Almost all Americans love watching all the major sports leagues. Globally, be it NBA, NHL, NFL, MLS, MLB, and college football and basketball. Nothing compares to the passion people have for watching European soccer as people grew up watching these leagues.
Nothing connects to the fans of European teams, as many Americans are passionate about their sports teams. One major drawback is one hand, most of the European fans are ardent supporters of their teams. But, some take it too far with violence that should not be tolerated.
People wonder what fans see in European soccer that many find to be great. Here are some of the causes why European soccer is better than other games in the world.
Reasons for popularity of European soccer
Every game counts
If an underdog can win a championship, every fan in the U.S. loves watching the playoffs in the major sports leagues. Sometimes, a team might rest players to prepare for the playoffs easily and seem fresh towards the end of the season. There are times when the best team doesn’t end up winning the championship. The team doesn’t need to come out to be the best team throughout the season.
There aren’t any playoffs in the domestic European leagues, so every game counts. As anything can happen and every point matters, no team will rest and take the chance of fielding a lesser team. The players strive hard for the full 90 minutes and don’t play off throughout each full game as every game matters.
Not having a playoff system will take all the fun out of the game.
Relegation
This gives the teams the support that they’ll have the chance to perform against better teams if they play well. But the system in the U.S. is quite different as the players do not care much.
This is the main reason for players showing more passion for the lesser teams. It is high time for the sportspersons to realize that every game matters and so the player’s livelihoods.
UEFA champions league
There is an annual tournament for the top teams from all the major domestic leagues in Europe to determine the best team as there are no playoffs to determine the domestic league champions. It’s always amazing to watch when two top teams with different philosophies get to play each other as different leagues have different playing styles.
The teams qualifying for the UCL get additional exposure to different markets and regions in which they don’t play. As everyone believes that their team could beat another league champion as it is fun for the fans.
Commercial free games
For a lot of non-traditional soccer fans, this is one of the best things. You must know how long the game will last. Usually, it is 90 minutes and some added time due to injuries as there are never any commercials. Consequently, the large majority of the games are a total of two hours from the start to the end.
It is tough to schedule other sports like baseball or football due to the uncertainty involved in them.
Start times
It makes ample time for you to schedule your other plans also as the game gets over in the morning only. This also paves the way for the fans to watch the games in their entirety without worrying about the other days.
Youth academy
In actuality, this is the only true aspect of European soccer. Many soccer teams like Arsenal, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich have academies for youth players that can be very young in some cases.
But this is a positive aspect for the teams, players, and the fans. The players also exhibit greater loyalty for the teams, and the fans also get the players to grow up as they are quite young. If the team’s players turn into stars, the teams tend to get happy for the academies as it seems cheap to them. As the team is rooting for the player to succeed and wants them to be successful, they appreciate it.
If you are looking out for one of the most successful academies in Europe, then it is Barcelona academy. Without any doubt, they have produced some of the best players in the world. The one factor contributing to their success is the players learning the Barca style and knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. If the players are talented, they can join the senior team as soon as they are ready.
Conclusion
These were some of the reasons that almost everyone regards European soccer as better than other games globally.