I spent part of this past weekend in Southampton, enjoying a friendly match between the Saints and Dutch high-fliers Ajax. Southampton, for those who don't follow English football closely, were relegated to League One this year following a disappointing spell in the Championship. Not long removed from a stint in the Premier League, the club has struggled through ownership and management issues, and sadly now find themselves preparing for life in the third tier of English soccer.
After visiting the city, though, seeing the ground and the massive support enjoyed by the club, it's still strange to me that a city of Southampton can't survive the higher leagues and do better in the football pyramid. Currently in the Premier League, there are a number of clubs whose fan base and stadia pale in comparison to the South-coasters, a worrying state of affairs.
As well as leaving St Mary's with a newfound respect for the club and the city, the weekend also re-awakened questions in my mind over the different league structures adopted by European and North American sports leagues. It's a debate that will surely continue for years to come, but as a Canadian living in Britain, it seems forgivable to throw in my two cents, and address a minor pet peeve of mine at the same time...
The actual pros and cons of both set-ups have been debated and discussed seemingly ad nauseum in previous works, so I won’t belabor the points here again. Instead, I’d rather challenge the commonly held view in Britain that North American sports fans, because of the closed league structure, are somehow less passionate, less involved supporters than their European counterparts. It is argued that, because of the franchise system, and the perceived frequent movement of teams to new cities or locations, North American fans must care less for their clubs. However, this, in my opinion, is a fairly simple view of American and Canadian sports fans, not bred maliciously, but rather through an ignorance of the basic differences between the frameworks for professional sport at play, and the nature of sport on either side of the Atlantic.
Of the all-too-often trumpeted franchise relocations that supposedly define and plague the ‘big four’ American sports, a rare few over the past twenty-years have been as a result of poor support, lack of interest, or fan disenchantment. And those cases of movement that have been caused by lacking fanbases, can just as easily be blamed on poor management, for creating teams in unsustainable conditions and locations, doomed to failure.
Take, for example, the current legal proceedings surrounding the National Hockey League’s Phoenix Coyotes. The ‘Yotes moved to Arizona in 1996, originally the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg as a city wept over the loss of Jets, a relocation driven by business interests and money, not a lack of fan support or attachment. Now the NHL and the City of Phoenix are fighting tooth and nail to keep the Coyotes in Arizona, not fifteen years later, due to significant financial losses and waning interest. The fact is, Arizona is by no means a hockey hotbed. Everyone in Winnipeg knew this. Most in Phoenix should have as well. Yet the business interests that underline sport dictated the move, and now a second city fights to keep a once proud and beloved franchise.
The fact is, sport is business. While English football fans continue to resist such a suggestion, and, rather admirably, have struggled against the prevailing business interests of foreign owners in their game, football is nonetheless big business, with money to be made.
Thankfully, the club structure and deep roots set within communities by teams are massive barriers to clubs suffering the same relocation risks as American franchises. As Southern hockey franchises are beginning to learn, building a community base, including participation and support in youth, is fundamental to the long-term success of professional sports. But the movement of unsuccessful or unviable teams should not be seen as evidence of poor fan support – far from it. Southampton is not entering the 2009/10 season in League One because of poor fan support; mismanagement and poor ownership are to blame. Winnipeg will forever mourn the loss of the Jets, until long after the Coyotes (hopeful) return North of the border.
Fundamentally, there is little difference business-wise between the relocation of unsustainable franchises, and the painful collapse of big clubs such s Leeds and Southampton to the lower levels of professional football. Ultimately, it is not because of poor fans that either situation occurs; rather, it is thanks to committed, adoring fans on both sides of the Atlantic that we take notice.
No comments:
Post a Comment