Watching the EPL title clincher, but thinking about the relegation dodge

This morning I watched Manchester United match Blackburn in a match that both teams were happy to tie. It closed the lid on a 19^th title for the men of United, and it helped the men from Ewood Park in their humble quest, too.

Right around the corner, my second cup of coffee would be paired with the FA Cup final, which should be a fun ride, as well.

But what am I thinking about as all this is going on? About the EPL lightweights. About relegation and the desperate efforts to avoid it. About how much it means to the clubs and their supporters to remain in the top tier, where the EPL golden goose keeps the big cash flowing.

I’m thinking about Wigan and West Ham and Blackpool. I’m looking and Birmingham, Wolves and Blackurn, calculating and wondering whether they can cling to their slim margins?

Relegation is such an awesome concept. It creates such a bookend of drama. Well, really, it’s the better end this year as drama goes. Chelsea may have gained a smidge of ground lately on the Premiership leaders, but was there really any doubt over the last few weeks that the trophy was heading back to Old Trafford?

Meanwhile, teams cling desperately at the bottom, clawing like mad men to retain the luster and acclaim that comes with a seat at the EPL table. 

For so-called yo-yo clubs like Wolves or Blackpool, it’s about the ability to stay up and build through the lucrative financial gain. But for clubs like West Ham and Blackburn, it means so much more. It means financial crisis and, most likely, the dismantling of a roster the clubs can no longer afford.

Here’s what UK-based journalist Ian Whittell once told me about the specter of disaster that shrouds these matches, especially when it comes to teams accustomed to seats at the big kids’ table of English football. “The psychological impact of relegation is immeasurable,” he said. “The financial impact is massive. It could take decades for them to recover. A lot of teams never recover from it.”

Just look at Leeds United, whose financial fall from grace is a cautionary tale for every other top flight club. Leeds competed for places in Europe just 10-or-so years back. But egregious financial woe drove a disasterous, notorious fall from the top tier. Without access to the big money that comes with an EPL place to assist the recovery, Leeds went into an organizational free fall that took the proud club all the way down into England’s third tier.

Leeds is back into the second tier, but has yet to find its way all way back into the “bigs.”

Tomorrow’s EPL matches and the contests next week promise more drama.  

(Oh … and the answer is “No.” It will never happen here, where professional sports are so maddeningly intertwined with TV contracts. I wish it were different, but it’s just not.)