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2 years ago
5
So this is what happens when Deadpool and Mac from Always Sunny own a soccer team...
As a sports fan, I love a good sports docuseries.
Patrick McElhenney / ©FX / Courtesy Everett Collection
That's why HBO's Hard Knocks has been such a draw for me for so long, it's the behind-the-scenes aspect of a professional team that I get to be a part of and experience throughout the pre-season.
Enter Welcome to Wrexham, a series that follows actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have just bought one of the oldest football clubs in the world, Wrexham AFC, and are trying to bring this underdog team to its former days of glory.
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Now you might be wondering if you need to be a football fan (aka soccer fan) to watch it, and honestly, no, there's more than just the sport itself that makes this show great. I figured I'd give you four simple reasons to tune into this amazing docuseries:
1. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney shine.
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I'll be honest, the only reason I started watching this show was because of these two men. I wanted to know the reason behind this purchase and what these two are like when they're together.
Being a longtime fan of both Mr. Reynolds and Mr. McElhenney, I needed to know why this small-town Welsh club gave these two men the confidence to venture into unknown territory as owners of a sports team.
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In the show, you find out how it all came together for these comedic actors and then see their approach to owning a football club.
Most of the time, their interactions lead to laughter as they make big-time decisions for their club, but you also see how these two men, who have zero experience, are driven to learn and build not only a team but a staff that can help their club achieve a daunting task.
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If nothing else, you will see them as the funniest and most charming team owners in the history of sports, and that alone is worth watching.
2. The town of Wrexham.
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The introduction of Wrexham gives you the setting of a fan base that lives and breathes for their football club. It's very similar to the Cheese Heads of Green Bay.
Fans are an essential part of the club and are the main reason Rob and Ryan were even allowed to own the team. Through the first four episodes released so far, you meet different people from Wrexham, which gives you a closer look at the devotion to the club and how their wins and losses affect the people overall.
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This hardworking city has been waiting for a change to happen to its beloved football club and this series seems to capture not only the tone of the people of Wrexham but also the heart of this small city who has big aspirations for their team.
3. The stakes at hand.
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Promotion, promotion, promotion: it's the ultimate goal for the owners and the people of Wrexham.
It's what makes the difference between a successful season or not — and for this team, who have lived in the National League for quite some time now, being at the top of the league means securing a spot back in the EFL (English Football League).
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Those types of stakes mean a lot to a club since getting back to the EFL means more money for the club and higher wages for the players who are averaging about 39,000 pounds (48,600 USD) for their services, while players in the premier league who are the top of the pyramid make about 3.5 million pounds (4.36 million USD) on average.
Imagine if in American football or basketball that the worst team didn't get the best pick in a draft but instead was kicked out of the league entirely and demoted.
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That's how the English Football League handles their teams, and with Wrexham being a former Championship League team (one league away from Premier), to see them in the National League, which is the fifth tier and the lowest level of professional football, gives them a huge mountain to climb but one that Rob and Ryan believe is worth climbing.
4. Everybody loves an underdog.
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There's nothing like a good underdog story to make you invested in a show. Welcome to Wrexham makes sure you're aware of how difficult it is to achieve a promotion.
Although these two new owners have been successful in Hollywood and other business ventures, running a club is a different kind of animal. With the stakes being set, you can't help but root for the success of this club, and its fans, even if you have no clue what's happening in a soccer match.
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Their gripping storytelling gets me even more invested in the show. It's not fiction when you see what the owners have to lose, what the people of Wrexham have to lose, and what these players must overcome to get a promotion.
Four episodes in, and I'm already looking at how I could watch some of these games in the states. So tune in and see if this small town of Wrexham and its Hollywood owners can bring this club back to its glory days.
Patrick McElhenney / ©FX / Courtesy Everett Collection
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