Contribution of Sports to Employment - Research Paper Example

Contribution of Sports to Employment Research done on the contribution of sports to employment suggests that by involving themselves in sporting activities, young people are equipping themselves with specific soft and core skills that are necessary for raising their chances at getting an employment. The core skills that they acquire include the skills that are associated with sport management and coaching, while the soft skills are those values and skills that young people gain through their involvement in sport (Kern, 2000, p 43). These include knowledge on how to handle competition, learning how to respect other people, learning the essence of winning and losing, skills in leadership and gaining knowledge on leadership. Although sports fall outside of the structures that the International Labour Organization operates such as workers, employers and governments, sports still contribute a great deal to employment in many countries around the world. The involvement of young people in sports has increased over time and now stands as a high-income earner for established sportsmen across the many sports that are available (Cola, 2006, p 3). It is important to note that sports form an important part of social interactions in many countries. Sports activities are fast gaining support from governments and private sectors in almost all the countries. In recognition of the importance of sports to employment, many countries have come up with structures that have developed sports within their countries. Governments have increasingly supported sporting initiatives with the knowledge of the potential of sports to create employment. Therefore sports has transformed from being a pastime activity through being a healthy practise too being a career for many people around the world (Palmer, 2013, p 21). This paper shall look into the contribution that sport makes in reducing unemployment in economies and as such becoming an important part of solving a major problem in the society that is unemployment. The ILO has repeatedly vouched for the development and creation of partnerships and joint projects between governments and private institutions in order to engrave sports as a viable employment opportunity for young people across the globe (Cola, 2006, p 5). The development of sports Sports are defined as an inclusion of all kinds of physical activities, which contribute to the physical fitness of an individual. Sports have grown in leaps and bounds from what it was a century ago to being a multi billion pound business today (Santo & Mildner, 2010, p 56). The times when governments called upon able men and women to represent their countries in sports on a voluntary basis are long gone. In this regard, sports have become a major opportunity for employment among the young people, with more youth earning a living from their involvement in sports. In the past, sports mostly a pastime activity, with most people engaging in sports merely for enjoyment purposes. Societies all over the world held games and sporting tournaments among their populations to give the people a chance to interact and play together in order to enhance cohesion among the people. In this regard, sports was important in bringing people together, especially in societies that were ravaged by societal issues such as internal feuds and poverty (Cola, 2006, p 8). Today, sports contribute to the gross domestic product of many countries. This realization has made sports recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations, as an important tool for development. Sport development has been included in the Millennium Development Goals as one of the social activities that need development in order to gain overall development in the society and in the improvement of the living standards of people around the world. This is under the eighth Millennium Development Goal, which calls for the joining of hands by global partners with the aim of enhancing development in all countries in the world. This has higher chances of being achieved with the inclusion of in international agencies such as the Olympic International Committee, the United Nations, FIFA and other major world sport governing bodies, governments as well as the civil society (Kern, 2000, p 51). The potential of sport as a generator of income has led to its gain of support by such global bodies, with associations investing heavily in sports over the past few decades. It has therefore become important for countries to start having in place initiatives that will encourage the development of sports within their borders. Sports are accessible to all people, regardless of the ir level of education, social status, race or religion. A good example of a sport that has developed in the recent history is football, known as soccer in other parts of the world. Football currently employs more than 240 million people. The development of soccer has been supported by the formation of more than 300000 clubs and 1.4 million teams that have offered these employment opportunities to young people globally (Press Data, 2014, p 1). Development in football has proved that sport has the ability to create jobs for young people, generate an income for millions of people and support directly the development of local economies in countries (Palmer, 2013, p 26). The United Nations Secretary General formed a task force from among the various agencies of the global body to take part in the review of the numerous activities that are inclined towards sports within the system of the United Nations (UN News Centre, 2014, p 1). The main purpose that the task force was to fulfil was to find a more systematic manner through which sports could be promoted and used in order to become more about development and the enhancement of peace. Since the formation of the task force, there have been several steps in the direction towards the development of sports globally. One of the most important recommendations of the task force was that there would be a directive by the Executive Office of the UNICEF that all officers in the field to include sporting activities in their respective programming. This has been in conjunction with the various organizations and sports federations, which have demonstrated increased awareness on the potential that sports holds concerning development in the society (Kern, 2000, p 62). Realization of Sports’ Potential as a contributor to Development The contribution that sport makes to economic development begun taking direction the moment there was a realization that there was more to sporting activities that a luxury type of entertainment. It is a fundamental human right to be able to access and participate in sporting activities. Sporting activities are important in the lives of people of all ages, because it helps them lead fulfilling and healthy lives. The role that sports plays - which includes the physical activity and play and even organized competitive sport- cannot be understated (Santo & Mildner, 2010, p 11). To begin with, sports are a major contributor to the development of a child. Every nation recognizes children as a sure investment into the future of the country. In the course of developing a child, sports ensures that this child gains the imperative values, in particular core values like respect to people of all ages and cooperation with other people with the aim of achieving a common goal. This is aside from being a major contributor to the enhancement of good health among participants and the reduction of the likelihood of contracting diseases. With poor health and infestation by diseases, a country’s human resource pool becomes smaller. Sports has been recognised the world over for its ability to contribute to the development of local economies through the provision of facilities and employment to young people. The potential that sport holds as a tool for creation of employment is still below optimal levels, as sports have never been fully exploited with regard to creation of employment. There still are constraints that stand in the way of optimal exploitation of sports as a source of employment among the young people. People see sports as one of the by-products of development, instead of regarding it as a potential engine for economic growth (Palmer, 2013, p 35). Many of the core values that an individual gains through participation in sports are among the values that are admirable and sought for by employers even in other fields. In this regard, it is important to note that aside from sports developing people with the core values useful in the sport, it also equips them with socially friendly skills, which can be essential in the promotion of good relations with others in their fields of work. These core values are of immense importance to the development of the young generation. The potential that sports holds as a viable tool for economic development begins with the idea of the sustainable development of humans. In this light, it is essential for the community to realize that sport does not offer employment opportunities without first being able to enlarge the choices that people have with regard to the activities that they can take part in. The ability of sport to serve as an opportunity provider stems from the principle employed in sports. These principles include the principle of inclusion, the principle of sustainability and the principle of equity (Santo & Mildner, 2010, p 57). The principle of inclusion advocated for the involvement of all persons in a society in the promotion and development of sports. This principle, together with the principle of equity, is important in ensuring that equal opportunities are provided to all persons, and that they are granted the chance to improve their lives using sports. The principle of sustainability posits that the society should have the capacity to run and maintain sporting activities as an important part of the development of the society. Sports are a major contributor to the development of the capabilities of human beings. This is because by engaging in sports, individuals acquire the necessary knowledge that is essential to the contribution of their education. If this is looked at from a rational point of view, the knowledge acquired from the development of sports forms a large part of the skills needed for involvement in work and other activities, which are important in the building of the nation. In this read, it is essential that people are encouraged to involve themselves more in sports in order to gain knowledge that is important to support education. In the end, this has the effect of churning out young people who are cultured and well behaved, and ready to work with other people (Palmer, 2013, p 37). The employment opportunities that come with sports are immense. The economic potential that sports have is reflected in the weight it bears concerning economics, coming from activities like holding sporting events, manufacturing of goods used in sports, provision of services that are related to sports and careers in the media in relation to sports. A good example is the United Kingdom, where value-added of activities involving sports makes up an approximate 1.7% of the gross domestic product. It is even amazing to realize that the annual turnover for activities related to sports is comparable to more established and older industries such as the food industry and the automotive industry. This is impressive, considering the fact that sports took a longer period before it was a major contributor to the economy of any country (Kern, 2000, p 88). Sports are a viable source of an economical method of ensuring an improvement in the employability among people of the young generation. Sports reduce instances of juvenile character among young people, hence making them suitable and attractive prospective employees due to their character. This has been lauded by human resource management units in organization, and as such they have helped establish sporting activities at their institutions. Some institutions of higher learning have also come in a big way by offering scholarships for young people to develop their sporting skills while at the same time acquiring education in any other field they desire. As mentioned earlier in this paper, sport has the potential to be the engine driving economic development and so contributing to the creation of jobs. Programmes in sports are creators of employment opportunities as they create demand for products and services. By being a source of both private and public expenditure, like money spent on infrastructure, sports can create a multitude of jobs starting from the grassroots. The Logic Model The logic model is essential in outlining the assumptions made on the conditions of how effective a programme is towards achieving its goals (Wong, 2009, p 113). Further, the logic model offers a description of the sequence of events and the time boundaries within which change is expected to take effect. This paper shall come up with a logic model for the issue of sports and creation of employment opportunities. In order to develop a working logic model there shall be the need to find the relationship that exists between sports and employment opportunities. This is aside from the examination of questions that not often answered concerning sports and employment such why it is assumed that sport can be essential in creation of employment opportunities. Another one is the properties that sports have, which support claims that it can create jobs for many young people and the definition of the theory of the existing correlation between sports and employment (Wong, 2009, p 115). The model below outlines some hypothetical chains of links that are indirectly correlated but which are presumed to result in substantial intermediate outcomes with regard to the ability of sports to create employment. A presumption is that these links have a connection to outcomes in higher levels, based on theoretical logic or research findings that exist on the matter. The viability of the explanation of this logic model depends on the possibility of measuring some of the outcomes. For instance, from observing the logic model and staying relevant to the subject of discussion of this paper, it is potent to declare that an increase in the range of sports facilities will lead to an increase in inward investments, which will subsequently lead to more jobs within the localities. Another outcome is that an increase in the range of sports facilities will directly lead to more jobs in the sports sector. Further, from the logic model, it is clear that an improvement in the quality of sports facilities will lead to inward investment and subsequent increase in locally available jobs. References Cola, G. d, 2006, Beyond the scoreboard: youth employment opportunities and skills development in the sports sector, Geneva: International Labour Office. Kern, W. S, 2000, The economics of sports, Kalamazoo, Mich.: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Palmer, C, 2013, Global sports policy, London: SAGE. Press Data. n. d., Sports and Employment, Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/educ/139733.pdf Santo, C. A., & Mildner, G. C. ,2010, Sport and public policy: social, political, and economic perspectives, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 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