Center for German and European Studies

Ronny Blaschke: The Games Must Go On - How the Coronavirus Pandemic is Changing the European Football Industry

Monday, June 29, 2020
12-1:30 pm Eastern Time (US)
Zoom Webinar

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About the Event

European football was hit hard by Covid-19. Almost all leagues were forced to take several months off. And so the weaknesses of a commercialized industry became apparent. Revenue from ticket sales and merchandise collapsed, sports media fear for their lucrative business model. Some clubs faced bankruptcy. The German Bundesliga was one of the first professional leagues to start operating again in mid-May, without spectators and with a detailed hygiene concept. In lower leagues and health sports, however, restrictions can still be expected for months to come. Officials, players and politicians are now demanding a football with more sustainability.

Can this crisis really put an end to high player salaries and transfer fees? What could a socially acceptable professional football look like that takes not only health, but also climate protection and education of its talents seriously? A debate about social policy in and through football.

About the Speaker 

ronny-blaschke.jpegRonny Blaschke has been working as a political sports journalist for media in Germany and Switzerland for more than 15 years, including for Deutschlandfunk, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He has initiated important debates in five non-fiction books, such as violence, right-wing extremism and homophobia in football. In his book "Gesellschaftsspielchen" (2016), he analyzed the social projects in German professional football. And in his current work “Machtspieler” (2020), he sheds light on the political instrumentalization of football in dictatorships. Blaschke integrates his research into political education, he gives lectures, moderates debates and curates workshops. He has received multiple awards for his work.