The British Journal of Sociology
Volume 55 No 4 December 2004
pages 545-568
Abstract
Sport, in particular football, constitutes one of the most dynamic, sociologically illuminating domains of globalization. This paper examines the globalization of football with particular reference to Robertson's theorizations of global processes. We examine football's cultural globalization through the concept of 'glocalization', which highlights the interdependence of local and global processes within the game's identities and institutions. We address economic globalization in football by considering the world's leading clubs as 'glocal' transnational corporations. We assess the political globalization of football with reference to the possible enhancement of democracy within the game's international governance. We conclude by affirming the utility of sport in advancing our empirical and theoretical understanding of globalization processes.
Keywords: Globalization, football, glocalization, transnational corporations, democracy
Richard Giulianotti and Roland Robertson
Department of Sociology, University of Aberdeen