U.S.
Here in this country, the rift between so-called blue and red states has widened. If tensions make unity impossible, then the following will happen:- American dominance in the Summer Olympics would come to an end as China would take over. Meanwhile, the Blue and Red Zones could spend more time trying to one up each other and rooting against their ideological opposites
- Based on how many conservatives railed against the World Cup 2-3 months ago amid the possibility of the United States embracing soccer on a wider scale, the Red Zone would not field a competitive men's team on the worldwide scale and would only play a spoiler role in terms of World Cup qualifying, but, it would field a very viable women's team due to the strength of certain colleges. The Blue Zone would field very competitive men's and women's teams and the latter would create quite the rivalry for the Women's World Cup
- The NBA, NFL, and MLB could either split up into separate Red and Blue Zone Leagues or remain as is
- The NCAA would remain in the Red Zone, creating a mess for all of the colleges who field major sports teams. Bowl games and the NCAA basketball tournament could get very dicey every December and March
UK
The nation has for decades fielded four separate national teams for non-Olympic competition. When it comes to the Olympics, Scottish secession could be quite big. When the Summer Olympics were in London two years ago, Scotland claimed 13 of Britain's 65 total medals (20%). Earlier this year in Sochi, the Scots won half of Great Britain's four medals. Speaking of the Winter Games, all of the curlers hail from Scotland, so future British teams may not even qualify for the Olympics.The Open Championship would no longer have the fabled St. Andrews golf course
Canada
The Great White North has its own problems with secession brewing. An independent Quebec could quite possibly spell the end of Canada because Ontario isn't connected to any of the Atlantic provinces. Out west, some or all four of the provinces could either form their own independent nation, remain with the other English-speaking provinces and territories, or join the U.S. The Atlantic provinces would most likely have to join the U.S. since they'd be too small to make it on their own.The dissolution of Canada would mean the following for its sports:
- All of the federal government's efforts to make Canada more competitive in international sports would evaporate overnight
- The tension between Quebec and what's left of English-speaking Canada would run deep in the Winter Olympics--especially in hockey and curling
- Speaking of hockey, the NHL would basically become an American league or splinter off into separate American, Quebec, and Canadian leagues. There would be multiple new leagues depending on how deep the split is following Quebec's departure from the Dominion. The hockey leagues would be so distinct that the Stanley Cup may revert back to its original position of a competition between the champions from each league
- There's a chance that an English-only Canada could still field a competitive soccer teams on both the men's and women's sides, but if the English provinces and territories are too splintered, there's no chance on the men's side. Quebec wouldn't field a competitive team at all
Continental Europe
Spain's government is threating to block a referendum Catalonians are holding November 9. The secession effort is a threat to the Spanish state because if there's an independent Catalonia, then the Basques will be next ones to ask for independence. Barcelona--currently Spain's largest city--is in Catalonia. The breakup would be a potentially devastating blow not only to the Spanish state but also to soccer as La Liga would lose two of its money making teams.The breakups of Spain and Belgium could result in more soccer leagues and Olympic teams because other nations could then follow. This map on Europe is a mark of what the most radical secessions could do.
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