Thursday 23 April 2026 16.30
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Thursday 23 April 2026 11:01
Veteran US sports agent Leigh Steinberg says European sports can learn a thing or two from the NFL Draft
Manchester City’s win of four Premier League titles in the last five years is actually very problematic because when the results are predictable, fan engagement suffers.
When the same clubs dominate year after year, the commercial value of the entire league is eroded. Therefore, European soccer is faced with a choice: preserve tradition at the expense of growth and increasing team valuations, or embrace the structural innovations that have propelled American sport to unprecedented financial success.
The NFL Draft is misunderstood by many people outside of North America. It is actually a business tool designed to create competitive balance throughout the system. The mechanism is simple: teams select eligible college players in reverse order of the previous season’s standings. The worst team chose the former and last year’s champion chose the latter. These seven rounds ensured all 32 franchises acquired young talent.
NFL Draft explained
Most importantly, rookie contracts are placed based on draft position, thereby preventing bidding wars that would favor rich markets. The business case is interesting. The NFL combine generates more than $20 billion annually with the implementation of this system. Even more interesting, 13 different teams have won the Super Bowl in the last 20 years. Compare that to the Premier League, where five clubs have claimed all 20 titles in the same period. This is not a coincidence.
Competitive equality drives viewership. When any team can realistically compete for a championship in multiple seasons, every game has weight. Broadcast rights reflect this premium. The network pays out more when the outcome is uncertain. In contrast, European football’s transfer system concentrates wealth and talent at the top.
The richest clubs buy the best players regardless of sporting achievements. PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid operate in a different financial world to Leicester City or Southampton. The predictability is suffocating. Small clubs became a feeder system, developing talent to be bought by elite teams. Financial Fair Play has proven to be toothless.
This gap widens every year. I have represented the top overall pick in several NFL drafts. I had negotiated a contract based on a beginner’s wage scale. This system is successful because it aligns individual opportunity with collective sustainability. Young players get a direct path to a professional career.
The team controls costs while building through intelligent talent evaluation, rather than simply outspending competitors. The small market of Green Bay competes with the large market of New York. The last-place team was routinely a playoff contender in three seasons. The Jacksonville Jaguars went from worst in the league to playoff contenders in two years through effective drafting.
opponents
Skeptics will cite players’ freedom of movement and EU employment laws as insurmountable obstacles and those critics have a fair point. But the answer is to consider a hybrid approach that employs a draft of players under the age of 21, while maintaining the traditional transfer market for established footballers. Leagues across Europe would then have to implement luxury taxes rather than strict salary caps.
The goal is not to imitate American sports wholesalers, but to adopt proven mechanisms to create a sustainable business model. This resistance stems from respect for tradition. I respect that. The history of European football is very long. But traditions should serve the present, not limit the future.
When a handful of clubs dominate decade after decade, when Leicester City’s miracle title in 2016 requires odds of 5,000-1, when broadcast viewers can predict the top four before the season starts, the business model has become rigid. The NFL’s success proves that competitive balance drives company value.
Each franchise in the league increases in value as its own product remains attractive. A rising tide lifts all boats. European football can maintain its soul while adopting mechanisms that ensure competitiveness is not only enjoyed by a privileged few.
The question is not whether change is necessary. The problem is whether stakeholders have the vision to make it happen.
Leigh Steinberg is an American sports agent who has represented the No1 overall pick in the NFL draft eight times.
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