Is your local club ground half empty because everyone is watching the Premier League on TV? Or perhaps you are a local Liverpool FC fan, but cannot ever get a ticket? Dr David Webber has been examining these struggles, dedicating much of his academic career to working out why it is happening and what we can do about it.

David postulates that football has become so commercialised that most of us are unable to imagine an alternative that would curb profit-seeking behaviour and restore some social value back into the game. Such an idea would mean the sports industry is not immune from the cautions of Mark Fisher and the concept of ‘Capitalist Realism’, work that David draws upon.

In this episode, we discuss the forces that currently see sports teams leveraged to the nth degree for their commercial brand value. We also talk about how this process erodes the social connections and authenticity of the communities.

Fortunately, David does not believe that all is lost. We discuss some more fundamental and drastic solutions that would bring back some community value and make football more democratic and even more competitive.

You can find David via Solent University profile or via his Twitter: @DrDaveWebber

The researcher of 'competitive balance' who I referenced in the episode is Vasileios Manasis, Postdoctoral Researcher at Athens University of Economics and Business. And thank you to The Sports Footprint for showcasing Dr Manasis' work.

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