With the World Series now in full swing, the postseason atmosphere has reminded me why American playoffs can be very enjoyable and yet so… so…
You may have been expecting something like “compelling” or “exciting” to come next, but the word I was looking for was more along the lines of cruel or dissatisfying.
‘Insert mental commentary insulting my uncommon opinion here’
Unorthodox view, I know. But for a second, indulge me and consider this: in which American sport does a postseason “runner-up” receive any sort of recognition comparable to the winner?
Sure, NCAA football has multiple bowl matchups (too many?) and March Madness yields “cinder-fella” type scenarios seemingly every year, even if they aren’t cutting down the nets by tournament’s end. But those are both examples of collegiate, not professional, athletics.
So besides those two, nothing? No takers? Nobody?
Oh, wait, I forgot one: soccer.
In soccer, there are no playoffs, except for in the MLS, which has to be Americanized in its framework in order to attract television viewership. Let’s take the premier English, Spanish and Italian leagues. During one season, 38 league matches are played. At the end of those fixtures, the team with the most points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for defeat) wins the league.
However, in England, the top four finishers qualify for the Champions League, the most prestigious international club tournament, the following year. The fifth and sixth place finishers qualify* for the Europa League, another international club tournament (essentially the Champions B League).
How’s that for appreciating more than just “number one”? Just wait, there’s more.
Every team, every year, is eligible to compete in a “domestic cup competition.” Simply put, there’s at least one annual tournament in each country with the format of win-or-go home. Because upper echelon clubs place more importance on their league standing or on the aforementioned international club contests, second-string players are often mixed into strong teams’ lineups during these tournament games. This gives all the underdog sides a fighting chance.
And I’m not done. Some of the most exciting matches of the year are held between the cellar dwellers, the residents of the lower level of the totem pole. How is this possible?
In European soccer, each country has its own divisions. To make it easier, think about the MLB and the minor leagues. You have the pros, then AAA, then double A, then single A. If a player on the Cardinals, for instance, is performing poorly, Tony La Russa might send him down to AAA for a few weeks
But in Europe, a team performing poorly can be sent down, players, manager and all, to the division below them for the whole next season. This is called “relegation”. In most cases, the bottom three clubs move down at season’s end while the top three clubs from that division move up, or are “promoted.”
So, if the 17th and 18th placed teams in England both have earned 39 points over the course of the season, and they face each other on the final day of the year, it’s a duel to the death. Sometimes, four, five or even six teams can be so closely bunched at the bottom of the league table that the 15th placed team can drop to 18th in a matter of minutes (all matches on the final day of the English premier league season are played simultaneously).
Phew. We’re done.
Now if you actually read all that, you see how widely the term “success” is shared in European soccer. And moreover, you see how all the games played in a season really matter, not just the ones at the end.
*Due to really confusing logistical rules that even I have trouble understanding, the sixth place team doesn’t always qualify for the Europa League; usually, though, two teams from somewhere in England qualify for the Europa League, one way or another.
