The Effects of Elite Player Exodus on Sports Systems in Developing Countries: a Case Study of the Ghana Premier League
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University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2012 The Effects of Elite Player Exodus on Sports Systems in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Ghana Premier League Ian Osei Owusu University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Osei Owusu, Ian, "The Effects of Elite Player Exodus on Sports Systems in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Ghana Premier League" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5582. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5582 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). 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The Effects of Elite Player Exodus on Sports Systems in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Ghana Premier League By Ian Osei Owusu A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Faculty of Human Kinetics in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Human Kinetics at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2012 © 2012 Ian Osei Owusu The Effects of Elite Player Exodus on Sports Systems in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Ghana Premier League by Ian Osei Owusu APPROVED BY: __________________________________________________ Dr. Andrew Templer Odette School of Business __________________________________________________ Dr. Victoria Paraschak Department of Kinesiology __________________________________________________ Dr. Marijke Taks, Advisor Department of Kinesiology __________________________________________________ Dr. Jess Dixon, Chair of Defense Department of Kinesiology January, 17, 2012 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and no part of this research has been published or submitted anywhere else for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my research does not infringe upon anyone‟s copyright nor violate any other rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, and any other materials from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted materials that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act. I certify that I have obtained written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this copy is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my advisor and thesis committee and the graduate studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree to any other university or institution. iii ABSTRACT Migration of sport talents from developing countries has been on the increase in recent times (Cornelissen & Solberg, 2007; Elliot & Maguire, 2008; Poli, 2006a; 2006b; Thibault, 2009). Although some attention has been given to this phenomenon and the effects it has on the sending and receiving countries, not a large body of literature exists on the adverse effects of player exodus on sports systems in developing countries. With the exception of works particularly done by Darby (2000a; 2007b; 2009; Darby & Solberg, 2010) in relation to developing countries, there is no literature from major stakeholders‟ perspectives on the effects of the phenomenon on national leagues. The purpose of this study is to examine the stakeholders‟ perspectives of player migration on the sports system in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) and to identify possible solutions which will help reduce the migration of sport talents and its adverse effects on the local sports system. The study involved semi-structured interviews with thirteen stakeholders including club managers, league administrators, fan representatives, sponsors and media persons related to the GPL. The outcome of the study indicates that stakeholders generally perceive a negative effect of migration on the league. In line with the neoclassical economics theory (Massey, Arango, Hugo, Kouaouci, Pellegrino & Taylor, 1993; Todaro, 1980), financial reasons were identified as the primary factor for player migration. However, other factors such as lack of professionalism of clubs, insufficient sponsorship for the league, and inadequate infrastructures were identified as driving forces behind player migration, which is in line with the human capital and dependency theories (Gunder, 1974; Massey et al., 1993). Suggestions such as increased remuneration, increased media focus, increased professionalism by the GPL and league clubs, as well as restructuring of the local sports systems were identified as possible initiatives to minimize migration and its adverse effects on the GPL. iv DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my family and friends who have believed and genuinely supported me in this journey, to my dad and especially to Pauline my mum, Giovani my son and Gifty my wife. Thank you for being there and I thank God for the privilege of such lives. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Taks my academic advisor, for her guidance and feedback through the period of this program. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Templer and especially Dr. Paraschak for her continuous positive energy, understanding and homely support. And to all faculty members like Dr. Martyn, Dr. Kevin Milne and Dr. Jess Dixon who always had their doors opened for me, I say “Meda mo ase” (Thank you). Furthermore I would like to thank the office staff Diane, Pat, Sylvia and Cathy. You made Windsor a home and HK a family. To my fellow graduate students and close friends like Bernie, Robbie, Mikey K, April, Alyssa, Valerie, Arlo and Reinaldo and to my league club Windsor Croatia and everyone who has been there for me in diverse ways, your encouragement, support and friendship was really handy and a blessing throughout my period in this university and I am persuaded it always will going forward. To the Ghana Football Association and to my participants I say a very big thank you for your contribution; this thesis would not be possible without your assistance. I would also want to specially acknowledge the late Alhaji Sylvester Tetteh, founder and President of Liberty Professionals Football Club, who moved on to a better life a week after granting me an interview for this study. May his blessed soul rest in perfect peace with Allah. Above all, I am grateful to my God for keeping that which I have committed unto Him against each day. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR‟S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY .....................................................................III ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... IV DEDICATION ..................................................................................................................... V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... VI LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... IX LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... X LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... XI INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................................5 Purpose of the Study ...........................................................................................................5 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................................6 Operational Definitions .......................................................................................................7 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................9 Human Capital Theory ........................................................................................................9 World System Theory .........................................................................................................9 Neoclassical Economics theory .........................................................................................10 Dependency Theory ..........................................................................................................14 LITERATURE REVIEW