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Soziale Marktwirtschaft und "Wirtschaftswunder" im bundesdeutschen Berufsfußball der 1950er und 1960er Jahre?
Social market economy and economic miracles in professional German football in the 1950s and 1960s?
[journal article]
Abstract For more than fifty years now the Bundesliga is an important part of German sporting and cultural life and identity. Yet there are voices who harshly criticize the growing trend of commercialization which allegedly tends to undermine the true sporting nature of the game. The author points out that t... view more
For more than fifty years now the Bundesliga is an important part of German sporting and cultural life and identity. Yet there are voices who harshly criticize the growing trend of commercialization which allegedly tends to undermine the true sporting nature of the game. The author points out that there is no need at all to be nostalgic about the assumed "good old days" of German football. In fact, the first years of the Bundesliga were characterized by dubious economic practices: While the German Football Association officially stuck to the ideal of amateurism, a shadow economy was flourishing around the clubs and its players. This insincerity and corruption became a burden especially for the involved communities. In contrast to that, the article argues, the often demonized period of neo-liberalism, with its final take-off since the 1990s, has given Bundesliga clubs the opportunity to create a highly professional profile and management – a development that goes to the benefit not only of sport itself but also to its social and cultural surroundings.... view less
Keywords
professional sports; neoliberalism; marketing; commercialization; Federal Republic of Germany; post-war period; soccer; corruption
Classification
Social History, Historical Social Research
Free Keywords
Bundesliga; professional football; club football; West Germany
Document language
German
Publication Year
2015
Page/Pages
p. 209-220
Journal
Historical Social Research, 40 (2015) 4
Issue topic
Football history: selected contributions to sport in society
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed