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45
34
It's BAAADDD It's GOOODDD
Debate Score:79
Arguments:63
Total Votes:91
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 It's BAAADDD (35)
 
 It's GOOODDD (28)

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josepaolo(50) pic



Is the commercialisation of sports good or bad?

In our capitalistic society today, the commercialisation of sports is inevitable as it is a lucrative market for entreprenuers. What, then, are the impacts of this commercialisation on the various spheres of our humanity - social, political and economic? Are these impacts beneficial to humankind, or are they detrimental?

Write a coherent argument on the position that you are on. Ensure that you support your argument with an illustration (i.e. evidence/examples). For starting a novel argument/point, your team will get 1 mark. Repetition of points/arguments will not warrant any marks.

You are also strongly encouraged to rebutt and critically oppose the other side's arguments. For a good rebuttal, you will be awarded 2 marks.

For posts that are nonsense, you will be penalised by subtracting 2 marks.

PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME AND CG AT THE END OF YOUR POST.

Have fun!! Tongue out

-Mr Paolo

 

It's BAAADDD

Side Score: 45
VS.

It's GOOODDD

Side Score: 34
3 points

I believe that the commercialization of sports is not beneficial as it infringes upon human rights. This is because the commercialization would mean that the dynamics of the sport itself will be ran like a business, resulting in "buying" of players as though they were commodities. Although it would mean that more capital can be invested in the sport, human rights have been infringed upon; since players will be groomed and "bought" according to their talents. In addition to grooming players with accordance to their abilities, not everyone will be given a equal chance to play, and those who may be keen yet not very talented will be deprived of the experience.

Ng Ray Seen

09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
Chump(3) Disputed
2 points

What is human rights, in your point of view? It's not a matter of whether it is beneficial or not, but rather if it is good or bad (which, in any case, is vague). Sports before commercialisation has always been competitive, and one CANNOT argue that it is due to the commercialisation of sports that has led to people being "bought" when all along it has always been a case of the stronger party triumphing over the weak. If you are good enough, you will be spotted.

To one-sidedly and blatantly push the blame on commercialisation of sports for not having the "equal chance to play, and those who may be keen yet not very talented will be deprive of the experience" is completely baseless.

By the way, I think you should define it as competitive sport, because if you're playing like Chapteh amongst your neighbours or by yourself then your later part of the argument will be rendered invalid, since, well, nobody's keen on "buying" and training a non-competitive sport player, is it?

Side: It's GOOODDD
BurtonJLee Disputed
1 point

I'm interested in your rationale that commercialized sport infringes on human rights. You phrase what is commonly referred to as the "employment of players" (and by association I assume you also mean coaches, trainers, and front and back office staff) as "players being bought and sold." When an individual signs a contract, they offer their services in exchange for compensation. This compensation is often monetary, as I'm sure most people in this forum experience daily in the form of a job. There is no difference between Apple Computers paying the best engineer in the world to develop the best products and Manchester United paying the best football player in the world to score goals.

Concerning your point about the "grooming" of players, I will continue the analogy by pointing out that most major corporations offer scholarships, training camps, and other developmental programs for youth and their own employees in order to create and attract the best of the best. Would you also be opposed to Apple inviting poor children from developing nations to take part in computer programming camps and then providing them with scholarships for post-secondary education?

Finally, no-one is deprived the right to participate in sport unless their human rights have already been infringed upon by government, which has nothing to do with the commercialization of sport. For example, you or I could ball up a few pieces of paper right now and play a form of soccer, and this will not change regardless of how commercialized sport becomes. The only thing that commercialization stands to do is create more opportunities for involvement as media outlets cover sport more frequently and children experience sport education at the grass roots level.

Burton

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

i think sportsmen are a little bit nervous due to these brand ambassadors ..............n how come they judge players ..i think only a professional sportsmen can read a player till some extent ...players should never be seen in the point of view of cosmetics or goods.due to these activities players lose their hope in some cases...i have a good example for this south Africa cricketer Hashim Amla plays for the country n not for money..as cricket south Africa isn't paying him money as he opposes the branch which is related to one of the alcohol companies so i can say that players are there to play for the country but due to some ambassadors they are being forced to play a game which is not a sportive men sport..

Side: It's BAAADDD
2 points

I feel that commercialisation of sports is bad as it denies the sport players of their privacy. As the players would be constantly under the limelight, details of their lives, both the good and the bad, are released to the public. For example, in the recent Tiger Wood's scandal involving his many mistresses, his private life was broad casted to the public, attracting many criticisms. Therefore, the commercialization of sports is bad as it compromises the personal space of the athletes.

Side: It's BAAADDD
2 points

I don't like it. Sports lose their spirit if there's too much money in there.

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

The commercialisation of sports is bad, as this shifts the focus of sports from just having fun or exercising to become more "winning-based". This causes people to cheat and defeats the purpose of sports.

Gabriel 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
Aivilo(8) Disputed
2 points

Yes indeed, some people may be overshadowed with the mindset of only winning but what about the majority who really trained hard and gain recognition for their efforts?

There will be an increase in higher quality of performance as people strive to do better and win in sports. After all, isnt performance the main focus of sports? As long as there is true sportsmanship involved.

Olivia Lee 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
mrHolmes(3) Disputed
1 point

Performance may not be the main focus in all sports. Some people may take up a sport just to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Many sports, such as running and swimming can be solitary and non-competitive. It does not matter if one does not perform well in the activity, as long as the individual feels that being engaged in it brings benefit to his/her health.

If the commercialization of sports were to cause people to develop a mindset that victory and quality of performance is of utmost importance, unnecessary pressure will be imposed on the sportsman. Their mentality may change, resulting in them thinking that only those who can excel in the sport deserve to take part. This causes those who do sports for health benefits but are not proficient to lose their penchant.

Commercialization in this case is disadvantageous as it has the power to distort the mindset of people negatively. The psychological phobia may cause some people to be robbed of their chance to engage in a sport they like.

Alicia Lee 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Commercialisation in sports lead to adverse social effects on our society. To commercialise sports means to generate as much revenue as possible from sports. As a result, the fee to pay for participating in a sport may be multipled many times. This capitalist system may mean that only people who can afford it have access to a variety of sports, while people who cannot only have a limited choice. In the long run as the trend becomes more obvious, the type of sport one participates in may become an indicator of his social and financial status in society.

When society reaches a point whereby sports is used to display one's standing, sports loses its original values. People no longer play sports because of the passion they have for it, but for superficial reasons and to boast their wealth. This practice may result in the poor resenting the rich.

Thus commercialisation in sports is bad, as it may lead to many detrimental social effects that may threaten peace and stability of a society.

Alicia 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

I believe that commercialization of sports is non-beneficial to sport itself. People supporting the commercialization of sports would be looking only from the economical value that sports bring to the society. As the dictionary meaning of commercialization would imply, it is to apply methods of business for profit, or to say it brusquely, it is to exploit something for financial gain.

This would bring me to the question, “so what exactly is a sport?” Is it a form of business? A channel for people to gain financial benefits from?

Sports were originally created as a recreational activity, something that a person does to past time and enjoy him or herself. It is a form of physical activity which strengthens the body. By putting a price tag onto sports, wouldn’t it defeat the main purpose of the sport itself?

Many would say that commercialization itself; sports would touch a greater range of audiences, possibly increasing the people that are playing that particular sport itself, this is without a doubt true. However, why increase the number of people playing the sport? Who does it benefit?

Ultimately those who profit from commercialization of sports itself would be the companies that market sports products themselves. It is also saving to say that these organizations are the ones that would want to see the commercialization of the sport the most. They would claim that it is for the sake of spreading the joy of that particular sport to the rest of the world. However by spreading this “joy” throughout the world, it would also be expanding the market for their goods, benefitting their pockets.

So can we believe that commercialization of sports is beneficial to the sport, as claimed by these companies? Or are they merely exploiting the economical potential that sports may bring to them?

Benjamin Ang 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
Aivilo(8) Disputed
1 point

Commercialization of sports is beneficial to the sport but also to the companies which invest in them. It is inevitable that companies are trying to exploit the economic potential that sports can bring to them as this is what companies do, they find different ways to gain revenue. It is only fair to say that they risk their investments to publicize sports and in turn gain revenue for their good judgment.

Similarly, elite sports cannot function as they do without the mass media publicizing them. The huge market for sports equipment and merchandise is to a large extent sustained by the media’s 24-hour-a-day sports coverage. The economic infrastructure of the mass media depends to a considerable extent on the capacity of sports to create large, loyal groups of readers, listeners, viewers, and interactive consumers. Mass media and sports works hand in hand thucommercializationon of sports is not a bad thing.

Without commercialization, sports will not be the sports it is today. It will not be srecognizeded globally and definitely not as popular.

Olivia Lee 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

One social problem which has arisen with the commercialisation of sports is that the prevalence of gambling has increased exponentially over the years. With the advent of the radio, television and subsequently the Internet, people have more access to sports news, allowing more of them to hop on the bandwagon of gambling. More often than not, this form of gambling is illegal and often huge debts are incurred. This results in many social problems such broken families and suicides.

Daryl Tan 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Another problem is that this boom in sports commercialisation has a dividing effect on the society. Although it has been mentioned numerous times that this commercialisation has "brought sports to the people" and more people are able to enjoy sports due to greater access, a fact that has been ignored is that only the upper portion of society - namely the wealthy - are the ones that enjoy this privilege. One cannot deny the fact that tennis courts are only housed in condominiums and bungalows and are glaringly absent even in "high-class" HDB flats. One might argue that this dearth of tennis courts in these spaces of Singapore is due to a lack of space and interest. Does this mean that the ubiquitous basketball and mini-soccer courts should share all this space? Are they also implying that only the "high-class" or wealthy know how to enjoy tennis? All I am saying is that the way sports are commercialised has a negative impact on social systems, as when it is used to display social class, it effectively divides society into those who are able to enjoy sports and those who do not enjoy this privilege.

Daryl Tan 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

It most certainly worked for Rome. Drop your Xbox/PSIII controller and read about world history. Commercialization of sports/athletic events worked out quite nicely for those who commercialized it. Those who are drawn in and fall into the spider's web? Don't bitch since you've been warned and don't care enough to research the manipulation for yourselves. You are the most easily manipulated of the populace since you'll just root for a flag/helmet regardless of the tyranny surrounding you. You are lost causes and are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Samuel Adams stated it best: ""If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."

If you're capable and cognizant, read about the use of said tactics to divert the masses from the usurpation of government to allow for control of the sheeple.

How many of you have read Sun Tzu's simple book entitled "The Art of War"? Put down your game controller, do a search and read what Sun Tzu had to say.

Those of you who scoff, please re-read Adam's quote. Not only will you not be missed, you'll be kicked to the curb as the worthless bag of flesh you are even though you purport to be both a human and an American. Based on his definition, you are neither.

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

The commercialization of sports has set in motion a shift in paradigm in sports; particularly those which involve teams. Players have become commodities to be traded and sold for extravagant sums of money and even clubs are being sold to the highest bidders. The trouble with this is that while sport used to be about performance excellence and hard work, clubs may now simply obtain success by splurging astronomical amounts of money to buy the best players that money can buy. Players no longer stay loyal to the clubs that trained them and honed their skills but instead seek greener pastures where the pay is higher than the exorbitant amount it already is. The overall result of this is a lack of sense of loyalty and passion and also makes a case for the notion that success can be bought with money.

Vincent Lim 09S16

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Although the commercialization of sports has led to the increased professionalism, it has also led to sports being too competitive. The high quality of sports has deterred people from it and even made them feel inferior. When compared to the sports shown in the media, these people think that they are nothing compared to the gold medal athletes and thus, think that they should not bring disgrace to themselves. This results in people who used to play sports to enjoy it have become audiences. As seen from many sporting events, the number of audiences is far more than the number of players in the game. Therefore, the commercialization of sports has brought a negative impact as it deterred people from the enjoying of sports.

Lee Wan Ling 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
urapussybich(1) Disputed
1 point

too competitive? is there such a thing? I think your the only dude in the world who cries himself to sleep every night because your not athletic enough to compete at a high level. I feel bad for you guy.

Side: It's GOOODDD
Scream_Shout(4) Disputed
1 point

urapussybich --> I don't completely agree with the person that wrote the statement you 'attempted' to dispute - but I know his statement is ten times more intelligent than yours. I believe this website is for stating your opinion on the topic, not another users athletic ability - if you want to do that go back to Facebook where you belong.

Now...to clarify the 'sport is too competitive' comment - I think you may have meant that sport has lost it's appeal for people who want to exercise or just enjoy themselves because the money that comes with winning make the sport all about winning, which is one of the aims of sport but definitely not the entire purpose.

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

The biggest negative aspect of commercialization is the craziness of advertising in sports. Racing is the biggest; you can barely tell the color of some of the cars because of all the decals on the cars. When sports depends on the revenues they generate, the control center in sport organizations shifts away from the athletes and toward those who have the resources to produce and promote sports. Thus, players have started to learn that they must answer to the sponsor first, as without their sponsors, they would be unable to fund their sport.

Mohd Haikal 09S04 =)

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Commercialization is bad as it puts players under huge pressure to succeed. When one is not good enough, he remains 'low profile' as commercialization goes for very good players that would bring along with them income, audiences, etc. This thus causes some players to make bad decisions because their career or their status depends on it; they are hardly in control of their own careers; it is being forged by sponsors. Unlike players in the past, the current players are no longer the drivers, they are the cars; controlled by their sponsors as without them, the car will turn rusty due to lack of maintenance and very soon, it becomes a junk; becomes unimportant and worthless.

Nadera, 09S16

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Commercialisation is bad due to the social impact it resulted. It have been noted that many kids nowadays dream about making money through sports like basketball instead of just playing the game the love. For instance, a magazine named Slam talks about basketball and the players in NBA. It consists of an advertisement which asks "What Sports Center do you watch". Then it says, "Steve Francis watches the 6AM Sports Center." In my opinion, the advertisement is trying to use Steve Francis' popularity to persuade audiences to watch the Sports Center. This is one example of companies using sports figures to sell their products. In the advertisement, the picture of Steve Francis in his house, shows us what really is important to him -- the pool and golf course in his back yard through the window in his bedroom. Hence, it is partly due to commercialisation of sports that many people look up to him in terms of his material possessions and not the way he plays basketball.

Belinda 09S16

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Commercialisation of sports is bad as it only advertise certain types of sports as well as its players. This makes people believe that the sport being advertised is more popular than the rest. Furthermore, people's knowledge on the types of sports will be limited. The same applies to the player being internationally well known. The player may not be the best player but due to the vast commercialising of him, it may bring a perception that he is the best player. As a result, people are ignorant about the worthiness of the players and their feelings are being toyed with if it is known that their favourite player is just an average sportsman. Therefore, commercialisation of sports is bad.

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Due to commercialisations, many athletes, espeacially youngsters, forgets the true value of sports and only care about winning. This may cause them to resort to dirty methods to win or do well in the sports they are taking a part in. Some of them may even resort to drugs in order to win the match or competition. Due to these athletes who used dirty methods to win or do well in sports, many sports have lost its true value and had their reputaion tarnished. Therefore, commercialisation of sports is bad.

Siti Badariah 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Nowadays, if one was to declare themselves a fan of Chelsea football club, the reply you would get would most probably "Before or After Roman Abramovich?" Chelsea Football Club was bought over by a rich oil merchant in 2003, and this led to an interesting disadvantage of commercialisation in sport. Because of the large amount of capital that is provided to these clubs who are bought over by rich businessmen, they are able to buy their way to success. This effectively destroys sportsmanship in the spirit of competition and causes unfair advantages to smaller teams that do not have that large an amount of capital at their disposal and thus are unable to spend as freely. This is not just limited to football. Sport that are taken over by sponsorship or under ownership will all suffer from this disadvantage. In F1, Ferrari and MacLaren are always the teams that occupy the pole position whereas teams with less renowned cars like Toyota rarely become champions. Hence, commercialization has been proven to disrupt and distort the playing field, providing unfair economical and thus other advantages to certain teams.

Sarah 09A02!

(BTW, Mr P. Trying the "New Style" that you told us to so if it seems less.. structured, don't deduct points, thank you! (: )

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Commercialisation of sports is bad. It seems that Sports had lost it true meaning. Sports is no longer a simple physical exercise but involves many other issues. Instead, one's popularity and ability to appeal to the public is more important then one's talent and skills. For example: Anna Kournikova is the biggest tennis start yet she never won a grand slam, she gains a large amount of earnings through sponsorship alone Justin Henin(world no 1) is able to earn in a lifetime. This have shown the disparity between both individuals. Therefore, I conclude that commercialisation of sports have led to people placing more emphasis on looks then talent.

Lim Qian Yu (09S04)

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Commercialisation of sports leads to the erosion of it's values. No longer is the focus about doing one's best to win, it is now about wearing the branded goods. The promotion of sports apparel or energy beverages gives the idea that without these goods, one cannot achieve their optimal point in sports. Some of these brands include Nike, Adidas and Gatorade. While they may help the body's posture and movement, it is the person's perseverence that will pull them through. Commercialisation is only another form of distrcation. Hence, commercialisation of sports is bad.

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

comercialization in sports is not only bad its an injustice bc the players who used to just play because they loved the sport loose their love of the sport to loving just the money

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

I believe that even though the commercialisation of sport has many good points such as promoting the sport, revenue for countries etcetera, it unfortunately takes away the traditional and admittedly less popular aspects of a sport. I may be biased in saying this but I know this from a real life experience. I participate in Surf Life Saving Australia - and I try my best in all of the events offered including the traditional events; Rescue and Resuscitation and March Past. These two events are about remembering the history of the lifesavers that protect our beaches and keeping the tradition alive. The tradition is the aspect that causes many people to admire Surf Life Savers for their efforts. If we lose this tradition we lose the unique quality and importance the sport holds, in turn losing members of clubs which is counterproductive to promoting the organisation. I have a lot more to add, unfortunately I have to work on a school assignment due tomorrow - bye!

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Its bad because athletes are used as commodities to be marketed by profit hungry organisations, thus detracting from the real and traditional values of sport...which was for the enjoyment and health benefits

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

It is believed that sports are gradually being eradicated by commercialisation. According to me, sports have become lucrative to profit makers who tempt society to practice sports not for the sake of sports itself, but rather for the eyes of the public. Of course, those benefiting the most from this brainwash are the company owners.

Certainly, accentuating on the health effects of sports, it is most profitable for society to practice sports. Government and various organisations are promoting sports and sensitising denizens about their advantages worldwide. You are bound to have a healthy labour force when the latter practices sports, this will imply increase in productivity in a country and a more dynamic workforce.

Though this type of commercialisation do promote sports as it should, others surely denigrates the latter. Having Usain Bolt holding an energy drink and posing in an advertisement do blacken the elementary norms and morals of sports. Personally, I would consider it humiliating and disrespectful to sell one's prized talent to some cheap energy drink. Are we so short minded to think that we can be revitalised just by drinking some mere energy drink? Advertisements play a crucial role in determining the market shares of a company and surely, they are taking considerate advantage of the latter by involving sports in such a disgraceful act. I am not saying that advertisements should be banned, but we should not transgress the morals of sports and deem sports as a way to lucrative profits.

Furthermore, sports is now a sector for entertainment. Just consider a simple illustration of football. Rather than actually playing football, most prefer to laze in front of their television and follow live broadcasts of matches. Can this actually be considered as sports where a footballer can be purchased with some millions? Moreover, we all know how many cases of bribery have been involved in these matches. Billionaires are living on fans of football. In addition, betting is a factor that seriously kills the holy sports. In some countries like Mauritius advertisements prompting citizens to buy lotteries, etc still exists.

Supporting Evidence: Italian football scandal (en.wikipedia.org)
Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

sports will have more capital to be played on a higher level

(more competitions can be hosted, providing athletes with more opportunities)

joel ang, 09s04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Indeed, sports helps to generate revenue not only for the benefit of creating more capital for sports but also to generate more revenues for different industries.

Modern sports links to commerce are highly visible. Stadiums and arenas bear the names of businesses, sponsors' logos are appearing on athletes' clothing and equipment and on the facilities they play in. Media companies pay a huge amount for the rights to broadcast sports events, and advertisers pay to promote products during the screening of sports events.

Olivia Lee 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Another benefit for commercialization of sports is that amateur level sports can benefit through commercialization of sport at the professional level. Commercialization has brought greater exposure to sports such as A-League, NRL, Super 14 and these sports at an amateur level benefit directly through commercialization and the exposure brings it to a professional level sport.

Olivia Lee 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
josepaolo(50) Disputed
0 points

Joel! Please write a coherent argument in PROSE, i.e. not in point form. =)

-Mr P

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

The revenue of a country would increase due to the commercialisation of sports as more international competitions will be held in the country. Advertisements of the tournament or competition would interest more foreigners and bring in greater revenue. This would be beneficial to the country's economy. It was evident for the Beijing Olympics held in 2008 where many people turned up for the major event due to commercialisation; hence, contributing to China's economic growth.

Rebecca 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
ybbag(2) Disputed
2 points

however,some of the money earned is wasted due to the underutilized facilities that were built specifically for the Beijing Olympics, resulting in wasted resources and being bad for the economy as a whole

Gabriel 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
becky0811(2) Disputed
2 points

Although it is true that certain facilities wiil be under-utilised, the facilities built could still be used to train more athletes and sportsmen, hence, allowing them to perform at their full potential to prepare for future competitions. With better competitors, the sports event would be more exciting and entertaining to the viewers and this would generate revenue to the country especially if it is the one hosting the event. This would potentially lead to economic growth. In China, the commercialisation of sports was also a strategy to increase its 'soft power' which is the ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes China wants. It has helped China to appear more attractive to other countries and this is the first step for China to build political relations with other countries, making it beneficial for them.

Rebecca Lim 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Commercialization of sports has resulted in the increase in the number and quality of sports shown on television today. Without commercial sponsorship, people would not be able to follow their favourite sports from their homes as closely as they want. Thus commercialization of sports has benefited society in providing entertainment.

Subasini 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
Nemuri(4) Disputed
2 points

Although the commercialization of sports have resulted in the increase in the quality of sports shown on television, however it has also led to an increase in other negative influence to the society which may result in deterioration of the sport’s reputation. One example would be soccer for instance. Now that sports competitions have become widely accessible to the general public, sports such as soccer have become a medium for gambling. Sports competitions, viewed around the world today, such as the Fifa World Cup and the English Premier League, have led to a rise in gambling activities amongst its audience. Some people use such competitions for gambling purposes, rather than enjoying the sport itself.

Of course with the rise of people betting the scores in matches, it would definitely give rise to match setting and planned goal difference or other forms of cheating.

If this happens, when people talk about soccer itself, would it be about which team they support? Or would it just be how much they have bet on the team to win?

Then wouldn't commercialisation of sports be just for the sake of earning money rather than benefiting the sport itself?

Benjamin Ang 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
Chump(3) Disputed
1 point

I think you're being vague when you try to say that commercialisation of sports have resulted in the increase in negative influence to the society. What kind of negative influence are you talking about here, and how will it bring disrepute to the sport? Your example do not back up/support your point at all. I fail to see how gambling has resulted in a deterioration of soccer's reputation, keeping in mind that gambling has been always prevalent in any society, any time, any where.

Your point about using competitions for gambling purposes, rather than enjoying the sport itself - although presumptuous, if one was to assumed that it ~makes sense~, it still does not support your point about "increase in other negative influence to the society".

Your attempts at using a rhetorical question does not work because -

"IF this happens, when people talk about soccer, would it be about which team they support? Or would it just be how much they have bet on the team to win?"

You're working with assumptions here to draw your conclusion of commercialisation of sports being just for the sake of earning money rather than benefitting the sport itself; similarly I can twist your argument and assuming on the premise that people DO talk about which team they support, I can conclude with : "Despite the commercialisation of sport and how one might argue it is just for the sake of earning money, one does truly enjoy the game and support its players. Furthermore, this commercialisation of sports brings in revenue for the country's economy and thus we can see that it is more beneficial than detrimental, making it good."

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

The Commercialization of sports is good because sports are becoming a major business instead of a recreation. Even college sports are marketed at the highest level and even higher than some professional sports, yet it is sad that the greedy NCAA and universities want all the money for themselves and not share with the athletes.

If it creates and sustains stable jobs, then it is great for the economy. It is the free enterprise and market adopting to the demands of consumerism. If the demand is high, then investment is warranted.

Side: It's GOOODDD
Nemuri(4) Disputed
2 points

It is not wrong to say that sports is becoming a major business is a good thing. However, as you have stated in your argument, many organizations are exploiting such financial benefits that sports itself is to provide, eventually leading to greed. This would mean that sports is now becoming more about winning, than it was before, where it focuses more on the skills and sportsmanship of the participants. Having such perceptions of sports would just lead to the competitive nature of us humans being tempted to doping and other forms of foul play in order to obtain victory.

Moreover, demand of consumerism, as you have stated, depends largely on how a player performed in its particular sport. Take for instance soccer players like Christiano Ronaldo, being a well known soccer player have shot many advertisements for companies, even those that are totally unrelated to soccer or sports itself. These companies that hired him for their advertisements have benefited with higher sales for their goods. However, how long can this keep up?

Imagine if one day this soccer star was to make a serious mistake that cost his team to lose a match or maybe he were to retire from the soccer industry and lost his popularity. The goods that he used to advertise for would lose popularity together with him, as his fans would probably switch to other brands instead. Would we want our economy to be filled with companies having their product demand to be directly affected by the popularity of a sports star?

This would also put a great pressure onto the competitors, as it would give a mindset that, if they do not win, they would not be able to strive in the sports sector. Hence, it may not be able to create and sustain stable jobs, but may possibly bring about a short term benefit to the society as a result.

Benjamin Ang 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
Aivilo(8) Disputed
2 points

Yes I agree that when a star falls, the product he/she endorses will most probably fall in popularity as well. However, it is also the same thing for all celebrities, not just sports stars. This way, it can also be said that celebrities will be in tremendous pressure to shine and do well as well, leading to drug abuse.

Should we then ban popularity altogether? It is technically impossible thus it is only up to the sports players to handle their popularity and pressure well as they should know all these comes in a package, together with the commercialization of sports.

Olivia Lee 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
PrayerFails(11165) Disputed Banned
1 point

Yes, it is bad for NCAA to exploit college athletes in their own personal gain, but in order to play, the students must agree to the terms of being part of the club. One is that they must not accept any awards outside from the NCAA. They are getting a free education and great publicity if they are one of the highest acclaimed athletes of their sport as long as they keep up good academics and performance

Yes, sports is all about winning and it always was even before the commercialization within the demarcation of the rules of the sport.

There is nothing wrong with a free enterprise company hiring a athlete to promote their goods or services. It is part of capitalism.

The Tiger Woods scandal is a prime example of a athlete who hit the apex of sporting success with multiple winnings in the sport and sponsors. Sports stars rise and fall all the time as well they retire. The same goes with companies. If the company wants to sponsor a athlete or star, it is at the full risk of the company in sponsoring this person. Besides, most products are not that depended on whether a consumer will buy it, yet some it will and some not. For example, Jeff Gordon endorses Pepsi, does this mean that I drink Pepsi because of him? No, I drink Pepsi because I prefer it over Coke Cola. or Tiger Woods was sponsored by Buick before the scandal. does this mean that I will buy a Buick because Woods drives Buicks even though I play and love golf. No.

With professional sports being a multiple billion dollar industry, the pursuit of winning is the driving force of the sports sector. This enables the creation and sustainable stable jobs because the more a team wins, the more they are willing to pay the athletes and the staff.

Sports are only growing because of the demand of the market. So, if the only way they to lower pay and less sponsorship is to simply stop buying tickets and thus will follow in sponsorship of athletes. The market is the regulator and not the government but only when they decide to intervene.

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Commercialization of sports brings about more recognition to the country which can excel in it. This will in turn creates a sense of identity for the people, to feel proud of their country's achievement. This may even cause people to take more interest in sports to gain victory for their country.

Olivia Lee 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
mrHolmes(3) Disputed
1 point

when sportsmen who have toiled and are close to being able to represent their country do not benefit from commercialization, thier disappointment may do damage to their self esteem and cause their passion to waver. For example in Kenya, top runners who work meticulously may not always have a chance to participate in marathon events. Organisers could not always afford to pay for the best runners. Is it fair that despite having trained so hard, they were denied a chance to flaunt their capability in the end? as mentioned earlier, this may possibly lead to self-esteem issues and not heighten their interest, as they may think that being excluded is due to their incompetentcy.

thus, it is not true that all countries are given recognition because they play a sport well. If is was, more sponsors would have paid for the expenses of runners in Kenya who have much potential to excel on the tracks.

Alicia 09S04

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Through commercialisation, sports have been able to reach out to large audiences. With the help of the business community, there is funding and also international coverage from the media. If not, international sports events such as the Olympic Games or the Sea Games would not be made possible. It is due to this support, that athletes are able to compete and to strive for the very best in such key international events.

Furthermore, sponsorships and partnerships can help sports create opportunities, such as the Olympic Games, to not only survive but thrive in today's much economically and work-driven world. Moreover, commercialisation of sports can give a good exposure of the sport to youths of today's society. The lives of many youths today revolve around technology, leading to a very mundane lifestyle. Thus this exposure may lead to them picking up certain sports, diversifying and making their lifestyle more active instead of just spending hours on end on their computers.

Thus, sports should be an important aspect of our lives and the only way to ensure it continues to flourish, especially in today's context, is through commercialisation.

Marcus, 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Commercialisation of sports help to attract more people to be interested in sports through the use of media. As more people begin to take up sports, the population of the country becomes more healthy. Thus, the productivity of the workforce increase leading to the country's economic growth.

In addition. government has also take advantages of sport commercialisation to encourage the citizens to start a healthy lifestyle and reduce obesity. For example, in England, the government aim to produce a set of programmes to ensure an increased physical activity before and after the 2012 Olympics Games.

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Commercialisation of sports is good, simply because it rakes in revenue, boosts each country's economy, allows information about it (sport) be disseminated faster and thus allowing more people to be interested in it etc, etc, etc.

Side: It's GOOODDD
spatialrend(1) Disputed
1 point

Commercialisation is becoming increasingly prevalent in sport and while this moral issue would generally be perceived as positive with the availability of more money and resources, many believe that the idea of sport as an industry has allowed amateur sport to become overly competitive and the rise of riots due to sports, is a recognizable consequence of this. This change in many ways allowed us to enjoy the level of professional sport we enjoy in Singapore today. However, some believe the trickle down of commercialisation to amateur sports has increased the tendency to provide some type of reward with athletes adopting an attitude of "winning no matter the cost". This is now even seen within the Olympics with athletes who live off their sport now competing in an 'amateur' competition. Children in particular are today are socialised to value winning over playing fair. This affects their moral knowledge and development, ultimately affecting their decision making.

Mohd Haikal 09S04 =)

Side: It's BAAADDD
1 point

Many sports have commercialisation to thank for their existence today. Sports like automobile and yacht racing require large sums of money to be held. This is as much has to be done to ensure the safety of the athlete and to get both sportsmen and vehicles to the event venue. For example, in 2006 alone, US$2.9 billion was spent on F1 by the 11 teams and it takes US$1.6 million to get a single yacht on the Grand Prix Circuit.

Linette 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Commercialisation of sports allows more people to enjoy the sport and not only confined for athletes' use. For example, a ice skating ring or a soccer field in a neighbourhood allows anyone to use the facilities either for recreation or as a bonding time with their friends. In addition, it can also be used as a place for one to practice new skill. Moreover, when more people are interested in the sports, it increases the revenue earned for the company. Hence, commercialisation of sports does benefits everyone especially when the major events like the Olympic Games are telecasted to every households, promoting the sport to a higher level and earning recognition.

Chew Yu Shan 09S04

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Sports have become more of a business entity rather than just for entertainment purposes due to the strong economic reasons of the over all industry. There are several instances in which economics may contribute to the effect on the sports industry, such as the success of a team, the price of a ticket, the amount of money an athlete will make, and the amount of profit a team will make. The success of any single entity solely relies on the current economic market situations. Hence, advertising in sports has helped the sports world grow into one of the most profitable industries in the world.

Jermaine Lee 09S16

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Commercialisation plays an important role in the sport existence. It helps to provide the funds and resources needed for athletes to be able to perform at their fullest potential. Take a Track and Field athlete for example, without a proper pair of spikes the athlete cannot perform his best. Without commericalisation there will not be efficient athletes and without efficient athletes the sport cannot be exist. Thus commericalisation plays an important role in the sports industry to help keep sports alive by providing funds and resources needed.

Grayson 09S16

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

Funding and business profits from the commercializtion of sports enable sportsmen to improve themselves and thus bring the sport to higher grounds. If a player lacks equipment or proper training grounds like, say a tennis court, funding and money can provide the player with what he requires to improve his skills. Sports has to be commercialized in order to gain these funds, and thus the commercialization of sports is good.

Karen, 09A02

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

well...m quite surprised by your views guys..i just wanna ask you all can you tell me that if media was not here would these sports be able to get so close to us..due to this media today we are able to learn the rules of the games and all so quickly may be the sportsman also plays well just because he is concerned about popularity...i think that depends on the sportsman that whether he is taking media as positive effect or negative...today is the world of money..if money is with you then your enemy is your friend so due to commercialisation he gets money so he may get diverted...i don't think commercialisation is distorting the game spirit its the sportsman ....!

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

commercialization of sports is victory for the players as well as for us as we are entertained by sports. however commercialization of sports is beneficial as it is shown in television commercialization of sports is letting people to understand the quality of it. not only people are entertained by it but also support the player to win. on the other hand commercialization means investment of capital in sports. better the capital more will be the platform for players. more Will be the creation of jobs.

hence commercialization of sports is "beneficial" for a common person as well as the sports players.

Side: It's GOOODDD
1 point

it is an advantage to those who are not gifted academically

Side: It's GOOODDD