By John Considine
Yesterday, the recently elected left-wing government in Greece suspended professional football indefinitely. This first sentence, like the way the information was first conveyed to me, suggested that it was typical of the response of a government that does not know what it is doing. Opinion is divided on how the Greek government is attempting to deal with the burden of debt that it carries. As I read the strikingly similar media reports, I soon found that the fact that the government was left-wing and recently elected was not really important. This is the third time this season that football has been suspended. Syriza can't be blamed for all of the suspensions.
The proximate cause of the suspension was violence off the pitch. The media reports talked about violence amongst fans and in the boardroom where the sport is governed. What I find difficult to understand is how the suspension of all professional games might solve the problem. A more usual solution is to get the offending entities to play games behind closed doors. This solution does not seemed to have worked. Is the suspension of all games a better approach? Two earlier suspensions in Greece do not seem to have done the trick.
Economists will have a particular perspective(s) on the issue. Most economists will usually suggest that the solution can be found in altering the incentives of the people who engage in this activity. However, there may be some disagreement as to whether economics should stick to financial incentives or not. And, there may be a few economists that argue that a rational choice model is not the way to go. Then there is the issue of evidence and how it is interpreted. Rather than discuss the issues involved I leave you look at the following picture from the Washington Post and refer you to the website Economists Do It With Models where Jodi Beggs discusses the issues in 'Causal Friday'. For those who do not wish to read Jodi's explanation it should be noted that 50 Shades of Grey may NOT be a public health risk. The exact causal relationship between violence and sport can be even harder to discern than that between 50 Shades of Grey and injuries from sex toys.
The proximate cause of the suspension was violence off the pitch. The media reports talked about violence amongst fans and in the boardroom where the sport is governed. What I find difficult to understand is how the suspension of all professional games might solve the problem. A more usual solution is to get the offending entities to play games behind closed doors. This solution does not seemed to have worked. Is the suspension of all games a better approach? Two earlier suspensions in Greece do not seem to have done the trick.
Economists will have a particular perspective(s) on the issue. Most economists will usually suggest that the solution can be found in altering the incentives of the people who engage in this activity. However, there may be some disagreement as to whether economics should stick to financial incentives or not. And, there may be a few economists that argue that a rational choice model is not the way to go. Then there is the issue of evidence and how it is interpreted. Rather than discuss the issues involved I leave you look at the following picture from the Washington Post and refer you to the website Economists Do It With Models where Jodi Beggs discusses the issues in 'Causal Friday'. For those who do not wish to read Jodi's explanation it should be noted that 50 Shades of Grey may NOT be a public health risk. The exact causal relationship between violence and sport can be even harder to discern than that between 50 Shades of Grey and injuries from sex toys.
As the situation in Greece plays itself out we may be better informed about the relationship between sport and violence. We may even find a solution. Unlikely, but who knows for sure.
Those who have visited the Economists Do It With Models website will know that Jodi Beggs likes The Simpsons. A few of us here on Sportseconomics.org also enjoy the antics of Homer and company. Last summer, a number of posts on this blog examined the economics of sport using The Simpsons. It is possible to use The Simpsons to raise some issues about the events in Greece and about the relationship between violence and sport more broadly.
In 'The Cartridge Family' it is suggested that soccer encourages violence because it is not violent and has too few scores. A riot erupts at a soccer game because the fans seems to find it boring. (There is also a reference to a British football hooliganism in the form of Groundsman Willie.) The Simpsons also deals with the issue of banning sports. In 'The Great Wife Hope', Marge takes it on herself to stop mixed martial arts contests. Marge has to become a contestant to stop the sport!
Of course The Simpsons is a cartoon and not reality. Yet there can be similarities with reality. Last month, Senator Catherine Noone took to the Irish airwaves to propose the banning of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She subsequently backtracked after a cringing interview where she admitted to not having seen the sport (the Irish Independent account is here). Senator Noone is not from a left-wing political party like Syriza. She is a member of Fine Gael. Opponents attempt to link the party with a fascist past when they refer to its members as "the Blueshirts". When the debate involves labels like right-wing and left-wing then the real issues can become lost. Sometimes it is better and more informative to consider the issues in a more abstract and humorous form such as The Simpsons.
Those who have visited the Economists Do It With Models website will know that Jodi Beggs likes The Simpsons. A few of us here on Sportseconomics.org also enjoy the antics of Homer and company. Last summer, a number of posts on this blog examined the economics of sport using The Simpsons. It is possible to use The Simpsons to raise some issues about the events in Greece and about the relationship between violence and sport more broadly.
In 'The Cartridge Family' it is suggested that soccer encourages violence because it is not violent and has too few scores. A riot erupts at a soccer game because the fans seems to find it boring. (There is also a reference to a British football hooliganism in the form of Groundsman Willie.) The Simpsons also deals with the issue of banning sports. In 'The Great Wife Hope', Marge takes it on herself to stop mixed martial arts contests. Marge has to become a contestant to stop the sport!
Of course The Simpsons is a cartoon and not reality. Yet there can be similarities with reality. Last month, Senator Catherine Noone took to the Irish airwaves to propose the banning of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She subsequently backtracked after a cringing interview where she admitted to not having seen the sport (the Irish Independent account is here). Senator Noone is not from a left-wing political party like Syriza. She is a member of Fine Gael. Opponents attempt to link the party with a fascist past when they refer to its members as "the Blueshirts". When the debate involves labels like right-wing and left-wing then the real issues can become lost. Sometimes it is better and more informative to consider the issues in a more abstract and humorous form such as The Simpsons.
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