Functioning of the markets of Argentine soccer players. A contribution from the sociology of markets

Abstract

The research presented here addresses the functioning of soccer players' markets by establishing an empirical framework centered on the transfer operations of Argentine soccer players to soccer leagues in other countries. The theoretical perspective employed seeks to understand them in the intersection between economic globalization, the new traces of post-Fordist capitalism and the deployment of associative networks. From the analysis of the data obtained, we conclude in the construction of a binary typology of the markets, where the first type is centered on the figure of the representatives, who build networks of personal relationships and close links with the rest of the soccer agents to make the purchase and sale operations possible. The second type involves associative networks between institutions (clubs) that are more stable over time, where the development of bureaucratized work structures based on the production of data for decision-making is the distinctive and mobilizing element of the market.