Bayern winning 10. The premier league having a “big six” and only 2 different teams qualifying for UCL in years (Leicester and Newcastle). La Liga being a 2 horse race with occasional atletico. Even serie A has 5-6 good teams and every one doesn’t compete. Ligue 1 is only PSG. How do fans just accept that domestic leagues have no parity? There is no feasible way anyone can ever expect Brighton to win the PL when if they have one good year, their best players are bought. Big clubs are insanely well established and small teams can’t complete without getting bought out. It seems so unfair to me. Like, I feel like if the European scene was more fair with better parity, Dortmund should’ve been able to keep Haaland and Bellingham as their 2 starlets. The best example of this is Lewandowksi at Dortmund. He wins the league with Dortmund twice, loses to Bayern in the UCL final, and then just joins the best team. That was the best move for his career. It feels like the scene is just scene so a team like Dortmund can never compete with Bayern. Or how after Real beat Atletico in 2014, Atletico’s keeper joined Real 4 years later, and now Real remains the super team with Atletico just trying to qualify for UCL knockouts.
Football is not always about winning championships or titles. It’s about regional pride and building on historical narratives that bind the fandom together. Many soccer/football clubs around the world began as local worker-ran or community-centric teams that instilled regional identity in them. There is a genuine and earnest building of the club identity that speaks to the regional sensibilities of the supporters. It’s about going out there and putting your town on the map.
I don’t think Americans (yes, I am one) can ever truly understand the dedication of soccer/football fans have. The NFL, MLB, and NBA do not have organic regional teams. They have marketed and artificial franchises with high school mascot names. Sure, the Packers, Steelers, Raiders, Patriots, Oilers, Texans, and all other teams with regionally distinct names are somewhat unique but it pales in comparison with the history and identity that it gives to a town where football is the most popular sport.
I’ll leave it at this. American sports have generic high school mascot branding while most Football clubs around the world build regional culture and history into their club identity.
True, but I feel like there is some sense of delusion here, with all due respect. I mean, Google and Apple started out in garages too, and these companies aren’t seen as San Francisco based working class places of pride. Just because Liverpool FC was started by local people wanting to play football, doesn’t mean it wasn’t bought out by American billionaires and employ players who play there mainly for the money and success (because if only history was the factor, then world class players would join Football Club of Edinburgh or something). I mean, I still feel like the lack of parity is a problem. Maybe it can not be eliminated, but there should be a solution of some magnitude. But I don’t know a lot honestly, so I’m probably missing something.
Exactly. And it doesn’t help that US teams move around sometimes. I’ve seen online people wearing Miami Heat Lebron jerseys to a Lakers game. I really couldn’t imagine doing that.
All of what you said is true. But that does not change the point that the sport is inherently unfair because of money, despite being built on rules of fairness and meritocracy.
You typed a lot. And it’s all true. But it has little to do what OP actually asked. He is absolutely right asking that question and regional identity or whatever has nothing to do with disparity in European football.
Yes, I’m from Europe, btw.
This is not actually true, but hey. Whatever panders to anti-American feeling, I guess.
Perfectly articulated
IDK, LA identifies pretty damn strongly with the the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers jersey is probably the most recognisable and enduring symbol of the city.