These are some definitions of the word ‘sport’
- an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for *entertainment.
- play in a lively, energetic way.
- an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and *often of a competitive nature (dictionary.com) *Bold is my emphasis
For me this means do it for fun, some competition and to entertain others. I quote Roger Federer, “I will retire from competitive tennis when I no longer enjoy it.” Although he keeps fit and wins lots of matches he doesn’t say that he will quit when:
- he no longer wants to be fit enough to smash the ball around the court; or
- he has enough money; or
- he is tired of travelling.
No, but only when it no longer gives him pleasure and that should be the approach to playing a sport at any level.
A few months ago DSTV not only increased the number of sports channels available but also reprogrammed them all so that each channel is now dedicated to a particular sport 24/7. My husband began playing tennis in his early teens and, as he improved, he used to play Club and League tennis up to 6 times a week until September 2009 when he decided to retire from the game because he felt that he was not playing well. Not only was he unhappy going to tennis but he also felt that others probably weren’t enjoying playing with him as much as they had before. This has not stopped him watching tennis and, with this change in programming of the sports channels combined with his staying at home so much more being retired, he is thrilled that he can watch world tennis without a break and doesn’t have to search the newspapers and TV channels to find the different tournaments and matches being played each week. He does watch other sports but tennis is his No. 1 choice.
As a result of the tennis being on virtually all day I get to see and hear it and don’t enjoy it. The continual grunting and screeching, the need for medical timeouts and treatment and the only shot is to hit the ball as hard as possible with limited skill and finesse is what it seems to me. In virtually every match at least one of the players comes on to the court with strapping on various parts of the body and/or needs physio treatment during the match for that old injury or a new one they get from a slide or fall. I question as to whether they should be allowed to play if they still have an injury. More often than not an existing injury results in the player retiring from the match. Another shocking activity which seems to have taken over in tennis is the destruction of the players’ equipment, particularly racquets. John McEnroe was known to be a player who vented his feelings but never to the point of destroying property.
It is almost as bad as ruining the gorgeous game of cricket with limited overs and rules which strongly favour the batsmen. To me it is hardly better than the ‘hit and run’ we used to play in our backyard. What happened to the game of skill and having to consider the whole match and so play towards the best possible outcome? If the match ends in a draw, some say that it has ended without a result but that is not correct. A draw means that neither team was able to score the greater number of runs and bowl the other team out twice. I have watched matches where the opening batsman was able to protect his wicket through all 3 sessions on the final day without trying to hit wildly to score the runs he knew his team could never make. No, he ensured that he was not bowled out and so the match ended in a draw and not a loss. Skilful, accurate and delightful play. But this game too has become one of bad language between players and teams having the opportunity to question the umpire’s judgement and/or decision. At least they don’t break their bats in frustration when losing but there are times when the bowler seems to be aiming directly at the batsman’s body which has, on occasion, resulted in serious injury. Where is the fun in that?
Another sport which is no longer seems to be played for fun or entertainment is football, or soccer as it is known in some countries. There is only one goal and that is to win. Just looking at the English Football League, it is painful to see how many foreign players there are in each team. In 1992 there were just 13 foreign players in the whole of the Premier League. By 2017 there were so many that 65 countries were represented, with one league team sporting 3 English players in a squad of 15! In the determination to win the clubs are willing to sacrifice opportunities for up and coming English local club players and employ foreigners from all over the world, at a price of course. In addition, these players are frequently not released to go home to play for their home country.
Does it all hinge around money? In my mind, there is no doubt that it does. Playing for one’s country, city or club does not appear to be the honour it once was.
Originating in India with the Indian Premier League (IPL), Cricket T20 competitions, with an international mix of players in each team, have grown fast in popularity. Other countries, including Australia, Bangladesh and the West Indies, are now following suit. Players are bought through an auction by extremely wealthy business men and women or companies for enormous sums of money and these players will actually relinquish the opportunity to play for their country so that they can earn this inordinate sum. The highest paid cricketer in 2020 earned $4m+ and the lowest salary was $280K for 2 months play. Money has become such an icon or idol that more and more players are involved in scams and cheating.
Tennis has also become a sport ruled by money. The prizes, even for the players who lose in the first round of a tournament, are unbelievable. Although large sums are paid in the world of tennis I shall use Wimbledon as an example. It was in 1968 that prize money was first paid at Wimbledon and the winner was awarded £2 000 (a little over $2800). In 2021 the 2 Singles winners will each receive £1.5m while the loser of the 1st round of Qualifying will be paid £7000. The total prize money will be £55m.
Football is by far the most expensive sport with players being bought and sold for 10s of millions of British Pounds. In 2020 the top 100 players cost between 45m and 222m Euros meaning that a total of 66830m Euros were spent on transferring the top 100 players. Is any person really worth that amount of money to play a sport?
Formula 1 Motoring is just about as bad in the money stakes. Drivers are paid very lucrative salaries and find it virtually impossible to get a position with a F1 team unless they come with money, either their own or from sponsors. Individual teams budgets are capped by the governing body to protect the lesser teams but it is still millions and millions of dollars for each of the 20+ races held in a year.
All this money being spent on buying and selling people sounds a bit like slavery actually!
In addition to all of this the sports teams each now have a main coach, a couple of assistant coaches for specific parts of the game, physios, dieticians and even psychologists in some instances. Tennis players are expected to pay for their own individual team members so their prize winnings have been increased more than others recently.
Injuries in tennis, as mentioned above, but also in other sports are, for me, another serious issue as is the younger and younger age at which players turn professional. They are expected to play at a very high level physically although their bones and muscles are not fully developed until they are around 25 years old. They stand at the back of the court and just hit back and forth extremely hard. The stress on their bodies is phenomenal. It leaves one wondering for how long they will be able to play such high level of tennis and what their bodies will be like at the age of 50+.
For me, the joy of playing any sport has been significantly reduced. Besides the damage being done to their bodies, there is also the issue of what effects it will have on their social and psychological lives through having such high sums of money available to them at a fairly young age.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Note: all opinions and comments in this blog are those of the author alone.
Wimbledon Prize Money for 2021 – Racket Sports World
US Open Reveals 2020 Prize Money Distribution | ATP Tour | Tennis
The 100 most expensive football transfers of all time | Goal.com
Top 7 Richest T20 Cricket Leagues in the World |History | Stats- KreedOn
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