" 
 ::Yes, but signal to noise ratio on this discussion page is high and I wanted this to be noticed.    
 :Do you have any evidence that ""English Premier League"" is an official name of this league? The only official name of this competition is ""Premier League"", and it seems to be the only league in the world which uses ""Premier League"" as the official name without a qualifier. 
 :Your parallel example fails for at least two reasons: both articles are at their official names (where they should be), and I can't say I've ever heard anyone use ""Idol"" to refer to Pop Idol. -    
 ::Shortening the name of the TV show as cited is commonplace in the United States and Australia, and here in Australia the Premier League is shown on a pay television network and referred to as the English Premier League - obviously it's not official because the official name of the league includes the name of the sponsor.  Finally, there are a number of national top-flight football leagues which are called ""Premier League"" in that nation - eg, Scottish Premier League, perhaps the most well known of such leagues.   "