15/02/2026
People talk about football being “lost” all the time, but this tweet hits a truth that gets overlooked.
Before the Premier League and Sky money came in, going to a match was affordable. You could turn up with a fiver in your pocket on a Saturday and watch your team. Fans wore the shirt proud, but it wasn’t hundreds of pounds. You watched the big games for free on normal TV — no subscriptions, no paywalls.
After 1992, everything changed. Sky’s money reshaped the game — bigger TV deals, bigger ticket prices, bigger everything. The league got richer, the clubs got richer, but the ordinary fan ended up footing more of the bill. You don’t go to a match for £5 any more. A shirt is £100+. Watching the game on TV without paying a premium? Almost unthinkable.
So when people say “football was lost yesterday” after some blown decision or VAR controversy, I get it — frustration runs deep. But if you want to talk about real turning points in how the average fan experiences the game, Sky’s takeover of the league in ’92 is the moment that shifted everything.
Not good or bad — just reality. And it’s something anyone who grew up watching football before and after that era feels in their bones.
