The Premier League has become the most respected British brand, according to a recent report by polling company Populus. While such findings should always be taken with a pinch of salt, they made for interesting reading.
"Our research shows that of the many effective advertisements the UK has for what it wants to say about itself -- modern, successful, exciting, open, inclusive -- the Premier League is the strongest," read one excerpt.
Even though we've become accustomed to the Premier League being the richest and most marketable league in the world, this is nevertheless a staggering development considering that, less than 30 years ago, English football was essentially a backwater, banned from competing in Europe because of hooliganism problems.