In the next 90 seconds or so, I hope to get you to care a little bit more about soccer.
12 of the highest earning soccer clubs in Europe announced on Sunday that they’re forming a new, breakaway league.
Instead of qualifying for and playing in the current European championship tournament, the Champions League, they’re automatically buying their way into a league of their own creation.
There is no American sports equivalent, but I’ll try…
This would be like the Packers, Niners, Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys, and Giants forming their own version of the NFL playoffs that they automatically qualify for every year regardless of their regular season record.
The goal is, of course, money.
By grouping up with other high-grossing teams, top-tier matchups will be created all the time, driving TV ratings, ticket sales…you get the idea.
The rest of the soccer world, as you might imagine, is irate.
Their hopes of European football glory and a huge Champions League paycheck are being circumnavigated by 12 greedy teams.
UEFA, the governing body of the Champions League, and FIFA, the governing body of the World Cup, are protesting.
They’re pausing competitions and threatening that players on these 12 teams won’t be able to participate in future competitions if they go through with this.
In short, the soccer world is at a stand-off.
So, why should you care?
Well, if FIFA succeeds in banning players from future competitions, America’s top players won’t be able to compete in the World Cup.
Soccer isn’t the most popular sport in America. Not by a longshot. It’s not even in the top five.
But this is the biggest sports story in the world today.
Whether you care or not, hopefully you know a little more about it than you did 90 seconds ago.
