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Do people care about second, third... last place in nfl, nba etc? After all, it hardly matters. No trophy, didn't cost your team a qualification to a more prest
by matsemann 6y ago
Do people care about second, third... last place in nfl, nba etc? After all, it hardly matters. No trophy, didn't cost your team a qualification to a more prestigious tournament. No relegation to avoid. What do even the middle of the pack teams play for in the US system? I don't get it all. That's why it's deemed "not competitive" by European standards.
- Ekaros 6y agoLast place is big deal when relegation might happen. That option being there leads to bitter fight and the last games at end of the season really do matter to fans.
- toyg 6y agoPlayers (and coaches, managers etc) play for themselves - to get a better contract with a more prestigious team, to become popular enough to command rich personal-sponsorship contracts, and eventually to get closer to the chance of winning actual “rings”. That’s why a lot of US fans are actually supporting a given player rather than “the shirt”, in reverse proportion to the European tradition. It’s still a hard and extremely selective competition.
- dagw 6y agoWhat do even the middle of the pack teams play for in the US system? I don't get it all. It's even worse that that since there are incentives to finishing near the bottom of the table since it gives you access to better players in the next season via the draft. There are several occasions where bottom ranked teams have been accused of throwing late season games so they can finish even lower in the tables. That's why it's deemed "not competitive" by European standards. On the other hand if you look at the diversity of teams that have made it to the Super Bowl the past 20 years and compare that to the diversity of teams that have finished in the top two in the EPL or La Liga the past 20 years, then it looks a lot more competitive.