The Dark Side Of Modern Sport
However, questions have been raised, over the years, about the pay and working conditions of those who work in the football-producing factories. Bob Crilly of the Irish Times discovered that the workers who produce footballs, which retail at €100, often receive only $3 per day. One informant told him that “People buying these balls should understand more about how they are made and insist that the workers are looked after and well paid.” One of the workers told Crilly that, “if they sack a person, there will be 10 queuing the next day for the job.” In recent years, pressure from international agencies has improved the lot of many of the workers, but much more needs to be done. A report by The International Labor Rights Forum found that half of the 218 workers surveyed do not earn €118 a month, which is the minimum amount of money a family would require to meet their basic needs. The ‘exciting ball game’ needs to address and solve this injustice as a matter of urgency.
