Freakonomics:
More Americans than ever are watching English Premier League soccer on TV, and the Premier League sits atop the most famous promotion-relegation system in the world. So maybe there could be a bit of enthusiasm for the idea in the U.S. But in most important ways, the American sports business model is fundamentally different from the model in England, and in other foreign leagues. So how did they come to be so different?
Freakonomics:
So, what if the N.F.L., rather than operating like the monopoly that it is, were to open itself up to some competition? What if, instead of having one closed, professional league sitting at the top of a gigantic amateur pyramid--what if the best teams from that pyramid’s lower tiers could get promoted into the top tier, and the worst teams in the top league could be demoted, or relegated? That’s how it works in most soccer leagues around the world--and let’s not forget, soccer is the most popular sport in human history. So what do you think of this idea?
