Why the EFL Championship tops the Premier League for drama
While most football fans in South Africa are tucking into their regular dose of Premier League football in their spare time, the rest of the football community is enjoying the delights on offer from a variety of other divisions, the Championship included. For many, the strongest second-tier league in world football is where the real entertainment is, but why? What is the appeal of watching Championship football?
A division containing the likes of Benni McCarthy’s former club Blackburn Rovers, the Championship’s ingredients make it a recipe for success. Year on year, it’s a competition that is throwing up numerous surprises and some truly iconic moments, much like what we saw when Watford faced Leicester in 2013 as Troy Deeney played a starring role in one of the most dramatic football matches ever witnessed. These moments aren’t rare, though. In fact, it’s a division that specialises in excitement. Below is a look at some of the aspects which make the Championship better than the Premier League.
There is so much at stake
Whether you’re vying for promotion to English football’s top-flight or you’re a side aiming to survive in the Championship, it’s a division with so much at stake for its 24 clubs. Being relegated can leave some clubs in turmoil, with the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich, Wigan and Portsmouth struggling to find their way back to the division since. At the other end of the table, the promotion battle is always hugely intense, with teams desperate to reach the Premier League and make use of the riches that come with it.
The unpredictability
There is a genuine openness to the Championship, which can’t really be levelled at the Premier League given the usual winners which we’ve seen before. Leicester, as remarkable as their Premier League win was, were an anomaly. Will we ever see another shock title win like that again? Probably not. The Championship, on the other hand, offers thrilling competitiveness every season. It’s exactly why making Championship predictions is so incredibly tough as the landscape of the division can change dramatically on a monthly basis. There are numerous surprise packages which surface too, namely Barnsley last campaign and the likes of Coventry and Luton Town this one. As fans, we want to be entertained and watch competitive football on a weekly basis. The Championship offers that in abundance, as football lovers flock to watch evenly contested matches with waves of attacking entertainment.
Premier League disillusionment
Whether it’s the ridiculous sums of money being spent, disinterested foreign owners tarnishing certain clubs’ rich history and tradition, or the one-paced, possession-based football most teams employ, many fans had become disillusioned with the modern Premier League and the soul-destroying aspects of it which make it far less appealing than when it was a more level playing field back in the day. For example, the gap between the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and the rest is growing all of the time. Throw Newcastle into the mix soon, and they’ll join the rest of the dominant pack. In essence, whichever club has the most money will generally do the best. How depressing. On top of this, the actions of the aforementioned breakaway pack has led to proposals like the European Super League, yet another development that left a sour taste in the mouths of many avid Premier League and football fans around the globe. True colours were certainly shown, and the fans clearly weren’t at the forefront of the conversation. In short, the Premier League is an ugly beast when you take away the hype surrounding it.
