Inequities of the selfish, and the tyranny of evil men..

Football, like life, is unfair. Countries and clubs get formed, create a history (quite by fate, chance, or the power of money) and retain that history and pedigree to become ‘big clubs’. Newer clubs, or ones that never got (or created?) the opportunity in the past have an uphill journey ahead of them if they wish to be ambitious. This is brought starkly into contrast by the Manchester clubs, who ‘throw money’ at their problems and hope to solve them, at least partially if not immediately. There is an inevitability around being a Manchester United fan these days. It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’ United will be back at the top step of the pantheon that is European Football.

Money is just making matters worse for everybody. The phenomenon of instant gratification has caught up and dug its claws into Football. The sport of momentous upsets and the David vs. Goliath narrative possibly will become so far in between that the romance of the beautiful game is in danger of being lost. Stadiums in danger of becoming bubbling pots instead of the fiery cauldrons of yesteryear in England is a tricky proposition. Compound this with fans who hiss at their own teams in derision, the fact that the ‘little’ passionate club being forced to act like a feeder line, and the canyon between them and the their fatter cousins ever widening.

For an outsider, the environment inside a stadium of Borussia Dortmund, or Vincente Caulderon is just amazing. How Manchester United have maintained the loud fans is a mystery, but it is quite clear that the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City have begun declining in terms of fan involvement.

My point being this: the age of the millenial has arrived, and football is not coping. Yes there is tons and tons of money. But the future is not as bright as it appears at first glance. Only a handful of clubs can be ‘champions’, and thus only a handful of fans are gratified annually. I see (in developing markets- my home country for instance) football ‘fans’ with Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea shirts adorning their backs on different days of the month, depending on the current table ‘trend’. It makes me sick to my stomach.
If the Premier League plans on being the phenomenon it is currently, long into the future, it needs to do something to get ready for the millenial. Otherwise, the sun might just set on the ‘Empire of the Premier League’ before it is even fully up in the sky.