COLUMBUS, Ohio — The demise of the European Super League -- its reign of greed lasting all of two days -- is reminiscent of so many Scooby-Doo episode. The unmasked villain, as he’s being led away by authorities, muttering: “And I would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids.”
On Monday, I wrote about the diabolical scheme hatched by 12 owners of the world’s biggest soccer teams to break away from Europe’s most prestigious tournament as a way to hoard the spoils and virtually eliminate competition from smaller clubs. It was the height of arrogance and avarice set against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
The swift blowback from fans, players, sponsors and many of the world’s most respected commentators proved to be a public-relations nightmare for captains of industry not used to having their power universally challenged. By Tuesday night, English titans Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were shamed into announcing their decisions to pull out of the alliance.
It was a resounding victory for European fans who rallied against the Super League. It also raised an intriguing question: Would American sports fans have reacted so strongly? It’s a tricky one given there’s no U.S. comparable to what these men were attempting. It’s worth noting, however, owners of three English teams involved, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United, are Americans with pro sports franchises on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Owners love to patronize fans with bromides such as “The 12th Man” and “The Fifth Line,” lauding passions while raising ticket prices and demanding publicly funded stadiums. Too often we just grumble and bend to their demands. The continued support of tortured Pirates’ fans for a franchise unwilling to pay market value to retain its best players serves as one of many examples.
There have been isolated cases of fans rising up to confront pro sports clubs and leagues. Browns’ faithful were so loud and unified when Art Modell moved his franchise to Baltimore in 1996 that the NFL awarded Cleveland an expansion team. A grassroots Save The Crew movement successful fought to keep its MLS franchise in Columbus several years ago and won the MLS Cup last fall. Most times, however, we just shout into the ether and rue our powerlessness to combat such forces.
— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) April 20, 2021
Again, the greed and ill intentions of the European Super League were so blatant that coaches, players and even heads of state spoke out in opposition. There’s no question our pro sports and major college leagues were monitoring this story with great interest, and thinking of ways to leverage it had the Euros been successful in their plan.
Make no mistake, wealthy soccer owners will press to exert influence. It might not have worked in this form, but it won’t stop them in their pursuit.
There are lessons to be learned here about the power of fans and players. Would we as Americans be willing to revolt against sports owners and leagues? Or, would we just keep grumbling among ourselves?
YOUR TURN: Will what happened in Europe embolden American fans to fight back in the face of naked greed?