Economics, Institutions, Football Shirts
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:17 am
Just published in the Journal of Institutional Economics is a paper entitled "The evolution of the football jersey – an institutional perspective". Focusing on first-choice (home) kit colours, it offers an analysis of why first choice colours have changed so little over the decades. Sadly I think it is probably behind a paywall, but here is the Abstract:
This paper explores the interaction of informal constraints on human behaviour by examining the evolution of English football jerseys. The jersey provides an excellent setting to demonstrate how informal constraints emerge from formal rules and shape human behaviour. Customs, approved norms and habits are all observed in this setting. The commercialisation of football in recent decades has resulted in these informal constraints, in many cases dating back over a century, co-existing with branding, goodwill and identity effects. Combined, these motivate clubs to maintain the status quo. As a result, club colours have remained remarkably resilient within a frequently changing landscape.
It also makes it clear that when it comes to second, third, fourth, strips, colours can be chosen from "across the spectrum".
KE - you should have access to this and it would be interesting in the context of Cardiff switching to red, then back to blue again. Cannot think of any other major first-choice colour switch.
This paper explores the interaction of informal constraints on human behaviour by examining the evolution of English football jerseys. The jersey provides an excellent setting to demonstrate how informal constraints emerge from formal rules and shape human behaviour. Customs, approved norms and habits are all observed in this setting. The commercialisation of football in recent decades has resulted in these informal constraints, in many cases dating back over a century, co-existing with branding, goodwill and identity effects. Combined, these motivate clubs to maintain the status quo. As a result, club colours have remained remarkably resilient within a frequently changing landscape.
It also makes it clear that when it comes to second, third, fourth, strips, colours can be chosen from "across the spectrum".
KE - you should have access to this and it would be interesting in the context of Cardiff switching to red, then back to blue again. Cannot think of any other major first-choice colour switch.