#1 ·
I was thinking about this today while watching some old highlights. It feels like every single thing that used to be special, niche, or purely driven by the spirit of the game is being eyed up by someone with a spreadsheet. We used to have these legendary matchups that existed purely because of history and geography, but now it feels like the gatekeepers are looking for any excuse to move the party to a bigger stadium with more corporate boxes.
Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the sport grow globally, but there's a massive difference between expanding the fan base and just chasing the highest bidder. When you start moving historic, storied rivalries away from their natural homes just to tap into a new market, you lose that "soul" that makes the fans go crazy in the first place. It starts to feel less like a contest and more like a touring circus.
Once you break that seal and start treating every classic showdown as a mobile product, do you think the original magic ever actually comes back?
Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the sport grow globally, but there's a massive difference between expanding the fan base and just chasing the highest bidder. When you start moving historic, storied rivalries away from their natural homes just to tap into a new market, you lose that "soul" that makes the fans go crazy in the first place. It starts to feel less like a contest and more like a touring circus.
Once you break that seal and start treating every classic showdown as a mobile product, do you think the original magic ever actually comes back?