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Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, is challenged by Barcelona's Yaya Toure during the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome, Wednesday May 27, 2009. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
$163 million for the services of one football player is excessive, and while the news of Ronaldo’s exorbitant transfer fee caused a ripple of amazement, there was also a feeling of disgust from many quarters. Is sport risking alienating itself from society due to the gulf in riches between them and us?
It’s a genuine concern as the business of sport further erodes the qualities that make it so appealing.
This isn’t a new phenomenon, but what is becoming clear is the scale of the money floating around the top end of sports and being paid to individuals is becoming so astronomical that it’s causing genuine disgust in society, raising questions about its worthiness and relevance.
Thankfully, there have been some voices of reason following Ronaldo’s deal.
UEFA president Michel Platini said in a statement, “These transfers represent a serious challenge to the idea of fair play and the concept of financial balance in our competitions.
“UEFA are working hard with clubs to establish a new set of rules as soon as it’s possible to clean up the system and give it a more solid and more transparent base.”
But sports are either constrained by free markets or unwilling to make concerted efforts to contain the money being spent. Self-interest will be the most difficult part of creating uniform rules to stop this, see the political bickering in Formula 1 and the damage it’s done as an example.
Considering the EPL has been most guilty of this arms race mentality, it is ironic that some of the most opinionated voices have emerged from the UK, including the following from sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe.
He told PA Sport, “These figures are simply beyond the understanding of most ordinary fans. I am worried that a small group of rich clubs are getting richer and that does affect the balance and the opportunities for the wider game.”
He has a point on both fronts.
The gulf between the haves and have-nots is growing exponentially and fans cannot comprehend such numbers. We cannot relate to our sports stars when they are commanding such astronomical cheques.
If we cannot relate to them, then the bond between us is damaged and we view sports differently.
The money and power in sport is such that those within it are becoming isolated and almost deluded by it.
Sepp Blatter, who helped propagate the Ronaldo as a ‘slave’ comments, stated, “I heard yesterday that you could buy millions of pieces of bread to give to the people for that amount, but entertainment is also food for the people.”
True but can Ronaldo not entertain unless he is paid the equivalent in a day of what your average Joe makes in a year?
This mammoth spending cannot be sustained and the bubble will burst. Clubs and leagues are already in mass debt and if it continues the very foundations of international sport could come crashing down under the weight of this debt.
This also has changed how sports and fans interact.
Fences and walls are being built between sports and fans, sports seeing fans as commercial entities rather than the lifeblood of their existence.
Access is restricted to the rich, the connected and the spoilt. The undeserving.
The increasing amount of suits and ties being worn to sporting events typifies this.
If you have experienced the lack of atmosphere at an AFL Grand Final or seen the undeserving corporate types and connected who float around the inner sanctum of sporting events you’ll appreciate how sports have sold their souls and cater solely for the dollar.
The gulf between the haves and have-nots in sport and society is being matched by the gulf between the economic mentality of the top end of sports and societies view of it.