tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/football-players-16510/articlesFootball players – The Conversation2019-06-18T10:42:11Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1179192019-06-18T10:42:11Z2019-06-18T10:42:11ZWomen’s World Cup: the science of what makes a good football game for fans<p>The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has got off to a record breaking start. The US beat Thailand 13-0, claiming the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48604054">biggest ever Women’s World Cup win</a>, showing why they are first in the world rankings. A record 6.1m tuned in to watch England beat Scotland, making it the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48581038">UK’s most watched women’s game of all time</a>.</p>
<p>The viewing figures are proof that the popularity of the women’s game is growing – with many football fans keen to tune in and support their country. But while this is great news for the sport, there still tends to be much less interest in women’s national football teams compared to the men’s teams.</p>
<p>This is in part down to the fact that the development of women’s football has been historically disadvantaged by national associations banning their members from allowing women’s football to be played at their grounds. These bans <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2016.1216982">started in 1921</a> and were only lifted in 1971. As <a href="https://www.historyextra.com/period/first-world-war/1921-when-football-association-banned-women-soccer-dick-kerr-ladies-lily-parr/">sports writer Jim Weeks notes</a>, “by this time, half a century of progress had been lost”. Of course, there is also far less money in women’s football today, compared with men’s, but there could also be another major factor. </p>
<h2>Competitive balance</h2>
<p>My <a href="https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/business-school/about-us/our-staff/epib/profile/index.php?id=3643">research</a> looks at competitive balance and intensity in women’s as well as men’s football. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1880543?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">Competitive balance</a> is a key concept in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1825886?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">sports economics</a>. The main idea is that there is a need for equilibrium between teams’ playing strengths to generate enough uncertainty for fans to be interested. Essentially, people prefer to watch games with teams that are close in ability levels rather than a game where one team is far better than the other. This is because, from a viewer’s perspective, it makes for a better match and a more uncertain finish.</p>
<p>Competitive balance goes beyond sports economics to relate to psychology and sociology. Indeed, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/book/national-pastime/">Stefan Szymanski and Andrew Zimbalist noted in 2005</a> that fan interest is supposed to come from the satisfaction of emotional and spiritual needs. It can be seen as a “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WHyiQgAACAAJ&dq=elias+and+dunning+1986+quest+for+excitement&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjv-LvZkbHiAhXfRhUIHWAlDI0Q6AEIKjAA">quest for excitement</a>”, consistent with what Aristotle called “<a href="https://www.iep.utm.edu/aris-poe/">the tragic pleasure</a>”.</p>
<p>A key factor that can affect the competitive balance at international level is the way the sport is developed in different countries. Large differences in the development of the game across countries can lead to large differences on the pitch – with certain games being less interesting for fans to watch. This tends to be the games between countries that have vastly different amounts of funding put into the game and where there is not the same youth development or scouting for the football stars of the future. All of which can impact levels of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2019.1606264">participation across countries</a>, as well as the different levels of <a href="http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/622833/">experience across national teams</a>.</p>
<h2>Women close the gap</h2>
<p>As part of my <a href="https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJSMM.2011.041569">research</a> I’ve looked at and compared the competitive balance of both the women’s and men’s World Cup games since 1990. To do this, I calculated the percentage of game-time with a difference of no more than one goal between teams.My results show that historically, women’s World Cups have always been less balanced than men’s, but that this gap has considerably reduced over time. </p>
<p>The findings show that the percentage of game-time with a difference of no more than one goal was 64% in the 1991 Women’s World Cup, and 90% in the 1990 Men’s World Cup. Then in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, it was 81% for women vs. 87% for men in the 2014 World Cup – making it a much more exciting and competitive tournament for fans. This may be one reason why the 2015 edition of the Women’s World Cup <a href="https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/record-breaking-fifa-women-s-world-cup-tops-750-million-tv-viewers-2745963">was the most watched in history</a>.</p>
<p>But competitive balance isn’t the only factor that makes a football match more appealing to fans. It also matters whether there is something at stake for at least one of the sides – this is known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S144135231830411X">competitive intensity</a> – and it explains why knock out matches or games where at least one side could go ahead if they win, tend to be so much better to watch. </p>
<p>When looking at competitive intensity in World Cup games, the percentage of game time with something at stake for at least one team was 81% for women in 2015 compared with 80% for men in 2014. In other words, there was slightly more game time with actual uncertainty in women’s football – with at least one team having something to compete for.</p>
<p>So when it comes to selecting the best matches to watch as a football fan, you want to be going for those games that are predicted to be close, with teams of equal standing, or where one side has a lot to lose – these games make for a much better viewing experience. Yes, games like like US thrashing Thailand 13-0 are spectacular, but from a fan perspective nothing beats a closely contested grudge match between two rival teams who are both going for glory.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117919/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicolas Scelles does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The science of why people prefer to watch games with teams that are close in ability levels rather than a game where one team is far better than the other.Nicolas Scelles, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics, Policy and International Business, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1159462019-05-14T09:58:55Z2019-05-14T09:58:55ZFootball referees: death threats, physical violence and verbal abuse are all part of the job<p>Match officials play an integral role in the beautiful game we call football. But what is not so beautiful about this game is the abuse that referees receive when officiating. Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, for example, was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47891377">recently banned for eight games</a> after being found guilty of abusing a referee.</p>
<p>Most spectators will have witnessed a situation where an official is harassed for making an unfavourable call. Whether it is a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/11/football/diego-costa-atletico-madrid-ban-barcelona-la-liga-spt-intl/index.html">professional footballer</a> insulting the referee’s mother, or <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/8287901/thousands-amateur-referees-threaten-strike-abuse/">parents of junior players</a> threatening officials at a local five-a-side match, abusing the ref has become a “normal” part of football.</p>
<p>Match officials encounter an array of hostile behaviours from players, coaches and spectators ranging from <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/neymar-banned-psg-manchester-united-insulting-referee-champions-league-a8888221.html">verbal abuse</a> to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46318558">physical assault</a>. The most common form of abuse exhibited is verbal aggression, with 64% of match officials in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ab.90028">one study</a> claiming to have frequently experienced such actions, followed by threats (36%). Worryingly 15% of the match officials reported physical abuse while on the job – and it’s not rare for <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46180452">match officials</a> to be hospitalised as a result of physical attacks. </p>
<p>The overall pattern of abuse seems to be consistent across all levels of football, a worrying trend when you consider that amateur referees are as young as 14. And with a considerably lower presence of security and protection within amateur football matches – often none – referees are more exposed to aggressive conduct, which explains why more serious assaults on referees often take place during amateur matches.</p>
<h2>Emotional impact</h2>
<p>Exposure to abuse can have adverse effects on an official’s performance, <a href="https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol9/iss4/5/">many referees</a> report a loss in concentration and motivation after being criticised by players and spectators. And more serious effects of abuse can also develop long after the game. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-01916-010">Research</a> has shown that exposure to similar forms of abuse within other occupational settings can have numerous psychological consequences – including an increase in anxiety levels. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zd-xLoqQWXI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The damaging effects of this abuse are reflected in the dwindling referee retention rates – with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-41585962">more referees</a> quitting their jobs due to being constantly abused. This is likely to lead to a reduction in skilled match officials. And with referees playing a significant role to ensure that football is played fairly and correctly, this can only result in poorer quality games at all levels. </p>
<p>On top of this, many fear that the normalisation of abusive conduct will have a negative effect on the junior players at grassroots levels. This is because failure to intervene against match official abuse could give footballers of tomorrow the wrong message about appropriate conduct.</p>
<h2>Why the abuse?</h2>
<p>Players and spectators often engage in abusive behaviour in part due to what’s known as “in-game triggers”. These can be frustrations towards a decision they believe to be unfair – or as a method of externalising their problems in the game. Many people also use interpersonal conflict with the referee in an attempt to influence future refereeing decisions. </p>
<p>Such abuse is frequently demonstrated by players and managers at the highest level of football – who often face little consequences for their actions. As a result, these actions are seen as acceptable conduct by viewers and spectators. And it normalises the behaviour as an integral part of football. This allows players and spectators to emulate the actions in future matches with little consideration of the moral implications. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273814/original/file-20190510-183103-111bn1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Verbal threat from parents can be a normal part of the job for referees of youth leagues.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Children, teenagers and even adults frequently try to imitate the mannerisms of their favourite footballers – be it copying their hairstyles or their skills when playing the game. One reason for this copycat behaviour is what social psychologists refer to as “<a href="https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/educationalpsychology/n276.xml">vicarious reinforcement</a>”. This is the act of imitating another person, in an attempt to reap the same rewards as them. </p>
<p>Now ask yourself, what would be going through a junior player’s mind when they witness a successful footballer they look up to shouting at the referee for giving a decision against their team. </p>
<p>My current <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/project/Abusing-the-Man-in-the-Middle-Investigating-the-causes-effects-and-coping-strategies-of-referee-abuse-in-football">research project</a> looks to identify the root causes and effects of referee abuse. With assistance from <a href="https://www.the-ra.org/">The Referees’ Association</a>, we have developed two online surveys. One measures the experiences of match officials and the other measures the attitudes of spectators, players and coaches of amateur football matches. The study, which has been funded by the <a href="https://www.cies.ch/en/cies/home/">International Centre for Sports Studies</a>, is working directly with match officials and people who attend grassroots matches – such as spectators, players and coaches – and it’s hoped these findings will help to inform future interventions aimed at reducing referee abuse and its adverse effects. </p>
<p>And given that <a href="https://www.naso.org/portals/0/downloads/reports/SpecReptAssault.pdf">many match officials</a> believe that players act aggressively towards referees due to a desire to imitate the actions of their role models, it’s clear this is something that needs to be dealt with at all levels of football sooner rather than later.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115946/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dara Mojtahedi received funding from CIES from the current project. However the funders have had no influence on the design or anticipated outcomes of the study.</span></em></p>It’s no wonder so many referees are quitting their jobs.Dara Mojtahedi, Lecturer in Psychology, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1069052019-01-07T10:50:55Z2019-01-07T10:50:55ZFootball’s gender problem: from the pitch to the boardroom, women are still being blocked from the top jobs<p>Although the world of English football has long been considered a <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781137590244">man’s world</a>, women now make up a sizeable proportion of football players and fans. But despite this, the football boardroom still remains a distinctly male domain.</p>
<p>The Football Association (FA) released its first <a href="http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/mar/01/fa-gender-pay-report-2017-270218">gender pay gap report</a> in March 2018, revealing a 23% gender pay gap in favour of men. The FA’s explanation for this pay gap was that fewer women than men worked in senior leadership roles. The FA suggested that this disparity was the result of a “pipeline” problem, stating that they needed “a better pipeline of talented women” to fill leadership roles. </p>
<p>It’s a similar story across club football, with men’s professional clubs averaging a 66% <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43638672">gender pay gap</a>. Although the gap decreases to 17% when clubs exclude their player wages, only 21 out of 48 clubs eligible to release their gender pay gap provided this additional data – meaning the average gender pay gap could be higher. While many clubs were keen to note the influence of high player wages on the data, others acknowledged that having a lack of women in senior roles contributed to their overall gender pay gap. Again, women’s absence in the boardroom was largely explained by a shortage of women who are able or willing to do the job. </p>
<p>However, my <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/research/directory/staff/?mode=staff&id=16782">doctoral research</a> at Durham University and the National Football Museum offers an alternative theory. This research, which focuses on men’s professional football in England, is challenging the pipeline theory by uncovering the true extent of women’s leadership work in football. </p>
<p>It shows that nearly a third of workers in men’s professional football are women, and that in the last 30 years, over 700 women (and counting) have held leadership roles in the men’s game. The problem, it seems, is that women’s route to the boardroom is blocked. </p>
<h2>Pipeline theory</h2>
<p>In the 1970s, the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000768138890016X">pipeline theory</a> emerged as a common explanation for gender inequality in the boardroom. Supporters of this theory argued that women’s under-representation in leadership roles was the result of a shortage of qualified women workers at the lower levels of the organisation. The belief was that increasing the flow of women in the pipeline would, in time, lead to equity at the top. </p>
<p>But as women’s participation in paid work and higher education increased towards the end of the 20th century, inequality at the top remained. As a result, the pipeline theory attracted substantial <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/promise-future-leadership-research-program-highly-talented-employees-pipeline">criticism</a>. In recent decades, focus has instead shifted to cultural and structural barriers to women’s progression. And yet, the pipeline theory is still being used to explain a lack of women in football leadership. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=190&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=190&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=190&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=239&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=239&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/248258/original/file-20181202-194944-1b32qgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=239&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Percentage of female directors in football.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is because the pipeline theory presents a convenient account of women’s work in the men’s game. Blaming gender imbalance on women’s inability or willingness to work in football absolves organisations of responsibility for gender equality. In football, this account proves especially convincing given football’s reputation as a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0263276486003001007">male preserve</a>. Arguably, the pipeline theory has endured in football because little empirical evidence has been offered to challenge it, until now.</p>
<h2>What’s the truth?</h2>
<p>Although my research found that around 27% of workers in men’s professional club football are women, the proportion of women drops to 14% in the top pay quartile – and falls even further to just 7% in the boardroom. </p>
<p>While there are significantly fewer women working in football than men, as the pipeline theory suggests, you would still expect to see proportional representation at all levels. But data shows women’s presence actually declines the further up the football ladder you climb. </p>
<p>There are some clubs that buck this trend. Tottenham Hotspur, for example, has proportionally more women on the board than in the overall workforce – as do Leicester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Sheffield Wednesday. Sunderland AFC, Reading, and Scunthorpe United also have proportional representation on their board. Nevertheless, these clubs are in the minority. </p>
<h2>Tough to the top</h2>
<p>More than 700 women have held leadership roles in men’s professional football since the late 1980s. These roles include directors, executives, and heads of department. Over 230 of these women currently work in a leadership capacity in football. </p>
<p>Many others have left football but continue to work in leadership in another industry. These women are a pool of seemingly qualified leaders who can contend for the most senior roles in football. Yet, despite this, women are still not making it to the top.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252469/original/file-20190104-32121-1r8d1i4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Susanna Dinnage was due to become chief executive at the Premier League in 2019 but has now announced she will no longer be taking up the position.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.womeninfootball.co.uk/news/2018/12/31/susanna-dinnage-makes-u-turn-over-premier-league-role/">Women In Football</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Occupational segregation could go some way to explain the block in the pipeline. Most of these women have occupied leadership roles in commercial, sales, ticketing, and retail. In contrast, few women have held leadership roles in operations, football administration, and business development. The problem is that certain roles provide clearer pathways to the boardroom than others – and these pathways are <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Gender_segregation_at_work.html?id=rS-7AAAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">historically gendered</a>. </p>
<p>My research with women who have worked in senior roles in men’s football will help to understand how women experience leadership roles in football. And it is hoped that by tracing their routes into leadership roles, a better picture of why women are really absent from the boardroom can be discovered.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106905/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amée Gill is a PhD candidate at Durham University. Amée receives funding from the Arts And Humanities Research Council and the National Football Museum. </span></em></p>Why are there so few women in the football boardroom?Amée Gill, Doctoral researcher in the Department of Sport & Exercise Sciences, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1006912018-08-10T09:41:31Z2018-08-10T09:41:31ZEngland invented football – but Scots made it the success it has become<p>In his book, <a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2002/09/26/great-scots/">How Scots Invented the Modern World</a>, American writer Arthur Herman credited the inventiveness of Sots in numerous fields including science, education, medicine, and philosophy and medicine. In so doing, he argued, the Scots were responsible for modern ideas about democracy, free market capitalism and the importance of developing a literate society. </p>
<p>Another invention he could have added was the <a href="http://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/what-we-do/history">Football League</a> – the First Division of which was the forerunner of the English Premier League (EPL), widely regarded as the most successful domestic football competition <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1306268-10-reasons-the-premier-league-is-the-best-in-the-world">in the world</a> – which was invented by a Scotsman living in England.</p>
<p>Even though the English <a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who-we-are/the-laws/index.html">first codified</a> the modern game of association football, there is no doubt that – like golf – football gave Scotland what Kevin McCarra, in his 1984 <a href="http://www.scottishsporthistory.com/football-books.html">pictorial history of Scottish football</a>, described as “a place in the world”.</p>
<p>The league process developed rapidly in England itself with Scottish players arriving in large numbers to play for clubs in the north-east and in Lancashire in the 1880s. Professionalism was still officially illegal in both countries but English clubs were more successful than their Scottish counterparts at circumventing this obstacle, not least by paying “expenses” and offering paid employment in firms owned by club directors.</p>
<p>Most noteworthy of all, however, is the role played by <a href="https://www.avfc.co.uk/club/history/mcgregor">William McGregor</a>. Born in Braco in Perthshire in 1846, McGregor moved to Birmingham where he set up in business as a draper and became a committee member of Aston Villa Football Club in 1877. On March 23 1888, he organised a meeting in London with representatives of ten leading English clubs including West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End. A subsequent meeting in Manchester on 17 April resulted in the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/9893201/Time-to-raise-a-glass-to-William-McGregor-the-original-godfather-and-founder-of-league-football.html">formation of the Football League</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230213/original/file-20180801-136646-19y6umh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Founder of English Football League? William McGregor of Aston Villa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Elliott Brown via Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As chairman the Football League from 1888-1891, McGregor presided over the transition of English football from a (mainly) amateur pursuit to a truly professionalised sport. He was also chairman of the Football Association (1888-1894) and was honorary president of the Football League (1891-1894). He was elected the first life member of the league in 1895 and died in 1911. He is remembered today by a statue unveiled in 2009 at the directors’ entrance to the Trinity Road Stand at Villa Park in Birmingham.</p>
<p>Thereafter it was the export of players that increased Scottish influence on football in England. The <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/125/273712-on-this-day-in-1892-lfc-thrash-rotherham-in-first-game">first Liverpool side</a> to play a league game was comprised ten Scots and a Merseyside-born goalkeeper by the name of Billy McOwen. As former Portsmouth captain and players’ union activist, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=T06rBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA209&lpg=PA209&dq=After+whisky,+footballers+have+been+the+favourite+and+most+expensive+export+from+Scotland+to+England&source=bl&ots=T_qxoiNVby&sig=4kFLoONMnUpHhf73eRr20glUUs0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG6aCgxsvcAhVIbVAKHTRpBC4Q6AEwAHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=After%20whisky%2C%20footballers%20have%20been%20the%20favourite%20and%20most%20expensive%20export%20from%20Scotland%20to%20England&f=false">Jimmy Guthrie</a>, put it: “After whisky, footballers have been the favourite and most expensive export from Scotland to England.” </p>
<h2>Kicking goals</h2>
<p>James Lang is generally regarded as the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1466097042000279599?journalCode=fsas20">first ever professional footballer</a>. Born in 1851 in Clydebank, Lang moved from Scotland to the nominally amateur Sheffield Wednesday and gained employment in a company belonging to one of the club’s directors before then moving to the openly professional Burnley Football Club.</p>
<p>Ever since – or at least until relatively recently – Scottish players have continued to make their mark on English domestic football. Alex James of Arsenal won four league titles and three FA Cup winners medals as well as runners-up medals in each competition between 1931 and 1936. Dave Mackay, John White and Bill Brown were regular members of the Tottenham Hotspur team that won the first league and cup double in the modern era in 1960-1. </p>
<p>Alan Hansen won eight league titles and three European Cup winners medals with Liverpool with whom his compatriot, Kenny Dalglish won six league titles and three European Cup medals as a player. As manager between 1985 and 1990, he then led the club to its first double in 1985-6 and to two other league titles in 1987-8 and 1989-90. Under his stewardship, Liverpool also won the FA Cup in 1989. </p>
<h2>Managers: from Shankly to Ferguson</h2>
<p>As with Dalglish’s example, it is the legacy of Scottish managers that is most apparent in the relatively short history of the EPL. For example, as manager of Liverpool, Dalglish was building on a legacy inherited from Bill Shankly. Overall in the 20 years preceding the formation of the EPL, Liverpool won the old League Division One title on nine occasions. Meanwhile, another Scot – Matt Busby – led Manchester United to the first ever European Cup success for an English team.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230216/original/file-20180801-136649-1o21c9g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bill Shankly: football is not a matter of life and death. It’s far more important than that.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Luis Garcai</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Undoubtedly the successes of these two clubs were influential in helping to precipitate the formation of the Premier League which would allow already successful clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester United to become more successful and even richer. So it was ironic that, in the EPL’s third season, the title went to Blackburn Rovers – managed by none other than Dalglish. </p>
<p>But it is another Scot who made a bigger mark on the league to date than any owner, manager or player. Having previously managed in his native country, Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986. During 27 years at the helm (1986-2013), the club won 38 trophies, including 13 EPL titles and the European Champions’ League in 1998-9 and 2007-8.</p>
<p>So you can mount a pretty good argument that the history of football in England would have been very different without the contribution made by Scots – and the EPL is but the latest stage in that history. </p>
<p>Without going as far as sportswriter Patrick Barclay who <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/after-150-years-the-truth-scotland-invented-football-8756018.html">claimed in The Independent</a> that Scots invented the game itself – “the football that was to charm every continent” – it is surely the case that, given the history of the Football League and beyond, if football ever does “come home”, it will be to Great Britain as a whole and not to England alone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100691/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Bairner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It took a Scotsman to organise a professional football league in England.Alan Bairner, Professor of Sport and Social Theory, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/910222018-05-03T09:13:40Z2018-05-03T09:13:40ZFive lesser known footballers who broke down racial barriers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217090/original/file-20180501-135848-1k5qyoh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Arthur Wharton</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wharton#/media/File:Arthur_Wharton_c1896.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Netflix has commissioned <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2018/04/18/downton-abbeys-julian-fellowes-write-netflix-show-football/">Julian Fellowes</a>, the creator of the award-winning historical period drama <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/downton-abbey-8630">Downton Abbey</a>, to write a new TV series exploring the early development of modern football and how its creation “reached across the class divide” as Etonians and factory workers came together to create the world’s most popular sport.</p>
<p>The origins and early history of association football is certainly full of prestigious names and colourful characters. People like <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/01/28/fa-cups-100-memorable-moments-gazza-giggs-burton-bradford/charles-alcock/">Charles William Alcock</a>, the Sunderland ship merchant who invented the FA Cup, and <a href="https://www.avfc.co.uk/club/history/mcgregor">William McGregor</a>, who ran a draper’s shop and established the Football League in 1888 with his club Aston Villa. So Fellowes will have no shortage of potential content. But will he look to explore the stories of less renowned figures such as Arthur Wharton, Walter Tull and Frank Soo?</p>
<p>All three were early non-Caucasian pioneers in British football that had to face and overcome racial barriers, both on and off the pitch as “men of colour”. Yet most people will never have heard of them. There is a danger that their stories, along with other less prominent players, will disappear from the collective memory of society, and their accomplishments, achievements and struggles will be forgotten if we don’t give them the credit they deserve by remembering them. </p>
<h2>The first professional</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-18340408">Arthur Wharton</a> is widely accepted as the first professional non-Caucasian football player in the world after he appeared for Rotherham United in 1889. Born in Jamestown, Gold Coast (now Ghana), he was a talented all round athlete who was renowned for his “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=U4IsBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA200&dq=%22arthur+wharton%22+prodigious+punch&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0zcvmkIfZAhWHCMAKHYNTAlIQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=%22arthur%20wharton%22%20prodigious%20punch&f=false">prodigious punch</a>” when playing as a goalkeeper and for equalling the amateur world record of ten seconds for the 100-yard sprint. Wharton played for numerous clubs as both an amateur and professional, including Preston North End, Sheffield United and Darlington, prior to retiring in 1902.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AihLpptb0xc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>The war hero</h2>
<p>The second non-Caucasian to play in the Football League was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/feb/03/walter-tull-black-football-pioneer-military-cross-tottenham">Walter Tull</a>. The inside forward signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 1909 and participated in the club’s tour of South America prior to joining Northampton Town in 1911. But the outbreak of the <a href="http://www.footballandthefirstworldwar.org/walter-tull-footballer/">First World War</a> saw Tull enlist in the British army where he rose to the rank of second lieutenant in 1917, becoming <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43504448">the first officer of colour</a> despite contemporary military regulations forbidding it, before being killed in northern France in 1918.</p>
<h2>The Egyptian engineer</h2>
<p><a href="http://spartacus-educational.com/FULHAMhegazi.htm">Hassan Hegazi</a> became the first Egyptian to appear in the Football League when he made his debut for <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IKa_CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT38&dq=%22Hassan+Hegazi%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhideOkofZAhUsAsAKHXS3DoAQ6AEIPjAE#v=onepage&q=%22Hassan%20Hegazi%22&f=false">Fulham</a> in <a href="https://www.fulhamfc.com/history/timeline/1911">1911</a>. He had arrived in London to study engineering but had gained a reputation for being a talented striker while playing for amateur side Dulwich Hamlet, attracting the interest of local professional clubs. However, despite scoring on his debut for Fulham (a 3-1 win against Stockport County) and being asked to play the following week, Hegazi opted to return to amateur football with Dulwich so that he could focus on his studies. </p>
<h2>The barefoot winger</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217094/original/file-20180501-135840-qzddxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Indian footballer Mohammed Salim having feet bandaged at Celtic FC in 1936.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Salim_(footballer)#/media/File:Mohammed_Salim_(Indian_footballer)_having_feet_bandaged_at_Celtic_FC,_1936_photograph.jpg">wikipedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Mohammed Abdul Salim Bachi Khan, also known as Mohammed Salim, was an Indian winger who arrived in Britain in 1936 after winning five successive Calcutta Football League titles with Mohammedan SC in his homeland. Despite making only two official appearances for the Glasgow Celtic reserve team, his presence attracted a great amount of interest from the public as he would play in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2404435/A-unique-import-thrilled-Celtic-fans-back-in-the-1930s.html">bare feet</a> that were swathed in bandages rather than boots. He was given the nickname “The Indian Juggler” and impressed in his duo of performances but returned to India after he became homesick. </p>
<h2>The English pioneer</h2>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, the first non-Caucasian player to represent the English <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=grXiAUEzVZoC&pg=PA1942&dq=%22frank+soo%22+england&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjauI2GlYfZAhUrDsAKHaMOAiEQ6AEINzAD#v=onepage&q=%22frank%20soo%22%20england&f=false">national team</a> was Stoke City half-back <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MTUELEO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Frank Soo</a> in 1942 – as opposed to Viv Anderson who made his debut three decades later in 1978. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aY-gOe2U_88?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Soo was of mixed Chinese and English heritage – his father, Our Quong Soo, had migrated to Britain and married a local girl, Beatrice Whittam, in 1908. Soo became the first player of Chinese heritage to appear in the Football League when he made his debut for Stoke in 1933 and he quickly became a regular fixture in the first team, culminating in him being proclaimed one of the “finest half-backs in the country”. Soo made nine appearances for the national team between 1942 and 1945 but this accomplishment is often overlooked as the Football Association do not class wartime internationals as “official” fixtures.</p>
<p>These players should play a prominent role in our understanding of the history of the game and wider society. Their achievements and accomplishments – in addition to the racial barriers and challenges that they faced – deserve to be recognised. The stories of the early non-Caucasian pioneers of British football should never be lost and, in my opinion, might even make a good Netflix series.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91022/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martyn Dean Cooke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Arthur Wharton, Walter Tull, Hassan Hegazi, Mohammed Salim and Frank Soo each made footballing history and their stories deserve to be better known.Martyn Dean Cooke, Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (PTA) and PhD Candidate (Sport History), Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/867822017-11-12T09:45:11Z2017-11-12T09:45:11ZWhy it’s time competition law was applied to sport in South Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/193773/original/file-20171108-27037-195x465.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> </figcaption></figure><p>An increasing number of popular sports clubs, like Manchester United and Real Madrid, have their stocks publicly traded in major stock exchanges around the world. This underlines the view that sport is no longer simply a cultural spectacle. It’s also become <a href="https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/23738/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1">big business</a>.</p>
<p>This applies to South Africa, where football, rugby and cricket have become big commercial affairs. Because sport isn’t formally recognised as an economic sector in South Africa, figures are hard to come by. But data from the South African Department of Sports and Recreation <a href="http://www.srsa.gov.za/MediaLib/Home/DocumentLibrary/Case%20for%20Sport%20-%20Oct%202009%20(Final).pdf">estimates</a> that in 2009 sporting activity contributed about 2.1% to the country’s GDP – that’s about R41 billion.</p>
<p>It’s beyond doubt that the contribution of sport as a sector to the country’s economy has increased over the past decade. Not only does sport create paid employment within the game, it also supports other economic sectors such as tourism and infrastructure development.</p>
<p>But, like many other sectors of the South African economy, the business of sport is riddled with unfair practices that probably infringe the <a href="http://www.compcom.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pocket-act-august-20141.pdf">Competition Act</a>. Until recently, for the most part these had been allowed to go unchecked by competition authorities. </p>
<p>There are signs that this might be changing. Following an investigation, the country’s competition commission has announced it will be <a href="http://www.compcom.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/FOOTBALL-AGENTS-TO-BE-PROSECUTED-FOR-PRICE-FIXING-002.pdf">prosecuting</a> football agents, their companies and the South African Football Intermediaries Association <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/competition-commission-target-sa-soccer-agents-for-fixing-prices-11540391">for</a> “fixing prices and other trading conditions”. </p>
<p>The case relates to the practice of agents fixing the price or commission that has to be paid when players and coaches change clubs. This is also the case when players and coaches sign or renew corporate sponsorship deals. </p>
<p>The commission’s case against football agents is significant because it brings sport in line with standard rules of business, and recognises the important role that sport plays in the economy. The case relates specifically to football agents, but the principle it’s trying to assert has relevance and will apply to the actions of agencies in other sporting codes as well. </p>
<p>Applying competition law to sport will promote fairness, professionalism, efficient resource allocation and economic development. The case also brings South Africa in line with other countries and regions in the world. In <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/sports/overview_en.html">Europe</a>, for example, various sporting activities have already been subjected to the scrutiny of competition law. </p>
<h2>Threats to competition</h2>
<p>There are lots of practices in sport that are viewed as being “normal” but that should in fact be cause for concern because they may undermine the Competition Act. </p>
<p>One example are rules for sports leagues and competitions that benefit, favour or give one club – or a few clubs – an advantage over others. What’s often ignored is that sport clubs in the same league or competition are in effect in competition with each other for what is often a significant amount of prize money. </p>
<p>The competition principle could be infringed if clubs of equal status in the same association or league are deprived of the opportunity to compete – or if they’re placed in a competitive disadvantage – without a justifiable sporting or operational reason. This could amount to an exclusionary act in terms of section 8 of the Competition Act. </p>
<p>Sports clubs are also in competition with each other for corporate sponsorships. Some big clubs enjoy a significant proportion of the market share. This gives them the financial power and prestige to attract players and coaches from other clubs. </p>
<p>This power may be used in ways that amount to an abuse of dominance from a competition law perspective. The most common example of anticompetitive conduct in this context is what is known in sports circles as “taping up”. This is where top - and often wealthy clubs – secretly court players or coaches from other clubs, promising them better deals. It would amount to an abuse of dominance if this was done without first getting the consent of the club to which the player or coach is contracted. </p>
<p>Competition law also supports the view that using one’s financial strength to destabilise rivals, for example by poaching their key staff, may be <a href="http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/21908/thesis_munyai_ps.pdf?sequence=1">anticompetitive</a>. </p>
<p>Broadcasting, the holy grail of modern sports, may at times also fall foul of the Competition Act. The main areas of concern are the terms and conditions of broadcasting rights. For example, the dominance of a preferred broadcaster – and excluding rivals from the market – could be entrenched when a sports league, competition or association awards a lengthy and generally exclusive broadcasting contract to a dominant player.</p>
<p>Ticketing for sport games could also be another problem area. A dominant ticketing company could be using its power to persuade or force associations or clubs to enter into exclusive ticketing agreements with it. This may raise competition concerns because it excludes rivals, or limits their ability to sell tickets.</p>
<h2>The way forward</h2>
<p>There is wide recognition that sport has transformed itself from a social activity into an economic activity with potential to spur economic development. Stakeholders involved in sport may soon need to realign their rules, policies and practices to ensure compliance with the provisions of South Africa’s Competition Act.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phumudzo S. Munyai does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The business of sport in South Africa is coming under the focus of the Competition Commission on concerns that some practices may be uncompetitive.Phumudzo S. Munyai, Senior Lecturer: Competition Law, University of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/819822017-08-03T15:51:57Z2017-08-03T15:51:57ZCould Neymar’s record transfer to PSG be stopped by Financial Fair Play regulations?<p>The Neymar transfer saga <a href="https://theconversation.com/qatar-psg-and-the-real-reason-neymar-could-sell-for-a-record-198m-81859">rumbles on</a>. After weeks of rumours that he might move to French club Paris Saint-Germain, the Brazilian forward has now confirmed the news and told his current club, FC Barcelona, that he wants to leave. The club’s response? PSG must pay a record €222m transfer fee in full if they want him. </p>
<p>Much attention has been paid to the fact that this would make Neymar the most expensive footballer ever – by quite some margin. But PSG’s ability to pay this money also comes with an additional predicament: Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Indeed, La Liga, Spanish football’s governing body, has <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/836236/Transfer-News-LIVE-updates-Neymar-PSG-Man-Utd-Arsenal-Chelsea-Liverpool-latest">said</a> it would not accept the payment from PSG to trigger Neymar’s release clause. The reason: “We have doubts that this money is in accordance with UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.”</p>
<p>These are regulations that were introduced by UEFA, European football’s governing body, that require clubs’ spending to match their earnings. They stipulate that clubs should avoid accumulating debts, by limiting the difference between their revenue and expense to a net loss that is currently set at €5m. So that’s a lot of money to make up when you consider the fact that Neymar is estimated to cost PSG <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/10971192/neymar-agrees-five-year-paris-saint-germain-deal-ahead-of-world-record-450m-transfer-from-barcelona">close to €500m</a> when you include his wages, bonuses, and other expenses, as well as the €222m release clause. </p>
<p>The FFP rules were introduced in 2011 in response to growing concerns regarding European club football’s overall financial health. Despite ever increasing revenues, many clubs were also exponentially accumulating debt. The losses among <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/sports-business-group/uk-deloitte-sport-football-money-league-2016.pdf">Europe’s top division clubs</a> had in fact increased by 760% over the five-year period leading up to the introduction of FFP (2006-2011), with more than half of them reporting losses in 2011. </p>
<h2>Ways around the rules?</h2>
<p>Interestingly, PSG has been in breach of the FFP regulations before, in 2014. The club was <a href="http://www.espn.co.uk/football/news/story/_/id/1811094/psg-set-quadruple-financial-fair-play-sanctions-uefa">sanctioned</a> by UEFA for spending around €100m more than they earned. It was banned from increasing its salaries and had limits placed on its transfer spending in the next window. It was also given a €60m fine spread over three seasons and limited to naming a 21-man squad in its Champions League campaign instead of the usual 25. </p>
<p>It is worth noting that there are ways around the FFP regulations. First off, clubs are allowed to spend an additional €30m of their own money over a rolling three‑year period to cover any excess spending. Also, FFP accounting allows for transfer fees to be paid over the length of a player’s contract. This would give PSG time to sell some players to raise money over the next few years to cover the transfer fees, should such an agreement be reached with Barcelona.</p>
<p>Plus, PSG may be able to use some other creative solutions to plug any deficit in their accounts. For example, in 2014 the Qatari-owned club tried to avoid sanctions by signing a deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority which brought them within UEFA’s FFP earnings threshold. Following an investigation by UEFA, it was deemed to be overvalued (hence the sanctions), but who knows what sort of deals PSG might sign to increase its revenues. </p>
<p>These are in fact some of the reasons why FFP has been heavily criticised since its introduction. Indeed, there has been ample criticism regarding FFP and its potential effects. Some were concerned that the rules would freeze the existing hierarchy in the leagues and preserve the status of the wealthy elite clubs at the top of the table, while limiting the smaller clubs to their own meagre resources and reducing competition. The idea being that those clubs that took advantage of the lack of regulations before FFP would benefit from the change. </p>
<p>My <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/SBM-10-2016-0058">research</a> into the effect of FFP on the English Premier League (EPL) found little to no evidence to support this criticism. In fact, the study indicates that competition has increased, suggesting that FFP regulations might actually have a positive impact on leagues. Indeed, from the 2012-13 to 2015-16 seasons, there were four consecutive EPL titles won by four different teams – something never previously experienced in the EPL era.</p>
<p>As for Neymar’s transfer prospects, La Liga does not have the jurisdiction to block the move on FFP grounds. The deal – and PSG’s finances – can only be investigated by UEFA, in a potentially long and protracted process involving lots of lawyers. Based on previous sanctions, this may be something PSG is willing to risk.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81982/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Argyro Elisavet Manoli does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Financial Fair Play rules require clubs’ spending to match their earnings.Argyro Elisavet Manoli, Lecturer in Sports Marketing and Communications, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/818592017-08-01T12:16:10Z2017-08-01T12:16:10ZQatar, PSG and the real reason Neymar could sell for a record £198m<p>The footballing world awaits Brazilian footballer Neymar’s move to France’s Paris Saint Germain (PSG) for a <a href="http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/07/31/597f5c9246163f72298b466e.html">world record fee of more than £198m</a> – his FC Barcelona release clause demands as much. Such is the anticipated deal’s magnitude, that it will more than double the size of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/man-utd-splash-record-89m-on-paul-pogba-but-is-he-worth-it-63745">previous £89m record</a>, paid by England’s Manchester United for French player Paul Pogba in 2016. </p>
<p><iframe id="UsStF" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/UsStF/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Rumours have circulated for months that Neymar <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4034036/manchester-united-transfer-news-neymar-barcelona/">has been unhappy</a> at Barcelona playing in the shadow of Lionel Messi. Some <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/07/29/watch-neymar-storm-training-scuffle-barcelona-team-mate-nelson/">have speculated</a> that Neymar has fallen out with several of his teammates. And with a new manager recently installed at the Spanish club and Neymar’s close friend, fellow Brazilian Dani Alves, also now at PSG, the scene seems set for the move.</p>
<p>Whatever the on-field motives for Neymar’s switch to Paris, the transfer is perhaps a more highly charged affair off it. PSG was purchased by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in 2011, with a view to establishing the club <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/14393012">as a leading global sports brand</a>. While domestic success has been secured, the absence of international achievement has hindered the club’s commercial development. </p>
<p>At one level, Neymar’s acquisition could therefore be interpreted as a high-stakes gamble to deliver on QSI’s vision. Yet over the last two seasons, PSG’s record of player purchases has appeared at odds with this. The club has only signed two players of real note (Julian Draxler from Schalke and Angel Di Maria from Manchester United), neither of whom are of the same calibre as the likes of Neymar, Messi or Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. </p>
<p>The failure to make significant marquee signings is likely a reflection of the Qatari government’s recent <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/048e5762-f9a4-11e6-bd4e-68d53499ed71">imposition of fiscal stringency measures</a>, a result of low oil prices. This has even hit the country’s 2022 World Cup budget which has seen heavy spending cuts and large job losses across the country. And it has led to discussions about Qatar creating a tax system (its citizens and businesses currently do not pay tax). In this context, the lavish purchase of Neymar is something of a surprise.</p>
<h2>Political motives</h2>
<p>As such, there is another more important, geopolitical, issue to consider. An alternative interpretation of PSG’s Neymar signing is that he could unwittingly be about to become a Qatari poster-boy amid the country’s serious conflict with its near neighbours. Over the last two months, Qatar has been embroiled in an <a href="https://theconversation.com/qatar-saudi-arabia-is-taking-a-chance-and-iran-could-be-the-ultimate-winner-79478">unprecedented regional dispute</a> with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, following various claims including that it is harbouring international terrorists and is interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours. </p>
<p>This has resulted in several countries cutting diplomatic ties with Doha, as well as trade routes into and out of the country being blocked. Indeed, the country’s only land border, with Saudi Arabia, has been closed for some weeks.</p>
<p>Qatar’s response to these moves has been to adopt an assertive, even bullish, position that has seen it move closer to Iran and Turkey, while continuing to emphasise its economic strength. The country retains significant currency reserves, is seeking to boost its gas production to reduce its dependence on oil (which will see it become the world’s biggest producer of liquefied natural gas), and has talked up its credentials as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/02/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-blockade.html">richest country in the world per capita</a>.</p>
<h2>Making a statement</h2>
<p>Neymar’s PSG move, while beneficial to the French club, may therefore be motivated by the political statement it makes and the soft power influence it is likely to have. At a time when the likes of Saudi Arabia want the world to be talking about Qatar in negative terms, Doha has become a focus for the biggest story of the year in the world’s favourite sport.</p>
<p>It may appear that Neymar has thus become a pawn in a regional political spat. Keep in mind though that his original move from Brazil to Barcelona was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/mar/30/neymar-brazil-barcelona-santos-transfer">mired in controversy</a> as he was aggressively courted by one club after another. This is a young man whose representatives understand how to capitalise on the vagaries of the environment in which football clubs operate.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, it is Qatar’s desire to stand tall in front of its regional rivals that has shouted loudest in what is likely to become world football’s biggest ever transfer. Indeed, though many bemoan that sport and politics <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14732388.Susan_Egelstaff__Politics_and_sport_should_not_be_mixed_______or_so_I_thought/">should not mix</a>, Neymar’s transfer demonstrates that in the 21st century, sport is politics.</p>
<p>The Brazilian star will presumably be largely unconcerned about Saudi claims that Qatar supports the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and happily bank his big salary at the end of each month. Similarly, PSG and its fans will be pleased that the club’s chances of winning the Champions League are just about to improve dramatically. Yet it is Qatar, as it sits at the centre of world football’s glare, that is likely to be most satisfied by this impending, record-breaking piece of business.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81859/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s all to do with PSG’s Qatari owners.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/817942017-08-01T00:16:35Z2017-08-01T00:16:35ZConcussions and CTE: More complicated than even the experts know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180246/original/file-20170728-23754-13wbuam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Youngsters leave a football field in 2015 after playing at halftime at a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Banning-Tackle-Football/6000c666116049f0875924b3292a818a/13/0">AP Photo/Bill Wippert</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many, American football is a beautiful game that is simple to enjoy but complex to master. Choreographed with a mixture of artistry and brutality, it features the occasional “big hit” or bone-jarring tackle, forcing a fumble and turning the tide of the game. </p>
<p>But with this part of football comes justified concern about the long-term health effects of engaging in this type of activity over time, concerns that abound in practically every high-impact contact sport. It is possible that effects of continued involvement may accumulate quietly in the background until they show themselves, later in life. </p>
<p>A recent study appeared to give a “big hit” to the game of football itself, with findings that <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/07/25/539198429/study-cte-found-in-nearly-all-donated-nfl-player-brains">nearly all the brains of 111 deceased NFL players </a> studied showed signs of <a href="https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE">chronic traumatic encephalopathy</a>, or CTE. </p>
<p>At the University of Florida, our interdisciplinary team has studied brain injuries in athletes, military veterans and civilians for many years. A <a>study of which we were co-authors</a>, published in September, 2017, in JAMA Neurology, concluded that there are many gaps in knowledge. While repetitive brain trauma is the biggest risk factor for CTE, our findings suggested that there are many associated issues of neurodegenerative disease to consider as we develop ways to keep our athletes, both young and old, safe.</p>
<h2>The concussion ‘explosion’</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_whatis.html">Concussions</a> result from mechanical impact to the brain that produces transient changes in awareness or consciousness and a range of other symptoms. A 2016 study reported that between <a href="https://theconversation.com/concussions-and-kids-know-the-signs-60672">1.1 million and 1.9 million concussions</a> occur each year in children.</p>
<p>Although diagnosed concussions have been the primary focus, they are not the only, or maybe even the main, problem. There is also rising concern about<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5264430/"> subconcussive impacts</a>, repetitive blows that may not be severe enough to cause clinical symptoms. There may be hundreds of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4346237/">subconcussive impacts</a> per player, per year. </p>
<p>In response to widespread concern, organized sports organizations from <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/football-concussions-felt-long-after-retirement/">Pop Warner to the NCAA</a> to professional levels have developed and implemented concussion management protocols to help in the identification and management of concussions. </p>
<p>Yet the massive attention given to concussion management and prevention has produced a level of public pseudo-awareness about CTE that currently outstrips what is scientifically known about the disorder. </p>
<h2>Missing links and gaps in knowledge</h2>
<p>Several <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995699/">scientific studies have linked repetitive brain trauma</a> to CTE. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25904048">CTE is a “tauopathy”</a> in which the normally occurring protein tau becomes misfolded and accumulates at the depths of the folds (sulci) of the brain, in regions that may also be susceptible to mechanical forces during head impacts. The abnormal accumulation of the <a href="https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE">tau protein</a> gives rise to a cascade of brain pathology that leads to cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric problems (depression, anxiety, aggression, reduced impulse control), functional decline and, eventually, death. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180418/original/file-20170731-22169-1mbkj18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researchers are trying to find the best helmet to prevent concussions, just as doctors are studying the best way to treat them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/359362067?src=7KzPErfGwx8G7f4BedC3yg-1-3&size=small_jpg">Steve Cukrov/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The study published July 25 that showed CTE in 110 of 111 deceased, former NFL players reflected a startling 99 percent prevalence rate. </p>
<p>The results were reported by news outlets across the world, leading many people to think that CTE is an all but inevitable outcome of playing football or other sports. </p>
<p>But is it? And most importantly for parents, coaches and fans, what is the actual risk to my kids, my players and my team?</p>
<p>The answers to these questions are not yet known, though the risk to the individual player is very likely to be considerably less than would be suggested by available research findings. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/poyrAI417qg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Two important facts should be considered. </p>
<p>First, studies of CTE have all been conducted on <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bpa.12248/full">small samples of brains delivered to CTE research centers</a> by families of former players who have had concern about post-retirement cognitive, psychiatric or behavioral problems and symptoms.</p>
<p>The likelihood of finding brain pathology in these brains of symptomatic players is high, but these results cannot be generalized to all former football players, many of whom are living healthy lives in retirement. </p>
<p>Second, no study has evaluated even a single living player to determine whether he or she exhibits the cognitive, psychiatric or behavioral signs of CTE and then followed that person to autopsy to verify that CTE-associated pathology actually exists in their brains.</p>
<p>So, we do not know the actual prevalence of CTE in the general population of players, though it is assuredly much lower than those quoted by studies of symptomatic players. </p>
<h2>Why do some get CTE and others do not?</h2>
<p>We also don’t know much about who develops CTE and who doesn’t. There are over 10,000 living NFL retirees, yet the entire science of CTE is based on samples of less than a few hundred former NFL players and a handful of athletes from other sports. This means that some of those exposed to the risk of repetitive head impacts develop CTE, but most do not. </p>
<p>There are several factors that may contribute to the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11065-016-9327-z">development of brain dysfunction and disease</a>, including: </p>
<ul>
<li>medical or genetic risk factors<br></li>
<li>medical and psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and abuse of prescription medications or other drugs and substances</li>
<li>reduced educational attainment or literacy, or socioeconomic deprivation</li>
</ul>
<p>In addition, some <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2016/3/9/11185970/retired-nfl-players-adjusting-society-regrets-free-agency">athletes have poor adjustments to retirement</a>, leading to psycho-social and psychiatric maladjustment, marital or financial difficulties, substance abuse and other behavioral problems.</p>
<p>Repetitive head impacts may heighten risk of CTE, but other factors are undoubtedly involved in determining whether risk becomes reality. Reducing risk of CTE will involve targeting and treating these other factors as well. </p>
<h2>What parents, coaches and athletes need to know</h2>
<p>We need to take seriously the possible health consequences of prolonged exposure to repetitive head impacts and concussions. </p>
<p>That said, parental decisions to remove children from contact sports should be weighed against the many proven positive aspects of participation in team sports. Decisions should not be based on inflated risk assessment. Several studies have shown that recreational or scholastic athletic participation in youth conveys <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2635831">no significant added risk</a> to brain health later in life. </p>
<p>Still, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28566342">developing brain may be more susceptible to injury</a> and may take longer to recover. Knowledge of the individual player and his or her response to injury should guide parents, coaches and athletes in decision-making. Some youth are more injury-prone than others, and some have other conditions (e.g., ADHD, learning disability) that may affect how they react to head impact. When all factors are considered, the strongest predictor of recovery is the severity of initial symptoms.</p>
<p>All states now have legislation requiring public schools to have a <a href="http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/every-state-has-youth-sports-concussion-safety-law">concussion program</a> in place. Parents should ask their school or athletic organization what their policies are regarding concussion management.</p>
<p>While helmet manufacturers are developing helmets that might provide greater protection, there is not enough evidence to recommend one over another. We do know, however, that <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1941738116639027">appropriate fitting of helmets </a> and protective gear is necessary to get the full protective benefit. </p>
<p>Some measures to reduce possible exposure and risk have been implemented. The <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ivy-league-eliminates-full-contact-tackling-in-football-practices/">Dartmouth University</a> football program has significantly reduced contact practices for its football team. Other Ivy League teams and organizations have followed suit. The NCAA has recently recommended the elimination of two-a-day practices and restricted the <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/year-round-football-practice-contact-recommendations">number of contact practices allowed in football.</a> </p>
<p>Physicians and athletic trainers at the University of Florida are using data from helmet sensors originally designed to help detect concussions to inform coaching staff on which specific practice drills and pad configurations may incur higher risk so that such drills can be adjusted. </p>
<p>Ongoing research for this important issue is focused on developing techniques for accurate diagnosis while an individual is alive and understanding the exact pathophysiology that might inform future disease-modifying treatment, in addition to our current treatments aimed at reduction of symptoms. </p>
<p>For those athletes who choose to continue the sports they love, we hope for continued innovations and policies that make their participation as safe as possible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81794/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Russell Bauer receives funding from the Veterans' Administration and from the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science (NIH/NCATS). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael S. Jaffee, M.D. previously served as National Director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center</span></em></p>A recent study that showed that 110 of 111 brains of deceased NFL players had a serious brain disease raised concerns once again about concussions. But there’s a lot we still need to know.Russell M. Bauer, Professor, Clinical & Health Psychology and Neurology, University of FloridaMichael S. Jaffee, Vice chair, Department of Neurology, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/816562017-07-27T01:58:54Z2017-07-27T01:58:54ZConcerned about concussions and brain injuries? 4 essential reads<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179893/original/file-20170726-22117-8lctx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Michelle Vansickle, center, of Flowery Branch, Ga., during a youth football safety clinic March 18, 2014, in Alpharetta, Ga. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Falcons-Youth-Football-Safety/21bee196159a497ba3caf47fbcfe7575/14/0">AP Photo/Jason Getz</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories about concussions, including advice on how to recognize symptoms and explanations of why they can be so dangerous to children.</em></p>
<p>A study published July 25 based on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/nfl-cte.html?_r=0">examinations of brains of deceased NFL players</a> reported disturbing news about the prevalence of concussions. Of 111 brains examined, all but one were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head. </p>
<p>The concerns are many. </p>
<p>Evidence has been growing that concussions among young athletes occur far more frequently than reported. This leads to concerns among parents for the safety of their children who play football, soccer and other sports in which they could suffer head injuries. </p>
<p>The report also raises questions about the role and function of professional football in our society. On the one hand, <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-football-is-deadly-why-do-we-still-watch-54287">we love it</a>, with Super Bowl Sunday having become close to a national holiday and one of the most important advertising days of the year. </p>
<p>But on the other hand, the number of injuries to the heads of these professional athletes-entertainers is becoming as hard to ignore as a penalty flag on a game-winning touchdown. Yes, there are red flags, some argue, and then there are sirens – and in too many cases, they are coming from ambulances transporting wounded football players. </p>
<h2>What do parents need to know?</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179901/original/file-20170726-22117-1ik7g62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young soccer players can also be at risk for brain injuries from concussions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/youth-sports-team-young-children-players-491585068?src=3wSrfOs1UIbFG5Ay4HWXuA-1-0">Matrix/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Youth sports are a major part of childhood and adolescence, with an <a href="https://theconversation.com/concussions-and-kids-know-the-signs-60672">estimated 44 million children playing sports</a> each year. Many parents and teachers actively encourage sports so that kids will stay physically active. In light of the growing concerns around concussions and brain injury, parents need to know that <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-every-parent-should-know-about-concussions-34964">brain injuries can occur in many ways</a>, explained Cindy Trowbridge, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas Arlington. The young brain differs from the adult brain in ways that place it in particular peril. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Children have smaller brains in relation to their skulls. Compared to an adult, the young child brain has less mass and more cerebrospinal fluid between the brain and the skull. By way of analogy the child’s brain is like the egg yolk in an egg – there is room for it to move. Because children’s brains have less mass in relation to the skull, their brains experience more acceleration. This means the brain can hit the skull with more force.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Gerald Zavorsky, an associate professor at Georgia State University, explained last year just how <a href="https://theconversation.com/concussions-and-kids-know-the-signs-60672">under-reported concussions</a> are among children. This is a big concern not only because of the health effects but also because of how children’s ability to learn can be impaired. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“[One] study estimated that between 1.1 million and 1.9 million concussions occur in children each year. That is far greater than the number of children with concussions reported by emergency departments; their records indicates the number ranges between 115,000 to 167,000.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Zavorsky went on to detail how this not only affects children’s health but also their learning. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“While rare, the effects of an untreated concussions can stay with a child for many years. The effects can cause brain malfunction, including a lack of focus and difficulty learning. Also, the risk for longer-term problems increases if a child has a second concussion… It is imperative to avoid sending a child back into a game or activity if head trauma has occurred.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What do kids need to know?</h2>
<p>Young athletes need to be encouraged to <a href="https://theconversation.com/many-kids-still-dont-report-concussion-symptoms-how-can-we-change-that-72312">report a blow to the head, dizziness</a> and, indeed, any type of pain they feel, wrote J. Douglas Coatsworth of Colorado State University. But adults need to help children change a culture of “taking one for the team,” or continuing to play when injured. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We know characteristics of youth athletes, such as the knowledge they have about concussion, their attitudes about how serious symptoms are and their beliefs that if they report a concussion they will let the team down, all influence whether they will report concussion symptoms.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Coatsworth is conducting a study to see whether changes in adult attitudes could affect how children report. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Hiding symptoms of concussion and continuing to play in sports can result in subsequent injury, delayed recovery, delayed access to treatment and risk of catastrophic injury. An Institute of Medicine and National Research Council report on youth concussion concluded young athletes face a ‘culture of resistance’ to reporting.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What our society may need to consider</h2>
<p>Even though football is one of our nation’s most beloved pastimes, some people are wondering not only whether they should forbid their children to play the game but even whether to allow them to watch it. In turn, they also wonder whether they themselves should watch the games. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/are-parents-morally-obligated-to-forbid-their-kids-from-playing-football-39764">Kathleen Bachynski</a>, a doctoral candidate in sociomedical sciences at Columbia University Medical Center, explained how this can be a difficult decision.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Parents generally have final say over the activities their kids participate in. Should they…forbid their children from playing football? Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer. Instead, a host of issues – cultural, social and physical – need to be weighed.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And, Trowbidge reminded parents that the discussions go beyond football. Children <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-every-parent-should-know-about-concussions-34964">can be injured in many types of activities</a> and parents should know that concussions can occur from trauma other than a blow to the head.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81656/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
A study of the brains of 111 NFL players after their deaths showed that 110 had degenerative brain disease. Here are some expert analyses of what can be done to stop brain injury from sports.Lynne Anderson, Senior Health + Medicine Editor, The Conversation, USLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/663582016-10-07T17:39:07Z2016-10-07T17:39:07ZThe oppressive seeds of the Colin Kaepernick backlash<p>Ever since San Francisco 49ers quarterback <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem">Colin Kaepernick said</a>, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he’s been in the media spotlight. Before every game, the TV cameras fixate on him as he kneels in protest. And with each passing week, more and more <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/11/12869726/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protest-seahawks-brandon-marshall-nfl">players around the league have joined him in an act of solidarity</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to troves of internet trolls and media commentators, the fierce opposition has included a handful of <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/an-anonymous-nfl-exec-reportedly-calls-colin-kaepernick-a-traitor/">NFL owners</a> and a <a href="http://time.com/4478542/colin-kaepernick-police-union-boycott-games/">California police union</a> that threatened to stop working at the home games. Even Donald Trump said his bit, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/donald-trump-fires-back-at-colin-kaepernick-after-qb-calls-him-a-racist/">suggesting that Kaepernick leave the country</a>. </p>
<p>Some might think that Kaepernick’s words and actions, together with the subsequent backlash, represent a watershed moment. They don’t. Spanning back to America’s founding, there’s an entire history of blacks stepping outside of the social order – or protesting it – only to be told they can’t. </p>
<p>As a psychiatrist, I’ve long been interested in how racial identity affects mental health, and the chronic stress that racial minorities experience when they’re exposed to racist messages, particularly in the media. In the controversy swirling around Kaepernick, I see racially encoded messages about power, place and punishment of black people. Obviously, there’s a difference between antebellum lynching and social media outrage. But though the overt responses may have changed, the underlying hatred, disgust and impulses to punish prominent, “poorly behaved” black figures still remains.</p>
<h2>Taming the black male?</h2>
<p>During Reconstruction, blacks who stepped outside the social order risked their lives. </p>
<p>To enforce the racial hierarchy and police the boundaries of what blacks could say and do, whites often resorted to lynching. Although no one is exactly sure, <a href="http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/shipp/lynchingsstate.html">it’s estimated that over 3,400 blacks</a> were lynched or publicly murdered from 1882 to 1968. One of most famous examples was Emmett Till, who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman. </p>
<p>Economist Dwight Murphey has written that <a href="http://www.dwightmurphey-collectedwritings.info/mono/mono1.htm">lynching was different from other forms of violence</a>. Unlike, say, a domestic dispute or an act of revenge, it functioned to maintain the social order. It was, Murphey wrote, “motivated by a desire to vindicate the moral sense of community, and has as its target a specific person or persons.” In other words, it was used to enforce a racial hierarchy, foster a sense of community among whites, and ensure that black men knew their place.</p>
<p>Although the methods of lynching varied, it was common practice for white mobs, seeking to reaffirm the racial order, to hang or castrate the victim. (A number of psychoanalytic theories have sought to account for the phenomenon of castrations, but many <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3704016">scholars agree</a> that castration served as the ultimate act of “taming” the black male, assuaging the fears and anxieties about uncontrolled black masculinity.) </p>
<p>As the number of lynchings decreased in the early 20th century, the mechanisms of enforcing the boundaries of black identity were reshaped. White majorities enforced social and civic confinement for most of the African-American community through <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/28/evidence-that-banks-still-deny-black-borrowers-just-as-they-did-50-years-ago/">redlining</a>, voting restrictions and Jim Crow laws.</p>
<h2>Jack Johnson put in his place</h2>
<p>For the few black athletes who had become famous by the early 20th century, the boundaries of acceptable black behavior continued to be publicly policed through racist media portrayals, searing criticism and public outrage. </p>
<p>Boxer Jack Johnson, after defeating Tommy Burns in 1908 to become the first black heavyweight champion, was publicly shamed. One boxing magazine called him “<a href="https://sports.vice.com/en_uk/article/the-war-on-jack-johnson-boxing39s-first-black-heavyweight-champion-versus-the-world-uk-translation">the vilest, most despicable creature that lives</a>.” </p>
<p>With his dominant beatings of his white opponents, brash personality and lavish lifestyle, Johnson was one of the first black celebrity athletes to defy the social mandate that a black man must be subject to the white man’s power. He was also often seen in public with white women, which was an appalling display for the time. After his defeat of Jim Jeffries (nicknamed the “Great White Hope”) in 1910, race riots broke out <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/43609313">across the country</a>. Some white men even <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/the-war-on-jack-johnson-boxings-first-black-heavyweight-champion-versus-the-world">committed suicide</a>, resulting in the film of the fight being banned in many cities and states. </p>
<p>Johnson was eventually sentenced to one year in jail under <a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Mann+Act">the Mann Act</a>, which had made it illegal to transport a woman “for the purposes of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.” In truth, he had saved a young girl from a life of prostitution. Using trumped up charges, police had leveraged the woman into testifying against Johnson, and an an all-white jury convicted him on basis of train tickets he bought for her. </p>
<p>But in truth, this case was about punishing Johnson for disobeying the racial order inside and outside the boxing ring; even the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/22/jack.johnson.pardon/index.html?eref=time_us">Justice Department lawyers decried his relationship with a white woman</a>. </p>
<p>After Johnson skipped bail and fled the country, civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=1AXZsjjRujAC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=Why+then+this+thrill+of+national+disgust?+Because+Johnson+is+black.&source=bl&ots=vUSkiO1aqv&sig=XtsaQO3dOeV8SM6rLnqpV4wTAUs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiEqM_k0sHPAhUJ9WMKHQivB-AQ6AEIJzAD#v=onepage&q=Why%20then%20this%20thrill%20of%20national%20disgust%3F%20Because%20Johnson%20is%20black.&f=false">prophetically wrote</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Why then this thrill of national disgust? Because Johnson is black. Of course, some pretend to object to Mr. Johnson’s character. But we have yet to hear, in the case of white America, that marital troubles have disqualified prizefighters or ball players or even statesmen. It comes down, then, after all to this unforgivable blackness.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Los Angeles Times essentially demonstrated Du Bois’ point when it wrote to the black community, following Johnson’s win over Jeffries, “Remember you have done nothing at all… Your place in the world is just what it was.”</p>
<p>Throughout the 20th century, the media continued to relegate black athletes to a place of inferiority. Examples include <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/after-forty-four-years-its-time-brent-musburger-apologized-john-carlos-and-tommie-smith/">sportscaster Brent Musburger calling</a> the 1968 Olympic protesters Tommie Smith and John Carlos “a pair of dark skinned storm troopers” and Time magazine featuring a cover that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/25/us/time-responds-to-criticism-over-simpson-cover.html">darkened O.J. Simpson’s face</a> to make him appear more menacing during his murder trial. Then there were the countless media portrayals of Muhammad Ali as unpatriotic for <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/43610014">refusing to be drafted</a>.</p>
<h2>Michael Jordan, submissive superstar</h2>
<p>On the opposite pole are the black athletes who are widely embraced by the American public and media. Not surprisingly, they are deemed “acceptable” because they are docile and uncontroversial (at least, off the court or field). </p>
<p>Perhaps the best illustration of this phenomenon is Michael Jordan, the NBA star who is arguably responsible for the basketball league’s global popularity. He’s the perfectly packaged ambassador for the sport. </p>
<p>The media portrayed him as apolitical, tame and well-mannered – an acceptable black athlete who was “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EihcRDRAy90">black but not really black</a>.” Image-conscious corporate advisers had effectively divorced him from inner city, hip-hop culture, placing him opposite from other more “street” players like Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson, who was <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2010.491267?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=fcss20">once described</a> as the “living embodiment of hip hop in a basketball uniform,” a player who “refused to bend over backwards to accommodate the tastes of the mainstream.” </p>
<p>In 2011, long after Jordan’s playing career ended, a Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research study that measured appeal, public likability and awareness found that his personality attributes were off the charts: <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2011/09/22/the-business-of-michael-jordan-is-booming/#5be003143955">93 percent of those surveyed said they liked him</a>. </p>
<p>Yes, Jordan’s otherworldly talent explained a huge portion of his popularity. But it was arguably also due to his ability to be uncontroversial and seemingly disconnected from his race. </p>
<p>In 1990, when asked why he wouldn’t endorse Harvey Gantt, a black Democratic candidate for Senate in North Carolina, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Second_Coming.html?id=BA5mPwAACAAJ">Jordan simply said</a>, “Republicans buy shoes, too.” (In 2001, the Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602321.html">described</a> Gantt’s opponent, Jesse Helms, as “the last prominent unabashed white racist politician in this country.”) When given the opportunity to use his power and influence, he reduced himself to a shoe salesman. </p>
<p>Prior to his murder trial, O.J. Simpson was another superstar that exhibited appropriate, acceptable forms of black behavior. He was <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/new-espn-series-shows-how-oj-simpson-changed-advertising-and-it-changed-him-171919">lauded as</a> “the first [black athlete] to demonstrate that white folks would buy stuff based on a black endorsement,” while the CEO of Hertz rent-a-car, which featured Simpson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W1hnR3kLwo">in a famous TV ad</a>, said he thought of the star running back as “colorless.” </p>
<p>Then there was Tiger Woods, who, before his marital infidelities, was worshiped as <a href="http://www.si.com/vault/1996/12/23/220709/the-chosen-tiger-woods-was-raised-to-believe-that-his-destiny-is-not-only-to-be-the-greatest-golfer-ever-but-also-to-change-the-world-will-the-pressures-of-celebrity-grind-him-down-first">“The Chosen One” in Sports Illustrated</a> and “A Universal Child” due to his multiracial identity. </p>
<p>Like Jordan, they had stuck to the same script: be humble, grateful and – most importantly – nonthreatening to the racial order. </p>
<h2>Where are we today?</h2>
<p>Just months before the Kaepernick saga started to unfold, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton found himself, like Kaepernick, weathering criticism for not behaving appropriately. First he was <a href="http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/01/29/cam-newton-controversy-dab-dance-celebrations">celebrating too much in the end zone</a>. Then, after he lost the Super Bowl, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/watch-cam-newton-abruptly-leaves-super-bowl-50-postgame-interview/">he didn’t act like a good enough sport</a>.</p>
<p>Critics of black athletes often claim they have “character” concerns – <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-baseballs-ethnic-tensions-the-problems-run-deeper-than-bat-flips-49089">that they’re bothered by arrogance or poor sportsmanship</a>. But I wonder if the same social and psychological processes that fueled the phenomenon of lynching are the undercurrent of so much public disgust with Newton and Kaepernick. </p>
<p>As Newton <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/nfl-blog/article56857428.html#storylink=cpy">told the Charolotte Observer earlier this year</a>, “I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to.” </p>
<p>It’s almost like there’s a reflexive visceral reaction toward successful black males who step outside their socially prescribed boundaries. There is evidence that supports the pervasiveness of racial attitudes in the American psyche. In the 1990s researchers at Washington University and Harvard College <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/background/posttestinfo.html">developed a test</a> to measure implicit, or unconscious, bias for a number of characteristics, including race. When a large nationally representative sample of people took the test for racial bias, investigators found the majority of people had preference for whites over minorities.</p>
<p>Today no one can lynch a professional athlete, so the pressure to conform must be exerted more subtly. In this way, old expressions of racism are simply being recrafted and reshaped in modern, more socially acceptable forms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>J. Corey Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The controversy over Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem isn’t a watershed moment. It’s only the latest chapter in a long history of people trying to control how black people behave.J. Corey Williams, Resident Physician in Psychiatry, Yale UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/637452016-08-10T13:57:56Z2016-08-10T13:57:56ZMan Utd splash record £89m on Paul Pogba – but is he worth it?<p>French football superstar Paul Pogba is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37027787">to return to Manchester United</a> on a world record transfer fee of £89m, just four years after the club sold him to Italian team Juventus for just £1.5m. </p>
<p>The huge money acquisition of the attacking midfielder is part of the opening gambit at Old Trafford by new manager Jose Mourinho, which has included Swedish striker <a href="http://www.skysports.com/zlatan-ibrahimovic">Zlatan Ibrahimovic</a> on a free transfer, French defender <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/player/131843/eric-bailly">Eric Bailly for £30m</a> and Armenian midfielder <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-united-complete-henrikh-mkhitaryan-8354841">Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a reported £26m</a>. But Pogba’s fee sets a new high benchmark for the club and world football.</p>
<p>Is he worth it? Is anybody worth that much? How do clubs make these decisions? Is there a magic formula? The answers to those questions are – “yes”, “yes”, “with great care (hopefully)” and, “no”. </p>
<p>There is definitely no magic formula – ultimately it is a gamble because the intangibles are so significant. What the clubs can do, however, is mitigate the bet. United know, for example, that despite the enormous outlay it will almost certainly be covered by the commercial benefits of the deal. </p>
<p>First, and maybe foremost, is the maintenance of the continuing narrative of the United brand: “We are the biggest club in the world so we can always sign the biggest players”. This part of the brand has certainly suffered since the departure of legendary United manager Alex Ferguson. None of the most recent signings have carried the brand forward despite the combined outlay of close to £500m. The Pogba story reinstates the brand. </p>
<p>Mourhino’s <a href="http://talksport.com/football/jose-mourinho-takes-swipe-arsene-wenger-and-jurgen-klopp-after-paul-pogbas-manchester">put-down of rival managers Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal</a> in his press conference, as being from clubs unable to compete with the big beasts of international football, plays directly to the brand value of the club.</p>
<p>In purely monetary terms, the club will expect huge shirt sales. When Ronaldo moved to Madrid it is estimated that shirt sales alone <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2010/04/15/cristiano-ronaldo-shirt-sales-have-already-paid-off-80m-fee-to-manchester-united-real-madrid-claim-242129/">covered the transfer fee within the first year</a>. Man Utd will also believe that new sponsorship deals will be secured in due course – especially in the French market – again as a consequence of the strength of the brand. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133652/original/image-20160810-18023-w1iy9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jose Mourinho: more money than sense? Time will tell.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tsutomu Takasu</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>United will also presume a top-four finish with the riches of the Champions League on offer. This will enable them to go after those players reluctant to join a club not competing at that level and so reestablish the virtuous cycle of success, recruitment, success, recruitments. </p>
<p>Also, assuming that Pogba is a success over the period of his contract he will have huge sell-on value. If he decides to stay, United will still have a great player without the necessity of another transfer fee. On the balance sheets of the clubs, transfer fees are amortised over the period of the contract. Therefore, when the contract ends, Pogba will have a zero value on the balance sheet. How much would it cost to replace him?</p>
<h2>Big sports, big money</h2>
<p>Is the fee itself the sign of a crazy business? Not really. It is comparable with all the big sports franchises <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/league-info/highest-paid-players/">such as those in the US</a> – for example, baseball club Miami Marlins signed a 12-year contract worth US$325m with Giancarlo Stanton in 2014. It is also in line with a Premier League which has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/12141415/Premier-League-clubs-to-share-8.3-billion-TV-windfall.html">sold its TV rights for the next three years</a>, domestically and globally, for close to £10 billion. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133650/original/image-20160810-28926-nufyrq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Already paying back his transfer fee.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Manchester United FC</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The talent market will always be at the mercy of a lack of supply and an excess of demand. The truth is that there aren’t many Pogbas out there and it is Mourhino’s <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/premierleague/1570254/paul-pogba-is-tipped-by-jose-mourinho-to-become-the-best-player-in-the-world-after-his-record-109m-move-to-manchester-united/">judgement that he is capable of making the difference</a>. Mourinho thought that when he tried to sign Pogba for Chelsea and he maintains that belief now. Clearly, the board has backed that judgement. Similarly, United’s bitter rivals Manchester City have paid <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/premierleague/1514196/john-stones-to-manchester-city-pep-guardiola-to-sanction-50million-deal-for-everton-defender-this-week/">close to £50m for a relatively untried centre-back</a> John Stones. Value for money? City think so.</p>
<h2>Complete footballer</h2>
<p>Of course, all of the potential commercial benefits are integrally connected to the success of the core business – what happens on the pitch. The good news is that Pogba may well be the answer to the longstanding “<a href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/replacing-me-its-no-big-866739">how do we replace Paul Scholes</a>” question. His <a href="http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/he-worth-hype-best-pogba-stats-ahead-man-united-return">stats in a Juventus shirt</a> tend to suggest that he might just be that guy. </p>
<p>In at least two aspects he probably out-rates Scholes – he can dribble and he can tackle. He also produced more assists (12) than all of United’s midfielders put together in 2015/16. To be fair, not a very high bar to clear. He had more dribbles, more shots and more chances created per game. The added bonus with Pogba is that he also has great defensive stats with an average of 2.3 successful tackles per game which actually makes him more defensively effective, statistically, than <a href="https://www.whoscored.com/Players/2115/Show/Michael-Carrick">Michael Carrick</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/04cAYRSEP_Y?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>So, he can tackle, pass, dribble, shoot and score – what’s not to like? As Mourhinho constantly reminds us, it’s all about the team. Will he fit in, will he flourish, will he improve? One of the most significant factors in the success, or otherwise, of incoming players is the ability to fit the culture. Pogba already knows the culture and the culture knows him so it may be one obstacle that he does not have to overcome. Also, his impressive stats occurred in the different environment of Serie A. Will that be a problem? Again, he knows the Premier League – albeit from only seven appearances – but the environment is not new to him.</p>
<p>Perhaps the single most significant unknown is attitude – but United have had a close look at him already. The greats he has to succeed, Robson, Keane, Scholes, had what we might euphemistically refer to as an “edge”. If Pogba also delivers a similar edge to United, allied to his strength, technique, athleticism and statistics, he may well outperform them all. </p>
<p>Then again, he might be a £90m flop. As ever, it’s the things that can’t be counted that may prove to be the key variables.</p>
<p>Twelve years ago, United paid <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2409432/United-fork-out-record-12m-fee-to-land-teenager.html">£12m for an untried teenager</a> named Ronaldo – making him the most expensive teenager in Premier League history – “crazy”, everybody cried; 37 years ago, their neighbours <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,6903,543912,00.html">paid £1.4m for Steve Daley</a> – “crazy” they cried. For every Ronaldo, who will go on to be the best player in the world, there is a Daley, who will end up on the list of worst-ever signings. That’s why, ultimately the buck will stop with United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward – and his track record of sanctioning transfers <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3443044/Ed-Woodward-defends-transfer-policy-splashing-250m-Manchester-United-struggle-Champions-League-place.html">isn’t great</a>. Fingers crossed, Ed, it’s not the science that will let you down, it’s the art.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Brady does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Biggest signing in football history aims to restore gloss to the sport’s biggest brand.Chris Brady, Co-Director, Centre for Sports Business, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/603972016-06-17T09:18:45Z2016-06-17T09:18:45ZTo avoid recurring injuries, footballers have to change the way they move<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125965/original/image-20160609-7064-vofwjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ouch.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/dl2_lim.mhtml?src=Q9ohkb3rrHWDs2MobIoICQ-1-2&id=239079022&size=huge_jpg">Shutterstock/Maxisport</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Injuries are part and parcel of football, people working in the game often say. Sure enough the number of injuries does not seem to be decreasing, even though most top-level teams have embedded sports medicine and science provision within their set-ups these days. Some injuries, such as <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/12/731?etoc">hamstring muscle strains</a> and <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/12/744.abstract?sid=1740f6e8-74f9-481b-acea-ad3ea2164048">knee ligament ruptures</a>, actually appear to be on the rise. </p>
<p>And there is <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23645832">evidence</a> that injury rates negatively affect team success – teams that have more players available and suffer fewer injuries achieve more points per match on average. English Premier League champions Leicester City incurred relatively <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36189778">few injuries</a> and days lost due to injury during their winning campaign, for example. On the other hand, Arsenal <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11308606/Revealed-The-truth-behind-Arsenals-terrible-injury-record-and-how-your-club-shapes-up.html">have consistently</a> high injury rates and have struggled to win the league since 2003/04. </p>
<p>Football tournaments such as Euro 2016 can <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/12/764?etoc">increase</a> the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23851296">injury</a> risk for players because of the congestion of match fixtures. If any of the 23-man football squads at Euro 2016 were to play a whole season of football <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/7/553.abstract">they could expect</a> approximately 46 injuries – two injuries per player on average. This makes it particularly desirable to avoid injuries if possible – so can anything be done?</p>
<h2>Movement and skill</h2>
<p>Footballers most commonly get injured during non-contact moves such as <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2015/04/23/bjsports-2014-094573.long">changing direction</a> or <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14751943">running</a>. These injuries typically occur due to an identifiable one-off event that has placed injured tissue under a load it cannot withstand. The most frequent in football are knee and ankle sprains. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QUGKsducrHM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>When footballers learn a new skill, they master how to execute the movement before increasing the demands or complexity. Running and changing direction are not viewed as footballing skills, however, in the way that, say, shooting or heading the ball are. Footballers often give very little attention to learning or practising these fundamental movements – and that’s where the problem lies. </p>
<p>A footballer first learns to kick a ball with their foot, for instance. They work up to complexities like approaching the ball and following through with their kicking leg; and variations like side-footed passes. When an individual learns different techniques and starts to work under pressure during match play, their kicking skills continue to develop and improve. This is an integral part of learning to play football.</p>
<p>On the other hand, humans usually move in the easiest way possible. Our research has <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525760">shown that</a> when people run regularly, they refine their technique to improve the efficiency of their movement – but don’t focus on reducing their injury risk. It is likely that the same happens with changing direction. If footballers and their coaches applied the same incremental skill development to these fundamental movements as they do to kicking a ball, it might reduce rates of injury. </p>
<h2>Existing injuries</h2>
<p>We <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15722287">know that</a> how we move, use our muscles and direct the load through our lower limbs all contribute to developing a non-contact injury. We also know that pre-existing injuries <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20062970">alter</a> how we do these things. As a result, players returning to football after an injury have a higher risk of injury than the original risk of getting hurt. This is why it is particularly important for them to work on their movement techniques. </p>
<p>For Euro 2016, many teams <a href="http://www.espnfc.co.uk/european-championship/story/2887753/euro-2016-team-by-team-injury-report">have selected</a> players for their squads that are already carrying injuries – Wales’ <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36471486">Joe Ledley</a> and England’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36466541">Ryan Bertrand</a>, for example. For players such as these, where the focus is to get match fit as quickly as possible, there is a limited amount of time available to retrain their movement. </p>
<p>Researchers have developed successful <a href="http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/32/6/1385.short">retraining schemes</a> that reduce the risks of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24388450">injury</a> and re-injury, but these often need several weeks to work. Some sports medicine clinics <a href="http://www.sportssurgeryclinic.com/services/3d-biomechanics-assessment-laboratory/acl-testing/279">also offer</a> detailed movement analysis, usually using specialist cameras, to provide injured players with personalised retraining plans. Again, however, this takes precious time that often cannot be afforded in tournaments.</p>
<p>This time problem may sometimes mean that a player should have been left out of a team’s tournament squad. Each case will depend on whether it was a movement-related injury, however. If so, they are at risk of further injury from training and playing without fixing their movement over the appropriate timescale first. </p>
<p>Beyond Euro 2016, it can be challenging for footballers to target movement as part of their recovery, particularly in comparison to getting fitter and stronger. But otherwise they always risk a returning injury. For aspiring players and returning professionals alike, ignoring the role of movement in reducing injury risks can be the difference between staying on the pitch and more time on the sidelines – sometimes permanently.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60397/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabel Moore is an Academic Partner of the Sports Surgery Clinic, Dublin. </span></em></p>Recovering from injury is about more than just becoming fitter and stronger - you need to go back to basics.Izzy Moore, Lecturer in Sports Medicine and Biomechanics, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/606792016-06-16T15:47:45Z2016-06-16T15:47:45ZHow to win the Euros – with a little help from neuroscience<p>It can’t be easy trying to pick a team for a huge football tournament like the Euros, carrying the hopes of an entire nation. Football managers may have great skill and intuition, but it is, after all, not an exact science. But what if their talents could be supported by more precise tools informed by the latest research? </p>
<p>It turns out this is becoming a possibility. In a series of scientific studies, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034731">we have shown</a> that simple neuropsychological tests of football players’ executive functions and working memory can help predict how many goals they will score, how many passes they will make and how successful they will be overall.</p>
<p>Football players are typically selected from an early age based on their football skills and fitness through a complex, rather nebulous system. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28950665">In the English system</a>, players typically earn their first full-time training contract at 16. By 21 the attrition rate is 75% or above.</p>
<p>However, while selection is usually based on physical skills, football is in the end more about the brain. Successful football players need to process massive amounts of information quickly under extreme mental and physical pressure. Fast decisions must be taken in a very short time span, suppressing irrelevant information and adapting to a highly dynamic environment. Players also need to be creative and accurate in making those decisions to be at the right spot at the right time and add to the overall team performance.</p>
<p>The current system is therefore worrying, as it could easily miss world-class footballers such as Xavier “Xavi” Hernández Creus, who plays for Qatari club Al Sadd SC, and fellow Spaniard Andres Iniesta, who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team – both physically small in stature. Yet they both have the outstanding brain abilities that have allowed them to thrive far beyond all expectations. </p>
<h2>Game intelligence</h2>
<p>The cognitive abilities needed in football are often referred to as “game intelligence” in sport psychology. Traditionally, however, this has been thought to be impossible to measure. But the field of cognitive psychology has developed methods for measuring something called executive functions; a set of complex regulatory brain processes that orchestrate higher-order thought and action, especially in non-routine situations.</p>
<p>So far four different studies <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034731">have assessed</a> several hundreds of <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0091254">junior and senior elite players</a> and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3560394/">compared them with</a> semi-elite and novice players as well as the normal population. </p>
<p>These <a href="http://cjs.sagepub.com/content/20/1-2/117.refs">neuropsychological assessments</a> are performance tests made typically with either computers and/or paper-and-pen, and in this case non-verbal. They measure things like problem solving, planning, sequencing, attention, inhibition, utilisation of feedback, multi-tasking, cognitive flexibility and ability to deal with novelty.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uwlVBQF3J5k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The results of these studies show that executive function is clearly linked to game intelligence and that elite footballers outperform their non-elite footballing peers on these measures. Our study <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034731">showed</a> that the performance on these tests also predicted how many goals a footballer scored or helped score for more than two years after the tests were taken. We also tested Xavi and Iniesta and showed that their test results were vastly superior to the rest of the footballers we also tested.</p>
<h2>The science of teams</h2>
<p>Football is not only about individual players but rather about how the individuals fit the team. Ongoing research in our laboratories is focusing on identifying the different brain profiles of players in different positions in teams. </p>
<p>Our initial results suggest that successful midfielders such as Xavi and Iniesta will need to have sustained, excellent executive function performance over time. These players are able to keep mental track of the position of other players over an entire game so that they together can play passes that create space for the team and win matches. </p>
<p>In contrast, strikers will exhibit short-lasting, ultra-fast impulsive decision making that allows for decisive actions in front of goal, while defenders may have yet different profiles of executive functions. Defenders do not need to think about space constantly but need to be highly skilled at response inhibition and prediction, counteracting and neutralising the ultra-fast impulsive attackers and the strategic midfielders.</p>
<p>While these tests are clearly highly significant in establishing the abilities of individual players, it is important to remember that football is a team sport. Successful managers have to be able to put together the complex jigsaw of individual skills to create a team where the parts are more than the whole. Some of the best examples of teams in previous Euro competitions who successfully managed this were Denmark, who won in 1992, and Greece, who won in 2004. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the days of trying to second guess the intuitive methods of managers may soon be complemented with the precise tools developed in brain science. </p>
<p>These could be used in many ways, such as selecting gifted footballers at an early age or testing and selecting from the large, untapped pool of footballing ability in a global football world. We expect that footballers would want to take these tests to learn about their strengths and to identify potential weaknesses that can be improved with training. And managers could use these methods to find the perfect set of profiles of a winning team and identify the missing players in this jigsaw.
In fact, this may produce the kind of competitive advantage needed to stage the most spectacular, unexpected and romantic wins that football fans everywhere crave.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60679/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Morten L. Kringelbach receives funding from the ERC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Predrag Petrovic receives funding from VR and SLSO.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Torbjörn Vestberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Neuropsychological tests of football players can help predict their performance, according to research.Morten L. Kringelbach, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow in Neuroscience, University of OxfordPredrag Petrovic, Senior Reseacher in Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetTorbjörn Vestberg, Licensed psychologist, Karolinska InstitutetLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/602452016-06-16T09:08:18Z2016-06-16T09:08:18ZFrom tomboys and butch dykes to anything goes: how women’s image has evolved on the footy field<p>This week the AFL <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-06-15/afl-womens-team-announced">announced the eight teams</a> that have gained licences to play in the first national AFL women’s competition, catapulting girls and women’s participation in football into the national spotlight. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"742895222498041856"}"></div></p>
<p>Women have been playing Australian rules football since the early 20th century. They’ve also played in structured leagues (at least in Victoria) since 1981. </p>
<p>But the widespread acceptance of women as capable and elite footballers is a relatively new phenomenon, largely fuelled by the recent support of the AFL media. The AFL is encouraging women who were once relegated to on the sidelines to get involved, or send your daughters. </p>
<p>Historically, opposition to girls’ and women’s participation in football has been less about whether they were physiologically unsuited to the sport, and more about discomfort with female masculinity. As gender studies expert <a href="http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/barbara.baird">Barbara Baird</a> writes, sport has:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… historically been the site of public anxiety about women’s gender and sexuality, and their development of unfeminine muscular bodies. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Women who played football were thought to lack femininity and transgress gender norms, and were stigmatised as lesbians. Such negative labelling of female football players as “butch” and “dykes” served to uphold traditional gender norms and male dominance and dissuaded many from taking up the game.</p>
<p>While men and women may have different physiological strengths and weaknesses, their capacity to play sports shouldn’t be dictated by fear of injury. </p>
<p>There is <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-gender-gap-in-sports-injuries-201512038708">some evidence to suggest</a> women may be more prone to sporting injuries than men. Women are <a href="https://tuckercenter.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/psychology-and-socioculture-of-sport-injury-does-gender-matter/">more likely to get</a> ACL injuries and concussion, for instance. Men, however, may be more prone to fractures.</p>
<p>But there is a general lack of understanding why this may be so and research is needed to better understand <a href="https://tuckercenter.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/psychology-and-socioculture-of-sport-injury-does-gender-matter/">how to prevent injuries</a> in both sexes.</p>
<p>When modern women play Australian rules, they’re encouraged to embrace the intense physical, full-contact nature of football. In doing so, they embrace masculinity, aggression and competitiveness – traits traditionally associated with men and masculinity. But these days, they face less stigma for doing so.</p>
<p>In fact, the way women who play football experience gender has changed dramatically over the past few decades. <a href="http://arrow.monash.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/monash:119977">My research shows</a> there is a wide and fluid spectrum along which gender is performed on the football field, where different degrees of masculinity and femininity are embraced. </p>
<p>Some girls and women may embrace masculinity through the full-contact aggressive nature of the sport, and simultaneously wear make-up. Others embody masculinity through their development of muscle mass while shaving legs and armpits.</p>
<p>Until now, the female body hasn’t been perceived as a “real” football body – which requires players to be male and muscular. This is likely to have deterred some women from taking up the sport. Now, with the rise of elite-level female football, female figures can equally be revered as legitimate footballing bodies. </p>
<p>The emergence of an elite female football league means young people can now grow up seeing women embraced and recognised for full-contact, physical pursuits. It means that it will be “normal” for girls to embrace what has typically been considered “tomboy” activities. </p>
<p>The demographic of girls and women playing Australian rules football may not have changed, but society’s lens of gender seems to have shifted; we are one step closer to gender equality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60245/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kellie Sanders does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Playing football demands full-contact physicality. How does celebrating women playing elite level football impact the way gender and sexuality is perceived, experienced and made possible?Kellie Sanders, Casual Academic, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/604042016-06-10T15:40:14Z2016-06-10T15:40:14ZWill Les Bleus boost France at Euro 2016?<p>The victory of a racially diverse French football team in the France ‘98 World Cup was heralded as a sign of a tolerant modern France. Almost two decades on, and a very different vision is emerging as France prepares to host the 2016 European Championships. </p>
<p>Last month, Eric Cantona controversially suggested that national coach Didier Deschamps may have omitted Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa from France’s Euro 2016 squad <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/26/eric-cantona-didier-deschamps-may-left-out-players-racial-grounds">due to their race</a>. In an interview with Spanish sports newspaper Marca, Benzema also accused Deschamps of “giving into pressure from <a href="http://www.marca.com/futbol/real-madrid/2016/06/01/574dfc86e2704e5c1d8b463c.html">a racist part of France</a>”, while comedian and actor Jamel Debbouze <a href="http://www.francefootball.fr/news/jamel-debbouze-paul-pogba-je-l-adore-ce-herisson/685170">argued that</a> Benzema and Ben Arfa were “paying for the social situation of France today”. </p>
<p>But do Cantona’s claims stand up to scrutiny? Dominique Sopo, head of French anti-racist organisation SOS-Racisme, accused Benzema of “egotistically” taking an interest in <a href="http://www.lepoint.fr/sport/football/euro-2016/affaire-benzema-du-foutage-de-gueule-pour-sos-racisme-01-06-2016-2043691_3061.php#xtor=RSS-221">racism for the first time</a>. Former France player and 1998 World Cup winner Marcel Desailly <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/marcel-desailly-slams-eric-cantona-8136354">questioned Cantona’s credibility</a> and French Football Federation branded Cantona’s claims as “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/27/dider-deschamps-legal-action-eric-cantona-race-claims">ridiculous</a>”. Deschamps has threatened legal action. </p>
<p>Arguably, it is actually Ben Arfa rather than Benzema who is more unlucky to have been left out. Despite a somewhat wayward career, Ben Arfa has been one of the stars of France’s Ligue 1 with Nice this year. His 18 goals and seven assists played a big role in the largely unfancied team finishing fourth.</p>
<p>In purely sporting terms, Benzema may also feel unlucky after scoring 28 goals for Real Madrid this season. But he is also a player who has not always reproduced his <a href="http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2015/10/08/will-the-real-karim-benzema-please-stand-up/">club form at international level</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, he has also been making headlines for off-field matters after allegations – yet to be heard in court – that he was involved in attempts to blackmail international teammate Mathieu Valbuena <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/27/mathieu-valbuena-deeply-disappointed-karim-benzema-sex-tape-blackmail-plot">over an alleged sex tape</a>. While the French Football Federation has said that “sporting performance is an important factor <a href="https://www.fff.fr/actualites/171370-578381-communique-de-presse-de-la-fff">but not the only one</a>” when it comes to selecting the squad, it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/27/mathieu-valbuena-deeply-disappointed-karim-benzema-sex-tape-blackmail-plot">has previously commented</a> that the allegations were not damaging to the sport’s image in the run-up to the championship.</p>
<h2>A beautiful game?</h2>
<p>The “affaire Benzema” reminds of previous controversies that have tainted the French national football team. In 2011, senior figures from the French Football Federation reportedly discussed <a href="https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/france/300411/french-football-ethnic-quota-plan-verbatim-record-closed-door-discussions">potentially limiting the number</a> of black and North African players in training academies. Then national team boss Laurent Blanc was part of the discussions, but <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/football/05/10/football.blanc.race.france/">exonerated of any wrong-doing by federation bosses</a>.</p>
<p>One may well ask what has gone wrong for the French football team since 1998. In the short term, their success continued with victory in the 2000 European Championships. Since then, problems have surfaced both on and off the pitch.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lFeRvBPdssU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The celebrating of the “black, blanc, beur team” of 1998 glossed over certain realities. The West African, white European and North African roots of the team masked divisions within France. Indeed, there was much talk of “la fracture sociale” (social division) in 1990s France.</p>
<p>When France defended their World Cup title in 2002, they were eliminated in the first round. This was also the year when the Front National’s Jean-Marie Le Pen <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/22/thefarright.france">shocked many</a> by reaching the second round of France’s presidential elections.</p>
<p>With the exception of the <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/videos/y=2014/m=7/video=8-years-ago-today-2006-world-cup-final-italy-1-1-france-2402496.html">2006 World Cup</a>, France have arguably disappointed at all the major finals they have reached from 2002 onwards. Teams have displayed potential but not the overall cohesion and individual flair of the 1998 generation. </p>
<h2>Criticism from all corners</h2>
<p>The behaviour of French footballers has also been criticised by politicians and journalists on several occasions. This reached a peak at the 2010 World Cup when the French squad <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/france/7841810/World-Cup-2010-France-squad-refuse-to-train.html">refused to train</a> following the exclusion of Nicolas Anelka for insulting team boss Raymond Domenech. Players have subsequently been under pressure to both perform on the pitch and behave off the pitch. </p>
<p>However, tense relations between the French football team and the media can be <a href="http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2012/06/06/french-media-the-key-for-les-bleus-at-euro-2012/">traced back further</a>. Even in 1998, national team boss Aimé Jacquet was frustrated at the negativity of sports paper <em>L'Equipe</em> preceding the tournament. </p>
<p>In 2012, French football magazine So Foot argued that France was a “country that has never understood anything about football” to explain “why France <a href="http://www.sofoot.com/so-foot-102-yann-m-vila-164225.html">doesn’t like its footballers</a>”. These comments may sound sensationalist, but many French intellectuals and politicians showed little interest in football prior to 1998.</p>
<p>After 2015 was bookended by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30708237">shootings at the Charlie Hebdo offices</a> in January 2015 and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34818994">terrorist attacks in Paris</a> last November, French morale is clearly in need of a lift. The Stade de France, as a location <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/06/sport/france-euro-2016-security-terror-isis/">targeted by terrorists</a> in the latter attack, takes on a particular significance as it hosts the opening and closing games.</p>
<p>Some may ask if the current generation of French footballers is capable of providing the nation with this lift. However, this is perhaps not the right question to ask. Instead, it is worth considering to what extent footballers should be held responsible for the national mood in such troubling times.</p>
<p>French footballers are at times easy scapegoats and their behaviour has not always been impeccable in recent years. However, focusing on their misdemeanours risks diverting attention away from social, political and economic challenges that France is facing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60404/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Ervine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>France’s performance at Euro 16 could provide the country with a much needed boost – if its footballers can stand up to the test, that is.Jonathan Ervine, Senior Lecturer in French, Head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/534772016-01-22T15:54:36Z2016-01-22T15:54:36ZReal and Atletico Madrid transfer bans won’t halt trafficking of young players in football<p>Two of Spain’s biggest football clubs, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35313998">will be banned</a> from registering players for the next two transfer windows after breaching rules that regulate the transfer of under-18s. While such punishment is a welcome sign that FIFA takes the welfare of children seriously, its current scattergun approach to punishing clubs who transgress the rules is clearly not working.</p>
<p>The two Spanish clubs are accused of breaching a <a href="http://www.fpf.pt/Portals/0/Documentos/Centro%20Documentacao/FIFA/regulationsonthestatusandtransferofplayersapril2015e_neutral.pdf">FIFA regulation</a> that prohibits the international transfer of players under the age of 18. There are some exceptions, including that transfers between two clubs in Europe can take place from the age of 16, and when a young player’s parents move to the country in which the club is based for reasons unrelated to football. </p>
<p>Following investigations by FIFA, football’s governing body said it <a href="http://www.fifa.com/governance/news/y=2016/m=1/news=atletico-de-madrid-and-real-madrid-sanctioned-for-international-transf-2755486.html">had found</a> irregularities in the registration of underage players fielded by Real and Atletico, and imposed the transfer bans for all players as well as fines. Both clubs plan to appeal the sanctions. </p>
<p>When FIFA handed down a similar ban to FC Barcelona in 2014, it <a href="http://www.fifa.com/governance/news/y=2014/m=4/news=spanish-barcelona-sanctioned-for-international-transfers-minors-2313003.html">was clear</a> that it viewed the moving of a child across an international border for the purposes of playing the game to be contrary to the child’s best interests. </p>
<p>Clubs that uncover the next superstar from abroad and secure their services for minimal cost have a lot to gain both commercially and in sporting success. But transfers can have a potentially damaging impact on a child’s well-being, development and enjoyment of family life. </p>
<p>In 2009, the then-UEFA president, Michel Platini, <a href="http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/president/news/newsid=801478.html">described</a> the uprooting of a child from their home country and paying them to play football in Europe as a form of child trafficking. But many within football (including <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/wenger-dismisses-platini-transfer-plan-1785287.html">Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger</a>) were vociferous in their defence of the child welfare practices of major European football clubs. </p>
<h2>Opportunity cost</h2>
<p>It is true that the academies of clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (as well as many within the UK) have excellent reputations for nurturing their players. They <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/sports/soccer/la-masia-a-model-for-cultivating-soccer-players.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1415819298-BQRgetw0iHsNOy/yVEnmMw&">place a high value</a> on educational opportunity and personal development, as well as offering elite football training. </p>
<p>But FIFA does not see providing a young player with the bells and whistles experience of an elite football academy as a defence to a violation of its regulations. This defence was unsuccessfully <a href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/detail/article/official-statement-from-fc-barcelona-on-the-sanction-imposed-by-fifa-s-disciplinary-commission">argued by Barcelona</a> in its challenge to the 2014 sanction.</p>
<p>There is also a murky side to the recruitment of young footballers from abroad. <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-lost-boys-9781472914958/">Significant evidence</a> exists of “trafficking” networks operating in developing regions of the world, exploiting the dreams of young boys from very poor backgrounds to become professional footballers. <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/sport/library/documents/study_on_sports_agents_in_the_eu_en.pdf">Rogue agents</a> promise trials at major European clubs for a fee paid by the player’s family, which often never materialises. </p>
<p>Players who do travel to Europe, often on false documents, have found themselves <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/15296412">abandoned</a> following an unsuccessful or nonexistent trial, with no formal immigration status and no way of returning home. Last year, the International Centre for Sports Security <a href="http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/football-the-dark-side-of-transfers/index.html">told The Telegraph</a> it has heard estimates that there are up to 15,000 trafficked players in Europe. </p>
<h2>Are outright bans the answer?</h2>
<p>The bans imposed on Atletico and Real – for the two transfer windows in July-August 2016 and January 2017 – seem to be a concerted effort by FIFA to target transgressions by major European clubs. Up until relatively recently, cases had focused on smaller clubs. The Danish club, FC Midtjylland, <a href="http://jurisprudence.tas-cas.org/sites/CaseLaw/Shared%20Documents/1485.pdf">complained</a> to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2009 that it was being made a scapegoat for practices in relation to young foreign players that were known to be deployed by Europe’s elite clubs. </p>
<p>But we cannot assume that an outright prohibition on the international recruitment of young players is the most effective way of protecting the welfare of child footballers. The ban on under-age transfers has been in place since 2002, yet a buoyant international trade in young footballers still exists. So questions remain about how effective it is. </p>
<p>The potential benefits of a successful career in football for a child from a developing region of the world whose educational and professional opportunities are limited should not be forgotten. There is a fine balance to be struck between protecting a child’s welfare, and denying them the opportunity to train at an elite football academy. This could give them the chance of enjoying a highly lucrative career playing a sport they love – and bring positive effects on their health and educational opportunities. </p>
<p>Instead of imposing an outright ban on international transfers of minors, FIFA’s efforts might well be better targeted at what happens when they do take place. Regulations should ensure that transfers happen with the maximum regard for the child’s right to access education and the highest possible standards of healthcare, and to maintain close contact with their parents. Alongside robust sanctions against rogue agents who effectively operate as people traffickers, this approach might well prove a more effective tool in safeguarding the welfare of young players.</p>
<p>A new approach is needed: the current sanctioning of European clubs for violations of FIFA’s regulations has not proven to be an effective way of addressing the more insidious side of the recruitment of young foreign players.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/53477/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eleanor Drywood does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Prohibiting the transfer of under-18s hasn’t stopped it happening. Football needs a new approach.Eleanor Drywood, Senior Lecturer, Liverpool Law School, University of LiverpoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/409462015-04-30T10:17:20Z2015-04-30T10:17:20ZPhony classes hamstring college athletes’ careers off the field<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79857/original/image-20150429-6250-1jak84r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">College athletes need to pay attention to their academic life.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-77601p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Aspen Photo</a> / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/editorial?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Shutterstock.com</a>">Aspen Photo / Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The fanfare over the <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000404486/article/2015-nfl-draft-to-be-held-in-chicago">2015 National Football League (NFL) Draft in Chicago</a> can trick one into believing that playing college sports is a ticket to a professional career and a multimillion dollar payday.</p>
<p>But we know it isn’t. </p>
<p>The reality is that few college football players will be drafted and the <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/estimated-probability-competing-professional-athletics">overwhelming majority</a> of student athletes will need to go into careers other than professional sports. </p>
<p>To ensure a career other than professional sports, student athletes need to take responsibility for their academic lives.</p>
<p>An ongoing case at the University of North Carolina (UNC) - Chapel Hill, in which student athletes are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/28/unc-athlete-education-suing_n_6563764.html">suing</a> the <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/">National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)</a> and the university in a <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/images/blogs/Hausfeld-complaint.pdf">class action lawsuit</a> illustrates how things can go wrong when student athletes do not pay attention to their own education. </p>
<p>Based on our experience, we believe student athletes need to play a more proactive role. One of us (Kimberly S Miloch) competed as a student athlete and subsequently worked with the <a href="http://www.usta.com/">United States Tennis Association (USTA)</a>. The other author (Michelle Buggs), mentored college students at all levels for more than ten years and has extensive experience in both student and academic affairs. </p>
<h2>Few student athletes get lucrative jobs</h2>
<p>Data illustrate that professional sport careers are unlikely for football players and the vast majority of college athletes. Fewer than <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2015%20Probability%20Chart%20Web%20PDF_draft5.pdf">four percent</a> of football players will go on to play professionally.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/">NCAA</a> <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2015%20Probability%20Chart%20Web%20PDF_draft5.pdf">estimates </a> that of the 71,000 athletes who currently play college football, only 15,842 are eligible for 256 draft spots this weekend.</p>
<p>Of these, <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/football">fewer than two percent</a> will secure a contract with an NFL League team.</p>
<p>Some of those not drafted by the NFL may be able to pursue positions with teams in the <a href="http://www.cfl.ca/">Canadian Football League (CFL)</a> or the <a href="http://www.arenafootball.com/">Arena League (AFL)</a> but even considering these leagues, fewer than <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2015%20Probability%20Chart%20Web%20PDF_draft5.pdf">four percent</a> will play professionally. </p>
<p>This pattern holds true for the majority of college athletes in all sports. Only about one percent will be playing in the <a href="http://www.nba.com/">National Basketball Association (NBA)</a> and <a href="http://www.wnba.com/">Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)</a>, almost nine percent in <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/home">Major League Baseball</a>, just under seven percent in the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/">National Hockey League (NHL)</a> and just over one percent in <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2015%20Probability%20Chart%20Web%20PDF_draft5.pdf">Major League Soccer (MLS)</a>. </p>
<p>Despite these numbers, many student athletes do not pay attention to their academic lives. Often, they rely too heavily on the NCAA or coaches and administrators to chart their academic path.</p>
<h2>Academic dishonesty</h2>
<p>And this lapse, in part, is what led to the <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/10/23/358310267/report-says-unc-grade-boosting-scandal-involved-fake-classes">situation</a> and the <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/images/blogs/Hausfeld-complaint.pdf">systemic cheating</a> at UNC. </p>
<p>The “courses” that these student athletes took included independent studies in which they wrote papers assigned and graded by non-faculty staff with no expertise on the topic. </p>
<p>The staff member assigned As and high Bs and later enrolled athletes in lecture courses managed like independent studies. The courses were not taught by faculty nor did the athletes attend lectures. No instruction was provided in these courses.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79854/original/image-20150429-6263-1r3yf46.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">College athletes should make sure that courses are being taught by faculty members.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&search_tracking_id=NSbY8kzuodCLEWxx32VrMA&searchterm=student%20athlete%20exam&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=183149675">Track image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>UNC has claimed not to have been aware of the situation. And the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/01/sport/ncaa-response-to-lawsuit/index.html">NCAA has refused</a> to take responsibility for monitoring the quality of academics at an institution.</p>
<p>This is in contrast to the NCAA <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about">mission</a> and <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/ncaa-core-purpose-and-values">core values</a> and what has been stated previously in <a href="http://i.usatoday.net/sports/!Invesitgations-and-enterprise/OBANNONRULING.pdf">legal proceedings</a>, and <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/academics">various</a> official <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/academics">publications</a>.</p>
<p>While we agree that the NCAA and its member institutions should take responsibility for the quality of athletes’ education, we also believe student athletes should be proactive and work in tandem with their university and the NCAA to ensure a meaningful education. </p>
<h2>Students confused about rules</h2>
<p>In its role of overseeing college athletics, the NCAA has <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about">rules</a> to support athletes’ academic life. Athletic departments across the country provide athlete support services and consistently monitor compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations.</p>
<p>Examples of such support include athletic department advisors for student athletes, formalized tutoring services, mandatory study halls and departmental monitoring of athlete attendance and grades. </p>
<p>College degree plans are increasingly refined and <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/what-we-do/academics?division=d1">progress toward degree</a> is regularly reported to the NCAA. </p>
<p>These rules can be confusing, as we know through experience. Having been athletes in high school and college and now academic administrators, we remember numerous conversations with teammates and other athletes trying to understand NCAA rules. </p>
<p>Each fall we would have a session with athletic administrators who briefed us on expectations for compliance and standards of conduct. These sessions were confusing. And this was well before the digital age and social media. </p>
<p>We understand that many student athletes may not be fully aware of the NCAA rules or even pay attention them. This is because they do not fully realize the value of their education. </p>
<p>However, we want to emphasize the importance of student athletes remaining vigilant in order to prevent cases like the UNC incident from happening again. Student athletes must ensure that lecture courses do indeed include lectures and are taught by qualified faculty or expert instructors. </p>
<p>Additionally, athletes should understand that formal instruction should be provided with any course, including independent studies. When this is not the case, athletes should address it with an academic advisor or an administrator, such as a dean of students.</p>
<h2>Pay attention to academic life</h2>
<p>Incidents of academic fraud in college athletics are not new. College-athletes cannot rely on the NCAA or their respective institution to be a watchdog. In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/sports/ncaafootball/07ncaa.html?_r=0">past</a> <a href="http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/199903/11_newsroom_cheating/">instances</a>, breaches in academic integrity have occurred when athletes have submitted assignments written by someone else or when other individuals have taken tests on behalf of athletes. </p>
<p>The outcome of the UNC case could have far reaching impact and could lead to significant reforms, particularly at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_Football_Bowl_Subdivision">Football Bowl Subdivision institutions.</a>. The NCAA is on the hook, too, but not more than the athletes who are accountable to themselves.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aacu.org/">American Association of Colleges and Universities</a> emphasizes personal and social responsibility as a <a href="http://www.aacu.org/core_commitments/index.cfm">core commitment</a> of higher education. </p>
<p>Athletes should actively pursue <a href="http://www.aacu.org/leap/hips">internships</a>, faculty-mentoring and career shadowing opportunities as they are <a href="http://www.aacu.org/leap/presidentstrust/compact/2013SurveySummary">precursors to career readiness</a>.</p>
<p>Student athletes should realize their integrity and education is at stake when they allow such situations like the UNC scandal to occur. They must work together and hold one another accountable for earning a meaningful education.</p>
<p>If student athletes don’t want to warm the bench in the game of life, they must pursue their academic career with as much intensity as they pursue a conference or national championship, and they should do so in tandem with their institution and the NCAA.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40946/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the NFL Draft starts in Chicago, it is important to remember that most college athletes need to pay attention to their academic life: only about 4% will go on to play professionally.Kimberly S Miloch, Professor of Sport Management, Texas Woman's UniversityMichelle Buggs, Director of Undergraduate Programs, Texas Woman's UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.