Impact of television on professional sports Essay

It was in late 1940s and beginning of 1950s that television was introduced to the honey oil people. In the words of Marc and Thompson, Marshall McLuhan who was earning the distinction of becoming the first gear media critic, described television in the 1950s as an electronic hearth, a kind of proto-cyberworld fireplace, around which families were pull together during this new stage of post-industrial existence. (2005, p. 55) Following playfulnesss became completely different with the advent of television.Now there was no quest to waste entire day to watch ones favourite game in the bowl or strain ones ears to keep track of the latest happenings in the fields by means of the radio. Those who had not yet brought this agentful medium of entertainment home used to be a element of a crowd of people standing in the street in front of an appliance dealership watching TV through the store window. (Marc and Thompson, 2005, p. 53) So people at homes or as pavement audiences started cheering the sportsmen for their efforts that was visible on screen.The television enhanced the status of sports as a social military action that could be viewed at the comfort of homes. It also introduced the masses to different kinds of sports. Earlier people were aware of the sports that were common in their country only. Due to television sportsmen of diverse kinds of sports became household names. Television gave the sportsmen, the fame and recognition across the continents. This was unsufferable differentwise. Boyle and Haynes observed, today it is difficult to imagine football without television or a television schedule mourning(a) of football. (2004, p. 7) This observation is true in a wider context too. Television sector has undergone tremendous growth. Hundred of impart all over the world are dedicated to sports, which telecast not only the game merely also severally and every aspect of the players lives. The top sportsmen enjoy the same fan following and power as the film stars. Where there is maddening fan following and popularity, can cash be back tooth? The salaries of the top players in all the sports experience soared really high. Its no wonder that popular games the like tennis, football, cricket etc.have become businesses in their own right. There has been major commercialization of sports since 1950s the advent of television. Talking nearly football Boyle and Haynes lamented, the increasing influence that television has exercised over the sport and the ill degree to which clubs have become dependant on television income have meant that the economic aspects of the game have become of considerable interest. (2004, p. 8) This pathetic state of affairs can be identified with the economics of different professional sports too.All the different sports can be addressed as different products. The mushrooming of rival unifys in each category of product can be compared to different brands of that category, which are constantly trying to scoop out each other. This competition or war amongst the rival leagues is benefiting them but deteriorating the spirit of sports. The flow of television money has turned competitive balance into competitive imbalance. However Wigglesworth argued, commercialism has always been present in sport in one form or another.It may have begun with the donation of prizes by local tradesmen at holy day recreations and have become more highly organized in rural sports, much sponsored by publicans. (2007, p. 35) According to Wigglesworth commercialization has helped in the growth of professionalism. This indicates that before 1950s it was impossible to consider sports as a profession because the players were not paid proper salaries. Thus all the players used to dabble with other professions in order to keep their kitchens running.Since the advent of television, sports have been started being recognised as one of the well-paid professions and each decade after 1950s has seen a further hik e in the players salary. The channel boom in the past decade has made the picture rosier for the players as far as their salaries are concerned. Talking about the growth of leagues Wigglesworth observed, money from television coverage and all the associated media opportunities was the spur for the bigger clubs to organize themselves into a league (2007, p.129).He further elaborated even cycling clubs have derived commercial benefits from increased television coverage of the sport during the 1980s and 1990s. (2007, p. 132) It is since the 1980s that the television started changing the conventional scenario of sports at a much greater pace than ever before. Some of the top rival leagues, which were created in 1960s and 1970s to promote sports, unify sports and media and have even started running their own sport channels, thus taking their rivalry to newer areas.The following report of Holland paints a gloomy picture of the impact of television on sports As the broadcasting of spo rt gradually becomes as important as the event itself, there has been growing concern over the adaptation of the sports to jibe the needs of television. (2000, p. 138) It is threatening that all the sports event have become a ground of cut throat competition between the satellite, cable and terrestrial broadcasters. To get the exclusive rights of the major sporting events these parties have been command higher and higher.This factor has shook competitive balance to a great extent, which has started proving detrimental for the sports on the whole. So to conclude the impact of television has been both good and bad across all sports, whether it is cricket, rugby, boxing, swimming, horse riding tennis etc. It has been most beneficial to the players of popular sports, financially. The creation of rival leagues can be viewed a positive impact but growing unhealthy rivalry amongst them and competitive imbalance has been some of the drawbacks of television.In the words of Wigglesworth, One result of the commercialization of sport through television has been the depersonalization of spectator sport with the old fashioned fan becoming simply a customer. (2007, p. 164).References Boyle, R. and Haynes, R. (2004). Football In The newfangled Media Age. New York Routledge Holland, P. (2000). The Television Handbook. (2nd ed. ). New York Routledge. Marc, D. and Thompson, R. J. Television In The Antenna Age A Concise History. USA Blackwell issue Ltd. Walvin, J. (1978). Leisure and Society. UK Longman. Wigglesworth, N. (2007). The Story Of Sport In England. New York Routledge.