It amazes me how some people love to bring into question the superiority of Yank players and teams; firstly, if you subscribe to the idea our teams and players are on a par, or close to the Americans, then it is an argument borne out of ignorance or agenda because whether we like it or not, Yank players and teams are sooooo much better than us Euros (except Joy and RL).
It also seems amazing to me just how many people get involved in this debate and have no practical knowledge of the American leagues.
It's no good telling everybody you think us Euros are on a par (or even getting close to) when you haven't even been to the US; it's a ludicrous assertion if your experience is limited to just witnessing Euro events and just a few, if any, Yank tournaments.
I have mixed feelings re the Yank superiority, I have been living with it for 20 fakkin years but at the very least, it does provide a benchmark for us to aim at, and so in that sense, it can be a positive thing.
But, all the time we have these locked leagues over here, and the widespread assimilation of Yank players in Euro teams, we will never be able to create the necessary environment for attempting European parity with our American cousins.
In other words, we've only ourselves to blame .....