The World Cup football: a case study in commodity fetishism

Abstract

This paper provides analysis of the football (soccer ball). Specifically, we focus on the manufacture of the World Cup ball through the lens of commodity fetishism and the journey that the football makes to become a commodity. Three aspects of this journey are outlined: symbolic fetish of the World Cup ball in the build-up to tournaments; scientific fetish in the corporate marketing of footballs; and corporate fetish in the form of corporate social responsibility. It is concluded that each aspect together and taken in isolation are mechanisms through which commodity fetishism operates to fragment understanding of systemic contradictions between profit and social justice and obscure the nature of exploitation in the industry that produces footballs, placing limits on intervening policies when they arise.