THE COMMODIFICATION OF FOOTBALL IN ISRAEL

Abstract

It is argued that commodification is the major process determining the social development of sport in modern capitalist societies. In this light, the development of football in Israel from state-hood to the present is described. Two types of sport — `political' and `commodity' — are used to delineate this development. It is proposed that the commodification of football needs to be analyzed at both the club and the player levels. Commodification has been much more pronounced at the player level, while the club level is specified as a hybrid type responding to both political and market rules. It is concluded that the history of football in Israel is that of a transformation from a game into a commodity via politics.