European Soccer Doesn't Have Parity, Doesn't Need it.
By Ty Duffy
In any sport the regular season’s goal is to ensure as many games as possible generate interest. American leagues only add value from the top. Rivalries at the professional level, despite the hype, don’t add much spice. The title drives competition You play to win the title, or win a division that offers you the chance to play for a title. American leagues lean toward parity. Keeping more teams in the title race the title adds value to more games.
European soccer leagues, however, generate interest multiple ways. Legitimate rivalries add value. The relegation scrap adds value from the bottom. Teams can earn qualification for the Champions League and the Europa League. These places generally are unsettled until the season. There are very few games without a compelling impetus for at least one team. There are concurrent cup competitions. The league’s structure doesn’t require egalitarianism to create broad interest. Teams are on different levels, but each level has its own attainable goal.
A more American-style parity would require a shift to American-style league structure – no relegation – which would make leagues broadly less interesting. It would destroy teams in the lower league that missed the cutoff. The only way an NFL-style salary cap would work would be in a closed-off European super league.
Moreover, parity itself is an overrated idea. It doesn’t generate much excitement in practice. American fans say they prefer a more open competition, but their viewing habits suggest differently.
Fans were “outraged” by The Decision, yet LeBron and Wade teaming up has radically spiked the NBA’s TV ratings. The league does awesomely when the traditional powers – Celtics and Lakers – make the finals. Not so much when it’s Spurs and Cavaliers. MLB playoff ratings plummet when the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers or Cubs aren’t playing.
The American league with the most parity is MLS. But, aside from a few aged stars, the teams are indistinguishable. It doesn’t generate broad interest.
Soccer is similar. Barcelona and Real Madrid will take 34 percent of the Spanish TV revenue, but they are also the reason Spanish teams are receiving that deal. Barcelona and Real Madrid being so good makes the Primera Liga more valuable and makes everyone else money.
The ideal system is a balance, capitalism with a human face. Though it receives much criticism, the closest sport to achieving that is Major League Baseball. The Yankees and Red Sox earn enough to be the Yankees and the Red Sox every year. However, revenue sharing balances things so a soundly managed upstart such as the Rays has a chance to win the World Series.
European soccer is moving toward that ideal. Financial fair-play laws in Europe will blunt the biggest clubs’ spending. Collective TV deals, though still paying the biggest clubs more money, will close the wealth gaps. Leagues won’t chose between greatness and competition. They should have both.