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Global Games for Fun and Business Article Review
The authors introduce the concept of globalization using the development of the sports industry. Often people think of globalization in terms of business, and they rarely consider other sectors. The authors present a fascinating view of how sports have contributed to globalization, and how it has in turn benefited from a global world. They note that many people are now able to watch different sports played in many countries. The sporting industry has become global in many ways. People have opened up, and they have embraced sports that are new to them. Television has made it possible for people to get information about different types of sports and the techniques and rules used when playing them. People also get a chance to know different sports personalities. Sports agents have traveled to different countries to look for potential players. They have opened training camps in different countries as they look for people with talent. Sport governing bodies no longer concentrate on one region, but they have become more willing to take international competitions to different countries. This has exposed many people to different sporting events. Global sports have had both positive and negative effects.
I do agree with the authors concerning the benefits derived from sports as a global activity. Sport players benefit when they get a chance to play in different countries. They earn more money, and this enables them to improve their standards of living. This not only develops them individually, but they also get a chance to make positive changes in their communities. Many international sport personalities support different projects in their respective nations. Greater exposure of sports in different countries makes more people aware of the different types of sports available. They learn the rules of the games, and they can compete with players in other countries. Sport teams benefit additionally when they are able to recruit new talent from other countries. They get a chance to improve their performance when they have talented people playing for them, and this means that they get better financial deals. They get more fans, and they have the freedom to determine their ticket prices. In addition, they get lucrative deals from corporate sponsors and other interested stakeholders.
The authors point out the negative effects of global sports. When a country gets a chance to host an international sporting event, it makes substantial efforts to improve its infrastructure, and this benefits it in the future. However, in addition to incurring heavy costs and constructing stadiums that will only be used for that particular purpose, countries also incur other losses. For instance, many host countries hope to get back the money they have spent from ticket sales and fans as they have to spend money on accommodation, but this does not always happen. Some people will choose not to travel so that they can save money. They know that they can follow the events on television or other media such as the internet. The country hosting the event will, therefore, not recover the money it had spent when improving infrastructure. Another disadvantage is that some players have suffered from racial abuse and discrimination when playing for local teams. They have to deal with insults and other humiliating experiences when in another country. This affects their morale, and it may have a negative effect on their self-esteem and confidence.
The authors have highlighted a critical aspect of globalization. They have shown that it can have positive as well as negative effects on people. The concept of globalization transcends business to cover many aspects of life. It has mainly been facilitated by use of technologies such as the internet and satellite television.