^aDepartment of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. E-mail: w.p.grant@warwick.ac.uk

Abstract

A political economy of football has become more essential as the game has been colonized by elements of the business class. There is a tension between its profit maximizing understanding of football and a more community oriented, democratic vision that seeks to pursue government policy goals. The insights of economics and politics are both necessary to understand the political economy of football, but they should not be hybridized. Economics allows us to understand the distinctive characteristics of the football market while politics permits an analysis both of the politics of cooption and engagement and the politics of resistance. Four variables are identified that represent a political science contribution to the analysis of football and its relationship with government.