Showing posts with label Popularity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Popularity. Show all posts

Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Popularity of English Premier League Soccer

The premiership was formed in 1992 out of the ashes of the old football league division one. Many top flight managers had long argued that too much football was played which led to the restructuring of the top tier of English football. This meant a reduction in the number of premier league clubs involved.

The popularity of English premier league soccer is not just confined to England and the United Kingdom. In recent years, the premiership has become something of a global phenomenon with football fans in countries all over the world eagerly tuning in to watch their favourite team every week.

When the premiership was created a huge amount of money came into the game courtesy of television deals. This newly found wealth enabled the clubs to attract the best players in the World lured by attractive salaries and the excitement of premiership football itself. Premiership football has now become the most watched sporting event on the planet. It is also the Worlds most lucrative football league with combined club revenues that stretch into billions of pounds per year.

One of the reasons why premier league soccer is so popular on a global scale is the high tempo which the football is played at. Fans from all over the World love to see end to end action with both teams attempting to win the game. Premiership football delivers plenty of entertainment throughout the 90 minutes in the form of goals, drama and incident.

Before the arrival of the premiership, many experts considered Italian football to be the best in the World and the preferred destination for players. Although the football in Italy is played at a much slower tempo compared to that of the premier league which makes it less attractive for the neutral fan.

Because it has become so popular, there are controversial plans to stage some premier league games abroad. This would involve the clubs playing an extra round of matches in countries as far away as China and Japan. These plans have brought much debate and widespread opposition within the game with many feeling this could be taking things a step too far.

For more articles focusing on English premier league soccer please visit English Football Blog for the latest news and comment on the premiership soccer scene.

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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Indian Premier League - Reasons For Its Popularity

With the ability to fill cricket stadiums, attract between 7 million and 24 million television viewers for a single match, the Indian Premier League's (IPL's) popularity is beyond question. IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, would have been pleasantly surprised at the resounding success of a tournament that only aimed to out-perform the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). The success of the IPL is not down to chance but a combination of factors and circumstances.

== IPL's appeal to the Indian market ==

With a population exceeding one billion and a cricket-mad society, India is the most lucrative market for cricket in the world. The Indian Premier League is essential an Indian tournament that was meant to be played with India. The IPL's popularity owes a great deal of its lustre by being attractive to a large percentage of cricket fans in India. In the 2008 edition of the IPL, the stands were packed to capacity as the locals turned out in droves to support their local franchises. Even when the 2009 IPL was held in South Africa, viewership was still worthy enough because it still got traction with Indian viewers.

== The T20 product ==

Since its introduction in England, the T20 product took off-even before the Indian Premier League was formed. Domestic T20 competitions were the rage in England, South Africa and the West Indians already, demonstrating that there was a vibrant, untapped market for the shorter form of the game. The shortest form of cricket is exciting and action-packed. Viewers and spectators do not have to spend an entire day watching a game and it makes use of the prime time slot nicely, so folks can enjoy a match after work and still have time left over. The T20 game eliminates the meandering middle overs of the 50-over game and accentuates the pressure. With only 120 legal deliveries in an innings, the pressure is one from the start. Cricket fans already loved the T20 format-the IPL merely took advantage of the tide.

== Use of star players ==

Even before the IPL, fans loved the idea of seeing the best players from around the world. Recall the Super Series that pitted the mighty Australians against an ICC World team comprised of superstars from other cricket playing countries. The IPL brought together international stars on the Indian circuit. Fans got to witness Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar opening the batting in a team that included Dwayne Bravo and Shaun Pollock.

Other stars like Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Jacques Kallis populated IPL teams, in addition to the star Indian players like Harbhajan Singh, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag-the list can go on and on. Even when the international players in the IPL were not stars, the IPL franchises were able to recruit the best T20 players from other leagues who made a name for themselves in the IPL. The use of star players from around the world increased the global appeal of the tournament.

== Other innovations ==

The IPL included some novel innovations that kept followers interested. The concept of an auction for players was something new to cricket. The prices the players fetched in the auction added to the spectacle and excitement of the tournament. IPL organisers involved Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty in the franchise initiative with great success and integrated dancers, music, and ensured that each franchise was geographically linked to an area. As such, the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians were based in Chennai and Mumbai respectively, facilitating parochial support. Such innovations were carefully done in order to maximize the appeal of the IPL to the Indian market and the global audience as well.

== Conclusion ==

The list of reasons for the IPL's success can go much further, but the main reasons are its star attraction (in the ownership and players), market, the product offered and well-considered innovations. Arguably, the major draw of the IPL is its international appeal and global following that was demonstrated in the success of the second edition, which South Africa hosted.

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