Over the weekend, The Athletic’s Felipe Cárdenas reported that Liga MX has officially decided to scrub its league of promotion/relegation. The decision is part of a larger project that, according to Liga MX president Francisco Iturbe, “will focus on improving the Liga MX product through increased investment to strengthen Mexican clubs’ infrastructure.”

Promotion/relegation has been a fixture in the Mexican soccer system since the 1950s and the decision is being met with accusations from all sides. However, the primary critics of the move are the club leaders of the second tier of the Mexican soccer system, Liga de Expansion MX. Cárdenas quotes Giovanni Solazzi, president of Liga Expansión side Cancún FC, in his article. “A system has been created to kill off the Liga Expansión clubs. There are owners in Liga Expansión who have a lot of money and are investing in their clubs.”

Cárdenas highlights the fundamental differences in opinion regarding the second-tier of the Mexican system. While Liga Expansión clubs see themselves as worthy of promotion and desire to compete with the first-league clubs, Liga MX’s clubs view the second-tier as a developmental league.

That difference in opinion certainly feels like it’s been impacted by the league structure on this side of the border. MLS has worked tirelessly to use second-division clubs as talent development rather than potential additions to the top-flight league. Even going so far as creating its own feeder league (MLS NextPro) to compete with the existing second-tier league (USL Championship).

The increased levels of investment into soccer is the primary driver of this move to decrease competition (risk). Cárdenas even quotes the new MLS commissioner, Larry Berg, who sees promotion relegation as a threat. “I can understand the appeal for the fans, (but) I don’t think it’s a great way to build a league. I don’t think it’s a way to get stadiums built, get training facilities built, and to have owners invest in rosters and all the other things you need to do.” Near the end of his article, Cárdenas also quotes an anonymous Mexican soccer official, “I think the majority of owners see the infrastructure that’s been built in MLS, and the valuations, and say that’s a good business move.”

Think about that. A league commissioner saying that promotion/relegation isn’t “a great way to build a league.” That flies in the face of everything we love about the big European leagues that have inspired decades of football fans. Every league in Europe uses promotion/relegation as a competition mechanism to allow well-run clubs to ascend the ladder. It creates the best, most competitive environment to deliver the best soccer in the world. But a former senior partner at Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm, says “nah, I know better.” Make it make sense.

Much like EVERYTHING it touches, private equity is destroying the things we love. And even if you’re a fan of a club that already plays in the top-flight, promotion/relegation is part of the fabric of the beautiful game. I’ve often joked that I’m not a pro/rel zealot, but watching these investment firms decide the future of the game disgusts me, because fundamentally I believe that promotion/relegation is a proven tool to make the sport better.

But even more than disgust, it's heartbreaking. It feels as if the entire system is stacked against fans of the game. Profit has become the only thing that matters in a sport that should be focused on table position and wins and losses. Clubs are owned by the worst people who are often not even fans of the game. The war feels lost already and the glimmer of hope is hard to find in a pitch-black night.

- Dan Vaughn

If you don’t subscribe to The Athletic, I’d recommend doing it for reporting like this. Cárdenas is a fantastic writer and this particular article is a well-rounded bit of reporting.