Global Sport Business Journal

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate how football evolved from a village activity in rural England to become the world’s premier sport played in 208 countries. First, its diffusion in England is evaluated over time as well as how it spread spatially across the nation. Second, soccer’s diffusion worldwide is analyzed both temporally and geographically to assess the rate at which the sport spread and how its adoption moved from nation to nation across the major regions of the world. Principal findings were that 40 years was the time taken for soccer to take root nationally and regionally; and that spatially, east-west diffusion occurred first across regions before its spread northwards and southwards. The principal reasons for its adoption worldwide were the game’s simplicity, flexibility, and its appeal to common global values of teamwork, fair play, and equality. Globalization synergies are key factors accounting for the sport’s worldwide popularity.
Recommended Citation
Hill, John S.; Vincent, John; and Curtner-Smith, Matthew
(2014)
"The Worldwide Diffusion of Football: Temporal and Spatial Perspectives,"
Global Sport Business Journal: Vol. 2:
Iss.
2, Article 1.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/gsbj/vol2/iss2/1
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