It is no surprise that debt within Europe has reached an all time high. At first glance, we see the obvious and expected causes of this monumental deficit. Real-estate bubbles, high risk lending, and disturbed international trade balance … the list goes on. What very few individuals are unaware of, is the “unlikely contributor”. Professional Football (soccer) teams are estimated to have a combined debt of around three and a half billion dollars, and that’s just within England. The Spanish league is not too far behind with a total of eight hundred seventy five million and their situation is outlined in detail herehttp://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/mar/21/eu-debt-spain-football-clubs . Being a football fanatic, this is something that doesn’t come to mind right away, however the fact that these clubs are able to borrow so much money is quite alarming. Government officials are starting to raise the red flags in this situation. Public entities like hospitals and other companies, along with taxes such as the VAT are being raised in an effort to produce short term income success. With that fact right there, another ethical question is posed to the citizens and governing bodies within Europe. When does financial well being outweigh the love and passion for the game so many grow up on ?