http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/43052abe-78c1-11e3-a148-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2q2MRlvMT
What transformed the star’s lot was TV. Before the 1990s, few matches were televised. A European fan might have seen Pelé play perhaps 10 times in his career, whether on TV or in the stadium. Then Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi built TV channels on football. Suddenly the game had to become more entertaining. Stars were now TV content, and so they needed protection. Football’s authorities cracked down on fouls, banning the tackle from behind. Today, Lionel Messi gets a free kick almost whenever he is touched.
