Summary
Last week, a group of wealthy owners of European soccer clubs announced plans to create a new, closed "Super League" of just the biggest and richest teams. But following global protests from fans, government officials and even members of the British royal family, the plan is now a super fail.
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The teams that were set to make up the new "Super League" included some of the most prominent professional teams from national leagues in the UK, Spain and Italy.
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The new league was established in secret, and on announcement fans across Europe blasted the idea for breaking up long-standing rivalries and league traditions.
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The breakaway teams seemed to be surprised by the negative reactions of their own fans, who enjoyed watching their teams play in their traditional leagues.
Five Facts
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Who
was going to participate in the new league?
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Why
did fans react so negatively to the idea of the "best" professional teams playing each other?
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What
were some of the arguments participating teams made about the benefits of a new league?
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How
did the league plans begin to fall apart?
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Where
would the new league have played?
Focus Questions
Why do you think fans are so passionate about the traditions of their favorite sports teams?
If you could make one major change to a popular sports league in the U.S., what would you change?
Media literacy:
Why do you think the producers of this show focused on a change proposed in a league outside the United States? What lessons do you think the interviewee, Roger Bennett, draws between sports in the U.S. and sports elsewhere?
For More
This remains a challenging year for physical education in schools. Educators and students may want to check out
this blog post on the value
of physical education.
