According to the Cambridge Dictionary (2023), a commodity is a substance or product that can be bought, traded or sold. Levesque (2016) describes commodification as the process by which something without an economic value gains economic value that can replace other social values. A clear example of this commodification is athletes in sports, from club sports such as football to global events like the Olympic Games. The sporting industry has seen a vast level of commodification; as Walsh (2001) states, since 1990, the commodification of popular sports has proceeded at a remarkable rate. As Westerbeek (2002) states, commerce is defined as the activities and procedures of buying and selling, and a commercial activity involves producing goods in large quantities to make a profit. In terms of football, this may be giving athletes a global presence to sell products ranging from something as tangible as team jerseys to something less tangible such as broadcasting rights for games. In this essay, I will focus on elite football athletes, primarily in the premier league, to explain how the commercialisation of sport can lead to contemporary high-performance athletes to be treated as commodities.

Gerrard (2004) explains the current situation of the sports industry clearly, saying, “The professional team sports industry is a complex micro-economy consisting of a set of independent markets”. Football is run by National Governing Bodies (NGB), which is “an organisation that governs and administers a sport on a national basis” (Sport Northern Ireland, nd). The main NGB for England is the Football Association which claims (2017) they are responsible for promoting football and governing football from grassroots to the premier league. They are also responsible for selling broadcasting rights to their domestic cup, the FA Cup. The main international governing body is the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which is also responsible for governing and developing football globally (FIFA, nd). These NGBS use elite players to promote the sport globally, attempting to increase participation. The English Premier League is the top league in England’s football pyramid. The league is run as its own entity, working alongside the FA and FIFA; however, the Premier League is responsible for selling the broadcasting rights for each league game. The premier league is described by Marcotti (2022) as the most popular league in the world; therefore, the broadcasting rights have been disclosed as approximately £5.1 billion, being sold to Sky, BT and Amazon Prime (Rojas, 2021). “In recent years, football clubs have become commercial enterprises that operate according to market economy criteria from which other industries may benefit as well. Sports and apparel manufacturers such as Nike or Adidas earn millions with fan merchandise such as the jersey from various clubs” (Ronald, 2019, p11)

The extortionate prices are arguably the direct reason that elite football athletes are treated as commodities as the ‘pull factor’ of signing a world-renowned name to a club within the premier league benefits not only the team but also the league itself to draw spectators over from their previous club to watch them play. An example is Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer back to Manchester United from Juventus in 2021; the transfer fee was approximately £12.86 million (Sansom, 2021). The signing arguably brought millions of viewers to the premier league; however, it also benefitted Manchester United through merchandise sales as Fiore (2021) states that shirt sales with Ronaldo’s name on the back broke the sale record in a few hours and grossed a “record-breaking £187 million” (Lawless, 2021). Football is arguably the biggest sport in the world for treating players as commodities through the transfer market; with each season break in the summer and during January, hundreds of players are bought and sold and therefore forced to move homes to their new clubs. It is the club’s decision on whether to buy or sell the player and contracts keeping players at clubs for a certain number of years. However, “elite athletes are exploited and relatively power-less in their chosen fields of endeavour because of the reserve army of athletes attempting to play at the elite level” (Connor, 2009, p1). This lack of power caused by the constant presence of athletes waiting for their chance in the top leagues further instils the idea of athletes as commodities as they are relatively disposable and in control of the clubs they represent. Gerrard (2004) explains that the teams themselves are also commodities to be bought and sold by billionaires who then use their wealth to buy and sell the athletes.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that the growing commercialisation of sport has lead to the elite athletes being treated as a tangible product that can be traded the same way other commodities such as coal or metal. In the current situation, the athletes are traded with very little influence from the athlete themselves and they lack the control over their career. The elite level of football from club to club is continually becoming  a business focused on profit and we are witnessing a stage where average player prices are rising, with a £70 million price tag for a player becoming common. This gradual rise in prices solidifies the idea of athletes as commodities as clubs will train their asset to attempt to either sell the player on for a profit or for the player to increase exposure for the club.

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