Entertainment is not a science

Ever since the IPL’s structure was announced to the world, there has been some disagreement about whether or not it is appropriate for a league competition to have a final. The most common argue con is, “Premiership doesn’t have a final.” The most common pro? “Champions League has a final.”

On top of the European Cup, add the knockout finals that you see at the end of every professional sports league in the US, and you get a picture of global preferences that leans towards the final rather than the league standing alone.

The major distinction between these two seems to be the question of spectacle. The Premier League is supposed to determine exactly which is the best team, and any excitement that comes along with that is incidental to the process of exact measurement. On the other hand, apart from a supporter of a team that has just won a final, no one will argue that a one-off match, or a knockout tournament, is a hyper-rational method of identifying the best team. They will argue, however, that it is the most exciting.

Even though there were vital matches, there was no final when England failed to qualify for Euro 2008. It was the same when Chelsea lost out on the Premiership. Another notable similarity from those two games is that they didn’t end with ‘hard man’ John Terry blubbing like a girl.

It’s not that winning the Premiership or qualifying for Euros meant less to him, hopefully. Rather it’s that those dreams were never just one kick, one tackle, one second of inspiration, away. He could smell the trophy when he stepped up to the spot, and a second later all he could smell was the Moscow dirt.

That’s the other thing about finals; they are supposed to bring the best out of a player. A captain should stand up tall, and lead his men, as Terry did, if we assume he didn’t take that penalty solely because he wanted the glory of winning the cup himself. The finest moment of the last cricket World Cup came undoubtedly in the final, when Adam Gilchrist single-handedly put down the impudent challenge of Sri Lanka.

With drama guaranteed, and the promise of the world’s best showing their stuff, who would not want a final in the IPL? It’s also good to see a proper one-off event. Best of three finals make little sense.

Everyone’s hoping the first two are shared anyway, so why not skip the formalities? Ask the Lahore Badshahs whether three matches make it any fairer. If entertainment is what you’re after, then set up the showpiece stage and await the actors.