The UEFA Champions League is the second most important competition in the world of professional soccer, overshadowed only by the World Cup. The reason the Champions League is so important is because it proves which Football Club is the best in all of Europe. The problem from an American fan’s standpoint is, how do you get other Americans to care?
To begin UEFA stands for, the Union of European Football Associates. UEFA is the largest of all of the groups that divide the world’s soccer teams. The reasoning for the Champions League’s importance comes from the fact that the group is the largest. It also includes the world’s most important and prestigious football leagues. These most important leagues include, England’s Barclay’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, and Germany’s Bundesliga. These leagues include the most powerful teams, with the best players, thus giving the competition it’s significance and appeal.
The way the tournament works is that each of the major leagues is given a number of teams that qualify to compete in the Champions League. For instance, in England’s Premier League, the teams that finish in the top four positions of the table are allowed to progress to the Champion’s League. This means that the best teams, from the best leagues in the world, with the best players, are all competing for this competition. Think of it like a World Cup where what country players are from doesn’t matter anymore. If you can afford them, and can convince them to join your team, you can have any player you want.
The problem comes with interesting an American audience in such an event. It can be easy to understand that unless you have a connection to a club that is involved in the competition, there is really no reason why it should be on your radar. The argument that can be posed to such a line of thinking is, if you don’t care about what teams are playing the Super Bowl, why do you still watch? Or even just with soccer, I know people who don’t really like the sport but still watch the World Cup Final.
The answer proves that sports are more than just games. We add meaning to them. The Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Olympics, the World Series, they all provide a common something that all people can identify with. These most summative games provide a way to bring people and ideas that would not have been brought together before together. For these moments, these games, it becomes more than just “a game.” It becomes a crucial part of our cultures.
So I challenge those who fail to find the importance in such an event as the Champions League, or someone who doesn’t see soccer as a sport worth watching to give it a try with the Champions League. It may open a new door for you and give you a new view of the world and what sports really mean.
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