Sport as Global Phenomenon - Case Study Example

Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Introduction Sport has currently been subjected to the process of globalization due to increased involvement of mass media and big businesses. In addition, it has been integrated with technological advances and this has made sport to become global phenomenon. According to Dunning and Coakley (2010), sport is a global phenomenon because its development is interwoven with political, economic and cultural phases of societal development which is being experienced around the world. Large multinational businesses have utilized sports in order to expand and move to new economic networks as well as to enhance their image. This is because sports are able to effectively combine political economic and cultural forces. Furthermore, the media has played an important part in promoting sports through its coverage and this has consequently made sport to become global phenomenon. This paper is going to explore the theory behind sport as a global phenomenon. Cultural Enhancement According to Heinemann (2009), international competitions are occasionally undertaken on sporting levels and this makes sport a starting point for enhancing diverse cultural encounters, mutual perception and orientation as well as intercultural action. Sport acts as a crystallization point through which adoption and integration of cultural patterns takes place. This means that sport provides an ideal opportunity through which individuals can assume and incorporate new cultural patterns into their lives. For instance, football has become highly popular due to its transnational process and consequently it has become a form of culture which is networked among various individuals globally. Busafi and Banafa (2010), argue that modern sport provides an excellent background for promoting globalization. Sports give rise to persuasive relativism of social identities along with strong political and social frameworks. In addition, sports have culturally passed through different forms and categories of globalization and this has enabled them to transform some societies as well as to offer widespread development of highly particularistic identities amongst the participants. Rowe (2006), notes that advanced media coverage and intensified migration has enhanced transnational process in basketball. Most basket ball clubs in NBA league have interconnections with other nations around the world due to the fact that they recruit migrant players in the global markets. This has in turn made the league to attract foreign fans who have gained an interest due to their players participating in those clubs. For instance, a lot of people in China are fans of Houston Rockets basketball club due to the fact that Yao Ming plays for that team. This has made the NBA to be popular among the Chinese people. Therefore, Yao offers a big power through which the Chinese people can integrate their culture with that of the US. Chen (2008), states that sport is a globally networked and highly popular form of culture. Through sport, different peoples and nations are brought together and this enables them to celebrate a common compassion in a similar way that is equal to other cultural events. For example, the World Cup brings a family of people and nations who come together in order to celebrate their common culture through the sport. According to Heinemann (2009) similar sports follow similar rules and regulations globally. This facilitates individuals and societies to easily establish strong association and unique culture with their favorite games hence this makes sport to become a global phenomenon. Sport plays a central role in expanding the cultural phenomenon by creating a link with other sectors of the society. This allows sports to affect large segments of the society in similar ways hence leading to uniform globalization around the world. Allison (2006), states that sport enhances transnational and cultural relations. This in turn assists in improving integration between different societies and economies around the world hence making sport to become global phenomenon. International Sporting Organizations International sporting organizations are assigned the task of promoting exchange and co-operation between players, associations and teams in various countries. This has led to the creation and implementation of bidding rules which are aimed at enhancing the relationship between different stakeholders involved in sporting activities (Heinemann2009). Thus, uniform systems of organization, competition and rules have been developed which penetrate and cover many countries and societies hence making sport to be a global phenomenon. Moreover, sporting organizations have been able to come up with rules which ensure worldwide standardization of rules which govern sports. For instance, FIFA requires plays not to have statements which are personal, political or religious in their equipments. According to Busafi and Banafa (2010), different sports have experienced changes with an aim of formalizing and regulating them in order to facilitate international competition. The changes include the establishment of governing bodies, setting space parameters for competitive engagements and laying down rules. For example, International Lawn Tennis Federation was established in order to govern the development and organization of the sport (Chen, 2008). This has made different sports to develop global profile and at the same time to go international. The amendments have enabled different sports to interweave a number of composite social procedures and at the same time to bridge the gap between different people around the world hence this has made sport to become global phenomenon. Commercialization and Professionalism According to Deissler (2012) commercialization and professionalism have transformed sport into becoming global phenomenon hence presenting a tool for assisting businesses to become successful. Churchill (2008), states that modern sports are characterized by professional management and this has played an important role in promoting games around the world. Excellent management practices assist in ensuring good performance and survival of sporting activities. The professionalism that is displayed in various sports acts as a means of upholding and popularizing the games. Gardner (2009) notes that the professionalism that is illustrated in different sports leads to the creation of a global community comprising organizations and individuals. Through commercialization, sports turn players into professionals and this assists in shaping societies around the world For instance, Paris Olympic was characterized by many commercial advertisements including; Cinzano, Dubonnet and Ovalmaltine adverts. Players are now able to earn significant amount of money due to sponsorships. In addition, governments have implemented strategies to commercialize the sporting industry due to the fact that it offers potential incomes. Moreover, have recognized the need to be associated with sporting activities and this has forced them to increase their sponsorship. The involvement of government and business has expanded the influence of sport hence making it to become a global phenomenon. According to Chen (2010) governments and sponsors have transformed sporting activities and this has made them to achieve global recognition. International Events The effort of staging worldwide games events makes sport to become global. According to Harold (2012) Olympics is a good example that indicates how sports have become global phenomena. These events are aimed at creating a more inclusive sports world and at the same time they present an opportunity for integrating different cultures. Furthermore, the events assist in creating strong social ties among the participants as well as in celebrating different abilities. Mackey, Miller and Rowe (2007), note that the events present an opportunity for the world to learn about the culture of the hosting country. For instance, through the 2008 Beijing Olympics the world was able to learn the culture of the Chinese people. The Olympic was able to open China to the outside world and this enabled people to learn more about the country. Busafi and Banafa (2010), state that international sporting events have the ability to promote understanding and peace between different nations. The games present an opportunity through which different nations join together in order to engage in global competitive sport event. Allison (2006) emphasizes that the sporting events assist in mobilizing intercultural and international values and this leads to the creation of a global culture. The international events create a brand which makes sport to be a global phenomenon. The events are presented as cultural and sporting festivals and they are related to a wider development and educational aspirations (Deissler, 2012). According to Mackey, Miller and Rowe (2007), the games provide an opportunity to promote Olympic values. This in turn facilitates mainstream international relationships which are beyond the sport. Harold (2012), states that sport reflects how the society values are held. Therefore, international events assist in influencing and rehabilitating the society around the world. This is because sport is seen as a desirable end through which moral virtues and ethical principles can be impacted into the society. According to Tomilson (2011), international sporting phenomena have become global phenomenon because of the fact that they attract some of the world’s most famous capital cities. International events like the Olympic and World cup attract large cities to bid for the award of hosting such sports. This is because the events offer the cities with an opening through which they can strategically position themselves as well as undertake reconstruction activities. Nevertheless, the events permit the cities to interlock their cultural, commercial and political interests. For instance, the Sydney Olympic provided an opportunity through which Australia was able to advertise itself and attract global investors. Allison (2006), states that the international events present nations with an opportunity to bond with each other hence this makes the sports to be a global event. Furthermore, the events present companies with a chance through which they can link with their customers all over the world through promotions and activities that they can understand and appreciate. Moreover, the events catch the attention and interests of the whole world because they reveal the ideals of sports that are appealing to a large number of people around the globe. International sporting events present a suitable platform for communicating global ideals and at the same time they assist in minimizing differences through friendly competitions (Gardner, 2006). This makes them to penetrate different societies around the world in an extraordinary and a sustained way. The games are a form of cultural and social products hence they assist in reconciling the culture of different individual and this makes them to be a global phenomenon. Harold (2012) emphasizes that the sports have transformed global societies by providing an opportunity through which humanity can be celebrated. Globalization Sport is the most spectacular demonstration and it is often viewed as an essential input in promoting globalization. According to Rowe (2006), sport phenomenon is constantly presented as a major instance through which the gathering force of globalization is manifested particularly by reconfiguring and extending national cultural practices hence making it a global phenomenon. Sport has expanded rapidly and this has been attributed to its association with other institutions and this has made it to become a worldwide force. Mackey, Miller and Rowe (2007), state that sport requires countries to invest in professionalized involvement in preferred games. The countries are thus forced to induce more people to participate in the sports and this plays an important role in circulating culture around the globe. Moreover, sport attracts large and regular global spectators because it involves many countries. Thus, sporting events are transmitted globally hence this plays an important role in economic and cultural globalization. Tomlinson (2011) argues that sports have become international because they have gained significant economic and cultural importance. Nations have engaged in severe competition with an aim of gaining global recognition through sports and this has led to an increased national rivalry. Sports culture has been harmonized because sporting events have become international thereby increasing the games global impact and popularity. Therefore, internationalization and globalization of games has made sport to become a global phenomenon. According to Allison (2006), sporting events have worldwide impact because they are produced through regional politics, international state alliances and expansion of global consumer markets. In addition, international non-governmental organizations have played an important role in enhancing sports. This has in turn led to the reconstruction of global culture and reaffirmation of international values. Rowe (2006), states that sport acts as a means of influencing power and ideas across the world. It assists in enhancing particular cultural values, ideologies and conceptions around the world. For instance the football World Cup and the Olympic Games were founded with an aim of enhancing universal peace and international harmony (Heinemann 2009). The sports have been able to enhance rhetoric ideologies throughout their extraordinary and turbulent times hence this has enabled the games to have a global impact in instilling a culture based on sports. Tomlinson (2011) emphasizes that events like the World Cup and the Olympics are underpinned under the philosophies of universal harmony and peace and this has made the events to inspire individuals and societies globally. Furthermore, the tension that is highlighted when following sports creates a global phenomenon for all spectators. Media According to Busafi and Banafi (2010) media has contributed significantly towards making sport to become global phenomenon. The current global status of sports can be greatly attributed to the media coverage particularly that of television. For instance most western forms of sport like football and basketball have gained global recognition with the help of the media. Rowe (2006), notes that media has been an important influence in spreading the modern sport globally. Television broadcasting media has created a commercial and cultural force that has drastically transformed sport. The Olympic Games and the World Cup have been continuously televised thereby increasing their global popularity and at the same time competitive bidding which is undertaken in order to obtain broadcasting rights has totally transformed the economy of these sporting events. Allison (2006) states that the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics are the most popular sporting events in the world hence they are able to attract considerable interest from broadcasting organizations and the public. For example, the Athens Olympics in 2004 exceeded broadcasting expectations by being accessed through television coverage by over 3.9 billion people around the world. Furthermore, media provides a platform through which information relating to sports can be transmitted globally. The media offers an interconnection between sports and the public and at the same time it assists in promoting the games globally. Sports have become transnational due to global connectivity which is provided by the media. This has in turn made sport to turn out to be a global phenomenon due to increased popularity and globalization of sporting profession. Global television has experienced significant growth in terms of coverage and due to the increased commercialization of sports. According to Arnold (2008) television, press and radio do not only communicate images and information about sport to the fans but they also assist in promoting games to a wider society and public. Developments in media technology especially the emergence of satellite broadcasting have significantly contributed towards making sport to become internationalized hence developing it into a global phenomenon. For instance, during the Beijing Olympics the media managed a large number of IT systems which relayed information in real time to the fans and the participants. Therefore, the media was able to bring together people from different parts of the world and this made the event to become a global phenomenon. Chen (2010) argues that the media have transformed sport into global phenomena by making games to become powerful in the eyes of the society. Sports have a sizeable number of television viewers who are interested in the performance of their preferred athletes and teams. Tomlinson (2011), notes that the international profile of the media in relation to sport has produced persistent discourse of globalization and identity. Media coverage of the sports attracts various nations to participate in the events. In addition, it attracts various companies to take part in the sporting activities. Nonetheless, media is able to extend different territories and geographical coverage and this makes it to be able to attract overseas fan interest towards a specific sport. Thus, sport has become global phenomenon due to increased media coverage which has led to increased fan awareness. Conclusion In conclusion, sport enhances diverse cultures and it provides an opportunity through which different cultures are integrated. Moreover, international sporting organizations have been able to establish rules which ensure uniformity in sports and this facilitates international sporting events. In addition, commercialization and professionalism has transformed sports making them to become global phenomenon. Furthermore, international events like the Olympic and the FIFA World Cup assist in creating strong social ties among the participants as well as in celebrating different abilities hence this has made them to gain global recognition. Nevertheless, the media has played an important role in promoting sports and attracting foreign fans. Therefore, sport has become a global phenomenon due to increased media coverage, professionalism and due to the international sporting events. References Allison, L.(2006). Global Sports. London: Routeledge. Arnold, P(2008). 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