The Age of Sports

Application Question: The passage raised several reasons why sport has become globalized and dominant. Do you agree with the author's arguments? Justify your answer.

In the passage "The Age of Sport", the author has attributed the globalization and domination of sports to the new emphasis on individual skills, education, the relationship between mind and body, as well as the need for constant self-reinvention in this post-industrial era.

I do agree that all the above reasons have resulted in sports becoming globalised and dominant. However, I think the crux of the whole issue is the people's obsession in leading a healthy lifestyle. It is not just about the relation between mind and body but more of looking good, especially in this fashion conscious world today. Thanks to the huge splash of advertising worldwide which features lean models, everyone wants to have a tone and lean figure – too thin is considered anorexic while just a little more than lean is considered "fat". Hence, sports seem to be the answer for the ideal figure. Sports is known to be a fun form of exercise, which means is can help to control weight by burning excess body fat and help one achieve a tone build by strengthening muscles.

In addition, there is another way in which people's obsession in looking good has resulted in the domination of sports. This comes in the form of the desire to achieve the 'sporty' look. The idea of a sportsperson perpetuates the image of a person who is fit, active, disciplined and has some exceptional skills that normal people does not. So, more people are getting into sportswear in the hope of achieving this image of a sportsperson, thus making themselves seem more outgoing.

Of course, globalization and domination of sports is not just due to personal reasons. One reason not mentioned by the author is the increasing wealth among people. Many people are getter richer and so are able to afford committing themselves to sports. Sports can be quite expensive. From the cost of sportswear to equipment to probably a trainer, everything can sum up to be a pretty huge amount. In the past, little people are able to fork out so much money to pay for such sports but now, people are not only able to do so but can even afford to try out new sports, hence explaining the ability of sports to cross national frontiers.

In conclusion, I agree with the writer's arguments to some extent because the globalization and domination of sports is not just due to new emphasis on individual skills, education, the relationship between mind and body, as well as the need for constant self-reinvention but more or greater emphasis on looking good and increased wealth among the people.