On the surface of things, there is little to suggest why the English Premier League (EPL) enjoys the astonishing global reach that it does. Germany’s Bundesliga is undoubtedly the trendier and more prestigious league.
Meanwhile, La Liga has a storied history with a far greater number of footballers gracing the league over the last decade. Despite this, neither of these leagues even comes close to the global influence and popularity that is currently enjoyed by the English Premier League.
The English Premier League is undoubtedly the prime attraction when it comes to organized football (soccer) leagues in the entire world. As it is always reffered to as exonymously as the English Premier League or the EPL, is the top level of the English football league system which is Contested by 20 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League.
The EPL is arguably one of the best Leagues in the world football, The frenzy is unmatched, while the amount of traction it gets in even the most remote nooks and crannies means that on every given match day, it dominates conversations on social and even traditional media.
It has a massive following from all around the world, drawing more supporters of its parent football clubs from different countries other than England.
During the 2019/20 season, the Premier League reached a cumulative global audience of 3.2 billion people, which represented a 6% increase compared to the previous year. The TV deals which the league body is signing with the likes of Amazon means that it will only get bigger.
Since its inception in 1992, the league has become very successful. But why is this so? SportsLeo highlights 5 reasons.
1. Premier League literally the best
The Premier League is undoubtedly the best. The facilities, managers and players on offer are the best available in the world, which means there is an avalanche of the very best there is to offer. There are six teams that can compete with the very best across the continent while the chasing pack continues to upset the apple cart as evidenced by Leicester this just-concluded season.
The fact that Premier League teams have become very dominant in the Champions League and Europa League also helps to attract even the greatest players plying their trade elsewhere. This shows to them that England is the place to be.
2. Broadcast Language
The Premier League is helped by the fact that the league is played in the United Kingdom, with commentaries in English, which is the second most spoken language in the world after the Chinese Mandarin. It makes it more accessible to billions of people in the world.
The location of the United Kingdom on the world map means that the kick-off times are quite manageable around the rest of the world. The grass in the Premier League is literally greener than anywhere else. This is because the British climate makes it more vibrant, and technological changes means that the grasses make it a spectacle to play on.
3. Amazing Football
Many professional players say that playing in the Premier League is a dream, given that they get to test their football ability against the very best in the world. It is unlike many leagues in the world, reserving the British culture of playing football at a very frenetic pace while imbibing modern-day technical inputs, with the likes of Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp being key proponents in recent years.
The fans are also much more demanding, reaching levels of near-fanatism. This means players know they have to play at their best, or risk being sidelined, and ultimately being regarded as not being Premier-League worthy.
4. unparalleled Marketing
In 2016, the Premier League dropped Barclays as its title sponsor after 15 years, opting to go the way of the NBA and NFL. By not having a title sponsor, it meant there was more opportunity to get an aggregation of smaller sponsors, which ultimately led to more revenue.
The Premier League, as a product, is also a very attractive proposition to broadcasters around the world. High-quality cameras take the game closer to fans, while pitch-side cameras capture crowd noise at stadiums like Anfield. They make the spectators viewing through television feel as though they are part of the action, even though they are thousands of miles away, from any part of the world.
5. The unmatched History & Culture
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The Premier League is unmatched in terms of history, as the British invented football and have 150 years of history for the league to draw from. Local rivalries and derbies have years of rivalry steeped in them, with the matches always a tightly-contested affair.
As the somewhat tepid performance of English football on the world stage over the past few decades would attest, it’s certainly not world-beating talent that is drawing audiences of billions to the EPL.
There is a unique atmosphere that has pervaded English football matches for over a century that simply cannot be replicated in stadiums in France, Germany, and Spain. There is also the simple fact that England is the historical and spiritual home of the sport of football, which is enough to persuade global fans of the sport to watch the EPL.
Conclusion
The Premier League is undoubtedly the biggest league in the world and has massive following all around the world. Its uniqueness, coupled with its current ability in earning and potential to earn even more is truly frightening, however, a balance must be struck between earning more and trying to keep the culture of the league, as a whole.
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