Afl Business Model

In the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, William J. Morgan posed that, “sport is an essential instrument of the social order to be used to promote economic and political agendas” and in a larger sense that, “this sport ideology is but a reflection of the larger, ideological hegemony of advanced industrial society” and “a reflection of the prevailing economic order” (Morgan 1983). Through this work, I intend to argue that this prevailing economic order can be viewed through the lens of the Australian Football League’s (AFL) contentious desire to professionalize. While critics and proponents of capital-based approaches may argue the benefit of the league’s development, the opportunity cost of alienating fans and degrading tradition is greater. The AFL should retain its current philosophy and prevent professionalization allowing the sport to preserve its traditional values, relationship with Australian communities, and prevent the development of damaging capitalist ideals. It is through the AFL’s current philosophy that it has established its success, collected a dedicated fan …show more content…
If the sport is no longer viewed as an amateur sport, and amateurs no longer feel as though they have an opportunity to get involved with the sport, they will lose interest. Additionally, as will be discussed in further detail later, professionalism will lead to higher levels of wage competition and revenue earning tools resulting in ticket prices to AFL games rising and becoming harder to purchase: not being able to attend games due to financial constraints is a key way to lose public interest. An increase in professionalization makes it more difficult for amateurs to become involved, which immediately halts the opportunity for player participation. The AFL, in order to remain true to its fan base and objectives must prevent professionalization to taint the beloved