In becoming a soccer fan, of the European variety, a new concept in sports has come to light -- relegation.
Relegation is when a team performs badly over the span of a season (in some cases, two), and they are sent down to what is effectively the minor leagues. A common example that's used to explain this concept to most Americans is this: Say the Kansas City Royals are crap this year like they usually are. Since they're so bad, baseball is going to demote them down to AAA ball, and take the best team from the triple-A ranks and promote them into the major leagues to replace the Royals. This not only would happen from the major leagues and AAA ranks, but also between AAA and AA ... AA and A, and so on. Now, around here, the Kinston Indians (Cleveland's A team) are usually pretty darn good. If the Kinston Indians were to win the A championship, they could move up to AA. Should they win that, send them to AAA. A championship there would mean ol' Kinston would be the home of a Major League Baseball team. Interesting stuff, huh? This concept has many benefits and consequences I won't get into here. I think you get the idea.
But the idea of relegation is sometimes a painful one. In Europe, it's just a fact of life. Like dying. Now, everyone gets that it happens to teams every year in every league. For a casual fan, I understand this. But that doesn't mean that I want to see it happen. I mean, I know lions eat antelopes, but that doesn't mean I want to see the grizzled scene.
Just last night, I watched the Fox Soccer Channel replay of the Roma-Catania match. Roma is at the top of the standings (or Table, if you will). Catania, however, was teetering on the relegation line. The squad needed a draw (tie) to stay in Italy's top soccer league. Down 1-nil late in the contest, if the result stood, Catania would be relegated into a lower league. I found myself rooting for Catania with everything I had. I knew full well that it the squad succeeded in its task, some other club would be relegated. But, like I said before, relegation is a fact that sometimes we just don't want to see. This "other club" wasn't in my living room, Catania was. Catania scored a goal in about the 80th minute that was recalled for an off-side penalty. Painful. In about the 84th minute, Catania scored the equalizing goal and effectively staved off relegation. There was so much joy in the stadium, and I found myself cheering loudly for this team I'd never seen play nor heard anything about until last night.
It's amazing how the use of club relegation can make a match between one of the leagues best teams and worst teams played on the final day of the season when the championship has already been settled mean so much. Right now, the San Diego Padres have MLB's worst record. If that stands, on the last day of the 162-game season, Padres fans have nothing to lose and the amateur baseball draft's No. 1 pick to gain. Imagine, Padres fans, if your entire team faced being sent to the minors on that day instead. Then you might get a hint of an idea about what true Catania fans were going through this week. With that, you can understand what a 1-1 draw on the season's last day can truly mean.
Relegation is when a team performs badly over the span of a season (in some cases, two), and they are sent down to what is effectively the minor leagues. A common example that's used to explain this concept to most Americans is this: Say the Kansas City Royals are crap this year like they usually are. Since they're so bad, baseball is going to demote them down to AAA ball, and take the best team from the triple-A ranks and promote them into the major leagues to replace the Royals. This not only would happen from the major leagues and AAA ranks, but also between AAA and AA ... AA and A, and so on. Now, around here, the Kinston Indians (Cleveland's A team) are usually pretty darn good. If the Kinston Indians were to win the A championship, they could move up to AA. Should they win that, send them to AAA. A championship there would mean ol' Kinston would be the home of a Major League Baseball team. Interesting stuff, huh? This concept has many benefits and consequences I won't get into here. I think you get the idea.
But the idea of relegation is sometimes a painful one. In Europe, it's just a fact of life. Like dying. Now, everyone gets that it happens to teams every year in every league. For a casual fan, I understand this. But that doesn't mean that I want to see it happen. I mean, I know lions eat antelopes, but that doesn't mean I want to see the grizzled scene.
Just last night, I watched the Fox Soccer Channel replay of the Roma-Catania match. Roma is at the top of the standings (or Table, if you will). Catania, however, was teetering on the relegation line. The squad needed a draw (tie) to stay in Italy's top soccer league. Down 1-nil late in the contest, if the result stood, Catania would be relegated into a lower league. I found myself rooting for Catania with everything I had. I knew full well that it the squad succeeded in its task, some other club would be relegated. But, like I said before, relegation is a fact that sometimes we just don't want to see. This "other club" wasn't in my living room, Catania was. Catania scored a goal in about the 80th minute that was recalled for an off-side penalty. Painful. In about the 84th minute, Catania scored the equalizing goal and effectively staved off relegation. There was so much joy in the stadium, and I found myself cheering loudly for this team I'd never seen play nor heard anything about until last night.
It's amazing how the use of club relegation can make a match between one of the leagues best teams and worst teams played on the final day of the season when the championship has already been settled mean so much. Right now, the San Diego Padres have MLB's worst record. If that stands, on the last day of the 162-game season, Padres fans have nothing to lose and the amateur baseball draft's No. 1 pick to gain. Imagine, Padres fans, if your entire team faced being sent to the minors on that day instead. Then you might get a hint of an idea about what true Catania fans were going through this week. With that, you can understand what a 1-1 draw on the season's last day can truly mean.
