The 2023 NFL season has entered its final stages with only two teams left standing after running the gauntlet of the playoffs. What will follow is the calm before the storm as the 2023 Super Bowl contenders go through their final preparations. It is, unquestionably, one of the most exciting times on the sporting calendar in the United States as Super Bowl fever sweeps the land of the free.Â
And Then There Were Two
As things stand, it will be fans of the Philadelphia Eagles who will be fancying their chances given that the Super Bowl 2023 odds price them as the -138 favorites to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in mid-February. Irrespective of whether the Eagles can swoop down on the State Farm Stadium in Arizona and scoop the most coveted prize in American football when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVII, this match will, undoubtedly, deliver another thrilling chapter in the sport’s history.Â
Life is a highway#ItsAPhillyThing | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/1sH3WSTOAr
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 22, 2023
But as enthralling as the one-off Super Bowl is, could the regular season benefit from a shake-up, with the league adopting a promotion and relegation style system?
The Only Constant Is Change
It goes without saying that this is a subject that draws a strong response from fans who are resistant to change. It is an understandable reaction and it’s not just NFL fans who feel threatened when new reforms to their league setup are bandied about. After all, you only need to look at the response from English soccer fans when various American owners suggest that the Premier League would benefit from scrapping the promotion and relegation system so that the tournament could mirror the NFL.
In particular, it was new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly who was in favor of the English top flight following NFL practices. Without fail, any ideas like these are always met with a deafening din of uproar and indignation until someone in power backtracks. Crucially, the overriding fear from soccer fans across the pond when hearing this is that the door would be shut on smaller teams who aspire to play under the bright lights of the Premier League.Â
What is interesting to note is that this is a sentiment that is felt across the board with fans of the biggest and most successful clubs passionately campaigning against the idea that English soccer becomes a closed shop at the top. You may ask why fans who would benefit from having the trap door to the minor leagues closed forever would be so vehemently against the concept.
The answer is that it has to do with the integrity of competition being upheld, as well as preserving the sense of jeopardy that comes with a bad season. In short, any team, regardless of its size or status, can go down if they’re unable to find the points needed for survival, as this article on the six best teams to ever be relegated illustrates.
While no one wants to see this happen to the club they support, the nature of tribalism in English soccer means that fans would take pleasure in seeing a rival relegated.Â
“No sympathy for Burnley”
Roy Keane says Burnley have paid the price for sacking Sean Dyche 😬 pic.twitter.com/e5vjvdxFMf
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 22, 2022
It should be said that this perhaps has less to do with a feeling of schadenfreude and more centers on the fact that these are the traditions of Engish soccer; if you play poorly, then there will be severe consequences.Â
Does the Safety Net Need to Be Taken Away?
Switching back to the NFL and the wider point here is that the lack of danger during the regular season often means that teams go through the motions when there’s little chance of making the playoffs. Ultimately, should these franchises be allowed a free ride, or would the prospect of relegation spice up the regular season?
The reality is that we may never find out but should promotion and relegation ever be introduced, then the regular season may rival the Super Bowl for entertainment.
