1 Football's Similarities and Differences Compared with Other
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Notes 1 Football’s similarities and differences compared with other industries 1. The number of professional football players in Sweden is not available. The only information available is the number of licensed players which is 299, 855 (over fifteen years of age), of which 77,661 are women [2010]. See http:// svenskfotboll.se/in-english/ (accessed 2012-02-20). 2. From a presentation made by Patricia Luchetta, 10 February 2012, at LBA, Luxembourg University. 3. Agents are sometimes an important part of reducing transaction costs, in the sense of Coase’s theorem. See Coase (1981). Many agents are viewed positively by the club. There are definitively two sides to this picture. They can be both greedy and sympathetic/passionate about the sport. 4. In Dagen Nyheter, 4 July 2006, Johan Esk writes, ‘football’s future stands on playing’ before the semi-final games in the World Cup in Germany the sum- mer of 2006. 5. The benefits of such a vision are clear. From previous research we can infer that the consequences would include an increase in the quality of life and a decrease in illnesses and deaths (WHO, 2006); physical inactivity alone is causing 10 percent of deaths in Europe. Further, such an increase in citizens’ physical activity level would expand the economy related to the sport sector with approximately a50 billion alone in household spending. 6. In North (1991) a metaphor could be that a football referee is like an agent: ‘The growth of long distance trade (i.e. football teams) poses two distinct transaction problems. One is a classical problem of agency which historically was met by use of kin in long distance trade’ (pp. 99–100). North again: ‘The development of “geographical specialization” and “standardized transactions” can be compared with the roles played by a football referee, he/she is special- ist on the pitch and us using standardized rules.’ See also Sutter and Kocher (2004); Nevill, Balmer and William (2002). 7 In her Christmas television broadcast 2010, the Queen praised sport’s ability to teach fundamental life skills, saying that ‘values such as honesty, respect for others and a sense of community are all fostered on the playing field.’ (The Star, 25 December 2010) http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/queen-s-speech-sport- praised-in-christmas-message-watch-video-1-2972179 (accessed 26-4-12). 8. Is a player an artist or a worker? Is it a profession or an art? For sure there are some outstanding talents, but most players are both … artist and worker, though it depends on the perspective. 9. One of the most well-known cases is the German Borussia Dortmund (BVB) which was nearly ruined after a series of catastrophic incidents. The club had won the German league twice and the Champion’s League title during the 1990s. But some bad management decisions became an economic drawback after the former CEO had invested about a19 million (170 million SEK) in 251 252 Notes the player Amoroso who immediately was badly hurt, and about a78 million (700 million SEK) in Westfalen Stadium (BVBs home arena). The stadium was later sold and leased back. This was necessary despite the fact that an IPO was carried through in the meantime. The downturn in the share price was another consequence of this bad management. 2 Six propositions as a frame of reference 1. Definition of ‘Framework’, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Pearson Education Limited, 2003. In the text following the four-field frame- work is just called the four-field model or window. 2. The four types of permanent situational are thus: corners, free kicks, penalty kicks and throw-ins. 3. Article in Dagens Nyheter by Johan Esk, 4 July 2006, ‘Football’s future stands on playing’. 4. This differs by country. In Spain and Italy it is individually negotiated by the clubs, while in England, Germany it is negotiated by the league and distrib- uted by a fixed formula. 5. Borje Isaksson, ‘How do you do with empty phrases’, Dagens Industri, 23 June 1998. 3 Market – atmosphere on and off the pitch 1. In Sweden the supporters standing at the end sides of the turf often is labeled ‘klacken’. A claque (French for ‘clapping’) was an organized body of professional applauders in French theatres and opera houses who were paid by the performer(s) to create the illusion of an increased level of approval by the audience. Encyclopædia Britannica (2010) (accessed 2012-04-30) http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Claque (accessed 2012-09-11). 2. Theododore Levitt is one of America’s most famous marketing professors, and has had many articles published in Harvard Business Review. 3. See Ajax AFC, http://English.ajax.nl (accessed 2012-04-30). 4. One question not answered here is about the way in which football has devel- oped in such a way over the last two decades that there are different levels of fans/clubs, and that individuals are fans of several clubs in different leagues. Much of this seems due to two possible trends: the internationalization of clubs and the culturalization of the sport (i.e. football becoming part of fine culture). 5. The role of transfers are different for different types of clubs, while for smaller clubs it is mainly a means of income, for the leading clubs, signing a good player is a means to an income, e.g. Real Madrid signing Ronaldo when Perez tells about a signage like this will pay itself. Perez (2009) Ronaldo transfer. 6. But at the end the club looks for customers or fans for a club. Is it about meet- ing customer needs or enlarging income opportunities. It differs by segment. Possibly it is less about collaborating with experts. Customers’ needs and income opportunities go hand in hand. The questions and objectives vary with the clubs and their financial conditions. Notes 253 7. Arsenal Football Club (2012). The Arsenal Credit Card. Retrieved 2012-02-12, from Arsenal official website: http://apply.mbna.co.uk/UKNeoCCapp/entry? scϭ82afcrwgs_ost&mcϭECO-UK-33333-12670. 8. ‘Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half’, is a classic statement on advertising, credited to both John Wanamaker (1838–1922) and Lord Leverhulme (1851–1925). The saying is recorded in print from at least 1919. 9. ‘Stamping is a sorry sight and an apology wouldn’t go amiss’, article by David Lacey in The Guardian, 14 September 2009. 10. A simple example would be a cell phone, how rapidly are new models being introduced? Technology and rapid product development has impacted loyalties. 11. Is that not true that in every country the number of coaches equals the population size? What is perhaps specific to Sweden, and more so in the UK, is the strong influence of press and how the press can initiate almost a one-directional persecution of people. Obviously it also happens in other countries, but it seems that in countries like Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy there is a press with a greater diversity of opinion. 12. Opinion leaders surely have been crucial in putting football into the fine cultural space. 13. Retrieved 2012-08-04, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Lazarsfeld. 4 The game is the product 1. Mail Online (2010-10-19). ‘Shocked Sir Alex Ferguson admits Wayne Rooney wants to quit Manchester United’. Retrieved 2012-02-28 from DailyMail. co.uk: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1321866/Wayne- Rooney-wants-quit-Manchester-United-confirms-Sir-Alex-Ferguson.html# ixzz1oRtTW9Ec. 2. Karl Weick a well-known organizational theorist, see e.g. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Karl_E._Weick (accessed 2012-05-09). 3. There has been a lot of speculation and little clarity about the Zlatan-Pep Guardiola relationship. Was it really Guardiola’s decision or an order from management? It seems that Guardiola gave exactly the same treatment to Bojan Krkic. The newspapers indicate that it was more a problem of playing style; Messi wanted to change position to become a ‘false’ 9, which did not work with Ibrahimovic´’s position; and Ibra did not adapt well to that. In hindsight Guardiola was not too wrong; Barcelona did splendidly without Ibra, and Bojan and Pedro seemed to fit better together with Messi. 4. In line with the professionalization of players who are bought/sold like com- modities, here is the similarity with business. A football player at Arsenal, Leeds, Lazio, Marseille, Real Madrid or AIK is an investment that is expected to be profitable. Szymansky and Kuypers, two British scientists, have summed up football’s hypothetical audience influx, clubs’ profitability and other fac- tors. As the media, including television, takes over football broadcasts, there will be new considerations surrounding the ownership of clubs and entertain- ment rights of interestto Rupert Murdoch and others. 254 Notes 5. Zidane: ‘Materazzi insulted my mother and sister’. (2006-07-12). Retrieved 2006-09-01, from Soccernet ESPN: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story? idϭ373767&ccϭ5739. 6. Arnér speaking about Percy Barnevik in Hague and Pettersson (1998). 7. Gammelsaeter writes: ‘Professional sport teams. When teams perform below expectations the fate of the head coach is very often put on the agenda, by the media, fans, and eventually the board of directors, and there are indica- tions that the frequency by which managers are sacked increases. In English soccer, for instance, the average tenure for managers in the FA Premier League is reported to have decreased from about 3 years in 1992–3 to less than 1½ year in 2007–8 (Bridgewater, 2010), and in the Spanish premier soccer league which contains 20 teams the frequency was even higher, at least in the two seasons of 2002–3 and 2003–4 when 20 involuntary and 2 voluntary changes were reported (Tena and Forrest, 2007).