THE STATE OF SPORT

THE STATE OF SPORT

Tim Bowling and Jay Teitel, in their written depictions of the state of modern sport, have a lot of agreeing points on everything sport represents today in contrast to the olden days. Sport has evolved dramatically in terms of quality and motivations over the years that viewing it offers a whole different feeling these days compared to years ago. The two writers, however, seem to agree on the fact that the quality of most games has significantly deteriorated from the days before. This is due to considerable differences in physical ability and the agendas getting pushed in the background of every single sporting event that’s now on our screens.

Men’s sport continues to experience staggering growth in popularity in recent times compared to women’s. The growth can get attributed to the significant gap in quality between the two games, primarily influenced by the different physical abilities of the two genders. The gulf is evident in the massive contrast in salary payments and ticket sales for men sporting events compared to those of women. The physical stature for which many playing fields got made has been exceeded quite astonishingly by the male athletes, this cutting across most sports. In basketball, for instance, a rim that got designed in the previous century for athletes 5”7 in height is now being played by players as tall as 7”7 (Jay 3). Also, the average height of male basketball teams has gone significantly up from 5”8 on average to as high as 6”6 in a single NBA team (Jay 3). Yet no changes are being made to counter the apparent shift in physical boundaries for most sports, having the effect of making it significantly easier, and not necessarily of higher quality.
Women sport, on the other hand, has athletes whose physical qualities are more in tandem with the playing conditions provided for, with most satisfying the physical abilities that the playing fields got made for at the turn of the previous century. This has resulted in a much more aesthetically satisfying game as the athletes fit into the provided playing field entirely without being either too good for the specific playing conditions or physically lacking (Jay 2).

Men and women have different motivations when it comes to playing their respective sports. The male sporting scene has gotten infiltrated by characters of insatiable ego and greed, which has affected how the game is played (Tim 2). As explained earlier, the improved physical ability that has become typical in male sport has had the impact of making the games significantly easier for the athletes, especially since the playing conditions have not gotten tweaked to accommodate these changes. This has led to a façade of some male players being extremely dominant, able to turn around games single-handedly, and breaking every record there is to break. This has fed their egos to the point where their game has changed to be more of a solo-effort as opposed to a team effort like before. Most games turn into a spectacle between two opposing players as opposed to a team-effort, taking away some of the most treasured aspects of the game (Tim 3).
The women’s game, on the other hand, is more limited in terms of physical ability, actually more suited to the available playing conditions. These limitations have ensured that no advantage is possible due to physical strengths; hence the game is played within the realms of ability for which they got made. The women’s competition also receives significantly less sponsorship and spectators; thus; the salaries are considerably lower compared to the male counterparts (Jay 4). The women athletes, therefore, have no other source of motivation -money wise- and play the game purely for the hunger and passion they have for it. The self-motivation has led to them playing the game like it was meant to be done, showcasing the quality and passion that was characteristic of any sport many years ago, hence offering a more satisfying watch.

The Machismo culture has influenced the game of hockey in recent times (Tim 2). The two writers agree on the fact that the present National Hockey League has become more of a battleground than a playing field. The obscenities witnessed on the ice have become too frequent, with brawls occurring too often and career-ending tackles being punished by only awarding a penalty to the opponent team. Such calls are an indicator that the even the hockey-governing body has accepted the savage, almost primal ways as part of the sport, probably due to the entertainment factor they offer to the spectators, increasing ticket sales. The mentality for most men’s team has become that “if you cannot beat them in the alley, neither will you in the pitch” (Tim 2). This notion has resulted in little attention getting paid to the intricacies that make the game what it is, instead, focusing more on hurting an opponent to prompt a roar from the crown than make that killer shot to win the game.
Women’s hockey also differs in this aspect. The women’s game is much more beautiful to watch, almost reminiscent of the golden days of ice hockey (Jay 2). Pinpoint passes and excellent team movement characterize their game, making it so pleasing to the eye. It offers insight into what hockey used to be about, making that defense-splitting pass, building that space to get a shot off and score a goal, and, most of all, winning. Their professionalism, also, isn’t up to questioning. Brawls are a very rare spectacle, and when they do occur aren’t as damaging to the players as brawls in men’s hockey. The sportsmanship, too, is exemplary compared to their male counterparts. All these come together to create a beautiful game, full of passion and devoid of any spectacles and sideshows that have become common-place in male hockey.

Hockey has become a highly commercialized sport, compared to before (Tim 4). A game in the earlier days would be completely devoid of any promotions or sideshows, creating the perfect atmosphere for the spectators to enjoy the games distraction-free. Of late, however, advertisements have become the norm in both the national league and international events, spanning all sports. The once empty boards on the sides of the pitch now have all sorts of advertisements for companies seeking to promote the brands to the millions of spectators watching (Tim 4). Team jerseys have the names of their sponsors plastered across them for the same purpose, to target the broad audience. This has led to the key sport stakeholders valuing the profit-making aspect of it over the actual game itself. This may get cited as the reason why sports reforms haven’t been made to meet the new physical demands of the athletes. Instead, priority is being given to creating new sponsorships and deals to maximize profits from every game, as opposed to making an effort in improving the game itself.
The women’s game is no different in this case, prioritizing commercial gain over the game itself, this not being restricted to ice hockey but cutting across all sports. The profits gained through the women’s game, though, are considerably lower, due to the little exposure the women’s game gets (Jay 4). The minimal profits have resulted in few investors paying attention to the women’s game, despite its undeniable quality.

From the above contrast of aspects of the modern sport made by the two writers, Tim Bowling and Jay Teitel, it is evident that both writers agree on the fact that modern sport has changed significantly over the years. It has been transformed into a commercialized venture with unsuitable playing conditions to accommodate the new breed of super-athletes unfair standards for the two genders. The women’s game still lags in terms of profits generated and a much smaller following, despite its unmistakable quality demonstrated of late. In conclusion, the views of the two writers on the current state of sports have many glaring similarities than differences. Both, in the end, support each other in asserting the fact that modern sport has lost its glamour and quality that was so wildly entertaining in the years past.

Works Cited

Bowling, Tim. “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye.” 2005. Essay Writing for Canadian

Students with Readings, edited by Roger David, et al., 7th ed., Pearson, 2013, pp. 211-15.

Teitel, Jay. “Shorter, Slower, Weaker: And That’s a Good Thing.”1997. Canadian Content,

edited by Nell Waldman and Sarah Norton, 5th ed., Nelson, 2003, pp. 149-53.