Man U vs. Man City

This mystifies me, too. Are people really using Barclay's Premier League, and if so, how much is Barclay's paying them? Do they also use The Rose Bowl Game, Brought to You by Vizio?

 

I don't know if it's the biggest Manchester derby. That might got to when Denis Law backheeled the death knell when United was relegated in 74, but it would certainly be No. 2.
screw blue

 

I'm guessing that it was part of the deal in the TV contracts that they had to refer to the league that way across all platforms.

 

No doubt the TV partners are contractually obligated to do it. I'm thinking more of everyone else -- the fans who follow the league but have no financial stake in it.

 

What's worse? BPL or B1G for Big Ten? Holy Lord does that B1G shit drive me nuts.

 

Hadn't even occurred to me that it was Barclays. Thought he was saying British Premier League. But yeah, even if it's Barclays, no. Just no.

And they definitely pay for the mention; even the famously commercial-free BBC calls it the Barclays Premier League.

 

At first I thought it was B for British because I only remember hearing it this season, the first in which a non-English team participated. I thought it was used sarcastically.

 

yeah, but we only type B1G sarcastically to pick on Jim Delany for being gaga over a stupid logo. I still say EPL and always will, no matter how many Welsh sides show up.

 

First Michael Owen is injured, then Wolves are relegated, and then castigation for BPL ... the horror, the horror!

From this point on, just PL, if using initials. I promise!

 

First Division.

 

I approve of B1G being used sarcasticallly. Unfortunately, I've seen some of my colleagues on Twitter use it without snark.

Using B1G for legitimate purposes should equal automatic forfeiture of Twitter privileges and a one-year sentence consisting of watching Indiana-Illinois football "classics" on Big Ten Network.

As to the topic at hand, where does Man U (or Man C for that matter) rank on the hate scale for most of you?

My EPL list is as such:

HATE/DISLIKE: 1. Man U; 2. Chelsea; 3. Arsenal; 4. Liverpool.

WOODWORK: 1. Bolton, 2. Blackburn, 3. Stoke.

KINDA LIKE: 1. Norwich; 2. Sunderland; 3. Fulham (but only because of Clint Dempsey, would otherwise be in woodwork category); 4. Man City (they make it hard though); 5. Newcastle.

RESPECT, BUT OTHERWISE AMBIVALENT: 1. Everton, 2. Spurs, 3. Wigan, 4. WBA (don't really know why, they could just as easily be woodwork).

PLUCKY, EASY-TO-ROOT FOR RECENTLY-PROMOTED TEAM THAT HASN'T DONE ANYTHING TO PISS ME OFF: 1. QPR (but could easily become woodwork as it did in its 90s EPL stint); 2. Swansea.

GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE EPL BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN WORTHLESS FOREVER AND ADD NOTHING TO THE PROCEEDINGS. YOU'RE TOO BORING TO HATE, BUT TOO BORING TO LIKE: 1. Aston Villa. (Would have put Bolton here too, but I like Owen Coyle.)

RELEGATED TEAMS I'D LIKE TO SEE RETURN: 1. Leeds (duh), 2. Coventry (not going to happen, going down to League One), 3. Southampton (gonna happen), 4. Birmingham City (in playoffs, far prefer them to horseshit Villa), 5. Crystal Palace, 6. Blackpool, 7. Leicester (but only if they bring back Steve Guppy and Muzzy Izzet).

BULLSHIT YO-YO TEAMS THAT ARE WOODWORK UPON IMMEDIATE RE-ENTRY INTO THE EPL: 1. West Ham (the Villa of London); 2. Reading, 3. Middlesbrough; 4. Derby County; 5. Watford, 6. Ipswich.

 

I prefer The Premiership.

I can accept using EPL as internet shorthand to distinguish it from, say, the Scottish Premier League or other premier leagues, but not in normal discourse.