MLB / Premier League Equivalents
I have started writing on this subject at least a half dozen times without ever completing it. A big part of the reason was a lack of familiarity with the vastness of English football clubs — to go deep enough into these comparisons, one has to be familiar with the tiers of English football and to have a feel for the overall longevity of clubs.
Case in point: I am not going to include Brentford on this list. Brentford is currently playing well after having advanced to the top tier this season, but they haven’t shown in any way that they have the ability to remain at the highest level for an extended period of time. In fact, this is the first time they’ve been up to the first tier since 1947. It would be a fun story if they could pull a Leicester City by finishing at the top AND continuing in the Premier League for multiple seasons … but Leicester seems to be the exception to the rule.
One has to remember that the Premier League consists of only 20 teams each year, with three teams rotating in and out via its relegation system. Major League Baseball, however, has the same 30 teams every season — the only changes occur when a team relocates or when the league expands (as an aside, it is inevitable that MLB will expand to 32 teams in the near future, so this will be a fun list to revisit when it does).
The first exercise therefore becomes determining which 30 English clubs are going to be our 30 “forever clubs.” You’ll likely have a differing opinion of who to include, but I’m going with this list:
- Manchester United*
- Liverpool*
- Manchester City*
- Chelsea*
- Tottenham Hotspur*
- Arsenal*
- Everton*
- Leicester City*
- Aston Villa*
- West Ham United*
- Newcastle United*
- Wolverhampton Wanderers*
- Leeds United*
- Southampton*
- Brighton & Hove Albion*
- Crystal Palace*
- Norwich City*
- Fulham
- Watford*
- Burnley*
- Sheffield United
- AFC Bournemouth
- West Bromwich Albion
- Stoke City
- Nottingham Forest
- Middlesbrough
- Swansea City
- Blackburn Rovers
- Derby County
- Sunderland
*= in Premier League for 21-22 season
Manchester United = New York Yankees
Also considered: Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox
Liverpool = Boston Red Sox
Also considered: St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees
Chelsea = Los Angeles Dodgers
Also considered: New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants
Manchester City = San Francisco Giants
Also considered: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals
Tottenham Hotspur = Chicago Cubs
Also considered: Washington Nationals, New York Mets
Arsenal = St. Louis Cardinals
Also considered: San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers
Everton = Atlanta Braves
Also considered: Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies
Leicester City = Washington Nationals
Also considered: Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays
Aston Villa = Los Angeles Angels
Also considered: New York Mets, Chicago Cubs
West Ham United = New York Mets
Also considered: Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels
Wolverhampton Wanderers = Chicago White Sox
Also considered: Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves
Leeds United = Houston Astros
Also considered: Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals
Southampton = Texas Rangers
Also considered: Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros
Newcastle United = Philadelphia Phillies
Also considered: Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox
Brighton & Hove Albion = San Diego Padres
Also considered: Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners
Crystal Palace = Toronto Blue Jays
Also considered: Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers
Norwich City = Seattle Mariners
Also considered: Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers
Fulham = Minnesota Twins
Also considered: Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins
Watford = Milwaukee Brewers
Also considered: Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics
Burnley = Oakland Athletics
Also considered: Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins
Sheffield United = Cleveland Guardians
Also considered: Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers
AFC Bournemouth = Arizona Diamondbacks
Also considered: Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres
West Bromwich Albion = Detroit Tigers
Also considered: Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates
Stoke City = Cincinnati Reds
Also considered: Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks
Nottingham Forest = Baltimore Orioles
Also considered: Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies
Middlesbrough = Miami Marlins
Also considered: Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals
Swansea City = Tampa Bay Rays
Also considered: San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays
Blackburn Rovers = Kansas City Royals
Also considered: Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians
Derby County = Colorado Rockies
Also considered: Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds
Sunderland = Pittsburgh Pirates
Also considered: Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles
