The Spanish top division, La Liga, has Messi, Ronaldo, and the world's biggest club fixture, 'El Clasico', the German top division, the Bundesliga, has the juggernaut that is Bayern Munich, and the Italian top division, Serie A, has domestic powerhouse Juventus. The English Premier League may not be able to compete with the fact that it isn’t home to the world’s best teams and the game's biggest names, but it certainly possesses a few qualities that set it above the rest. The weekly soap opera that is England's top soccer division is entering its 24th season and it is arguably stronger than ever. Here are 5 reasons why the English Premier League is the best in the world.
1. Parity
The English Premier League is one of the most competitive in the world. This may be hard to believe at first because if you aren't familiar with the game or the league you probably think it consists of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City with a bunch of second rate clubs sprinkled in. This couldn't be any further from the truth. Last season, a list compiled of the top 40 richest soccer clubs in the world featured ALL 20 EPL teams. This means that the bottom club in the Premier League has the resources to buy players that will enable them to compete with the Manchester United's And Arsenal's on any given match day. Even though there are other leagues with better players and even better teams, those leagues are dominated by 1 or 2 teams so the drama and parity that has become synonymous with the Premier League isn't there. The parity that the Premier League brings contributes greatly to its excitement.
2. Derby Matches
Pronounced 'darby' in British English, a derby match is just another name for a rivalry. There a two types of derby matches in the Premier League, local derbies and big club derbies. The local derbies tend to be pretty heated affairs between clubs within the same city or county…often only separated by a few miles and fueled by over 100 years of hate in some cases. Imagine how intense The Carolina-Clemson or Auburn-Alabama rivalries would be if the schools were located in the same cities? A few of the big local derby matches are the North London Derby (Arsenal vs. Tottenham), the Merseyside Derby (Liverpool vs. Everton), and the Manchester Derby (Manchester City vs. Manchester United). The big club derbies are matches between England's biggest and most successful clubs. These matches are so important because they often play a huge part in who wins the league or who grabs that fourth and final Champions League spot at the end of the season. Big club derbies are normally contests between teams within the top 5 or 6 of league, one of the largest big club derbies is Manchester United vs. Liverpool.
3. The Pace of The Game
One of the complaints many people have about soccer is that it can be too slow at times. While this may be true for the more defensive minded leagues like Serie A (Italy's top league) it is certainly not true for the blistering Premier League. Whether it’s a clash between two opponents at the top of the table or an untelevised match between two of the leagues cellar dwellers, you are guaranteed end to end action. The EPL is known for its fast pace and physicality, so much so that pundits often question whether or not top players from other leagues will be able to adapt their game's to the Premier Leagues frantic pace.
4. Top Players
While the EPL may not feature the Messi's and Ronaldo's of the world some of the world's top players suit up for Premier League clubs. Alexis Sanchez, Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil, and Wayne Rooney are just a few of the stars that the Premier League has to offer; meaning the Premier League has been able to find a balance between star power and competitiveness.
5. The Drama
The Premier League can be compared to a soap opera at times; there is always a bit of drama going on behind the scenes. To give you an idea, imagine the American media (not just ESPN) followed the lives of NFL and NBA players as much as they follow the Kardashians. Then multiply that by 2 or 3 and that's how much the British media follows the lives of EPL footballers. It makes for some pretty juicy news. Some of the biggest bombshells over the years have been Chelsea defender, John Terry's affair with the wife of former international teammate Wayne Bridge and spats between managers on and off the pitch like the ongoing feud between Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. If the drama of the quick paced, wide open EPL isn't enough on the field the journalists will certainly bring you some of the drama off of the pitch.
According to premierleague.com 4.7 billion people watched the EPL in 2010-2011. 4.7 billion. As TV deals have grown, along with the league's popularity, this figure has certainly risen. These figures mean the Premier League has the biggest TV audience in the world. These concrete facts mixed with the 5 reasons above surely solidify the English Premier League as the best league in the entire world.
