Ep 304: On Super Clubs Dominating Their Domestic Leagues

Have you ever heard the criticism that football leagues around the world are boring, or non-competitive, because they always have the same two or three clubs that win the title?

I’m sure you have. And this is usually heard from a particular minority of soccer fans in the United States as an objection to how soccer is structured around the world.

So it’s no surprise this minority are generally MLS fans, reiterating the narratives they’ve been told by MLS content creators whose incentives are to be in the good graces of the MLS bubble and gatekeepers.

If you aren’t aware, I should remind you that the majority of football fans in the United States are not MLS fans.

The vast majority of soccer fans in the US don’t care for MLS. But that’s a topic for another day.

Today we’re addressing this misguided, agenda-backed objection, that open ecosystems create boring and anti-competitive leagues.

Both assertions are wrong, because the framing of both competitive and boring, are wrong. It’s a framing that generally comes from not having experienced or been deeply immersed in the sport outside the MLS bubble.

Now, per usual, allow me to reiterate my public service announcement.

If you have any skin in the American soccer ecosystem, whether you are a player, a parent of a player, a coach, an employee of a club at any level, a club or business owner, you are be significantly impacted by how the system is governed at the professional level.

So to successfully navigate your situations in the short, medium and long term, it is essential to not just focus on your local micro environment, but understand the macro as well. And if you decide you want to make a difference at a larger scale and drive positive change, it’s even more important to deeply understand the chess board you are a part of.

Here at 3four3, we cover both the macro and the micro. And on the podcast, we’re trying to alternate between the two.

One episode you might get a discussion on the nuances of a 4v1 rondo, on another maybe we’ll address how to train building out of the back under certain scenarios, or perhaps we’ll talk to a coach on a particular coaching employment issue they’ve encountered. Another day, maybe zoom in and address issues encountered in the youth game. There’s countless of micro chats to be had.

And we can have them because we’ve been there and done that.

Then there’s other episodes like this one, where we go macro. Because again, the macro has great impact on your micro.

And if I’m being honest, I feel a moral obligation to address the macro because the reality is once I realized the existing monopolized system destroys opportunity and freedom for the vast majority – and that almost certainly includes you as well – I can’t just turn my back on that.

Even though I’ve long known that turning my back on this issue would have made me a millionaire.

Yes, you heard that right. I would be a millionaire if only I had aligned myself with the monopoly. Again, a topic for another episode, which yes, I will gladly share.

Today, I’m hoping you’ll gain some further insight into how this notion that the existence of a few super clubs who always win their domestic league is boring and makes for a non-competitive situation, is indeed wrong.

I wouldn’t do this guys, I wouldn’t have these discussions, if I weren’t optimistic that real change, positive change, can happen. And further, that this will help you in navigating your local situations.

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