Laurent Dubois's Blog, page 4

A World without Soccer? Not Everywhere

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in cancellation of sports leagues and shuttered stadiums around the world, several countries’ soccer leagues stand as outliers. The Belarus Premier League never ceased play and is the only European league still active, with its stands remaining open to fans. However, teams are drawing fractions of their normal… Read More »

A Pair of Case Studies for Marketing Women’s Sports

One of the biggest questions surrounding the growth of women’s soccer is, how should women’s soccer be treated in relation to men’s soccer? From a marketing perspective, having the men’s soccer global fan base to piggy-back on for media coverage is an extremely valuable way to grow the sport. We saw this in class with… Read More »

The Beginning of Soccer…for Americans at least

It’s hard to imagine a world without soccer. Well not a world, just a country. While the rest of the world perfected their game, America didn’t even know the game was played with 11 players. Once In a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006) is a film that tells the story… Read More »

Un post de apreciación para Sergio Busquets

En el pasado, nunca me ha gustado Sergio Busquets. No es atlético, rápido o fuerte, siempre tira para sacar faltas y verlo jugar era extremadamente aburrido. Sin embargo, mientras trabajaba en el sitio web de mi grupo para nuestro proyecto final, mi opinión sobre Sergio Busquets ha cambiado. Ahora me doy cuenta de lo bueno… Read More »

A Fanless EPL

In the last month, professional soccer, as well as almost all other professional sports, has been completely suspended as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some leagues are still suspended indefinitely, while others have tentatively set dates for when they would like to return to normal activities. Most of the scheduled return dates aren’t… Read More »

If You Give a Kid a Contract

They’re names that go from obscure to household staples in the course of a few matches: Erling Haaland. Jadon Sancho. Vinicius Jr. Alphonso Davies. Phil Foden. João Félix. Ansu Fati. These (and other) rising stars are offered hefty salaries, prestige, and the chance to become legends for some of the biggest clubs in the world.… Read More »

Player-Owner Disputes in English Premier League

I was disappointed but not surprised to read about a labor dispute between English Premier League owners and players. As companies around the world furlough workers, and employees worry about paychecks and unemployment benefits, the Premier League is going through its own labor relations crisis. As New York Times soccer correspondent Rory Smith discusses, players… Read More »

Figo’s Transfer

It was the year 2000, when Messi and Ronaldo were teenagers, and Luís Figo was the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. Barcelona had just won the league title, which had prompted Figo to dye his hair blue and purple and cry “White crybabies, salute the champions”. The “white crybabies”, on the other hand, had… Read More »

Analizando el “Partido Cero” – un catalizador para el disminuye de COVID-19

Fue como un partido normal para Kike Mateu, un colaborador popular para el programa de televisión El Chiringuito de Jugones. Tuvo un vuelo desde Valencia hacia Pisa, alquiló un coche y manejó a Milán para el partido de Valencia y Atalanta para la Liga de Campeones en el 19 de febrero. Después de la derrota… Read More »

U.S. Women’s Soccer – A System Outside Systemic Sexism

On March 8, 2019, International Women’s Day, all twenty-eight members of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) sued the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for gender discrimination.[i] According to the athletes, the discrimination has had an impact on their training, their medical treatment, their facilities, and their travel to and from matches, and, perhaps… Read More »