10 Things Premier League Needs To Learn From American Sports

5. Hall Of Fame

6 Hall of Fame Now for a concept unknown in the UK but is massive in American with every major sport all having a Hall of Fame to celebrate the sports best players. It gives long retired players one last chance to spotlight their achievements helping to not only remind fans of them but educating younger fans that never got to see them play. It€™s a very nice thing to do towards retired professionals and let€™s forget about the need for big buildings or giving the hall of famer€™s rings to wear and concentrate on what it would mean for someone to be recognized that highly. In recent years tributes to legends who are sadly no longer with us like Alan Ball, Bobby Moore or George Best were deeply moving and showed just how much football fans do care about the past. Clubs love and try to take care of their legends keeping them active in the club in the youth system or as ambassadors. A place or at least an idea of a hall of fame would further help cement ex-players legacies in a way that celebrating them after their dead just won€™t achieve. Like the NFL who show off the new of fame inductees at the Super Bowl having old footballing legends come out at the FA Cup final would be a nice touch and add even more prestige to the history of the oldest cup competitions in the world. Take someone like Paul Gascoigne a man who had his demons while playing but has certainly suffered when he could no longer play the game he loved. Something like a hall of fame would honour and remind people of what an amazing player he was rather than the sad tragic case he is now. It€™s not a perfect answer I grant you but giving ex-players something being respected going round the country talking to kids as a hall of famer might help remove the loneliness former players have once they left football. It€™s an idea FIFA could use somewhere ex-players can be admired showing off the fact they helped built football into one of the biggest sports in the world. An international hall of fame and one just for players who made big moments and contributions in English football I think is a nice human touch all round. It does frankly amaze me that with all the other American sports ideas we debate about using in the Premier League this one never comes up when really it€™s a nice respectful thing to do.
Contributor
Contributor

Ian Newby is a average nerd living in the north of England, if given the chance he would spend all his life sat watching every single football match he possibly could before catching up on nerd happy TV shows then playing videos games all night, thankfully he doesn’t do that.