This essay pays tribute to Peter Donnelly, distinguished contributor to the development of the sociology of sport, by revisiting a prediction that he made in the 1980s, concerning the growing effects of commercialization in soccer. By looking at the official equipment provider of numerous soccer clubs and national soccer teams, totaling more than 250 cases, this research hints at the extent of the financial and geographical concentration of this branch of industrial activity. The paper then argues that, from the standpoint of the material production of equipment, the wide regional and national diversity of the world of professional soccer collapses into a rather homogeneous arena, in which a small number of multinational companies compete for hegemony – with clubs and national teams functioning, in essence, as representatives of the interests of large conglomerates.
Michael Burawoy, ex-presidente da American Sociological Association e da International Sociological Association, é um dos cientistas sociais mais destacados do início do século XXI. Depois de ter realizado trabalho de campo em pesquisa etnográfica durante boa parte de sua carreira acadêmica, Burawoy recentemente direcionou sua atenção às divisões do trabalho internas à sua disciplina, produzindo uma análise instigante que culminou em sua defesa da sociologia pública. Na conversa a seguir, Burawoy usa exemplos de sua pesquisa etnográfica para abordar temas predominantes na sociologia do esporte. Ele formula suas visões sobre os movimentos sociais que eclodiram recentemente em várias partes do mundo e apresenta uma crítica incisiva à mercantilização do esporte e do lazer.
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