The Sport of Globalization
By
Mark Williams
27/03/2014
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
1
The facet of globalization known as cultural globalization is one that is
widely recognized and understood today yet; this idea or practice rather has
existed for a long time. Globalization, as defined by the Oxford English
Dictionary, is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop
international influence or start operating on an international scale1. From this
definition we can gleam an understanding of what the idea of cultural
globalization basically is, a spreading of ideas, values and meanings across
cultures and nations. Cultural globalization as a phenomenon can be traced back
throughout history and attributed to key events such as the introduction of horses
to America and the introduction of potatoes to Europe. These two introductions
are credited for having created major changes in the lifestyles of the people of the
cultures they were introduced to.
Cultural globalization today however, is considered by many to be a very
polarizing subject. The globalization of the production and distribution of goods
and services is a welcome development for many people for the fact that it offers
those people access to products they would otherwise not have. The critics of this
theory however are concerned that the changes that are and will be brought by
cultural globalization will threaten the viability of locally made products and the
people who produce or create them. For example, the new availability of foreign
foods in a market, which are often at a cheaper price, can easily displace any local
famers who have earned their living through working their family owned plots of
land with the intention and practice of selling their goods locally. Cultural
globalization though, does much more than simply increase the availability of
foreign made consumer products and disrupt traditional producers. It is also
1
"Definition of Globalization in English:." Globalization: Definition of Globalization
in Oxford Dictionary (British & World English). N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/globalization>.
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
2
increasing international trade in the form of cultural products and services such as
cinema, music, video games, fashion and publications. The expansion of trade in
cultural products is increasing the exposure of all societies to foreign cultures.
This constant and prolonged exposure to foreign cultural goods frequently brings
about changes in local cultures values and traditions. Although there is no
consensus on the consequences of globalization on national cultures, the theories
critics strongly believe that people’s exposure to foreign culture can destabilize
their own cultural identity.
One of the issues of documenting cultural globalization however is to track
a phenomenon or trends origin. The easiest and usually the most common practice
is to generally earmark any foreign products is that they originate from “the west”.
While this is broadly true, it doesn’t speak of the intricacies in its rise and reasons
for its growth. It completely overlooks the overarching reasons as to how and why
a product is suddenly desirable. One of the ways to analyze cultural globalization
is through looking at isolated events and correlating them with events or trends
that arise from them. For example, if an influential celebrity were to get an
abnormally stylistic haircut and credit it to certain hair products, one could
logically track its popularity rise through its occurrence in public and if there was
a rise in said products sales. Similarly, with the sport of football we can see a lot
of trends and after effects from its coverage across the planet and specifically in
India. Football is not only popular, but probably the world's most globalized
profession. The most talented Brazilian, Cameroonian and Japanese football
players move from country to country more so than doctors, computer scientists,
blue-collar workers or bank tellers. On the club circuit, rules have evolved so that
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
3
international character defines top teams, and statistics show that success
concentrates where globalization and commercialization flourish. This prompted
many prominent economists, such as Branko Milanovic,2 to speculate about free
mobility of labor in other professions. As doctors, computer scientists, and
engineers are allowed to circulate without restriction, talent likely concentrates in
the richest nations. But the international federation requires that players compete
for their own country's teams in World Cup games. As a result, players hone their
skills around the world and then return home for major competition. Thus, the
federation puts the brakes to "leg drain" – football's corollary to globalization's
"brain drain."3 In an Indian context however, though India is well noted for its
large labor force, its footballers are not a prized asset. Only two Indian players
have ever gone on to play football professionally in the United Kingdom, the first
one being Mohammed Salim in 1936, well before the rise in popularity of football
in India. This however, shows the growing effect of the game as; Indians might
not be playing in the United Kingdom, but there is around 15% of the Indian
men’s national football team playing at various clubs around the world with the
Major League of Soccer (MLS) being a popular choice.
Without question though, the dominant sport of choice in India is still
cricket. Cricket is reported to have been introduced in India in the middle of the
18th century4 by British colonizers. The Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI), was formed in 19285 and is widely recognized as the most powerful
cricketing body in the world, even usurping power from the International Cricket
Council simply due to its huge fan following and dedicated following in India.
Today, cricket is still the top dog of sports in India. It has built a fandom spanning
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/learning-globalization-football
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/learning-globalization-football
4 http://zeenews.india.com/cricket/History-of-Indian-cricket.aspx?nid=76
5 http://www.bcci.tv/about/2014/history
2
3
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
4
generations. Yet, according to the BBC, the fastest growing sport in India today is
football6.
The modern global game of football was first codified in 1863 in London.
The impetus for this was to unify English public school and university football
games. There is evidence for refereed, team football games being played in
English schools since at least 1581. One of the most surprising events in to
consider is that even though the British colonization on India is credited for having
introduced Cricket and field hockey to India, the inherently British sport of
football seems to have been curiously ignored. The reasons for this are unknown
and probably arose from the class-based identity of the colonizers who arrived in
India. Other than its sheer simplistic rules and bare requirements for equipment,
the major reason for the growth of the sport in India can largely be attributed to its
television coverage. The most watched football league in the world, with India
being part of this rule, is the English Premier League. The Premier League is
broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of
4.7 billion people.6 In the 2010–11 season the average Premier League match
attendance was 35,363, the second highest of any professional football league
behind the German football league (Bundesliga),7 and stadium occupancy was
92.2% capacity.5
English football on television has been broadcast since 1937, and since the
establishment of the Premier League in 1992 it has become a very lucrative
industry. As of the 2013-2014 football season television rights for the 20-team
Premier League is valued at close to £1bn each season7. The English Premier
League only began being broadcasted in India in 20048. According to The Premier
6
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-21496112
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
5
League's chief executive Richard Scudamore, “The league has grown
exponentially and we have concluded a (television) deal for the next three years”9.
The deal, which Mr. Scudamore is referring to, was a renegotiated contract with
Star TV, which forced them to pay a licensing fee of $1bn10. This deal highlights
the fact that there is an undeniable fan base in India and that there is recognition of
this fact. In 2013, Star launched 6 brand new channels-Star Sports 1,2,3,4 and HD1 and HD-2. The addition of these channels not only allowed Star TV to increase
the number of matches they can show at any one time, but also permitted them to
pursue an avenue which would allow them to increase their fan base even more,
localized language commentaries. Sanjay Gupta, the chief operating officer at Star
India has stated that they have “committed over Rs.20,000 Crore” in the
development of the new channels with the goal of taking sport into languages
beyond Hindi and English, with examples such as Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and
Kannada. To promote this plan, Star TV recruited the Indian men’s cricket team
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as the brand ambassador. Though this may seem
like an odd decision, hiring the cricket team captain to promote football over the
football team captain, the decision can be seen as attempt to woo people who have
been lifelong cricket fans or Mahendra Singh Dhoni fans. It can also be interpreted
class based appeal as Dhoni is considered by many to be the poster boy of social
development in India, as he hails from a region commonly criticized across India
as being backward. It simply goes to show just how intensely Star hopes to
promote their new channels to this new demographic.
http://www.televisionpost.com/television/sports-broadcast-a-three-horserace/
8 http://www.televisionpost.com/television/sports-broadcast-a-three-horserace/
9 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-21496112
10 http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/b2j9IeMRzaoVPlCHFYrbKI/Why-StarSports-is-retiring-ESPN-brand-in-India.html
7
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
6
With the brand of the English Premier League already well established in India,
we can also see concurrent growths in brands associated with it.
Nike is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the
design, development, and manufacturing and worldwide marketing and selling of
footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The company was founded
on January 25, 1964, as Blue Ribbon Sports, by Bill Bowerman andPhil Knight.
Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike
Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including Hurley
International and Converse11. While these are their own products, they also have
exclusive deals with some of the largest football clubs in the world such as,
Arsenal FC, Manchester United FC, FC Barcelona and Juventus FC. These
deals basically give them the legal license to produce apparel and memorabilia
with the image of the football club. Adidas, a German multinational corporation
who are Nike’s largest rivals, also have similar exclusive deals with some of
Europe’s top football clubs, including Real Madrid C.F. Though initially these
deals were simply kit manufacturing deals, these deals have grown to include lines
of apparel designed specifically about the football clubs. The reason for this can
easily be seen in the rise in popularity of the sport. In an Indian context this
growth can be tangibly seen. The following chart illustrates this point.
Mark Williams
11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike, Inc.
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
7
According to this chart, one can see that while there was a wave one of growth in
international fashion brands in India in the mid 90’s, the second wave shows an
unprecedented spike in growth. This second wave happens to occur right around
the time when the English Premier League began being broadcasted in India,
2004. One can derive a general idea that there is a correlation between the two.
The economic principle of supply and demand comes into play here. We can see
that the arrival of the English Premier League on Indian broadcast created a
demand for international apparel and accessory products associated with the
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
8
league, such as Nike and Adidas. As a direct result, the highest selling single
product for both Nike and Adidas are Manchester United FC and Real Madrid FC
football jerseys respectively.
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
9
Another MNC that has benefited from the assimilation of the English Premier
League into Indian lives is PepsiCo. PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader
with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22
brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. PepsiCo
entered India in 1989 and in a short period, has grown into one of the largest food
and beverage businesses in the country12. While on the face of it, the claim of it
being helped by football may seem completely nonsensical yet; the claim could
not be any truer. One of PepsiCo’s subsidiaries is a company known simply as
The Gatorade Company, Inc. Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed beverage and
food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently
manufactured by PepsiCo and distributed in over 80 countries. Gatorade as a
brand and a product was non-existent in India until 2004,13 when it was introduced
to the Indian market through the prominence of its usage in televised English
Premier League matches. Gatorade was introduced to India immediately after the
English Premier League began being broadcasted in India. The demand created by
its extensive usage by footballers created an open market for PepsiCo to come in
and exploit, giving them a complete monopoly over the energy drinks business, as
they were the first to do so.
After analyzing all of this, the question still remains; does football itself actually
promote globalization? The answer is quite frankly, yes. Footballs rise in
popularity pushes more people towards the sport, be it as a player, coach,
manager, agent or simply a fan. It creates job opportunities, expands people’s
linguistic inclinations and most importantly creates a universality of acceptance.
12
13
http://pepsicoindia.co.in/company/about-pepsico.html
http://pepsicoindia.co.in/brands/gatorade.html
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
10
People like Thierry Henry, the Men’s French National Football Team’s all time
highest scorer, can go to England; a completely foreign country, and still be called
a hero and worshipped by people who share no cultural background with him
other than a love for the game. In 1993 the “Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football”
campaign is launched by the Commission for Racial Equality and the Professional
Footballers Association (PFA). This campaign aims to remove all forms of racism
in the sport. The effect this campaign has had can be seen both on the field and off
of it as not only are players of different ethnicities playing on the same team
becoming a common practice, football clubs who’s fans have historically been
noted for their racist behavior have managed to greatly reduce the poor behavior
of their fans and have worked to eradicate it. In February 2013, Manchester
United FC announced that after a yearlong survey they had come to the result that
their global following amounted to 659 million people14. In five years,
purportedly, Manchester United's following has gone from 333 million, or
thereabouts, to 659 million. So almost a doubling of people following Manchester
United in five years15. Of the 659 million figure, Kantar, the worlds leading
research, data and insight company16, says roughly half (325 million) live in the
Asia Pacific region, 173 million in the Middle East and Africa, 90 million in
Europe and 71 million in the Americas. The fact that a small group of rail workers
in the industrial north-west of England formed a football team called Manchester
United in 1878, they would never have fathomed the club would become the
world’s most valuable sporting brand17. In a nutshell, this is the power of
globalization. The fact that a football team playing in England could have
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21478857
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21478857
16 http://www.kantar.com/
17http://www.afr.com/p/national/from_rail_staff_to_fans_man_cashes_jAonSzR
Oaf49K2l5kNGRWK
14
15
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
11
worldwide support is quite staggering yet can still be believed due to the age we
live in. The outreach of this club shows the cultural impact it has had as
supporting a football club has become a well-accepted part of our society.
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in Oxford Dictionary (British & World English). N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
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http://www.televisionpost.com/television/sports-broadcast-a-three-horserace/
http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/b2j9IeMRzaoVPlCHFYrbKI/Why-StarSports-is-retiring-ESPN-brand-in-India.html
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http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21478857
http://www.kantar.com/
http://www.afr.com/p/national/from_rail_staff_to_fans_man_cashes_jAonSzROa
f49K2l5kNGRWK
Mark Williams
III B. A. Programme
Political Science
27/03/2014
12
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/may/29/manchester-unitedpremierleague
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Graphshttp://www.soccerbible.com/news/football-shirts/archive/2012/10/09/theworld-s-best-selling-club-football-shirts.aspx
http://www.udel.edu/fiber/issue4/world/internationalbrands.html