Globalization, Strategy and Internationalization

Abstract

Sunday 13 September 2009, Sports Cafe, London (80 Haymarket, a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus), about 6 p.m. After queuing and paying £5, you get access to the two floors of the establishment (where you pay for the drinks at the same price as in any London pub; the entrance fee is for just that, entering). Both floors are packed to the gills. The premises have a licensed capacity for 600 people, and the limits are certainly being put to the test. It’s almost impossible to move, and unthinkable to find a decent place. The walls of the pub are lined with huge TV screens. More than 80 percent of the screens are showing Tottenham Hotspur versus Manchester United (1–3), and that proportion of those present focus their eager gaze on that Premier League match. Each goal, especially those of United, is greeted with such a roar that the floor of the building shakes, just as it does whenever there is a missed goal opportunity.