Is sport important to the nation?

Alison

Retrobike Rider
Gold Trader
Feedback
View
I was just listening to Call You and Yours Radio 4 and they were discussing sport and whether Britain's success in The Olympics and Cycling and Tennis has done anything for us, does this feel good factor have any benefits on the country as a whole, are we as a nation going to be any better off financially by being successful in sport? People were phoning in and some were saying that it's all a waste of money and there are poor, deprived and homeless people that all this is meaningless to and that is where the money should be spent.

I know from a previous thread that many feel exercise is important for your emotional well-being and thus perhaps sport is important for that, but should we be pumping as much money into sport so that sports personalities can be humungously well off, except if your a woman and then most sports that put men in mansions keep women in small terraced homes, while many live on a minimal subsistence?

Alison
 
Sport makes money lots of money, industries around them make money.. Otherwise they wouldn't be here in the capacity they are.
Some sports make people happy and other people sad (I like riding, makes me feel happy).
Even little sports, people buy things to do better or participate. Be it shoes or a bit of food and drink after.

As far as I know the expensive closing ceremony for the Olympics brought more money in from Tourist staying, eating and spending than it cost to put on.
Possibly not targeted income but keeps the Capital and the people linked with it and the Tax coffers rolling.
 
The whole cost of The Olympics though just managed to break even, although no losses, except if you class converting parts of it for other sports, it has not made Britain the place to come, just for that day and for The Olympics many people were made homeless as landlords started charging thousands a week to tenants landlords cashing in on the Olympic period.

Alison
 
Football is, it keeps the bulk of underclass blokes under control, with something to talk about, beer to drink, tabloids to read, wags to gawp at, and wifes to mould into their images.

Cycling, nah, it'll never be big, it doesn't make enough people enough money. Yet it something everyone could do for very little. But, as a sport, nah, just as a pastime.
And you couldn't go to get your shopping on a football.

Next folks will be saying golf or darts is a sport!
 
I don't think the benefits of success in sports need to be financial. It is the encouragement of activity that is important to me. Sports success inspires involvement, that is enough to justify the expenditure.

Studies show that access to sports helps enormously in deprived areas.
 
It is access to a diversity of sports that is important.

Like some of the people who phoned in, I did not enjoy sport at school, as I was rubbish at everything apart from cross country running and high jump. Even when I joined a (now well known) athletics club, I really got no support or help, so gave it all up. Many years later I found out I was a really good marksman and martial artists.

Kids today have the opportunity to try a much wider diversity of sports, and the publicity of the huge range of Olympic sports could kindle a desire to search out that sport locally.

As for the money side of things, yes there is a massive difference in the pay that a male and female can earn as a professional in many sports, and it is the job of the governing body of that sport to try and even things out, but it is the publicity and TV that really governs where the money goes and who gets it, hence why footballers earn such ridiculously high wages.
 
Back
Top