September 2007 September 2006 September 2005

Speaker of the lecture: Prof. Lui Tai Lok Department of Sociology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin, HKSAR Abstract of the lecture: Football is currently at the highest point of its development. Every week billions of people from all walks of life in different corners of the world follow the game. If one is to look for a global game, it will, no doubt, be football. This 'beautiful game' has diverse historical origins. It had been played on different continents for hundreds of years before it was codified, and thus subsequently standardized, in England in 1863. From then on, football had become a global game. But football is also in crisis. Its success in attracting the crowd and its followers has also brought about excessive commercialization. Turning football from sports into a kind of media-mediated entertainment has undermined the game: football stars are now playing for their sponsors; supporters are losing their attachment to their clubs and are simply happy to be entertained; business concerns are increasingly shaping how the game is played. Worries about the loss of the spirit of football are not ungrounded. This talk is about the globalization of football – its promises and crises. Group photos: Year 1 Students Year 2 Students Year 3 Students Postgraduate Students