The future's star-spangled

I have looked into my crystal ball, well actually I've looked across the Atlantic - and I forsee a very different footballing map of the country in 20 years time, writes blogger Tim Walters.

Be certain of one thing, whatever happens in US sport eventually finds its way over here.

Two decades from now there will be instant replays, there will be more than one referee, but most importantly there will be a Premiership with NO relegation.

So if your team is not in the top flight you can forget any dream of ever being there.

I'm not saying it's a good thing, I'm just saying it's inevitable.

The last three or four years have seen an influx of foreign owners. They're not going to go away and they'll be joined by more for one simple reason - MONEY.

Already they own seven of the top ten clubs in the Premiership and it is only a matter of time and readies before they have control of the majority of top flight clubs.

They're not doing it for love but because they know the huge TV revenues will increase, never to the levels that American Football or Baseball can boast in the States, but still to some pretty mind-blowing figures.

Football or more pertinently Premiership Football is what keeps the likes of Sky going. Sure they can fill their schedules with darts, golf, rugby et al but they know exactly where there bread is buttered. That's why Setanta are trying to muscle in on the act and why the price of Premiership football will go up and up.

With the best will in the world I'm afraid that the Championship, League One etc are up there along with the golf – they fill the schedules in preparation for Grand Slam Sunday, Super Duper Saturday or however they might want to brand it.

Wolves against Burnley or the Baggies travelling to Preston might be interesting but it's a very parochial interest and doesn't cut much mustard in Beijing, the Sub Continent or New York. There's a place for it in the schedules but it's the sort of place that Arena Football or Lacrosse occupies on the American networks.

And the Premierships's foreign owners already know that. The likes of Villa's Randy Lerner, pictured, or the Glazers at Old Trafford are well aware of the brand they've bought into. Think that they're going to give that up for the possibility of relegation? Think again.

They're investing both for the prestige of being associated with success (all owners have a large degree of ego) and for the extra revenue they'll generate.

That's why they'll vote eventually to have no relegation. The top flight will remain exactly that and if you're lucky enough to have a Premiership side at the time that's the way it will remain. The rest will be bottom feeders, picking up the scraps that the big fish cast aside.

The future's bright, the future's got a star-spangled tinge to it!

Agree with what I think? I thought not. Post your comments below.