The vast wealth of the Premier League and its cash-rich clubs relies on the endurance of a myth. This crystallised for me when talking to a Frankfurt season ticket holder, who told me that he would love to attend a game at my club, Arsenal, to experience the amazing atmosphere of the Premier League and the passion of its fans first-hand. You can imagine how disappointed this fan would be to fork out almost half the price of his Frankfurt season ticket for one game at the Emirates, only to be confronted with the reality of its utterly tepid atmosphere.This gap between expectation and reality isn't unique to Arsenal. It's a symptom of a problem that is affecting clubs up and down the country. "There's been a decline, it's a commonly accepted position," Jay McKenna of Liverpool fan group Spirit of Shankly says when I ask about the state of the atmosphere in Premier League grounds. "It's not talked about by the authorities or the clubs themselves, certainly not publicly, because they know it would damage their product."Indeed, cultivating a certain image of the Premier League is vital to the league and its clubs when it comes to how they make their money. The idea that English fans have a passion for the game rooted in a rich tradition and history, unique in world football, is a key part of a brand that is sold across the world. You only need to look at the figures that have seen Manchester United hit the top of football's rich list to see how significant this is. Deloitte reported that the club had a total revenue of £515.3m in 2016, with £272.1m of that coming from commercial income and £140.4m from broadcast rights. That means that 80% of the club's revenue is linked to the branding of the Premier League and Manchester United as a club. That's what sells those lucrative TV rights abroad, that's what persuades fans in growing markets to emulate the perceived dedication and passion of the fans in the stadium by buying Manchester United shirts in China, that's what gets the club those soft drink sponsorships in Nigeria and the cash from their confectionary partner in Thailand.Read more on VICE sports.
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