A second-tier league just out-drew the champions, and the scoreboard that mattered wasn’t on the pitch. On the same Saturday, the fallen giants scrapping for promotion pulled a bigger crowd than the reigning title holders managing a routine win — and the stands, not the pundits, decided which game was worth showing up for.
The champions sell the table. The relegation battle sells the story. And on a wet afternoon in March, 40,000 people chose the story — which is the kind of vote the executives in the top flight keep pretending not to count.
