INTRODUCTION (Globalization of Sport)

My name is Torey Brummett and I am currently a junior at Bowling Green State University. I am a Sports Management Major with a minor in Marketing. I also compete on the BGSU Mens Golf Team. I enjoy watching all sports but mainly golf, hockey, and college football. If I could choose one event that I would like to attend before I die it would have to be the Masters at Augusta. 

The globalization and growth of sport amazes me in many ways. These games we play now once derived from groups that once used these games for entertainment. These games for entertainment have now turned the world upside down. Sport is everywhere, it has now become less of  an entertainment and more of a business. Companies all over the globe are now dumping millions of dollars into teams and players just to have a logo on their chest or a bottle of juice in their hands during an interview. The once fun game has turned into the biggest business feature in the world. 


Do you think it has helped sport as a whole? I believe sport has both benefited and been hindered from the big boost in making sport a business. I beleive it has benefited in many ways, mostly because of support. Games are now available wherever you are, weather it be on your smartphone, your flat screen, or streaming from the internet. No matter where you are you can always be connected to sport. It has also made the competition and talent much better in sport as well. In my opinion the competition has gone up because the money has gone up as well. Players can make millions and millions of dollars, so why not train twice as hard and practice twice as much to make millions more? Players now have this as a mindset, they all want to make the big bucks. For example, the winner of the 1996 U.S Open (golf) made $425,000, while Rory McIlroy in 2011 won $1,260,000 and the tournament purse was $7.5 million dollars. This is a great example of what globalization has done for sport.
There have also been in my opinion some side effects of globalization of sport as well. Yes we are searching for the best talent to be entertained by in the U.S and yes some of those players are from other countries. But our U.S. leagues are becoming overpowered by foreign players who we bring here to play. There has become such an overwhelming amount of foreign athletes playing in the U.S  we are starting to lose spots for AMERICAN players in AMERICAN leagues. Americans pay a rediculous amount of money to support and help our American teams but those teams are mostly made up of foreign players. It is becoming more and more of an issue starting with professional athletes and heading down to the college ranks. 


-Please comment for other opinions on this issue-