The Beautiful Game – Paying for Soccer
Jun 04, 2026 | 6pm ET
Lecture at the GHI Washington | Speaker: Stefan Szymanski (University of Michigan). Moderator: Arpad von Klimó (The Catholic University of America)
2026 Spring Lecture Series: Soccer: The Beautiful Game
Paying for Soccer - Making Money out of Soccer
Soccer is the world's dominant sport, it is also among the least profitable. Professional clubs in particular have a history of loss making, financial collapse and bankruptcy. This is in stark contrast to the highly profitable major leagues of the US. This appears paradoxical but in fact conforms to standard economic concepts or perfect competition and monopoly, as taught in every economics 101 class. Under perfect competition firms make zero economic profits and business thrives, under monopoly, profits are vast but growth is constrained.
Doors will open at 5:30 pm and will close promptly at 6:00 pm with the beginning of the lecture. Access to the lecture after doors close will be at discretion of the GHI. Registration does not guarantee access once event capacity is reached.
The lecture will be recorded and made available for viewing.
About the Series
Soccer: The Beautiful Game
Soccer, the world’s most popular sport, unites people across continents, cultures, and languages. For over a century, the game and its institutions have been inherently global in nature, with clubs, leagues, national teams, and tournaments drawing people together from around the world, while local aspects such as fan culture have contributed significantly to soccer’s global success. The (hi)story of the “beautiful game,” however, is not only a positive one. Corruption, scandals, and discrimination have plagued the sport since its early beginnings and form a significant part of the game’s story.
On the occasion of this summer’s men’s soccer World Cup, hosted across Mexico, Canada, and the United States, the GHI Washington’s 2026 Spring Lecture Series, “Soccer: The Beautiful Game,” will explore the sport’s impact from multiple perspectives: popularizing soccer, globalizing soccer, and paying for soccer. The series will feature leading scholars and seasoned practitioners offering diverse insights into the sport’s popularity, globality, and financial aspects.
Organized by by Sarah Beringer, Andreas Greiner, and Ulrike von Hirschhausen German Historical Institute Washington in cooperation with the German Embassy Washington.
Popularizing Soccer - Soccer in the United States before 1950: The First Golden Age?
March 26, 2026 | 6pm ET
Brian D. Bunk(University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Globalizing Soccer - Clubs, Leagues, and Fan Culture between the Local and the World
May 13, 2026 | 6pm ET
Dee Kundra (Managing Director FC Bayern Americas) and Steven Goff (Yahoo Sports). Moderator Samuel Jackisch (ARD – German Media Washington Bureau)
Paying for Soccer - The Financial Hole in the Beautiful Game
June 4, 2026 | 6pm ET
Stefan Szymanski (University of Michigan)
About the Speaker
Stefan Szymanski is an economist specializing in sports, well known for his research on soccer and the comparative economics of US and European sports. For most of his academic career he was based in the UK, and moved to Michigan in 2011. As well as more than 100 papers in refereed academic journals he has written a dozen books, of which the best known is Soccernomics (with Simon Kuper).