Football Clubs as major ‘Engines of Positive Social Change’

I once heard a premier league football manager giving a very frank interview on the radio. The perceptive interviewer asked him why it was that Premier league footballers (and major-league footballers around the world) get paid such astronomical money each week for playing the game they love. (Players weekly wages were already high – but seem to have increased massively in recent years.)

The manager replied that the clubs had so much money rolling in each month from the TV companies around the world, that they simply did not know what else to do with all the money apart from pay the players these high salaries. The problem the clubs had 'came across' as that they simply would not be able to spend all the money they received otherwise…..

While I understand that in the film, TV, music, and sports industries - that getting the best talent comes with a price……  it did seem such a pathetic answer for the football manager to give; that they simply couldn’t think what else to do with the money. Of course, we should not blame the football manger being interviewed since he may well of simply been answering the interviewers question truthfully.

“If” it is the case, that the football clubs (or rather the mentality of the people running them) is such that they can’t think of anything worth doing with the money apart from paying higher and higher salaries each month - then perhaps some more creative thinkers should suggest to them some alternatives for that money, or at least a small part of that money - perhaps 10 to 20%.

Even the Bank of England has commented on the extraordinary rise in player wages (with expanding TV revenues) particularly in the last 5 years.

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/knowledgebank/why-are-football-players-paid-so-much

Major football clubs are not just blessed with disposable cash (and mostly unused facilities for 6 days a week) - but importantly they are also blessed with having established positive role models for local youngsters - playing for their teams each week.

It seems to me therefore, that football clubs (at various levels of the game) are ideally placed to be major ‘engines of positive social change’ within the local communities they supposedly ‘serve’ and represent.

While it is true that some players have taken this role on as individuals, and indeed some clubs run ‘community projects’ (e.g. notably Arsenal) there is an argument to be made that the football clubs as organisations could - and indeed should - do a great deal more to improve life within their local communities and perhaps beyond in a whole range of areas.

I hope that somehow this idea of clubs becoming major ‘engines of positive social change’ can be suggested regularly to the people who can make a difference in getting such an idea off the ground. Any help with this sharing of ideas would be appreciated.

ENVIRONMENT – ‘Having the Option’ - to Refill Plastic Water Bottles

About Having The Option to Refill Plastic Water Bottles for say 30 cents - rather than always needing to buy a new one for 60 cents....

(An ongoing 'practical philosophy' project.)

As a regular walker and ‘litter picker’ I am constantly collecting plastic water bottles from along the paths of the beautiful locations where I walk. I know people talk about re-cycling and putting stuff in the right box for the garbage man – but surely the problem is we are using far too many plastic bottles and other packaging to start with. The hot Mediterranean countries alone must use tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions) of these little plastic drinking bottles each year. Globally the number must be mind boggling

I just want people to be at least ‘have the option’ to take their empty bottles into a supermarket, local newsagent, or fast food outlet and be able to get a refill for their plastic bottles if they wish - at a lower price than if they buy their water in a new plastic bottle. Clearly, some kind of vending machine or office water cooler perhaps with re-usable bigger containers - could easily be adapted to make this possible and indeed some water vending machines already exist - and are readily available at modest cost. (Could not the bigger containers could simply be collected and re-used in a similar way to beer barrels?)

Bottled water is big business for companies like Evian, but with water vending machines they could still make a profit – and be brought onside to support the idea of saving on disposable plastic. Indeed, with the growing public opposition to using disposable plastics, and creeping legislation, their successful business model to date may not tenable 10 to 15 years from now. The water companies therefore might be persuaded to help reduce the number of one-use bottles – rather than being the main cause of the problem as they are at the moment. They could be interested in suggestions for adapting their business model sooner rather than later. Certainly, the big water bottle companies have the right people, the right teams in place with the right skills, and the right distribution networks to get the job done; that is to encourage people to refill their water bottles rather than 'automatically' buy water in a new plastic bottle. Giving people the choice on how they buy their water is an important first step in my view.

So how can we encourage the refilling of water bottles among the thirsty public; and encourage big corporate bottled water companies to offer refill vending as ‘an option’?