The Americanism of Non-American Football
Ryan Hegna
Mr. Reuter
Economics
30 September 2014
In today’s world of sports, there is a dichotomy between the two separate world of football: American and European. Too often I hear people bashing the European sport, because they think of it as some game for wusses, while, conversely, American football is fueled by grit and the American spirit. But really how American is our version of football? And more importantly, is soccer really all that unAmerican?
It is an undeniable fact that America collectively prides itself on its capitalistic values and democratic systems. In contrast, Europe is often (incorrectly) viewed as a socialist cesspool where the free market is a myth. And both identify intensely with their respective versions of football. So, it would be logical to think that the professional leagues, in which the sports are played, would follow suit. This, however, would be a misconception. The people who run the NFL see the league purely as an avenue for entertainment, so they ensure that it stays competitive, often at the cost of capitalistic values. For example, it is logical that a team who wins a lot will receive more money from fans. The more money you have, the better you can make your team. Well, if this was the case, it would be a travesty for the NFL, as a select few teams would ascend to ProBowlesque quality, while the rest of the franchises would be left to try to scrape together a few points every once in a while. So, the NFL has implemented various measures to prevent this economic spread from occurring. Let’s go through a few. First, there is shared revenue, which takes the extra cash the top teams earns and redistributes that to the poorer teams to provide them with the necessary funds to find new players. Then, there is a salary cap, which prevents the richest of the rich from just throwing money at all the top players to get them to play for their team. Lastly, there is the draft, which gives the worst teams first dibs and the best and brightest incoming talent.
For a sport that is considered truly American, it doesn’t seem all that American. On the other hand, you have the world of European topflight football. If there was ever a prime example of laissezfaire economic systems, this would be it. There is no salary cap, no draft, and by no means is there any redistribution of wealth. In fact, if a team is so bad that they finish in the bottom three, then they are relegated, meaning they are kicked out of the league and are placed in a lower, less talented league, only to be replaced by the best teams of that lower league. In European football, money is everything. If a club has the money to spend, then they are free to spend it as they choose. And they have no financial responsibility to help out the little guys. If they see a player they like, they just pay the player’s club anagreed upon fee, which can often reach incredible values, and then they have the right to tempt the player to join by offering however high of a wage that they feel is necessary. The table below shows Premier League spending in the 2014 summer transfer window. Pay note to the disparity between the top and bottom teams in terms of spending.
In terms of the distribution of new talent, youth players are similar to free agents. Any kid is subject to being courted by a club and placed in their youth academy which will take these prospects and look to polish them into world class talents. Once again, there are no parameters which look to help out the lower quality clubs and capitalist values ring true.
Ultimately, there is a great irony in the general perceptions of both American and European football. With American football being regarded as an American icon, it should be reconsidered if it really is a true parallel to our country which savors its economic freedom and capitalism. When compared to the free market of European football, American football looks like a communist, centrally planned economy which ensures only the equality of all involved.
MailOnline, Nick. "Transfer deadline day in numbers: Your ultimate guide to the money being spent by thePremier League clubs." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 1 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article2739255/TransferdeadlinedaynumbersAllstat
sfactsfiguresneedknow.html>.
"Revenue sharing splits up $6 billion in 2013." ProFootballTalk. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
<http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/11/revenuesharingsplitsup6billionin2013/>.
Mr. Reuter
Economics
30 September 2014
The Americanism of NonAmerican Football
In today’s world of sports, there is a dichotomy between the two separate world of football: American and European. Too often I hear people bashing the European sport, because they think of it as some game for wusses, while, conversely, American football is fueled by grit and the American spirit. But really how American is our version of football? And more importantly, is soccer really all that unAmerican?
It is an undeniable fact that America collectively prides itself on its capitalistic values and democratic systems. In contrast, Europe is often (incorrectly) viewed as a socialist cesspool where the free market is a myth. And both identify intensely with their respective versions of football. So, it would be logical to think that the professional leagues, in which the sports are played, would follow suit. This, however, would be a misconception. The people who run the NFL see the league purely as an avenue for entertainment, so they ensure that it stays competitive, often at the cost of capitalistic values. For example, it is logical that a team who wins a lot will receive more money from fans. The more money you have, the better you can make your team. Well, if this was the case, it would be a travesty for the NFL, as a select few teams would ascend to ProBowlesque quality, while the rest of the franchises would be left to try to scrape together a few points every once in a while. So, the NFL has implemented various measures to prevent this economic spread from occurring. Let’s go through a few. First, there is shared revenue, which takes the extra cash the top teams earns and redistributes that to the poorer teams to provide them with the necessary funds to find new players. Then, there is a salary cap, which prevents the richest of the rich from just throwing money at all the top players to get them to play for their team. Lastly, there is the draft, which gives the worst teams first dibs and the best and brightest incoming talent.
For a sport that is considered truly American, it doesn’t seem all that American. On the other hand, you have the world of European topflight football. If there was ever a prime example of laissezfaire economic systems, this would be it. There is no salary cap, no draft, and by no means is there any redistribution of wealth. In fact, if a team is so bad that they finish in the bottom three, then they are relegated, meaning they are kicked out of the league and are placed in a lower, less talented league, only to be replaced by the best teams of that lower league. In European football, money is everything. If a club has the money to spend, then they are free to spend it as they choose. And they have no financial responsibility to help out the little guys. If they see a player they like, they just pay the player’s club anagreed upon fee, which can often reach incredible values, and then they have the right to tempt the player to join by offering however high of a wage that they feel is necessary. The table below shows Premier League spending in the 2014 summer transfer window. Pay note to the disparity between the top and bottom teams in terms of spending.
In terms of the distribution of new talent, youth players are similar to free agents. Any kid is subject to being courted by a club and placed in their youth academy which will take these prospects and look to polish them into world class talents. Once again, there are no parameters which look to help out the lower quality clubs and capitalist values ring true.
Ultimately, there is a great irony in the general perceptions of both American and European football. With American football being regarded as an American icon, it should be reconsidered if it really is a true parallel to our country which savors its economic freedom and capitalism. When compared to the free market of European football, American football looks like a communist, centrally planned economy which ensures only the equality of all involved.
Works cited
"Football capitalism is functioning well."Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.<http://www.forbes.com/sites/stefanszymanski/2012/09/02/footballcapitalismisfunctioningwell/>MailOnline, Nick. "Transfer deadline day in numbers: Your ultimate guide to the money being spent by thePremier League clubs." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 1 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article2739255/TransferdeadlinedaynumbersAllstat
sfactsfiguresneedknow.html>.
"Revenue sharing splits up $6 billion in 2013." ProFootballTalk. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
<http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/11/revenuesharingsplitsup6billionin2013/>.
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