双语阅读｜足球还是平民运动吗？ 英超联赛门票成“金票”
FANS of Liverpool Football Club are a loyal bunch. So it caused a stir when around one-quarter of the 44,000 people in Anfield stadium on February 6th left with 15 minutes of the game to go, in protest against high ticket prices. (Liverpool promptly lost their two-goal lead.) Many have since spoken out in support of the exodus. “Football is not an elite sport for VIPs like polo or even golf. Football is the people’s sport,” said Slaven Bilic, manager of West Ham United, a London club.
利物浦的球迷向来忠心耿耿。因此，他们最近的“罢看”之举，旋即引起了轩然大波。2月6日，在安菲尔德球场，现场44000名观众中有差不多四分之一在比赛的第77分钟时提前离场，以表达对高昂门票价格的抗议。（利物浦很快就在领先两球的情况下被对手扳平。）很多人此后赞成大批球迷提前离场。“不同于马球或是高尔夫球这样的精英体育，足球是一项平民运动。”位于伦敦的英超球队西汉姆联足球俱乐部的教练斯拉文·比利奇（Slaven Bilic）说道。
The protest scored its goal: Liverpool abandoned a plan to charge £77 ($110) for its most expensive tickets. It also spooked others. Sunderland said it would cut season-ticket prices; the Football Association reduced prices for the final rounds of the knockout FA Cup. Supporters’ clubs will gather on February 19th to decide whether to organise wider protests.
这次抗议达到了预期目标：利物浦放弃了将最高票价提高到77英镑（合110美元）的计划。同时，抗议还起到了震慑作用。桑德兰（Sunderland）表示将降低季票价格；英格兰足球总会（the Football Association）下调了最后几轮足总杯淘汰赛的票价。2月19日，各路球迷还将商讨是否进一步组织更大规模的抗议活动。
The world's richest football clubs
全球最富的足球俱乐部
Ticket pricing is tricky for clubs. Supporters say a multi-billion-pound television deal coming next season should allow clubs to cut prices. But growing television revenues have inflated players’ wages and transfer costs. And with strong demand for tickets—last season 96% of Premier League seats were sold, a higher percentage than in any other big football league—there is little reason to make them cheaper. Clubs have something of a monopoly, says Michael Brunskill of the Football Supporters’ Federation: “I’m not going to go and support someone else just because my team decides to put their prices up.”
对于各家俱乐部而言，门票定价是个颇费思量的难题。球迷认为，英超的下个赛季电视转播权收入高达数十亿英镑，降低门票价格合情合理。但是，电视转播权收入增加的同时，球员的薪酬和转会费也一路水涨船高。而且，英超的火爆——上个赛季均场96%的上座率，高于其它联赛——似乎没理由不涨价。一定程度上，足球俱乐部处于垄断地位，足球球迷联合会（Football Supporters’ Federation）的迈克尔·布兰斯基尔（Michael Brunskill）说道：“我可不会仅仅因为我支持的球队打算涨价就转而支持别的球队。”
Given this, some fans get a rather good deal. Season-ticket prices at Manchester United have been frozen for the past five seasons, and those at several other clubs have risen slower than inflation. Some other sports’ tickets are much dearer: American-football fans, for instance, frequently pay over $100, a price very few Premier League sides ask. “Dynamic” pricing, which rises and falls with demand, has been resisted so far by clubs in England.
考虑到这一点，英超球迷得到了相当不错的待遇。过去五年以来，曼联的季票票价一直处于“冻结”状态；英超其他一些俱乐部票价的涨幅也低于物价上涨的幅度。相比之下，其它一些体育比赛的票价要高出许多：例如在美国，足球赛门票通常高于100美元，而很少有英超球队的票价会如此之高。到目前为止，“动态定价”，即根据市场需求来调整门票价格，一直遭到英超各俱乐部的抵制。
Why don’t they charge fans more? A noisy home crowd confers an advantage (last season clubs were 50% more likely to win at home than away), which a more genteel clientele might reduce. In 2013 falling away-attendances prompted seven clubs to introduce perks for travelling fans, including drink tokens and even subsidised tickets. Leaving in the 77th minute won Liverpool fans some concessions. Not turning up in the first place would have more impact still.
为何他们选择不涨价呢？原因在于：有球迷在现场卖力地摇旗呐喊，能激励球队更好地发挥（上个赛季，相比于客场，主场作战的俱乐部获胜的可能要高出五成），与此相反，场上缺乏热热闹闹的球迷营造的炽烈气氛，可能会减少主场优势。2013年，客场观赛人数大减的情况促使英超七大俱乐部给追随球队旅行观赛的球迷提供津贴，包括饮品代金券，甚至还有门票补助。在比赛77分钟时离场的行为让球迷赢得了利物浦俱乐部的一些妥协。不过，如果在比赛一开始就不进场，影响力会大得多。
译者：陶鑫黎， 爱新闻iNews 2015年冬季实习营成员
审校&编辑：齐磊
英文来源：经济学人