Reports of a European Super League have surfaced yet again, marking the latest development in a three-decade fight to wring the best competition — and the most money — out of the continent's best clubs.
Why it matters: Such a league would become the most valuable soccer property aside from the World Cup, but its departure from Europe's promotion-relegation structure would fly in the face of a tradition most are unwilling to give up.
America's pro sports leagues sputtered back to life in 2020 with bubbles, comprehensive testing programs and a host of other changes that still seem unimaginable after the fact.
The state of play: The leagues succeeded because they have enormous wealth and were operating mostly in "salvage the season" mode — but now comes the hard part: Figuring out how to do it again — this time from an even worse financial position and amid a third coronavirus wave.