Full 90: Winter Wonderland in Qatar?

On Wednesday FIFA’s general secretary, Jerome Valcke, reported to a French radio station that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will not be held during the usual months of June and July. Instead, due to extreme summer heat in Qatar, the 2022 tournament will take place in the winter. Valcke admits that he believes the tournament will take place between November 15th and January 15th at the latest. “If you play between November 15 and the end of December that’s the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe.” Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, has since told the media that Valcke’s comments are not conclusive, rather they are the personal opinion of Valcke.

World Cup 2014: Update

Drexel SMTSU - The Sports Biz Report - Soccer in America

The Sports Biz Report - Episode 7 - Ethan Zohn

An Evening with Ethan Zohn

Interested in hearing Ethan Zohn speak?  RSVP for the event on Facebook!

Co-Op Confidential: Rene Coleman

Name: Rene Coleman

Year: Junior

Company: Parma Panthers

Location: Parma, Italy

Position: Marketing, Communications, Events

What are your job responsibilities?

Currently I have a few different responsibilities with the team. Daily tasks include checking Facebook for messages and updating both the teams Twitter and Facebook pages.  I also help make sure that all press releases are translated properly in English for our American fans. Besides the social media side of things, we have also just released the first episode of our web series, that we will be doing throughout the remainder of the season. In it we will have interviews with current players, as well as follow both the Italian and American players in their daily lives. The web series can be found on the Parma Panthers YouTube page, and a link can be found on the Panthers Facebook page. Another one of my jobs that is done on a more weekly basis is helping run the teams TD Club (the Panthers booster club). 

Global Scope: The Lionel Messi Line

Different people have different theories as to why soccer has never "made it" in the United States of America. Some people say that it is because soccer players are great actors, who dive throughout the game urging the referees to call fouls which did not happen. Others say it is because there isn't a strong local league to back the fans who love the game. Whatever theory you may argue, I'm sure that it is a valid one but this isn't exactly what's at hand here.


Knowing that the United States is an important market, even for soccer, Adidas is moving to launch a range of soccer gear inspired on FC Barcelona's player Lionel Messi.

Global Scope: FC Barcelona's Corporate Sponsorship

If there is one thing every team in all the sports leagues around the world have in common is the need to get money to build a competitive team. Even though they are regarded by many fans as the greatest football club in the world, they are no different from everyone else in their quest for the most lucrative deal out there. One could argue that they had been somewhat different, because during the club's 113 year existence they kept a tradition of avoiding corporate sponsors on their jerseys. Times have changed. 

Winners and Losers of the January Transfer Window

Loic Remy and QPR manager, Harry Redknapp

January 31^st marked the close of the transfer window. During the designated transfer window, English clubs are eligible to sign or loan out players. A usually exciting time period in soccer, this year’s January transfers seemed a bit lackluster. However, during this month-long shopping spree, clubs spent a combined £120 million, double that of last year. Below are in my opinion, the biggest winners and losers of January.

Global Scope: Competitive Balance

There has been many complaints coming from owners of small market teams here in the United States who are not pleased with the level of competitiveness in leagues such as the NBA. The league's bottom feeders have a much bigger challenge to build a competitive team with television deals that are nowhere near as lucrative as those of the franchises in the larger markets, like New York and Chicago. This isn't an issue that is specific only to the NBA and North American sports leagues. Competitive balance is a growing topic in the world of soccer. Prompting professor Cristiano Machado Costa, from the FUCAPE Business School, to lead a study based off of the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI). Basically the lower the HHI, the more competitive a market is.