Alex Ferguson, the manager of the world’s richest sports club, has said ‘sorry’ in public, and it’s a money-making story. He reads on to find out how…
Manchester United was among the richest sports clubs on the latest Forbes list, surpassing the Dallas Cowboys for second place. One of the reasons behind its success is the worldwide popularity of its merchandise, and this is how money is made, combining this market with news, like Ferguson asking for forgiveness.
Ferguson has been a manager for over 25 years, he has been highly successful but also highly controversial, famous for his press commentary on other managers and officials. He has a history of making comments about officials in the lead up to big games, seemingly being immune from punishment.
Recently, however, he made a comment about referee Alan Wiley’s fitness, saying that if they weren’t physically up to the job then they shouldn’t be doing it.
Unfortunately for Ferguson, statistical analysis showed that only 4 players on the field had run further than Wiley during the course of the game, meaning Ferguson was lined up for a penalty.
Then he went out in the press and did something so weird it made headlines: he apologized. He claimed that he had never questioned Wiley’s fitness, but it appeared that the apology was an attempt to lessen the punishment.
Opinions on Ferguson and Manchester United abound, and if you write your own opinion on the subject, you can send readers to other sites, and it’s those sites that make you money. If you sign up with a site that sells team jerseys, you get a commission on the sales of the visitors you send. You can also do it all for free, simply by posting your opinion on a blog, forum, or social networking site.
As you can see, it is possible to make money with the world’s richest sports club by saying ‘sorry’.
