As they kicked off their latest season three weeks ago, a majority of English Premier League clubs (and plenty more in lower leagues) found themselves under American ownership. Indeed, when London's two biggest clubs face off against each other, it's a contest pitting the owners of the Los Angeles Rams against the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers. And when they take on defending champion Liverpool, they are facing the same organization that owns the Boston Red Sox.
This transatlantic investment into the world's most followed sports league coincides with the ascendancy of sport as the most valuable and important form of media, and source of 'soft power' coveted by commercial and political brands alike. The Americanization of the top league also coincides with America's emergence as a power in the world's game, thanks to the influence of women, immigrants, and American multinational corporations. The convergence of the world's two footballs, and of FIFA and American cultural power, should be further ratified at next summer's North American World Cup.