Saying ‘I am a footy fan’ (which I am) sounds a bit like saying publicly, ‘I am an alcoholic’ (which I am not). Not only does Ronaldo write off his Ferrari and jump into his Bentley, but the wages earned by footballers are ridiculous. This morning the news is that Manchester City are going to buy Kaka for over £100million and that his weekly wage will be around half a million quid.
I guess there are two ways of looking at the rather skewed set of values that allow this sort of thing in the middle of a global banking crisis. One way is simply to shrug and be satisfied that at least these guys offer some light and entertainment and colour in a rather dark world. The second is to wonder if these guys epitomise the problems I wrote about regarding Barclays Wealth.
What should not go unremarked is the amazing charitable giving and support that some highly-paid footballers indulge in. What also should not go unremarked is that more people go to church each week than go to football matches – and yet the difference in investment by media in religion and football is staggering. That is why we highlighted this in the joint submission by the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church to Ofcom on public service broadcasting recently. This is not to pretend that investment should go with simple numbers, but to draw attention to the inconsistency of argument behind the investment. (Songs of Praise gets a similar audience to Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, but a fraction of the investment – which is not knocking Jonathan Ross, but exposing the inconsistency.)
And the link between God and Everton? Don’t be ridiculous – I’m a Liverpool fan.
January 14, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I hear that Kaka is a very committed Christian and it is possible that the high profile which a move to this country would bring, might have some collateral benefit in relation to how young boys might feel it “ok” to be Christian and still “cool”. We cannot underestimate the pressures on young people to conform to the non-religious mores of so much of the media.
January 15, 2009 at 11:18 am
#1: Yes, he’s a member of the ‘Reborn in Christ Church’ and tithes to them. Having two left feet, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to live strongly and consistently for Christ, and in the public eye, in a pressured world of trials and temptations of every kind. It’s little wonder that some have stumbled along the way. We should keep them in prayer for the pressures they face as well as the good they can achieve.
January 15, 2009 at 6:35 pm
At the risk of being flippant, there a good few Churches in Manchester that would welcome a tithing footbaler on £1/2 million a week!
January 15, 2009 at 7:07 pm
‘..there a good few Churches in Manchester that..’
Ah, but are there few good churches in that esteemed city? Besides having The World’s Favorite Football Team (TM), isn’t Manchester the rainy city of Britain’s famous export, ‘Coronation Street’?