All Europe has going for it, I wrote last year, "is professional soccer and nursing homes; centuries-old architecture and over-regulated, tourist-infested beaches."

Also: last year I also caught Mr. Ganesh at the FT outlining one of the few growth industries (apart from porn...) and export-success stories that Britain (that broken old-world power) still has: Football.
(The real kind, not the nonsense you sillies over at ~Stacker_Sports mess about with; bring it, bitches, I'll fight you on this all day long.)

Here's the FT Editorial Board celebrating the miracle that is the Premier League

The Premier League generates around £10bn a year in gross value added to the UK, including from ticket sales, merchandise and tourism. That represents a 14-fold increase since the 1998/99 season, according to Ernst & Young, and is broadly comparable to England’s entire agricultural output. Clubs and players — who earn on average over £4mn per year — contribute £4.4bn in tax revenue, equivalent to the salaries of more than 100,000 NHS nurses. Altogether, the league supports an estimated 104,500 jobs. Since the launch of the top tier in 1992, when English football was recovering from a 1980s nadir of hooliganism and crumbling facilities, its quality and spectacle have fuelled a renaissance and attracted billions of viewers worldwide. In 2023/24, the league generated £1.7bn in international broadcast revenue alone, nearly equalling the rest of the UK television sector combined.

Just abolish (=privatize?) the BBC already.

"The Premier League is often more renowned globally than other iconic British institutions such as Oxbridge, the BBC, and even the monarchy. Surveys by Yonder Consulting suggest close to 90 per cent of international viewers say the league improves their perception of Britain.""The Premier League is often more renowned globally than other iconic British institutions such as Oxbridge, the BBC, and even the monarchy. Surveys by Yonder Consulting suggest close to 90 per cent of international viewers say the league improves their perception of Britain."

when Britain’s economic and cultural clout on the global stage appears to be waning, the Premier League is a rare rising asset. Britain is not good at celebrating its successes, but football is one that it should.

Damn right.

archive: https://archive.md/ooYaX