Sports fans around the world are used to the factor of promotion and relegation. For many, it’s an integral part of the game, and it’s seen in many team disciplines including soccer, rugby and cricket.
For those involved, having the systems in place boosts the thrills and drama, particularly towards the end of the season, when relegation is in the balance. It’s been an accepted part of the game for decades, but not every sport has relegation in place.
Exceptions to the Rule
North American leagues offer several instances where relegation doesn’t apply. The NFL, the NBA, the MLB, and the NHL are the ‘big four’ as far as fans in the USA and Canada are concerned, but those leagues are static each year.
Unless a team goes out of business for whatever reason, their place at the elite level is assured. There may be relocations, as underlined by the NFL’s Raiders, but no team will fall into a second tier, no matter how badly they perform.
How does a lack of relegation impact these and other global sporting leagues around the world? It’s an interesting question, and as Casino.org examines relegation in soccer and in other sports, the answers will be revealed.
Dispensing With the Drop Zone
Why do some divisions, such as the English Premier League, have promotion and relegation while others dispense with these systems? In certain cases, the sport is simply too small to accommodate these factors, so there is no second tier for a team or player to drop down to.
Other sports may be regional: If there is little money in the competition, it doesn’t make sense for teams and competitors to be travelling around the country. This leads to a restricted tournament, and once again, there is no scope for relegation to be implemented.
In certain sports, it could be argued that the teams are so big that relegation isn’t an option. There is so much money in the sport that it would be unthinkable for the franchises to drop down through the levels. This may be the case in North American leagues where the idea of the big NFL franchises playing in a second tier is ridiculous.
Relegation may not be a factor for several reasons, but is this a good thing?
Coasting to Home
One of the obvious downsides to a lack of relegation manifests at the end of the season. At the top of the table, teams have something to play for. In a system where the winner lifts the trophy, those with a mathematical chance of finishing at the top of the table keep battling and playing to the best of their ability.
Other leagues may have a playoff system, and this expands the intensity of competition. More sides have the opportunity to progress and make it through to the postseason. It’s all to play for at the top of the league, but towards the bottom, things aren’t so exciting.
Going Through the Motions
Imagine a scenario where your favorite team has four games left in the season. They cannot win the league or make the playoffs, but they can’t be relegated either. In short, there is nothing left to fight for.
While athletes will talk about professional pride, it’s almost impossible to play with the same intensity when there is nothing on the line. The situation will be even worse when two teams take to the field in the same position.
In any sport, whether it’s soccer, rugby, cricket, NFL, or other team disciplines, this leads to some very dull games at the end of the season. It’s boring for fans, and it may lead to low attendances and a loss of revenue for the teams involved.
In contrast, when relegation becomes a factor, the intensity levels increase. Some may even argue that the teams involved in a relegation scrap have more to play for than those at the top.
A drop into the tier below will often lead to a loss of income, while the club’s best players leave at the end of the season with a view to returning to the elite level.
The lack of motivation is the biggest downside to any league where relegation isn’t a factor.
Relegation: Yes or No?
We’ve seen in some cases that there is no scope to employ a relegation system. If we take the cricket-based Indian Premier League as an example, there are just ten teams taking part. The tournament has previously expanded while older franchises have gone out of business, but there is not enough scope for a two-tier system.
While it’s acceptable not to have relegation as a factor, the biggest problem comes at the end of the season. There are simply too many meaningless games where sides have nothing to play for. It’s a factor that organizers may well want to address, as the impact of not having relegation is largely a negative one.
