This is part one of our two part blog post examining the question – What is a sports league? In this part we look at what a sports league is, how they work, and why are they important. In part 2, we will look at the different major sports leagues in the world.
Sports Leagues
Sports leagues are where sports teams come together to compete against other teams in their chosen sport, such as football, cricket and rugby (union and league).
Sports leagues have been around since the 1800s and bring some order to the sports games, making sure that teams adhere to a set of regulations and they encourage a healthy form of competition. There are also advantages for sports fans as they can keep an eye on their favourite sports team via the ordered league system.
Sports league classification
Most sports leagues have a classification system or a pyramid hierarchy. There are often several divisions under one league. The top divisions have better teams competing in them. With divisions within the leagues, there is often a system of promotion and relegation within them. This is where teams move between the different divisions according to their success or lack of success in the current season.
Of course, there are plenty of different leagues for different ‘professional’ sports. This concept of major leagues and minor leagues was created by the North American franchise system.
The major leagues have the highest level of professional competition in their sport, coupled with strong media coverage and influence, large fan bases and spectators and a very competitive environment.
Minor sports leagues are much smaller, play at smaller grounds, have a tiny following compared to the major leagues and often are less financially viable.
Look out for Part 2 of this blog coming soon.
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