For the Sake of Tradition, and Higher Quality Play

If you are a soccer fan and you haven't had the chance to check out this piece on ESPN about a possible change to the EPL's setup, I highly suggest taking a couple minutes to read it.

For those of you who don't want to, I'll rehash it here.  Basically, as foreign ownership of English Premier League teams increases, the mumbling of a possible alteration to the system of relegation and promotion grows more audible.  Each year, the bottom three teams from the EPL are relegated to the first division, and the top three teams of the first division take the place of the teams relegated.

This is the way it always has been in the EPL.  I am not usually one to defend tradition, especially in the cases were tradition is outdated and no longer beneficial.  But to abolish one of the central points of the EPL seems utterly absurd.  In my opinion, having a relegation system keeps teams from becoming complacent.  There is a constant need to improve the team, the youth system, the coaches, everything, because if teams don't, then they run the risk of relegation.

What does foreign ownership have to do with a desire for change?  These men who own the teams want to protect their investments, and if their team is relegated, then their team's value will depreciate.  But look no further than our backyard to know why this a bad idea to get rid of relegation.  In American professional sports, too many owners care about their team as a business, and not as a sports team.  For every one Jerry Buss (Lakers owner), there are too many Rob Sarvers (Suns owner), Donald Sterling (Clippers owner), and Michael Heisley (Grizzlies owner) who are too concerned with whether their team turns a profit rather than wins games.  And if the EPL stopped relegating teams, then we would see an rise in the number of owners who care more about money than they do championships.

Relegation and promotion guarantees a more competitive league from year to year.  It is the way the league has always been and should remain.  But if more foreign ownership continues to move into EPL territory, it could put an end to the system.  For the sake of tradition and the quality of the game, I sure hope not.