“Media will be the death of sport.” Do you agree?

“Media will be the death of sport.” Do you agree?

Sport is physical activity of any kind which is carried out to exercise the body and as recreation. Nowadays however, it is not unusual to hear of millionaire sportsmen who are raking in the dollars with endorsement contract, some even before they have truly proven their worth in the sport they specialize in. Turn on ESPN and you’ll see athletes moving around, wearing name-brand outfits supplied by their sponsors. Today the value of a sportsman is less likely to be measured by their performance but the amount they are worth in the modeling field.

Television is a branch out of media. With live-telecast of matches, people are now able to sit in the comfort of their homes to enjoy the match on that plasma TV just in front of them. If everyone thinks that watching the match is much more interesting than playing the game, the sport will soon “die” as there isn’t anyone interested to participate in the action but choose to remain passive. I personally think that this is highly unlikely as since ancient times in Greece, sports have always exist as a form of entertainment, there are other things that distract sportsmen and their fans. In all ages, there have been people who watched and people who played. People just have a different attitude towards sports, it is their decision whether to participate in it physically. People who are interested will get off their arm-chairs and be off to play the games without any prompting.

On the other hand, televisions can actually promote interest in sports. Couch potatoes love thrills and will watch anything thrilling over television. Sports programs will be broadcast and this may rouse the idle ones to go into action. In fact, during the world cup, you will find youngsters pestering their parents to buy football equipment, trying to imitate their favorite football stars, player football in school fields and open public spaces.

Despite the media attention some well known sportsmen get, there are still some who desire more than just the extrinsic rewards, those who truly stick to the game. A sport is a challenge that sportsmen hope to conquer. There are sportsmen who give up well paying jobs just to pursue the heart of the sport.

Trough it all, media and sports are two different issues all together. It is due to our imagination that leads to suggest that one will be the death of the other. Sport has undergone greater threats to its annihilation than mere television and has lived through them all. Therefore I believe the true spirit of sports will stay on forever.