Organizational status identities and the mobility of

football players in EuropeThijs Velema

National Taiwan University, Department of Sociology Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica

Impact of Luis Suarez transfer on Ajax

•Ajax loses key player•Other players are willing

to move to Ajax

Organizations use labor mobility to attain status and reputation

Reputation

Status

Labor mobility

High and low status organizations make different use

of labor mobility High

Middle

Low

AHigh status organization A• Maintain status without harming reputation• Marginal players move, key players are

retained

Low status organization B• Improve status to improve reputation• Key players move, marginal players are

retainedB

EH analysis of player transfers

Variable Direction Horizontal Downward InternationalTeam status

.9038*** .8481*** .3629***

Player importance

-.0354* -.5907*** -.3556***

Team status * player importance

-.2173*** -.2026*** -.2430***

To summarize: Who moves?

•Players in high status teams•Fringe players•Team status * player importance•Fringe players in high status teams•Key players in low status teams

Further questions

•What kind of labor market?•Consequences for football

•Other actors•Player agents?

•Other industries

Thank you for your attention!!

Questions?www.thijsvelema.com

Attribution for pictures

Edgar Davids (Juventus F.C., no.26) clashing with Gennaro Gattuso (A.C. Milan), by soccer illustrated

Argentina-Holanda_1978, by Archivo ClarinBundesarchiv Bild 183-N0716-0314, Fussball-WM, BRD – Niederlandse 2-1,

by Rainer MittelstadtHowitis, as appeared on http://www.shof.msrcsites.co.ukLuis Suarez vs. Netherlands (cropped).jpg, by Jimmy Baikovicius

Variables Lateral Downward International

Independent variables Team status .9038*** .8481*** .3629***

Player importance -.0354* -.5907*** -.3556***

status * player importance -.2173*** -.2026*** -.2430***

Team level control variables Team performance .8239*** -1.6788*** .3631**

Perf rel. asp. Levels .6096** 2.0067*** -1.0320***

Stadium capacity -.0057*** -.0033** -.0089***

Player level control variables Career duration -.0123*** -.0104*** -.0071***

Previous clubs .1879*** .1924*** .1764***

Transfer value -.0047 -.1274*** -.0760***

Preferred foot .1039* .0638 .1515*

EU national .0325 .2462*** -1.2728***

Defender .4522*** .5277*** .6265***

Midfielder .6598*** .7255*** .8403***

Attacker .9596*** .8529*** 1.2094***

International .1366*** -.3401*** .0758

Model fit Transfers 4988 6192 2354

Log pseudolikelihood -55773.417 -67421.937 -25907.217