Now that more than half of the Premier League has American owners, we can only expect an increasing use of the off-putting term ‘Product’ in relation to the game of football. Fortunately, we have Danish owners who are smart enough to realise that ‘product’ is better applied to items like bacon or Lego.
You may think that it’s only a matter of semantics, but just consider its ramifications. A game of football is a service or even a relationship (between customer and game) rather than a product. Not unlike a haircut.
When football is marketed as a product, the accent is on the things that are sold through the game: shirts and shorts, burgers, hot drinks, literature, etc. All of these things are kosher but they are add-ons rather than part of the ‘product’. In the States I have been to Major League baseball and while it’s a good evening’s entertainment, I was aware of constantly being groomed for my fast buck. The clubs owners (think Glazers) are more committed to selling product than helping to build a team that entertains and promises progress on the pitch..
Isn’t a product something tangible that you can take home with you? This is a distinction Americans just don’t get. So beware, Everton, you are a product that could soon be asset-stripped.
Reply With Quote