This is used in many sporting leagues around the world, but I got the idea stuck in my brains recently since I have been watching more English Premier League football, which uses this system. My grandson, Ike, who is my right-hand-man at the website administration department, is a fan of the Liverpool FC squad (which has fallen on hard times lately), and he has gotten me some-what hooked on the sport, since it fills a blank slate on my yearly sporting calendar and my cousin Walter can tape matches on his fancy digital VHS machine. No, dear readers, I don't care about the NBA. And there is little point in getting excited about the Brewers until later in the summer. So yeah, I enjoy
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Let me preface the rest of my column by saying the implementation of relegation in the NFL is unlikely in the near-term because it would require a 'second-tier' football league to work in conjunction with the NFL, and I just don't think the Canadian Football League is ready at this point. Maybe we could use the SEC.
Essentially, promotion and relegation is like doing a little spring cleaning around the house, or maybe a better example would be making roster cuts before the regular season begins. But instead of cutting an under-performing lineman and sending him to the practice squad, a league-wide system of promotion and relegation would demote a hand-ful of piss-poor teams to the B-League at the end of the season.
Take the 2008 season. The Detroit Lions finished 0-16, marking the worst season in league history. In the NFL, the Lions get another shot at the Super-bowl in 2009 (and 2010), even though they have demonstrated beyond a doubt their inherent horrible-ness. If the NFL used relegation, the Lions would have been sent to the B-League, or the Canadian League.
In their place, the Champion of the B-League would join the NFL. Maybe the 'transfer rate' would include two teams each season, maybe four.
The main benefit of this system is watching crappy teams like the Lions defend their position in the great NFL, and also, to ensure that week 16 and 17 games involving bad teams still have some importance in the grand scheme of things. The Lions may not be playing for the playoffs, but at least they'd have to fight for their league franchise every December. This, by itself, would make the NFL more interesting and allow us to poke fun at the Lions more often - both positives.
Conversely, we would end up with new 'novelty' team every season without giving away spots to expansion teams. Imagine playing the Edmonton Eskimos on Thanksgiving! This system would shake things up every year. More fizz is a good thing. Keeps things interesting.
I am sure there are a number of other large hurdles to implementing this plan, and I don't think it will ever actually happen, so I will just leave it at that. Something fun to think about while we all wait for the draft next week, at the very least.
Until next time, then,
FG