Chapter 1: Introduction
Research Background
The European Super League (ESL) launch was a controversial decision by twelve of European’s big teams to form an international football league that would compete with and gradually replace the UEFA Champions League (MacInnes, 2023 ). The announcement, made in April 2021, was met with major criticisms from fans, politicians, managers, and players, given the nature of its operation. The league’s founding members included the ‘big six’ teams (Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool) and three Italian Clubs (Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan). These top clubs would be the league’s founding members and would play closed mid-week fixtures with each other with no promotion or relegation. All financial gains would be shared between founding members.
Fans saw the ESL as a closed and exclusive league prioritizing financial benefit over competition and sporting merit and were quick to express their outrage (Connelly, 2023). They called for boycotts of the founding clubs through protest marches and social media campaigns. Some players also threatened to leave their clubs upon the formation of the ESL (Meier et al., 2022). The UEFA, FIFA, and national football clubs also expressed their opposition by threatening to ban founding clubs from their competitions (Macedo et al., 2022). Generally, the proposed ESL was received with widespread criticism, eventually leading to its collapse with the withdrawal of all six English clubs, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid. Club withdrawals left three clubs: Juventus, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, which were still determined to make the ESL successful.
Research Rationale
In October (2021). ESL organizers announced plans to re-launch an improved version of the league. This time, they formed a consulting company, A22, to help create the league and stakeholder relations (Connelly, 2023). The new model would allow for open competition, comprise various divisions, and involve around 80 teams, each allowed to participate in 14 matches minimum. Instead of permanent members, the league is proposed to involve the promotion and relegation system with teams qualifying based on performance in their domestic leagues. Promises have also been made to improve fan engagement and promote women’s participation in the league to improve public acceptance. The league is still in development and often communicates progress made through A22.
According to a report by (MacInnes, 2023 ), the manager in charge of planning mentioned that re-launch data has not yet been set as there are still many factors to consider. However, the report confirmed that substantial progress had been made regarding the launch and estimates a maximum of two years to re-launch (Meier et al., 2022). The successful launch of the ESL would result in a more competitive and exciting league for football stakeholders, potentially overshadowing the UEFA and EPL in the long run. The ESL would also generate significant revenue for the participating clubs, leading to increased financial stability. ESL would significantly impact football (Macedo et al., 2022). However, like its first launch, the success of the re-launch is still at the mercy of football fans. Thus, this study seeks to determine the current reaction to the proposed re-launch after the modifications were made and thus to determine whether the ESL will be launched successfully. This study’s research questions are outlined below.
Research Questions
RQ1. What is the current level of public support or opposition by Manchester United fans towards the re-launch of the ESL?
H1. The current level of Manchester United fans’ support toward the re-launch of the ESL is primarily positive.
RQ2. How does the current reaction compare to the initial reaction compare with the initial launch?
H2. The public support for the re-launch is better than the initial launch due to the modifications done.
RQ3. What impact did the proposed European Super League have on the reputation of the Manchester United football club, and how did fans’ reactions contribute to this outcome?
H3. Manchester United’s initial membership of the ESL was a blow to the club’s reputation. However, its prompt withdrawal reduced public opposition.
Purpose of the Study
This study aims to analyze fans’ reactions to the proposed European Super League by evaluating Manchester United fans’ Twitter comments.
Significance of the Study
The ESL is expected to have a significant impact on international football. The first launch attracted widespread criticism from fans leading to its eventual failure. Thus, this failure proved that fans play an essential role in the successful launch of the league, and it would therefore be vital to keep fan engagement positive. With the ESL set to re-launch soon, there is a need to evaluate fans’ reactions toward this re-launch. Thus, this study is significant in that it will provide fans’ current attitudes toward ESL and thus the potential for its success.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Concept: History and Development of Football Leagues
The history of the development of football leagues can be dated to the early 19th Century when the initial professional football leagues were formed in England. These included the Southern League and the Football League and were the foundation for a more structured and competitive environment for various football clubs (Brannagan et al., 2022). Leagues were adopted in other countries, including the Spanish Primera Division in 1930 and the Italian Football Championship in 1898 ( Milford, 2022). European leagues continued to grow and evolve throughout the 20th Century by expanding existing leagues and forming new ones. A particular turning point for Football leagues was realized with the formation of the European Cup in 1955, which later came to be known as the UEFA Champions League. This tournament involved the best teams from around Europe, resulting in an extremely high competition that elevated Europe’s football on a global scale (Prayag et al., 2020). The Champions League has since undergone various changes, including expanding to allow more teams to participate and forming group stages in the 1980s.
Economic factors have also been a huge factor influencing the development of football leagues. The increasing commercialization of football and the emerging need for television rights led to the emergence of dominant clubs in various leagues. These included Juventus in Serie A, Bayern Munich in Bundesliga, and Real Madrid in La Liga (Brannagan et al., 2022). However, though these leagues realized commendable financial success, their dominance was a challenge to smaller clubs that struggled to compete with the financial resources of larger teams. Thus, financial regulation was essential to promote financial stability and fair competition for all participating teams. An example of a financial measure is the Financial Fair Play Rules, which regulate clubs from spending more than they make in their pursuit of success. These rules minimize clubs’ risk of falling into financial problems that can threaten their long-term survival ( Milford, 2022). In addition to Financial Fair Play, all clubs must maintain the principles of fair competition and sporting merit under European Football (Mastromartino et al., 2020). Thus, the ESL’s failure during the initial launch may have been attributed to a lack of consideration of fair competition and sporting merit principles, leading to widespread opposition.
Conceptual Framework: Fan Identity Theory
The Fan Identity Theory helps us understand the relationship between sports fans and their favorite teams. The theory holds that fans view their favorite teams as an extension of their identity, and therefore the success or failure of their team significantly impacts their sense of self (Kose & Kartikasari, 2020). Prayag et al. (2020) discuss that fans’ sense of identity is primarily formed through three mechanisms: identification with a team’s culture, socialization, and emotional attachment. Fans may identify with a team’s culture when they share similar beliefs, values, and experiences with their teams. For example, a fan can form an attachment with a team known for its hardworking or cunning playing strategies as the fan values these particular aspects (Kosciolek, 2019). Thus, they may adopt the team as part of their identity and become attached. Fans can also identify with their favorite teams through socialization. In this mechanism, fans learn about a team through family, friends, or the media and form a sense of identity with the team. This mechanism is particularly effective when they are exposed to the values, traditions, and rituals associated with their teams, which become part of their own identity (Yun et al., 2021). These mechanisms have the potential to create a life-long relationship with their teams.
Another mechanism through which fans may form identity is through emotional attachment. A fan may form an emotional attachment with a particular team based on shared experiences with the team (Cho et al., 2019). Some shared experiences include attending a team’s game or any moment involving the team that was important to them (Mastromartino et al., 2020). Emotional attachment can be particularly strong, forming a strong self-identity with the team (Welsh, 2022). Thus, the fan identity theory is an important framework as it helps to understand how fans form attachments with their respective teams and the associated behavior. When a fan’s team wins or loses, it may significantly affect their sense of self (Wagner et al., 2021). A loss would lead to frustration or disappointment, whereas a win may result in accomplishment or pride (Kosciolek, 2019). The Fan Identity Theory also explains why fans still support their teams despite losses. Fans do so since their sense of self is tied to the team’s success, and loyalty is further reinforced by an emotional attachment and socialization (Kose & Kartikasari, 2020). In this study, the Fan Identity Theory helps to understand fans’ commitment to football teams and the collective football sport and why they would be concerned if football’s competitiveness and sporting nature were at risk. As such, fans would largely object to any such threat to football as witnesses in the first launch of the ESL.
Conceptual and Empirical Background for H1
The first research question aims to determine the current level of public support or opposition by Manchester United fans towards the re-launch of the ESL. This study hypothesizes that Manchester United fans strongly support ESL. This hypothesis draws on the Sports Detachment Model proposed by Yun et al. (2021). This model suggests that fans detach from their teams through an iterative breakdown process characterized by negative events. Over time, the fan performs a cost/benefit analysis. If the costs (tickets, negative experiences, active support, and constraints) outweigh the benefits (social and emotional connection, inspiration, and pride), then the fan may detach from their favorite team (Welsh, 2022). The failure of ESL’s first launch was majorly due to the closed nature of the league. The founding members wanted it to be a closed league where only members would compete in bi-weekly games, leaving out non-member clubs. However, the ESL revised this structure to ensure the league would be open to any club and involve 80 clubs worldwide. Further, A22 released a ten-point strategic plan for the launch of the ESL, including its support for women’s football, the financial stability of teams, and the inclusion of all clubs, irrespective of their financial performance (Cho et al., 2019). Thus, based on the Fan Detachment Model, as the negative aspects of the ESL have been addressed, the fans would be expected to show more support for the ESL and have a reduced intention to withdraw from their favorite teams. Consequently, they would show more support to the ESL and the participation of their favorite clubs in this league.
Conceptual and Empirical Background for H2
The second research question aims to determine how fans’ current reaction toward the revised ESL structure differs from the initial reaction. This study hypothesizes that the current reaction is better than the initial reaction. This hypothesis draws on the Fan Detachment Theory and the Fan Identity Theory. The Fan Identity Theory suggests that fans would perceive their team’s success as their own success. Consequently, they would perceive their team’s behavior as their own and identify with their team’s beliefs, values, and attitudes (Cho et al., 2019). Thus, when a team performs contrary to fans’ values and beliefs, it may attract negative reactions from fans (Houben et al., 2022). The initially proposed structure of the ESL was a great threat to fans’ values and beliefs as it threatened the traditional competitive nature of football. Further, this structure would benefit only the top clubs, while small ones would get no benefit (Welsh, 2022). However, with the revision of the structure to include all clubs and allow each to play a minimum of 14 games, fans’ support towards the re-launch would be expected to be higher, as the negative attitudes have already been addressed. Fans’ would be expected to have a reduced intention to withdraw from their respective clubs and have less negative reactions towards the re-launch of the ESL, as suggested by the Fan Detachment theory. Thus, these two theories would help understand and predict fans’ reactions and behavior regarding ESL.
Conceptual and Empirical Background for H3
The study’s third research question aims to explore the impact of ESL on the reputation of Manchester United Club and how fans’ reactions contributed to this outcome. The proposed hypothesis is that Manchester United fans were greatly disappointed in the club’s contribution to the initial ESL structure. The Fan Identity Theory and the Fan Detachment Theory have been utilized to arrive at this hypothesis. The launch of the ESL in April 2021 received an enormous rejection from fans, managers, players, and other stakeholders in football (Houben et al., 2022). Fans especially expressed disappointment in their favorite teams for being founding members of the league through demonstrations and social media campaigns (Wagner et al., 2021). Two days after the launch, nine of the twelve founding clubs withdrew from the ESL leaving Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus (Welsh, 2022). The ESL later communicated that it was suspending its launch till further notice and has since communicated improvements on the initial structure. The demonstrations and social media campaigns toned down after this announcement and the withdrawal of most of the clubs. Thus, while the initial launch of the ESL was met with great criticism, the prompt withdrawal of Manchester United from the ESL resulted in approval from fans in line with their values and a reduction in disappointment.
Conclusion
The history and development of football leagues began in the early to mid 19th Century with the Formation of the Southern and Football leagues in England. These leagues pioneered the development of better and more competitive leagues, including the Italian Football Championship and Spanish Primera. These eventually led to international leagues such as the UEFA Champions League and FIFA. With the gradual commercialization of football over the years, commercial factors have played a significant role in its development. The UEFA Champions League and FIFA have been dominant in Europe. A third party to football clubs controls them. Thus, major football clubs proposed the ESL that would be owned and managed by clubs to give them an upper hand in controlling matters relating to football instead of being managed by a third party.
However, the first proposed launch of the ESL was met with great criticism from fans and other stakeholders as it contradicted the traditional competitiveness of football. This was because only the founding members would participate in these games and realize financial gains, while smaller clubs could not participate. The Fan Identity Theory and the Fan Detachment Theory have been used to understand the reason for the objection. These theories have suggested that fans perceive their favorite clubs as part of their identity. Thus, any club’s undesirable activities would greatly impact fans’ identity and would thus be objected to. With the withdrawal of the initial ESL structure and the development of a new one that caters to the initial flaws, the new ESL would be expected to succeed. Fans will still have the upper hand in the success or failure of the ESL. Thus, this study aims to determine fans’ reactions towards the ESL by analyzing Manchester United fans’ Twitter reactions.
References
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