As Sunderland and Sheffield United prepare for Saturday's Championship play-off final, the promise of Premier League promotion may come with more risk than reward.
While a top-flight place offers financial windfalls, recent trends suggest the dream can quickly unravel.
For the second year running, all three sides promoted from the Championship have suffered immediate relegation from the Premier League-an occurrence that had only happened once before, during the 1997/98 season.
The widening gulf between the top two divisions is evident in the performances and points accumulated by relegated teams.
Last season, Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United were demoted with a combined total of 66 points-the lowest ever recorded in a 38-game Premier League season. This season's trio of Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton are set to do even worse, with just 59 points between them ahead of the final round of fixtures.