Post-season....

Day -424 WorldCup2018

Chelsea are doing a good job of keeping up the possibility of an exciting May in the Premier League for Tottenham and neutral fans. But as Spurs continue to look like not only will they never lose but like they are winning for fun, and Chelsea not only seem like all of a sudden they could lose every week and are actually losing, I wonder again about the excitement value of a league versus a play-off system.

I am surrounded by play-offs now with two Toronto teams, hockey and basketball, competing in the post-season. Post-season. Look at me, sounding like a real local. Post-season is a funny term though, isn't it, because doesn't it mean that the season has ended? Whatever it may be called it means a lot of nail-biting games which all count. Nobody can play for a draw. Every game needs a winner. And then they do it again two days later until one of them wins four times. Of course the intensity of playing so many times in a short period doesn't work for football, but even the two home and away matches in the MLS makes me wonder if it's a more exciting end to the season than one team meandering to the title in May.

Yesterday we watched the Toronto Maple Leafs win in the second period of sudden death overtime. There's another joy of the playoffs. You've watched three twenty minute periods of non-stop action and there's still no winner. So they start another twenty minute period, and then another one until somebody scores. I struggle with how frantic hockey is and the constant change of possession of the puck. Hold on to it, I keep wanting to yell at the TV. But the intensity can be mesmerizing.

Fifa have already tweaked the 2026 World Cup and guaranteed themselves more revenue. But, as opposed as I used to be to any gimmicky rule changes, I wouldn't mind something different in the future to not have to endure any more turgid Costa Rica-Greece 0-0 draws. Play 10 minutes of extra time, five a side? Or just very simply bring back the silver and golden goals. The 2026 World Cup is going to be in North America. It has to be exciting and appealing to the locals