John Terry rushes over to referee Mark Clattenburg incensed, ‘I’ve got to do your job for you’. Swear words are spat out in a fiery manner as players start to hold him back; tensions are starting to spill over.
You’d be mistaken for thinking this is an incident that happened in the mid-2000s, back when Terry was at the peak of his powers in an all-conquering Chelsea side and Clattenburg was the Premier League’s refereeing poster boy. But nope, you’d be wrong.
This spat takes place in the UK version of the Baller League – which takes place every Monday night in London – and the now-retired Terry has achieved his dreams of becoming a manager. Well, I say manager, but that’s a loose term in this case.
When I woke up last Tuesday morning, after the third night of the new six-a-side tournament – which is fronted by influencers, celebrities, and former football stars – I opened my phone and went straight to TikTok. Yes, I know it rots your brain, so people always tell me, but I can’t help it. The first thing I saw was Terry and Clattenburg’s clash.
Next, I went to Twitter – or X if you are Gen Z like me – and yet again the clip was at the top of my ‘for you’ page. And you guessed it, it was the same with Instagram. The list goes on.
After all, this is the world we now live in. The metric of success is driven by how many clicks you can get on social media. Is this clip good enough to go viral? Will this video lead to a bigger audience? How many interactions can we get? This is the modern era, and the way we consume the beautiful game is evolving.
The Baller League is a shiny new weekly indoor six-a-side football tournament held in London
John Terry (left) clashed with Mark Clattenburg during matchday three of the UK Baller League
Celebrities such as Maya Jama are involved in the league as coaches of the 12 teams in it
Look, the Baller League isn’t my cup of tea. I may only be a young buck compared to many of you who are reading this, but when it comes to football, I am a traditionalist. Yes, the game has its flaws – like the fact it has become quite robotic in recent years -– but it’s still beautiful to watch in my eyes.
However, I’m not the target audience. The demographic this shiny new format appeals to are those who can’t keep their attention on one thing for more than a few seconds. Those who would rather scroll on their phones than stand in stadiums watching 22 people kick a ball about for 90 minutes.
It’s fast-paced, it’s quirky, it’s thrilling. OK, the quality of football may be that of something you could watch in your garden, but that’s not the point. In 2017, football rule-makers proposed making games shorter in order to make football more attractive, and well, now they have their wish through the Baller League.
The two 15-minute halves, the funky old-school MLS-style penalty shootouts, the small pitches. It’s all different. Some would say in a good way, some in a bad, but the organisers don’t care.
They want to appeal to the youth, and it’s working. How do I know that? Well, the other day a teenager asked me if I covered the league when I told them I was a sports journalist. Nope, they didn’t ask about the Premier League, nor the Champions League. They asked about the Baller League.
While the unusual rules – which include long-range strikes counting as two goals – are the USP for this format, a lot of its allure comes from the personnel involved. Football legends such as Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer run a team, while social media star AngryGinge is also in the dugout. Oh yeah, and Maya Jama is a manager. There is a real variety.
I mean, I doubt there are highly thought-out strategies from these stars when they talk to their teams – which are filled with non-league players and former Premier League stars.
Half the time the celebrities don’t even turn up. One week rapper Dave was nearly throwing hands on the touchline, and the next he didn’t show up to his team’s game. But that’s not the real reason they are there, the celebrities are just there to help sell the product.
Former football stars Micah Richards (left) and Alan Shearer (right) are some of the big names involved in the project
Sky Sports have long wanted to tap into the influencer and also have a show called Saturday Social
Sky Sports have long wanted to tap into the influencer and showbiz-style market.
They have SCENES, a show in which YouTubers are filmed behind the scenes attending football matches. Then there is Saturday Social, a sorry excuse for a Soccer AM replacement, in which social media stars spout their opinions on football.
So, while many of you may be confused as to why Sky Sports wants to show the Baller League on their network, it’s actually quite easy to see why. These stars rack up millions of views on their own channels, so why wouldn’t they hop on the back of that?
You may not like it, I may not like it, but this is just the modern day. We have to embrace it.
