O, the beautiful Premier League.
The Barclays Premier League, or simply the "Premier League" is an English professional league for men's football ('soccer' to most of you readers). The Premier League is the "most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and (has a) potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people" (Wikipedia).
With there being several other top European leagues - what makes the Premier league the elite of the elite?
It all starts with the history. Although the 'Premier League' name has only been around for about 20 years, football in England is older. Much older. It was England in 1863 where the first set of rules were established. Since then, the game has grown globally, becoming the most popular sport in the world.
Since its inception, one thing has remained constant in English football...
Competitiveness...
The Premier League's superiority to other major leagues derives from competitiveness. Last year, at Christmas (the midway point of all European leagues), the top five teams in the Premier League were separated by just 5 points. The point separation between the top five teams in the five major leagues were as follows:
Premier League - 5 pts.
La Liga (Spain) - 15 pts.
Bundesliga (Germany) - 15 pts.
Serie A (Italy) - 15 pts.
Ligue 1 (France) - 14 pts.
(courtesy of the Daily Mail)
As you can see by the list above, the Premier League is, by far, the most competitive in the standings.
The same pattern is occurring this season. With the ladder half of the European seasons remaining, it is very unclear of who will be crowned premier League champions. In the other leagues though, there is a much more definite answer. For example, in this years Bundesliga season, first-place Bayern Munich has an 11 point lead on second-place, Wolfsburg. With 20 games remaining in the season, it seems almost certain that Bayern will win the league. The same thing is similar in La Liga. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have combined to win the league 9 times in the last 10 years. In my opinion, this is absolute dominance. Although the skill in these league is tremendous, the lack of uncertainty makes them much less competitive.
When it comes to competitiveness on the field, the Premier League is unsurpassed. Although this cannot be quantified, many professional players have had high praise for the league. Just this month, Real Madrid's star centre-back, Sergio Ramos was quoted saying, "with every passing day, I prefer the English Premier League." Ramos made this statement believing that La Liga is "soft". If you ask me, this statement clears up the debate as to which league is more competitive on the field (La Liga is often considered the best league in the world). In my opinion, the Premier League is more aggressive, and has more end-to-end action than any other league. This makes the league more entertaining.
Along with the on-field competitiveness, comes the unpredictability. Out of all the major leagues it is most difficult to predict Premier League scorelines. Often times, in the likes of La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, top times like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and PSG will win almost every game in which they are favoured to. The same cannot be said in the Premier League. Below are a ten prime examples of upsets from the current (2014-2015) Premier League season (http://www.caughtoffside.com/):
- West Ham 2-1 Manchester City, Odds: 6.03 to 1
- Newcastle United 2-1 Chelsea, Odds: 6.19 to 1
- Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle United, Odds: 6.20 to 1
- Everton 2-3 Crystal Palace, Odds. 6.68 to 1
- Tottenham 0-1 West Brom, Odds: 6.73 to 1
- Manchester City 2-2 Burnley, Odds: 7.09 to 1
- Manchester United 1-2 Swansea City, Odds: 7.76 to 1
- Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa, Odds: 10.11 to 1
- Manchester City 0-1 Stoke City, 13.36 to 1
As you can see, the competition is so tight that the results often contradict the odds. Unlike other leagues, the unpredictable can happen at any moment in the Premier League.
The bottom line is that the Premier League has it all: skill, strength, drama and hectic, end-to-end action. This is unlike all of the other leagues. Why is it this way? It is the most competitive. No matter where you go, or what league you watch, nothing will be as competitive as Premier League Football. That's why... it is the best league in the world.
The Barclays Premier League, or simply the "Premier League" is an English professional league for men's football ('soccer' to most of you readers). The Premier League is the "most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and (has a) potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people" (Wikipedia).
With there being several other top European leagues - what makes the Premier league the elite of the elite?
It all starts with the history. Although the 'Premier League' name has only been around for about 20 years, football in England is older. Much older. It was England in 1863 where the first set of rules were established. Since then, the game has grown globally, becoming the most popular sport in the world.
Since its inception, one thing has remained constant in English football...
Competitiveness...
The Premier League's superiority to other major leagues derives from competitiveness. Last year, at Christmas (the midway point of all European leagues), the top five teams in the Premier League were separated by just 5 points. The point separation between the top five teams in the five major leagues were as follows:
Premier League - 5 pts.
La Liga (Spain) - 15 pts.
Bundesliga (Germany) - 15 pts.
Serie A (Italy) - 15 pts.
Ligue 1 (France) - 14 pts.
(courtesy of the Daily Mail)
As you can see by the list above, the Premier League is, by far, the most competitive in the standings.
The same pattern is occurring this season. With the ladder half of the European seasons remaining, it is very unclear of who will be crowned premier League champions. In the other leagues though, there is a much more definite answer. For example, in this years Bundesliga season, first-place Bayern Munich has an 11 point lead on second-place, Wolfsburg. With 20 games remaining in the season, it seems almost certain that Bayern will win the league. The same thing is similar in La Liga. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have combined to win the league 9 times in the last 10 years. In my opinion, this is absolute dominance. Although the skill in these league is tremendous, the lack of uncertainty makes them much less competitive.
When it comes to competitiveness on the field, the Premier League is unsurpassed. Although this cannot be quantified, many professional players have had high praise for the league. Just this month, Real Madrid's star centre-back, Sergio Ramos was quoted saying, "with every passing day, I prefer the English Premier League." Ramos made this statement believing that La Liga is "soft". If you ask me, this statement clears up the debate as to which league is more competitive on the field (La Liga is often considered the best league in the world). In my opinion, the Premier League is more aggressive, and has more end-to-end action than any other league. This makes the league more entertaining.
Along with the on-field competitiveness, comes the unpredictability. Out of all the major leagues it is most difficult to predict Premier League scorelines. Often times, in the likes of La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, top times like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and PSG will win almost every game in which they are favoured to. The same cannot be said in the Premier League. Below are a ten prime examples of upsets from the current (2014-2015) Premier League season (http://www.caughtoffside.com/):
- West Ham 2-1 Manchester City, Odds: 6.03 to 1
- Newcastle United 2-1 Chelsea, Odds: 6.19 to 1
- Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle United, Odds: 6.20 to 1
- Everton 2-3 Crystal Palace, Odds. 6.68 to 1
- Tottenham 0-1 West Brom, Odds: 6.73 to 1
- Manchester City 2-2 Burnley, Odds: 7.09 to 1
- Manchester United 1-2 Swansea City, Odds: 7.76 to 1
- Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa, Odds: 10.11 to 1
- Manchester City 0-1 Stoke City, 13.36 to 1
As you can see, the competition is so tight that the results often contradict the odds. Unlike other leagues, the unpredictable can happen at any moment in the Premier League.
The bottom line is that the Premier League has it all: skill, strength, drama and hectic, end-to-end action. This is unlike all of the other leagues. Why is it this way? It is the most competitive. No matter where you go, or what league you watch, nothing will be as competitive as Premier League Football. That's why... it is the best league in the world.