In English soccer, the play-offs for promotion to the Premiership league are currently underway. While it would seem obvious that any club would relish the opportunity to rise above Championship and play in the major league, it isn’t always the case. A nice article from Spiked talks about the reasons many would prefer to stay ‘below’:

It is much more fun challenging for promotion in a league that is genuinely competitive: dreaming the dream, if you like, rather than waking up to the over-hyped reality.

It’s interesting to consider the parallel situation globally, in the relation between the northern and southern hemispheres. Better to be the ‘biggest in the southern hemisphere’ than to be a minor player on the world stage.

Also read Going Up would Get me Down.