Measurement Madness: Recognizing and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Performance Measurement

Chapter 8Hoping for A Whilst Rewarding B1

The English Premier League is one of the most prestigious soccer leagues in the world. Top players earn a vast amount of money in comparison to the man on the street. As with sportsmen and women in the majority of professional sports, fortune follows fame through the payment of higher salaries and the enhanced opportunity to endorse prestige products. The star of fame of an English Premier League footballer rises because of their individual prowess on the soccer pitch. Not only is there a league table of teams but there is also a league table for the top scorer in the season, and each team will also have their own internal table of the top scorers.

At the end of the 2009/10 season, Chelsea FC had to win their last match to secure the title. Didier Drogba, their top scorer, was on track to secure the accolade of highest scorer in the league. After taking a 1–0 lead, Chelsea were awarded a penalty kick. There then ensued a public altercation between Drogba and Frank Lampard, the regular penalty taker, over who was to take the kick. The situation was critical: a miss, and the pressure was back on Chelsea to win; a goal, and the championship was almost theirs. Drogba, with a visible display of anger, was forced to concede the kick to Lampard. It was reported that the manager, Carlo Ancelotti, had to calm Drogba down at half time. Fortunately for all concerned, Chelsea eventually won 8–0 and Drogba, who scored three goals in that match, received ...