Manchester would not be famous without football and shopping. Give reasons to prove and disprove this argument

Manchester is Britain’s most important city after London. It is England’s third largest city with a population of 452,000 (Office for National Statistics website, 2009). Manchester is distinctive for the wide diversity of its citizens, “it has been home to the unreconstructed capitalist and the devout radical, the flamboyant architect and the sober scientist, the raving cleric and the inspired music-maker, the rabble-rousing demagogue and the selfless philanthropist-embracing the full range of human activity” (Glinert, 2008). Although today Manchester is known mainly for football and shopping, it cannot be said that Manchester would be entirely unknown without them. Manchester was historically well-known for its role in textile industry and its influence on the emerging rock music scene. The city also became center stage for revolutionary movements such as the creation of the Communist Manifesto and the IRA bombings. It is only in contemporary times that football and shopping have played a large role in establishing Manchester’s reputation on a global scale.
Arguably the most important element of Manchester’s modern history is the role of the city’s two professional football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United, in placing Manchester in the global imagination. Manchester City is the richest club in the world while Manchester United has the largest global fan base (Qureshi, 2008). In addition, the city has the largest club football grounds in the United Kingdom. Manchester City and Manchester United have a strong historical basis in the city of Manchester. Both clubs were established at the end of the nineteenth century, Manchester United in 1878 and Manchester City in 1880 (Murphy, 2008). Manchester United received a fair amount of attention in the 1950s with the prominence of the ‘Busby Babes’ who shaped one of the most successful period’s in the club’s history. Tragedy struck in Munich in February 1958 when an airliner carrying the Manchester United team, club staff, and reporters crashed upon takeoff. Twenty three men were killed in the horrific crash, including eight of the players (Murphy, 2008). The 1958 Munich disaster put Manchester in the world news as the city mourned its lost ones. Manchester City rose to prominence in the late 1960s with stars such as Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee. Today Manchester City and Manchester United continue to attract fans from all over the world. In modern times, these two football teams have created prominent players that have become famous in their own right. Manchester United’s David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo have become current media celebrities in addition to athletic stars. As a lucrative global brand, Manchester’s football scene will only continue to secure Manchester’s reputation as a place that grooms football stars. The historical strengths of both Manchester City and Manchester United combined with the impact of global media coverage introducing the Manchester football teams to legions of international fans show how vital football has been to Manchester’s fame.
Manchester’s shopping scene has helped establish the city’s prominence. Historically, Manchester has played an important role in the fashion industry through its pivotal role in the textile industry. In the 14th century, Flemish weavers moved settled in the area and developed the textile industry. The city traded in textiles such as fustians, wollens, and ‘Manchester velvet’, an early form of corduroy (Glinert, 2008). Local inventions of machines like the spinning jenny and the water frame changed the shape of the textile industry. Now textiles could be mass produced and as a result, factories were created to create as many goods as possible. The widespread factory industry meant that during the Victorian era, the city was the world’s largest marketplace for cotton goods (Hewitt, 1996). As a result of this, large numbers of workers migrated to Manchester, the ‘Cottonopolis’, in search of work. The city became famous on a regional level for providing textile jobs but it is the actual cotton products themselves that put Manchester in the world vernacular. The factories led to the creation of ready-made clothing for the masses which revolutionized the shopping scene. A ready-made suit cost 10s 6d (Glinert, 2008). While still a sizeable fee, it meant that ready-made clothing made fashion accessible for the middle class. Now the consumer could purchase multiple cheaply made outfits instead of having only a few custom-made outfits. In response to the consumer demand for read-made clothing, Manchester is also responsible for what is believed to be the world’s first tailor shop in 1832 (Glinert, 2008). In modern times, there has been a gradual transition from the textile manufacturing culture to the commercial retail sector. There are a variety of chain stores and high end boutiques that help define Manchester as the second most popular UK destination for retailers (Glinert, 2008). The Arndale Centre is the UK’s largest inner city shopping mall (www.manchesterarndale.com/). In addition, there are a variety of shops to meet the consumer’s eclectic shopping needs. The most famous of these is probably the Northern Quarter’s Affleck Palace which offers a platform for emerging punk and retro-inspired designers to sell their goods. The combination of large shopping complexes and its popularity as a UK shopping destination proves that Manchester’s shopping options gives the city local fame but does not prove the relevance of modern shopping playing a role in Manchester’s global image. However, the paparazzi photos of Manchester’s football WAGs (wives and girlfriends) shopping in the city’s retail stores may play a large role in establishing Manchester as a high end consumer destination in the world view. The success of fashion retailers past and present proves that textiles have played an important role in placing Manchester in the global consciousness. The Industrial Revolution made Manchester famous worldwide in the past, but it is questionable if Manchester would continue to have global fame without the modern shopping experience.
Football and shopping are not the only elements of Manchester that make it famous. The rock music scene in Manchester has also given the city global prominence; “despite having no history of making memorable music Manchester became the most feted music city in the world towards the end of the twentieth century” (Glinert, 2008). This move towards becoming a major musical influence occurred in the summer of 1976 after a now legendary Sex Pistols concert at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. This concert has been credited for being a catalyst for the punk rock movement and new wave. Present at this concert were many young fans who later went on to form some of the biggest names in music such as the Buzzcocks, the Fall, Joy Division, New Order, and the Smiths (Schofield, 2004). Towards the late 1980s and early 1990s, these bands influenced an era that would soon be known as the ‘Madchester’ era. Madchester revolved around the acid rock scene in the legendary Hacienda nightclub. The Madchester scene included such famous groups as the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, and 808 State (Schofield, 2004). Madchester inspired the late 1990s Britpop scene such as Oasis, the Chemical Brothers and Take That. Manchester natives Richard Ashcroft of the Verve, the Bee Gees, and Jay Kay of Jamiroquai also achieved music fame outside of Manchester. The city’s historical role in the popular music scene even inspired the 2002 film “24 Hour Party People” which was released worldwide. The prominent success of Manchester’s music industry proves that Manchester would be famous even without the football or fashion industry.
In conclusion, football and fashion have played an important role in shaping Manchester’s reputation in the global imagination but they are not the sole reasons for the city’s fame. The music scene must also be given credit as well for making Manchester a household name. If football and shopping did not exist, Manchester’s reputation would be quite different. Within the United Kingdom, Manchester would still play an important role as the Greater Manchester area is home to 2.24 million people. However, without the sizeable industrial sector created at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent creation of consumer culture; Manchester would never have become the massive city it is today. In addition, Manchester would most likely have thrived with or without its football scene. However, without the success of the city’s football teams and the consequential celebrity status of its star players, the city would not be famous on an international scale. Manchester would likely also not be as large of a city as it is currently since football and its sizeable fan base has brought considerable amounts of both jobs and money into the city. International versus national considerations aside, Manchester would probably still be famous without football and shopping, but not at its current level.