The Political Economy of Football V2

Susanna Dinnage, a senior executive at US TV network Discovery, is to be the new chief executive of the Premier League. She heads the Animal Planet channel. She faces the challenge of more people switching to watch sport online. Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck who headed the appointment panel told the Financial Times, 'Susanna was the outstanding choice, given her track record in managing complex businesses through transformation and digital disruption.' However, perhaps her greatest strength is her network of connections in government. She was the only representative of the creative industries at the first two gatherings of UK business leaders at Chevening when then Brexit secretary David Davies discussed concerns about the negotiations. With its mind on other things, and a turnover of sports ministers, the May Government has largely left football to its own devices. However, a future Labour Government would make a number of interventions, including in relation to the gamb...

Outgoing Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has praised globalisation. He said that he was proud of globalisation. He told The Times. 'Only 50 per cent of the people in this country like football. We have other countries, Norway, Nigeria, where it is into the 80s. They like the Premier League more than England does.' 'In promoting and saying how proud you are of globalisation doesn't necessarily win friends. I don't think that's anything to do with football. I think that's to do with Britain. There is something odd about the British who don't seem to be able to entirely embrace globalisation.' Britain has always been an outward facing nation highly integrated in the world economy and in a sense the Premier League is the latest manifestation of this. However, many people are unhappy about the neo-liberal policies associated with globalisation and the growing gap between a super rich elite and the poor, something which is also ap...

David Conn discusses Richard Scudamore's decision to step down as chief executive of the Premier League: Quits while ahead Conn concludes, 'Some football people have felt comfortable with Scudamore despite the perception of him as an aggressive fighter for the Premier League, appreciating his roots as an English football fan. Some pictured a possible alternative, say an obsessively commercial US-style chief executive, who might think ending promotion and relegation makes sense, and came to the conclusion about Scudamore: better the devil you know.' Sports minister Tracy Crouch tweeted, 'He has transformed the league into one that is passionately followed and watched here and across the world and I've enjoyed working with him for the past 3 years.' Sports academic David Webber responded, 'English football has ALWAYS been passionately followed. As chair of the Premier League, Scudamore was merely the latest to commoditise it and oversee its transformation ...