The Business of Soccer

Swain’s article reflects on the progression of football from a private school boy’s game into a professional sport in the later half of the 19th century in the region of Lacashire, England. Towards the middle of the 19th century rules were set in place to cement what is today known throughout in soccer. One of our early class discussions and readings focused on the various factors that led to the development of football in Brazil, specifically into a very technical and free-flowing style. A question posed by a member of the class asked why only in Brazil was this style invented. Swain seeks to answer the same question as to why in Lancashire, England was soccer able to take hold and fully evolve into a professional sport. Swain brings up many reasons, varying from the regions private schools to the Lancashire team’s easy attitudes toward player recruitment. Continue reading →