the league was exclusively buried on premium package cable channels FOX Sports World and then FOX Soccer Channel. Since 2009 however, ESPN and then later NBC have elevated the Premier League as a standalone property in the United States, making it the most popular television European-based soccer league in the nation.
SEE MORE: Schedule of Championship games on ESPN+
At this moment in time, the Premier League is almost three distinct divisions, and matches between a club from one mini-division against one from another are almost always underwhelming. Meanwhile almost any match in the Championship provides some degree of compelling mystery and often time the entertainment we’re lacking from the top flight division. In private conversations with other keen football watchers, I’ve found many have similar opinions and often these days are forcing themselves to sit through Premier League matches while actually enjoying the Championship experience. The same can be said for other top European leagues, which like the Premier League have grown more predictable and arguably more stale over time.
The Premier League was designed as a breakaway that gave its clubs the ability to control revenue and make more money. The league has been so successful that the last round of TV deals made it even more prohibitive to drop out of the division financially for club owners. This has led directly to less open football and more safe, defensive tactics among sides that are fighting relegation. It has led to more bunkering and to a greater disparity in actual “footballing” between the top sides, those in mid-table and those perennially fighting the drop. While Premier League defenders would argue this has always been the case to a certain extent, for many – including myself – the shift has been especially more pronounced in the last three seasons.
The financial reward of entry to the Premier League for owners though has stimulated good football – open, attacking and entertaining. It’s also prompted club owners to spend money on attacking players and try and attract managers who favor attacking football. The disparity between financial rewards for competing in England’s top two tiers has grown into a gulf of epic proportions, forcing clubs to adjust tactics accordingly.
For example, Fulham’s struggles this season in the Premier League when trying to play the same brand of entertaining passing football as in the Championship show very clearly the difference in the two leagues. Slaviša Jokanovic had made the Cottagers a can’t-miss side last season, and Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League was met with cheers from neutrals because they were playing football “the right way.”
After spending generously on several players over the summer to fit Jokanovic’s preferred attacking setup, Fulham found life in the Premier League daunting. Playing nice, attractive, passing soccer wasn’t an option. Fulham leaked goal and Jokanovic was sacked only about a third of the way through the campaign. Fulham now are playing a much less adventurous style under Claudio Ranieri and have become difficult to watch like most Premier League clubs fighting relegation.
In the United States, the Championship suffered even in its best seasons by a lack of exposure. The stigma of being a second division and being buried on networks committed to other soccer properties limited the interest in the league. But now ESPN+ – and the seeming predictability of the Premier League as well as other top European leagues – is fueling an uptick in interest in the Championship. Fans who tune in to England’s second tier won’t be disappointed. It’s the type of competitive, open football that actually delivers instead of the broken promises from other leagues around the world that aren’t consistent enough.
Excellent piece Kartik. I have found myself drawn more and more to the EFL. ESPN plus is a great value.
Premier Leagues is fantastic but is getting way out of balance with the haves and the have nots. I don’t want to watch Man City play Watford or West ham. I want to watch West Ham play Watford. You do not know who is going to win the game and it is a more thrilling game to watch as apposed to the former., where you pretty much know the outcome before the game starts. I think that is the element of entertainement you are going to see with the Championship League.
This is my feelings exactly but I suspect NBC will use most any game featuring a “brand” name team (which means usually top 6) no matter who the opposition, thinkinging that the brand name sells (will draw more eyeballs). So competitiveness be damned, But as Mark said, I too would prefer a West Ham-BHA game, than say Liverpool (especially at Anfield) v. Huddersfield. Unfortunately we probably won’t get that unless the fixture list for the week gives NBC little choice.
I generally don’t tend to care for lower leagues, but can see your point on the competitiveness and entertainment value.
Believe most of the leagues do possess those qualities if you don’t only focus on the title race itself. Despite Juve dominating Serie A, every year there have been compelling races for UCL and EL spots. Few years ago we had Napoli and Lazio on the final matchday for the final UCL spot, last year it was Inter and Lazio. Also, have to follow the non Juve (or Bayern or PSG etc) matches if you want it to be entertaining. As Kartik said on the podcast, almost everyone who plays these clubs in the league just parks the bus and makes for a dreadful match. Need to watch the Sampdoria/Udinese or Atalanta/Fiorentina types for excitement. It’s there if you dig deeper.
I generally don’t disagree. That’s why I say despite six straight Bayern titles the Bundesliga is more competitive than the Prem. The Bundesliga has FAR more sides that can realistically compete to finish in the top four than the Prem. As for Serie A, yes Lazio blowing 4th last season in the final match added some drama. Plus Napoli has been the best side in Europe to watch on balance IMO over the course of the past five seasons. But still like the Bundesliga, the lack of the title changing hands each year does hurt the drama.
You have a point Kartik. Honestly, the Bundesliga, IMO, is by far the best league to watch followed by the Championship.
I love the intro music to the EFL league TV broadcasts. Its stuck in my head. Link to it is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtYdrOELFo
May I add that Premiership did not to any good to the English football either.
English teams that were dominating European Cups in the first division era
now can hardly beat their Spanish counterparts.
Commercial success does not necessarily bring quality. Football is turned into showbiz with bizarre haircuts and carefully rehearsed ( goal celebrating) choreography all geared towards entertaining the audience.
I watched several games over the holiday period. on ESPN+ and they were very competitive The Notts Forest v Leeds game on New Years Day was the most entertaining game of the whole period. U just didn’t know what was going to happen . Remember this would have been a First Division game 40 years ago the forerunner to the Premier League.
I watched all of Leeds vs Aston Villa a few weeks ago and was very impressed.
I do think you are a bit too pessimistic on the Premier League. There has been
1) More competitiveness within the big 6
2) Some interesting upsets (Man City losing to Palace and Leicester. Man United’s bad run, etc)
3) The success of Wolves and to a lesser extent Brighton
I’ve also had some fun watching some Serie A this year. La Liga has disappointed me a bit this year, largely due to Atletico’s style
Competition is myth and a lie. Somehow Real, Barca, Juve, Bayern, PSG, Celtic, and a smattering of others win their leagues every year and it’s fine. This is an American narrative that doesn’t hold up. People just want stories. The winning and losing is less important than we think. The moments are what matter. The holding out against a behomoth is incredible. Ask Palace fans how they felt beating City or if any even remembers who won the League when Gerrard slipped? (No one remembered City win) It was the narrative of Liverpool that won out.
You’ve got a point. People claim to hate dynasties, but dynasties create rivalries which then create the story lines that make sports more interesting.
The Detroit Pistons’ championships more meaningful because they had to get by the Celtics and Lakers dynasties to accomplish it. More memorable than if a hodge podge of different teams had won every year prior to theirs. Lakers run in the early 2000’s created that great rivalry with those Sacramento teams. Doesn’t happen without that dominance. Patriots rivalry with Indianapolis in the 2000’s created by New England being the road block from Peyton Manning winning for a few years running. The win in 2006 more meaningful as a result. Baseball seemingly has a new champion each year, but the sport was more interesting in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when everyone was trying to knock off New York.
I find it funny how the most popular European Football league in the US (by far) is somehow the least compelling, at least when it comes to someone writing an article that didn’t actually demonstrate in the least bit that Championship is more compelling, competitive, or just better football.
Reads more like a well disguised infomercial for ESPN+. If this was an American football site, I’d wonder if we’d read about how the CFL is better football… and you know… it is on ESPN+. Go Roughriders!
The English championship has ALWAYS been exciting. You just not been paying attention. The Championship is the hardest competition to compete in. Its literally 46 games of HELL!
The Aston Villa-Not. Forrest game will easily win” Match of the Year” at season’s end. Leeds and Norwich involved in a dog fight for automatic promotion. Even last year when Wolves and Cardiff were fighting for their promotions, the games are huge every week. Now I wish the FA would bring the same production value to the Championship like they are doing to the FA Cup games (which is truly awesome) so we can watch every single game on ESPN+. That by itself will be worth the price of the +. BTW, if you are still complaining about paying $5 a month, you need some help… or a better job.