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Professional sports. Professionalism and the regulation of sport. The entertainment aspect of sport, together with the spread of mass media and increased leisure time, has led to professionalism in sport.
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Professionalism and the regulation of sport • The entertainment aspect of sport, together with the spread of mass media and increased leisure time, has led to professionalism in sport. • This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck can be seen as more important than recreational aspects: or where the sport is changed simply to make it more profitable and popular therefore losing some of the traditions valued by some.
The successful execution of a sport requires the consensus agreement of the participants on a set of rules for fair competition. • This has led to the control of each sport through a regulatory body to define what methods of competition are acceptable and what are considered cheating.
What is “professional” sports • Sports in which the participants receive payment for playing, as opposed to amateur sports where they do not.
A classification of sports • One system for classifying sports is as follows, based more on the sport's aim than on the actual mechanics. • The examples given are intended to be illustrative, rather than comprehensive
Racing • Human-powered Running, swimming,....) • Human-assisted (Cycling, rowing, canoeing, ...) • External power source (Motor racing, sailing, power boating...)
Opponent • Combat (Judo, karate, boxing...) • Court (Tennis, badminton, volleyball, squash...) • Team (Football, Rugby, hockey...)
Achievement • Target (Archery, golf, shooting ...) • Display (Gymnastics, bodybuilding, equestrianism, diving...) • Strength (Weight-lifting, triple jump, shot put ...)
Professionalism has become increasingly popular through a combination of developments: mass media and increased leisure time. • Larger audiences means that that sports organizations or teams can command larger incomes.
As a result, more athletes can afford to make their sport their primary career, and can attain celebrity, even superstar status.
Problems with professional sports • Some organizations and fans see professional sports as an attack on the central ethos of sport, i.e. the ethos of competition performed for its own sake and for pure enjoyment, rather than as a means of earning a living.
Problems with professional sports • Consequently, many organizations and commentators have reactively resisted the growth of professionalism, and some people see this as having impeded the development of sport.
Olympics and professionalism • Until the late 20th century, the Olympics normally only accepted amateur athletes. • However, successful Olympians often had endorsement contracts from sponsors. • Complex rules involving the payment of the athlete's earnings into trust funds rather than directly to the athletes themeselves were developed in an attempt to work around this issue.
Olympics and professionalism • In the same era, the nations of the Communist bloc entered teams of Olympians who were all students or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full time basis. • The first Olympics to officially accept professional athletes was 1988 in selected sports, and 1992 for the remaining sports.
Should college athletes be paid for playing sports? • What sports would be entitled for compensation for players? • FACTORS to consider • Revenue generation • Coaches salaries • Scholarships • Stipends for travel, clothing and food
Women in Professional Sport • In women's professional sports, individual sports, such as golf, bowling, and billiard, have had a much longer history than team sports. • For example, one of the oldest history of women's professional sports in the United States is in golf. • In 1950, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was established and it became an international organization in the 1970’s.
Current professional women’s leagues • WNBA • Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) • Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) • United States Bowling Congress • Women's Motocross Association (WMA)
Current professional women’s leagues • Women's Professional Football League (WPFL) • Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) • Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) • National Women's Hockey League (NWHL)
Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) • National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) • Women's Tennis Association (WTA) • What other sports can individual women make a living doing?
Roller-derby • Skiing • Mountain biking • Snowboarding • Triathlons