Globalization and Sport
Sports
During the 20th century, sports took on an increasingly international flavor; apart from the world championships for individual sports, like soccer's World Cup, large-scale international meets, including the Pan-American games and also the Commonwealth games, were inaugurated. Sports have correspondingly become increasingly politicized, as shown inside the boycott of the 1980 Moscow games by Western nations and the retaliatory boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles games by Soviet-bloc nations, an exchange due to Soviet actions in Afghanistan.
Soccer
Politics directly related with economic issues, influence the path of action one country might choose against another and affect sports as they are part of the nation's role within the global scene. Individual countries through the recent past have boycotted sport events or used them for propaganda reasons and therefore, imposed their political beliefs affecting the worldwide scene. As a result of worlds' fascination with sport, the ability to help the public gets to be a huge issue and has been the reason for many 'country-battles' in the recent past. Concurrently, the commercialism that accompanied spectator sports gradually engulfed both amateur and professional sports. Through the late Last century, the televising of athletic events had made sports big business. On the other hand, expanding public concern with personal health resulted in mass participation, definitely not competitive, in sports like running, hiking, cycling, fighting techinques, and gymnastics. Athletic activity by women expanded, especially after political action in the 1960s and 1970s opened doors to many kinds of competition plus an increased share of public funding for sports.
Economic integration and free trade have and surely will, continue to get a new sports and fitness industry in the future. Countries use sports to impose their economic handle of others, in order to elevate their current role. As a result of sport's great costs, counties' governments engage themselves to advertise and supporting these economic needs by authorising special public monetary programs or by seeking private financing. Corporate sponsorships are today possible, as companies spend about $6 billion annually sponsoring activities including the Olympics to the World Cup. The popularity of sponsored events is due to several reasons. They boost the reputation and image of the sponsor, they provide a focal point for marketing efforts and purchases campaigns, and they generate publicity and media coverage. More cost-effective than advertising, sponsorships include prestige at times target a worldwide audience. Broadcasting rights, ticket sales, merchandising, and sponsorships, would be the major reasons of sport's unique role in a country's strategy.
Living today inside the information age, with amazing revolutions in technology and communication, sport experts think that sport is greatly influenced by the actions of person nations, in addition to by the international trends that influence the entire world economy. Moreover, being a spectacle, sport athletes have grown to be professionals that through them their country's culture is promoted and their achievements give rise to the nation's fame. Thus, the activity and fitness industries, included in our Global Society, are becoming lately a concern of high interest. Studies worldwide provide valuable details about the political, geographical, economic, cultural, social, aesthetic and historical aspects of sports and it is firmly believed that they will continue 'shaping' one another in the years to come.