One of the most dominant storylines heading into this Premier League Season is: who will step up and replace former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson? At least, that’s the number one theme of the season according to NBC Sports Group’s Premier League analyst Robbie Earle:
When asked what he was most looking forward to this Premier League season Earle answered:
“How Premier League life without “Fergie” shapes up. Who can grab the mantle now that the great man has gone?”
On the field that task falls to David Moyes who takes over for Sir Alex Ferguson as United Manager, but the greater question he was asking was “who will replace Ferguson as the icon of the league/ambassador of the game?” And that’s an especially crucial role as NBC has paid a lot of money to bring Premier League to an American audience. They face a significant challenge in getting an American audience to buy in. NBC is broadcasting all 380 PL matches stateside, it’s more coverage than anywhere else in the world. Including the U.K.
A new “great man” will help sell the game of English football stateside.
Perhaps this figure will emerge from one of the six Premier League clubs owned by American interests. With the recent purchase of Fulham by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, 6 of the 20 Premier League clubs are now owned by Americans (Arsenal – Stan Kroenke; Aston Villa – Randy Lerner; Liverpool – John Henry; Manchester United – the Glazer family; Sunderland – Ellis Short).
Earle also said the game that he’s most looking forward to in the first few months of the season is…
“The Manchester Derby on September 22 (Manchester City v. Manchester United; 11 AM ET on NBCSN & Telemundo). No Fergie, no [Roberto] Mancini, but plenty at stake.”
Even without Sir Alex Ferguson, it will be special.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, a Fox Sports affiliate. He is also an analyst for 95.7 The Fan, and writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. President Obama follows his Twitter account (@PaulMBanks)