The article discusses FIFA's anticipated musical guest and halftime show for the 2026 World Cup final in the U.S., criticizing the commercialization of football. Gabriele Marcotti suggests that while purists complain about the changes to the sport they grew up with, this marketing strategy is not aimed at dedicated football fans. Rather, it targets casual viewers and aims to generate revenue. He emphasizes that FIFA's pursuit of profit mirrors trends in the broader sports industry, which has long embraced commercialization and entertainment.
As my colleague Luis Miguel Echegaray points out, this isn't really for football fans, just as the Super Bowl half-time show isn't really for NFL fans -- it's for the folks who tune in once a year or casually stumble across it.
As far as moaning about FIFA trying to squeeze every last dime out of the game, all of sports has been going that way for the last 50-plus years. It's a business, and it's been that way for a long time.
Collection
[
|
...
]