The human connection to the sport has been a subject of discussion since the dawn of civilization. Although driven by different purposes, people try to make sports a part of their lives in order to feel healthier and more organized. However, while some people see physical activity as a means of relaxation and pastime, others pursue a career in commercial sports. The commercial sports sector does not redefine the overall perception of the sport as physical activity, but instead of wellness, it places emphasis on media image, profitability, and competition. As a result, players involved in commercial sports feel pressurized to compete and lose the sense of pastime and relaxation associated with it.
Since childhood, sporting activities have drawn the attention of young people through education and media. Indeed, the non-profit sport management sectors worldwide allocate funding to motivate youth to take care of their bodies and mental health with the help of a physical activity. Meanwhile, the media portrayed the successful images of professional sportspeople worldwide. By seeing the scope of popularity and financial welfare of notorious athletes, children and young people from quite a young age become motivated by the image rather than the hard work and effort associated with sports. The issue of image is later extrapolated to the public attitude toward sport, as even at schools and universities, students with more physical abilities are perceived as more popular, successful, and respected in the community.
Undeniably, the media attention to the sports industry plays a crucial role in the overall popularization of well-being and better health status within the community. On the other hand, however, the media pressure of commercial sports makes it harder for people to find joy in doing what they genuinely love. Any sports interest pursued by a person is expected to have a specific result on a person, whether it is pursuing a professional career or burning extra calories. As a result, many people nowadays are trying their best to shift from the media-encourages sports to something less popular and more authentic.
A prime example of a sport perpetuated by media is boxing, as when people think of the industry, they are likely to have a ready-made image of a professional boxer in mind. The media cover every important boxing event because the process is appealing to the audience. Boxing seems to have several components to a profitable media project, including constant action and the right amount of violence. Nowadays, famous boxers have become a part of various media projects, including advertising, night shows, and movies. However, it is reasonable to wonder how the success of boxing was shaped if less media attention was involved in the process.
Once sport becomes commercial, it loses the focus on authenticity and the role of the sport itself. Instead, the industry shifts the focus toward the agents who perform the action and their heroic activity. Unlike recreational sports, commercial endeavors are eager to change the rules of a game in order to satisfy the spectator. As a result, both viewers and players lose their interest in aesthetics and devote effort to creating an intense show that would yield more profit. Hence, it may be concluded that commercialized sports, since early childhood, encourage people to be invested in the image rather than the process, whereas recreational sports that do not depend on the media image and advocate for the aesthetic action behind the process.