Is soccer a business or a sport?

Soccer has developed a reputation as being a largely money-driven sport as club owners and organizers hunt for profit. Over the last several years, there have been more tournaments and games across the globe. More teams have more access to playing in contests, which puts stress on players and more money in organizers’ pockets. The sport of soccer has lost its way, but the business of soccer is continually growing and expanding.

The common adage on social media is that the game is gone. While it is often no more than a joke to criticize officials or styles of play, there is some validity when applying this to the money-hungry nature of soccer. Organizers sense opportunities to profit in certain ways that often take away from the competition’s core.

For example, take the World Cup. In 2026, there will be 48 teams competing in the United States, Mexico and Canada. That is a massive 16-team increase to the number of nations at the World Cup, the biggest jump in size in the tournament’s history. Previous expansions for the 1982 and 1998 World Cups only increased by eight teams.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the expansion to 48 teams allows smaller nations to play on the grandest stage in soccer. Yet, this many teams take away from the intrigue of the best teams competing in the World Cup. In truth, it is a way to increase the number of games in the tournament from 64 to 104. More games mean more tickets sold and more opportunities for broadcasters. It all focuses on money in the end.

The continued push for business in soccer has hurt the sport

Unfortunately for fans of the sport, this hunt for revenue can turn supporters away. FIFA has flirted with the idea of hosting the World Cup every two years. Again, Infantino and FIFA defend themselves by saying it makes it more open for the fans to watch games because of increased frequency. On the contrary, supporters do not want to harm the grandeur of the World Cup. Making it more frequent takes…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/is-soccer-a-business-or-a-sport/

Author : Kyle Fansler

Publish date : 2024-09-29 19:00:00

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