I.B.3. The contribution of commercial television.
Quasi inexhaustible layer of images, feelings and emotions,
the sport developed its relationships to television, allowing an increasingly
broad diffusion of the sporting spectacle which corresponds to a keen demand of
the televiewers. « This progression, slips CHABAY Olivier (1999, p.
10), comes not from the increase in the time devoted to the sport by the large
existing hertzian chains, but by the arrival of new chains which devote to him
on their grids of program either a more significant part (in the case of Canal
+), or integrality for the chains sets of themes (Eurosport) ». The
questions relating to the relationship between the sport and television became
crucial. A detailed attention since is given there. (Johnson, 1986, pp. 38-80),
(Kinkema K. and Harris J, 1998, pp. 27-56), (Silk Mr. L & Friendly J, 2000,
pp.267-292).
« Television, being also given the importance of the
commercial communications in the sporting field, represents the first source of
financing of the professional sport in Europe » (UFA Fussball Studie
1998, Hamburg). An event without television is likely to disappear, the
presence of the television ensuring of the receipts by the way of the sponsors
and publicity. It gives to the event a universal dimension and the
characteristics of the spectacle offer a world of membership, identity and
myths.
Based on the logic of the conquest of audience and sales
turnover, the globalisation integrates the sport in its strategy of cultural
conquest of new territories. Coke helps Chinese football with
professionnaliser, Nike ensures itself of the promotion of the tennis shoe in
India and Marlboro formula I in Russia.
Undoubtedly, the actuation of this universalization comes from
the role more and more crescent of television in this sector. Television
transformed the stage into a total village. The exploits of the footballers at
the time of or the finale World cup of the continental or Olympic cuts are
followed everywhere in the world. With the awaited scores of audience, 37
billion televiewers, the sport becomes a vector of communication for the
companies wishing to improve their image, to consolidate their international
establishment and to obtain new outlets.
In their collective work, BOROUGH and GOUGUET (1998, p. 260)
even think that « the professional sport, without the rights poured
by televisions, would be condemned to the deficit. » That translated
the strong dependence of the professional sports in comparison with
television.
But, in all the cases, the interest which the sport with the
eyes of the multinational corporations represents makes irrevocably realizable
the economic internationalization of the sport.
I.B.4. Interest of the sport to
the eyes of the multinational corporations.
With some exceptions, the relations between the sporting world
and the mediums of businessmen are very old. BAYLE and DURAND (2000, p. 150)
there see a species rather of « cohabitation of competitions
organized by private operators and the emergence of national and international
historical federations having in load certain great competitions (national,
continental or world championships) ».
In Europe particularly, football constitutes a privileged
ground of investment for many multinationals. However, those, as their name
indicates it, were demolished only compared to the foreign territories.
Thus, FIAT is since the end of the XIXème century owner
of the Italian club of Juventus of Turin, the chemical group Bayer since 1904
of the German club of Bayer Leverkusen, Peugeot governs the destinies of the
club of football of Sochaux, Philips is owner of PSV Eindhoven, Amstrad takes
care of Tottenham, International Management Group de Benfica of Lisbon, Canal
Plus of Paris-Saint-Germain and the Swiss club of Servette.
In the United States, the principal groups of communication
misent on the baseball : Disney (California Angels), Time Warner (Atlanta
Face), Tribune Company (Chicago Cubs), News Corporation (Los Angeles Dodgers).
And the continuation is still long. Through, this illustration, one can note
indeed that the investments carried out by the companies in the sporting world
are neither altruistic what does not characterize a businessman, nor
philanthropic. The sport, across its specificity, is seen very indicated to
offer the well proven role of advertizing medium, a kind of market to be
developed, a product of call or diversification, even a financial investment.
The multinational corporations are undoubtedly devancières on the vast
operation of conquest of the international market. They are always with the
search of all that could reinforce to them capacity economic and financial. The
sport seems to join together the asset. It makes it possible to make discover
the so many company and its range of the productions to the public in front of
television. However, instead of being made advertisers simply, the majority
deal with teams of football, as sponsors or adapt themselves some.
Consequently, vis-a-vis the acceleration of the financial
appetite of the clubs and the federations sportsmen, those of football at the
head, the road towards internationalization seems to pass for the least bad
from the solutions. But being the clubs of football, let us announce that they
resort to several operations, of which more in sight is the transfer of the
players of a national association towards another. With the creation of the
centers of formation for young players, the strategy even of foreign direct
investment, the transfer inaugurates the series of operations suitable for
football.
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