Meanwhile, team sports across the rest of the world where relegation is a thing wonder why teams would give up their competitive edge in recruitment for a draf

Meanwhile, team sports across the rest of the world where relegation is a thing wonder why teams would give up their competitive edge in recruitment for a draft... :) Mainly its path dependency based on meetings that took place in the late 19th century establishing norms. It's not like association football clubs aren't big businesses, it's just relegation is so fundamental to fans' idea of competitive sport that even the English Premier League - a breakaway organised by the top division clubs for the stated purpose of giving themselves a bigger share of the broadcasting revenues - didn't seriously consider the idea of not continuing to kick its worst three performing members out every season. For related reasons, fan backlash killed the American-owner-inspired "European Super League" project off within days of it being publicised