The Sports Industry Local Cultures - Literature review Example

Literature Review Name Course Lecture Date Introduction Sport have over time become a global cultural institution, and it is no longer a preserve of the occidental or organized and dominated by one nation. The growing power of the non-occidental culture, as well as the growing presence and nations, makes sports a globalized commodity and product. The unquenchable appetite for sport in the Indian market is slowly redirecting the flow of the sport. The wider Pacific region is now offering their new audiences with televised sport. Glocalization refers the concept that in an international market, the services or products are likely to succeed when it is customized to the local culture in which it intends to be sold. Thus in relations to the sports industry local cultures redefine and adapt sport to suit their customs, beliefs and needs (Robertson 2003; Robertson and White 2003). The issues of glocalization and sport have been major areas that need to be researched on by researchers in the sports industry. The global sports industry has established Asia as a probable site where the commoditization and nationalism of culture are being experienced as a local and global phenomenon. The local and cultural identities have experienced transformation, and this can be greatly attributed to the fact that cultural products have been circulated all around the globe. A primary reason as to why I choose the concept of glocalization and sport is due to the fact that it has been a major area of concern and a great number of nations all over the world are engaging in it. Additionally there are few studies that have dealt with the micro or macro dimensions of global sports in Asia and most especially with the specificities of the local transformations, appropriations and any form of resistance to such developments. Thus, I needed to know how the local people can adapt certain sporting activities to their local settings. Literature review A major similarity that the two articles depict relates to the aspects of a national brand. Cho, Leary and Jackson (2012) argues in various Asian contexts, nationalism is not only viewed as being a governing ideology that is maintained by the hegemonic entities but it is also a liberating and oppositional thinking that receives support from subaltern groups. He further states that by hosting various international sporting events, the states strive to increase their visibility and global status and bring about national unity and pride. In Asia, sporting activities has been used as a tool of statecraft. A good example of this is the civilization campaign that was undertaken by the Beijing Tourism Bureau in relation to the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The other campaign that was used as a statecraft is the "clean toilet, clean Korea" campaign. The national council did the campaign, and it acted as a preparation to the 2002 Korea-Japan world cup. The two campaigns show the initiative undertaken by two state governments to make use of the sporting events for promoting their respective countries modernization to the ever changing world and governing and disciplining the locals. Andrew, Batts and Silk (2014) asserts that those who have the responsibility of securing as well as delivering the Common Wealth Games (CWG)-the games organizing committee, the government and the chief minister- viewed the as games as a means through which they would advance Delphi as a global metropolis that would illustrate the increasing economic growth, unequivocal cultural significance and increase their influence in international politics. The bid document that was prepared showcased that the games will display New Delphi, which is the capital city of India to the world and promotes the city as an emerging economic power (Majumdar and Mehta 2010). The two articles also assert that there are various effects of global events on the local economy. Cho, Leary and Jackson (2012) states that the mega events invite global audiences and capital though at times they tend to neglect the local citizens. An issue that is also greatly emphasized is the aspects of national building and city building thus leading to a creation of a cosmopolitan place when rated among the globes mega-urban regions. Even after the events the cities acts as good attraction sites. Andrew, Batts and Silk (2014) on the other hand states that the mega events are used to create a palatable glocal image that attracts inward investment and tourism (Silk and Manley 2013) the CWG showcased massive expenditure of the public funds in the relation to infrastructure enhancements and construction of facilities. As a way to justify the expenditure comprises by the various deficiencies in education, housing, sanitation and health sectors, the organizers of the CWG and city officials rallied familiar neoliberal trickle-down style (Baviskar 2006). They were presented as a plausible public investment from which all people would amass tangible benefits. Despite the tangle benefits, people also suffered since some were displaced to create room for development. Since the year, 2005 families exceeding 200,000 had been displaced due to the clearance schemes that were associated with the CWG. The Yamuna Pushta’s inhabitants were further displaced, and they went to sites that were on the outskirts of the city thus they were moved further from the vibrant economic centers. "The village" that accommodated the athletes during the CWG had replaced the shanty dwelling making the city more attractive. The separation of the laborers from the trail of capital ultimately led to the materialization of new, informal forms of labor amid the urban poor. Though the two articles deals with the concept of glocalization and sports, the approaches used by the two articles seem to be different. The article by Andrews, Batts and Silk (2014) mainly focuses on the middle class in India. Cho, Leary and Jackson 2012, on the other hand, focuses on a wider group and his arguments are further supported by the use of special issues which are comprised six articles which deals with glocalization of sport in issues. The articles span countries such as Israel, India, Singapore, and China, North Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan. By focusing on a greater number of countries the author can come up with a concise arguments that are not biased and thus the results arrived at are likely to be applied in a broad range of situations. Based on the fact that sports industry does not differentiate among the various classes of people in a country a more general approach would have been useful in showing the real situation of glocalization of sports in Asia. It would have been more appropriate is the author dealt with all the different classes of people instead of choosing a specific category. This would have shown how each of the classes viewed glocalization of sports their effects and the role they play in glocalization of sports. An additional difference between the two articles is that in the article written by Cho, Leary and Jackson (2012) there is a lack of the voices of the local scholars that is the scholars who work and are located in Asia. This is mainly attributed to the language barriers as well as the global domination of English that limits active participation from the non-English speaking scholars (Chun 2008). The article by Andrew, Batts and Silk 2014 has made use of local scholars such as (Sridharan 2008, Anon 2010 and Aiyar 2010). Through the use of local scholars and articles, the study seems to be more concise, and they can engage well with the population being studied. This has allowed a contextual analysis that is mainly informed by experimental observations resulting from immersion in India by one of the articles authors that is from June 2010 to May 2011 the time frame coincided with the time that Delhi’s was hosting the CWG. The argument made by Cho, Leary and Jackson (2012) on the role that is played by new media in the glocalization of sports is very persuasive. In relation to these, new media and technology have is a essential element in the glocalization of sports and mainly in Asia and this is attributed to the wide usage by locals fans when they consume, appropriate and watch global sports. It can be noted that the local fans make use of the benefits and develop their own cultures through the utilization of the technology. The mere existence of the internet is central since through accessing the spaces the fans can enjoy consumer and appropriate the sporting events without any regard to the physical location. The development of internet communities in Asia reveals that the fans are actively involved in the glocalization of sports in their continent. The active users can nurture their interests and at the same time obtain adequate and relevant news, and they can share information through the use of their online communities. Consequently, the communities can come up with ways in which they can nurture and sustain the local fandom relating to global sports. These kinds of arguments are persuasive since they are supported by a great number of authors (Cho, 2007; Davis & Duncan, 2006) The idea is also persuasive based on the numerous information and data that deals with the effect that technology has on globalization and thus it is more likely to have similar effects on the concept of glocalization. The argument made by Andrew, Batts and Silk (2014) in relation to the fact that a considerable number of American-based corporations are expanding their presence in the Indian fitness center market is very persuasive. This concurs with a significant trend that has been depicted by the multinational that aims at benefiting from the consumptive power that has been gained by India over time. This idea is persuasive given that currently since information has been offered as to why there American based fitness centers were not present and prevalent in India. This is supported by the idea that India had a history that was mainly entrenched and diverse and it incorporated their own health practices and exercise regimen, and this was especially compounded by the cultural and the relative economic isolation of India. In spite of being in a ‘primeval development stage’ with a total of about 765 fitness clubs dealing with a population of 1.3 billion people (IHRSA, 2008: 27). The industry seems to be expanding at a faster rate due to increased spending power and the mushrooming desires to shape the individually ethnically romanticized body projects. Future research should acknowledge that for individuals to understand sporting spectacles, forms and practices they require to have a general recognition of the fact that the global and the local are commonly constitutive, and thus future research should aim at specifying the nature of the common constitution and theorize it adequately. This will call for the joining of the complementary and interpenetrative relationship between the local and the global which are manifested between sports. They also need to acknowledge that the global aspects are essential in the creation as well as the incorporation of the local sporting cultures and the vice versa is also true. Conclusion Based on the above literature review the concept of glocalization of sports is not a new one, and various authors have studied it in the past. Sporting activities need to be glocalized, and this will ensure that people maintain a part of the culture as opposed to abandoning their culture entirely. The two articles have been beneficial to the understanding of globalization and glocalization of sports and most especially in Asia. The review shows that the idea of glocalization is both the local and the global. Thus glocalization can be termed as right or wrong, and the aspect of globalization is needed to help in the understanding of glocalization. There are also specific Asian sports as compared to modern sports that were as a result of colonization and other missions. The articles has been beneficial in showcasing the diverse sporting events culture and effects and they have helped a great deal in highlighting the complexity associated with glocalization and showing the inseparability that exists between the local and the global. Thus, the aspect of glocalization is here to stay, and people should embrace it. References Aiyar M 2010, The Commonwealth Games, The Radical Humanist, 5 September 2015, . Andrews, D, Batts, C & Silk, M 2014, ‘Sport, Glocalization and the new Indian middle class’, International Journal of Cultural Studies vol. 17, pp. 259-257. Anon 2010, Commonwealth Games: India’s shame. The Times of India, 22 September Baviskar A 2006, ‘Demolishing Delhi: world-class city in the making’, Mute vol. 2, pp. 88–95. Cho, Y, Leary, C & Jackson, S 2012, ‘Glocalization and sports in Asia’, Sociology of Sports Journal vol. 29, pp. 421-432. Cho, Y 2007, The emergence of individuated nationalism among Major League Baseball fans in South Korea, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, U.S.A. Chun, A 2008, ‘The postcolonial alien in us all: Identity in the global division of intellectual labor positions’, East Asia cultures critique, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 689-710. Davis, N & Duncan, M 2006, ‘Sports knowledge is power: Reinforcing masculine privilege through fantasy sports league participation’, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 244–264. IHRSA 2008, The IHRSA Asia Pacific Market Report: The Size and Scope of the Health Club Industry, International Health, Racquet & Sports Club Association, Boston, MA. Majumdar B & Mehta N 2010, Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games, HarperCollins, New Delhi. Robertson, R 2003, ‘The Conceptual Promise of Glocalization: Commonality and Diversity’, in 2003 Gyeongju World Culture EXPO Organizing Committee and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (eds) International Forum on Cultural Diversity and Common Values, Gyeongju, Korea: 2003 Gyeongju World Culture EXPO Organizing Committee and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. Robertson, R & White, K 2003, Globalization: Critical Concepts in Sociology (six volumes), Routledge, London. Silk M & Manley A 2013, ‘Globalization, urbanization and sporting spectacle in Pacific Asia: people, places, and pastnesss’, Sociology of Sports Journal London: vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 455–484. Read More

In Asia, sporting activities has been used as a tool of statecraft. A good example of this is the civilization campaign that was undertaken by the Beijing Tourism Bureau in relation to the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The other campaign that was used as a statecraft is the "clean toilet, clean Korea" campaign. The national council did the campaign, and it acted as a preparation to the 2002 Korea-Japan world cup. The two campaigns show the initiative undertaken by two state governments to make use of the sporting events for promoting their respective countries modernization to the ever changing world and governing and disciplining the locals.

Andrew, Batts and Silk (2014) asserts that those who have the responsibility of securing as well as delivering the Common Wealth Games (CWG)-the games organizing committee, the government and the chief minister- viewed the as games as a means through which they would advance Delphi as a global metropolis that would illustrate the increasing economic growth, unequivocal cultural significance and increase their influence in international politics. The bid document that was prepared showcased that the games will display New Delphi, which is the capital city of India to the world and promotes the city as an emerging economic power (Majumdar and Mehta 2010).

The two articles also assert that there are various effects of global events on the local economy. Cho, Leary and Jackson (2012) states that the mega events invite global audiences and capital though at times they tend to neglect the local citizens. An issue that is also greatly emphasized is the aspects of national building and city building thus leading to a creation of a cosmopolitan place when rated among the globes mega-urban regions. Even after the events the cities acts as good attraction sites.

Andrew, Batts and Silk (2014) on the other hand states that the mega events are used to create a palatable glocal image that attracts inward investment and tourism (Silk and Manley 2013) the CWG showcased massive expenditure of the public funds in the relation to infrastructure enhancements and construction of facilities. As a way to justify the expenditure comprises by the various deficiencies in education, housing, sanitation and health sectors, the organizers of the CWG and city officials rallied familiar neoliberal trickle-down style (Baviskar 2006).

They were presented as a plausible public investment from which all people would amass tangible benefits. Despite the tangle benefits, people also suffered since some were displaced to create room for development. Since the year, 2005 families exceeding 200,000 had been displaced due to the clearance schemes that were associated with the CWG. The Yamuna Pushta’s inhabitants were further displaced, and they went to sites that were on the outskirts of the city thus they were moved further from the vibrant economic centers.

"The village" that accommodated the athletes during the CWG had replaced the shanty dwelling making the city more attractive. The separation of the laborers from the trail of capital ultimately led to the materialization of new, informal forms of labor amid the urban poor. Though the two articles deals with the concept of glocalization and sports, the approaches used by the two articles seem to be different. The article by Andrews, Batts and Silk (2014) mainly focuses on the middle class in India.

Cho, Leary and Jackson 2012, on the other hand, focuses on a wider group and his arguments are further supported by the use of special issues which are comprised six articles which deals with glocalization of sport in issues. The articles span countries such as Israel, India, Singapore, and China, North Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan. By focusing on a greater number of countries the author can come up with a concise arguments that are not biased and thus the results arrived at are likely to be applied in a broad range of situations.

Based on the fact that sports industry does not differentiate among the various classes of people in a country a more general approach would have been useful in showing the real situation of glocalization of sports in Asia.

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