We recently launched our Jeopardy rankings, which rank competitions based on how effectively they deliver key sporting narratives (e.g. title race, relegation battle etc).

It is interesting that the five most highly rated football competitions for title-race jeopardy are second divisions.

This makes sense.  First, the best teams in a second division tend to get promoted, keeping promotion races tight each year.  Second, resources tend to be more concentrated among the biggest clubs.  The uneven distribution of media revenue, regular participation in UEFA competitions & disproportionately high commercial revenues are all factors that afflict top divisions most.

Conversely, WSL makes an appearance in our top 10, reflecting a new-found competitiveness between teams who have invested significantly in performance.

For superstar quality, it’s hard to ignore Europe’s top divisions, which boast the vast majority of the world’s best players.  But for sheer excitement, tuning into second tier competitions will rarely disappoint.