I decided to combine the posts for It's Always Sunny season 16 and Welcome to Wrexham season 2 because I have too many posts in my queue, waiting to be published, and because Rob McElhenney is involved with both shows. It's amazing to me that It's Always Sunny is still producing new episodes and still on TV. Despite its age, the show remains amusing. I don't have anything specific to say about season 16. The format of the episodes and jokes remain the same, so if you've been following the show over the years then you will enjoy the latest season.
I'd like to spend a little more time discussing Welcome to Wrexham. Ryan (Reynolds) & Rob's purchase of Wrexham's soccer club is one of the most interesting stories in sports at the moment. Wrexham is portrayed as a down-on-its-luck town, with their soccer club struggling and stuck in the lower leagues of play. Their fans are extremely passionate, and their moral as well as the moral of the city ebbs and flows with the team's success (or failure). When Ryan & Rob purchase the team, not only did they shine a spotlight on the Wales community, they infused some much needed energy (and more importantly, capital) into the team. The show is a documentary about the team and the community, and it is really well done and interesting to watch.
There are two things I specifically want to discuss regarding soccer in the UK. The first is the concept of promotion and relegation. The UK soccer ladder is long, with the Premiere League (level 1) being at the very top and featuring the most famous and well known teams and players. When Rob & Ryan purchased Wrexham, they were playing in the National League North/South (level 6). The best comparison I can think of in the United States is minor league baseball, and level 5 of English soccer would be akin to a league less than single A baseball. What's really neat about this situation, however, is that teams have the opportunity to move up (or down) leagues based on their success. Moving up leagues means more money, which can then be fed into the team to sign better players, upgrade stadiums, etc. It's really tough to move up leagues, however. As successful teams move up, teams that struggle move down. I find this concept really interesting, and it would be cool if leagues in the United States had a similar situation. Since Rob & Ryan bought Wrexham, the team has been promoted twice, and now play in League 2 (level 4).
The second item I wanted to discuss regarding English soccer is more of an observation than a fact, and that is the passion of the fans. We have passionate fans in the United States, but the level of passion displayed by the fans of Wrexham is truly amazing, and borderline crazy. In the US, everyone roots for the top tier professional teams. In my experience, the minor league teams always have their devoted fan base, but they are typically small and relatively quiet. Can you imagine a community in the US supporting a minor league sports team that is playing in the equivalent league of single A ball or lower the way Wrexham supports their football team? The only analogy I can think of in the US where communities rally around a team is small town high school sports. I suspect the ability to be promoted to a higher league plays a part in the support the team receives. Regardless, their passion for their team is great to see.
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