It's a really good parallel tbh.
In my early twenties I had a sales job. Had an area with about fifty customers. There were two giants at the top who accounted for about 30% of my area's turnover and then the rest below. Among the 'rest' of my customer base were a couple of accounts who were always on the beg. Always wanting freebies and trips to the races. Never stopped calling me. They were invariably the customers who moaned the most when things went wrong too. And they'd usually get more than the rest of the customers who weren't so vociferous. Path of least resistance and all that.
But when it came to renegotiating the deal, or when someone else wanted the business, I never bothered trying to keep it. It wasn't worth the hassle. I had enough confidence in my ability to replace their business with someone else who wasn't such a ****.
Italian clubs don't represent those customers who accounted for nearly a third of my area, but they act like they do. People think they're amazing negotiators, but the art of negotiation is knowing your limits and looking beyond the limits of your current deal. Seeing the bigger picture.
Their MO has been a big part of their league's downward spiral imo.
Long may it continue. It's always good watching a small-time **** being hoisted by his own petard.