Fans “are conned” for their loyalty – Mair
Posted on June 10, 2009 - Filed Under Media | Leave a Comment
SENIOR JOURNALISM lecturer at Coventry University, John Mair, will give a talk this afternoon in the Humber Theatre about the commercialization and globalization of the Premier League and the current champions, Manchester United, writes Gary Barnes.
He will be talking about how the money being pumped in to English football these days, particularly the ‘Big Four’, has had a detrimental effect on everyone associated with football. The general feeling now is that football is no longer a sport; it’s a business. Fans’ are constantly being priced out of the game and has led to diehard fans of Manchester United forming breakaway clubs in protest of the Glazer’s buying United in 2005.
Recently, massive Insurance Brokers AON made a deal which will cost them £20 million a year to have their logo plastered across United’s shirt. Taking over from AIG, it seems as if companies are queuing up to have their name shown across the world, to a mass audience that no other sports team can reach.
Sadly, this is a clear indication of where football is going at the moment. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Gone are the days where fans’ could easily relate to the players’ of their club. Supporters’ are being conned for showing their loyalty and thousands are being priced out of the game. Whether it is merchandise, tickets, TV coverage, programmes or even tapping into the Asian market, Manchester United are simply a money making tool and damn good at their trade.
What Mair will be talking about is perhaps the biggest factor in generating huge amounts of sales revenue– the shirt. Manufactured by Nike, changing the home strip every other season and having one or two new away kits each season equals to enormous profit and is definitely a key reason to why their revenue has rose to over £200 million to date.
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