A career is basically the course of situations that form an individual’s work life. A career is important to every person, and as growing up, it is considered most vital to do activities and follow the lifestyle that would help in building a fruitful and prolific career. The purpose of this essay is to cover all the aspects of a chosen job or a career falling into the profession that is chosen to be sports. It would outline all the prospects, opportunities, and openings that may be available to an individual through the successful accomplishment in the profession. Furthermore, the basic features such as the earnings, benefits, required expertise, education, and other aspects related to sports and being a sportsperson would also be covered in the paper.
With the passage of time and the progress of the globalization phenomenon, there has become a diverse and widespread range of careers available for people to implement according to their skills. A career pertains to remunerative work, and the return that one gets out of his or her career is based upon the combination of skills, knowledge, and most importantly, the right choice of profession. Having a successful career is very important in today’s highly competitive work environment as every individual is eager to earn a luxurious lifestyle, and it is vital to excelling in the work career if one wants to be able to have a better standard of living. There are a plethora of jobs alternatives that are given preference according to a person’s interest, skills, and of course, the prospect that would be achieved through the job. Career counseling is another career that is available to people for them to discover what they are good at and what kind of career they would have the most interest in and would hence, excel. Also, career assessment opportunities help people explore and better identify and articulate the jobs that would be most suitable to them and would complement their personalities, values, and skills.
Through the numerous substitutes available to pursue as a profession, one that is emerging as the most prolific and productive is the career in sports. There has been an extended engagement in sports and leisure activities by people in all parts of the world, in particular among those in the industrialized world. A sport is entertainment that is enjoyed in every part of the world. With the increase of leisure time and the spread of mass media and marketing, there has become professionalism. Furthermore, with the passage of time and due to the awareness about the positive effects of sports and leisure activities on work outputs, social behavior, and mental and physical health, organizations have been promoting sports as a means to strengthen productivity and innovation. This new importance of sports has caused a healthy increase in the leisure and sports sector of the economies. In this decade of modernization and with the help of the media boom all around the globe, sports is said to have become a global business that helps generate billions for all the stakeholders involved. There are a number of careers involved in sports, such as a sports team doctor who stays alongside the team and assists if any medical help is needed as well as executives, marketers, writers, and academics. Sports management is also another booming career that is flourishing career that beings people of business backgrounds in this profession. However, a sportsperson, or rather known as an athlete, is someone who plays in the team, and this career is thought of as the best that a career could offer to an individual.
Just like any other profession or career, the one in sports follows a series of step-by-step accomplishments. It starts at a low stage, and how much a person can excel as a sportsperson depends solely upon the combination of skills and opportunities. Making a proper career out of sports is something that is new to the professional world, and it is a niche that is rapidly coming up as one of the most flourishing career openings because of the increasing awareness and importance of sports throughout the globe. Being a sportsperson seems very glamorous and attractive as it may be the best way to do something one loves and earn a living out of it. But it is, in fact, not that simple as everyone is not good enough as a sportsperson to play at a level that is nationally or internationally recognized.
Being a sportsperson has many advantages and benefits, but the fact is that it is not easy to accomplish as a superior sportsperson or an athlete. Being a sportsperson requires a lot of effort, time, hard work, and enthusiasm. Professional sportspeople need to have a high level of sporting abilities and need to be able to play at national and international levels alongside other competitors who may have more skills. The knowledge requirements include good knowledge of the rules, techniques, and skills of the sport. It is very important for sportspeople to maintain fitness and healthiness by following a healthy diet and lifestyle because they are dependent on their physical fitness to maintain good standing in the sport. Another requirement that professional sportspeople need to maintain is to be disciplined, self-confident, and motivated. These personal qualities help them gain the strength and enthusiasm to put in the utmost effort. They must be dedicated and need to train themselves to develop or maintain their skills in order to remain competitive. Moreover, people who wish to enter into a career in sports need to have a good level of fitness and health and a body that has enough stamina to cope with the physical demands of their job. It is often said that having a sporting ability is something that is innate or which develops at a very early age. But although it is true that excelling in a sport to a level that is recognized nationally or internationally requires almost a lifetime of practice and effort, yet it cannot be claimed that it is something that needs to be acknowledged at a very early age. Sports calls for a healthy body with time and training to develop the skill, and it only gets better with time.
According to the article by Settimi named ‘Highest earners on the pitch,’ one of the major benefits that are available to successful sportspeople is the financial gains and the amount of salary that they get. The salary structure of sportspeople is never stable; over the normal salary amount, they get the payment according to the number of matches that they play and according to their wins. Sports is said to be the only profession that pays so much to do recreation. However, people who play at the lower levels may not earn a lot, but considering that they do not require much of the technical skills, they may find it worth it. Sports is a product that gains attention from a large number of viewers, and the revenue is not earned through the sale of a tangible item but rather through gaining the interest and devotion of the people that are engrossed in the game. Sports have the tendency to earn revenue from a number of sources. These could include, firstly, the revenue from the sale of tickets which is quite a lot when it comes to games that are played globally and on a large scale. Second, due to the mass viewership of games of sports, companies find it as a blooming opportunity to promote their products and pay large amounts of money to reserve their spots. Along with these, there are other main return bases of sports, such as the selling of television rights to air the matches and seasons on various television channels.
According to the article ‘Sponsorship form’ in the Economist, Sponsorship is also a vital reason for the large pay scale of sportspeople. Sponsorship is received not only by games, but there are also by companies and brands that sponsor individual athletes. However, the problem with sponsoring a particular team is the supporters of other teams may feel opposed or alienated from the brand; similarly, if a sponsored player behaves badly, it would affect the image of the sponsor brand. Hence, sponsorship of a particular team or athlete doesn’t always lead to higher sales, and the sponsorship of sports events has the edge. Sponsorship of games is considered as profitable as advertising because sports has the tendency of gaining the attention of a large number of people, and it thrives on forming an emotional connection with the viewers, as a result of which, the companies reinforce their being through displaying themselves to a large audience with the help of a sports platform. Also, ‘sports is something that is watched throughout the world, it seems to have no national barriers, and therefore companies find it beneficial to market themselves across countries through sports events’ (Stimpson, 2002). These sponsorships are worth millions, and they largely benefit the stakeholders of sports, such as the players.
Having a career in sports is a chance that may also be available to the people who do not have the resources or the access to gain a formal education. An article named ‘field of dreams’ states the trend of a number of agencies going to other countries and look for talented sportspeople who they can train to be better and play for them. These people get lucky and end up earning hundreds of thousands out of their sporting abilities. The citizens of places like Africa who are struck by poverty hope to send their children to Europe or other places where they can get a chance in sports and earn a better living. The article explains the recruiting practices that bring aspiring players from poor regions of the world to more developed countries.
Another phenomenon pointed out in the article by Larmer, ‘The guns for hire will work for gold,’ is the fact that many nations are benefiting from the recruitment of foreign athletes to represent them in the Olympics. Recently, two volleyball players who originally belonged to Brazil became citizens of Georgia for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Similarly, countries such as Qatar and Bahrain also recruited athletes from Africa and paid them millions of dollars for representing these countries. This strategy is helpful for the countries that have a lot of money, but they do not have athletes who could make a name for them in worldwide renowned events such as the Olympics. This proves to be another plus point for being a good sportsperson. The prospects are available worldwide, and it is not subjected to any language or cultural barriers. This globalization of sports is another one of many opportunities that are open to people that chose sports as a career at an early point in time.
A career in sports is said to last as long as the person is fit and plays the games. But the main charm of this career is that even though the players may not be playing any sport, they may still have several ways to make millions through the name that they have made of themselves. Sports tend to gain attention throughout the world; this may be through mass media or other sorts of promotional activities. Hence, any player that is good enough to be featured in games held internationally gets to be known and admired by the people who watch these games with utmost interest and enthusiasm. Once a sportsperson is ended with playing in a certain team, he or she would probably be known by a large number of the world’s population which would prove beneficial as they would be somebody with a name and respect. We can see examples of players such as David Beckham and Michael Jordan who not only earn through their sporting career but also make a fortune out of the name that they have earned for themselves. There are many other sporting vocations other than being a player, which a sportsperson can take up and be better at because of his or her experience, understanding, and exposure in the field. There are many athletes who, after retirement, tend to become coaches or trainers for other athletes. The job of manager of sports teams or players is also an opportunity open to retired athletes along with a number of other jobs that a sportsperson can venture into after the sportsperson career.
Through the advent of globalization and the formation of the world as more of a global village, the sports industry is following a similar pattern. Sporting labor markets are becoming global as the teams now comprise players from all parts of the world. Similar to other business markets, the sports market is now also in the state of the import and exports of players. This factor is a beneficial aspect for a sportsperson as the most talented players are gravitating towards the richest employers who pay them a lot more than they can earn otherwise. In return for this, the best players benefit these organizations by attracting more fans and, thus, more revenue. However, there are many sports that foreign countries are unaware of, such as American football. These sports are played only in certain countries, and thus the prospects of the players of these sports are less towards globalization of sports. Yet, with the passage of time, there are efforts made through media, advertisements, and exhibition of matches to promote these sports in areas where they are not played or, for that matter, even known.
One of the key advantages to the sportspeople of the globalization of the sports industry is that playing at an international level opens a new base and creates a bigger fan following for the athletes. Many of the sporting events are now aiming at playing on international grounds in order to promote themselves on a broader level around different parts of the world. For example, the English football leagues have the practice that every team plays every other twice, once on the home ground and once away. Hence, it is beneficial as the expansion of the viewership of the game is directly proportional to the expansion of the viewership of the team players.
When sportspeople retire from sports, they still have a number of doors open to them. According to the article in ‘The economist,’ named as ‘fun, games and money,’ Hiring Sportspeople for promoting the products to the consumers is a great attraction for organizations that are looking for ways to increase their market share and brand awareness. Companies aim to use the sportspeople to be their brand ambassadors and promoters because they believe that if people are interested in the sport, they would be interested in the players, and if they are interested in the player, they may become interested in them and their product. This is a well-renowned strategy and is beneficial since there are a large number of people who are interested in sports and maybe attracted through this form of advertising. The return that companies get out of the use of athletes and sportspeople as their brand ambassadors is remarkable. It is evident that people tend to take athletes as role models and aim to follow a similar lifestyle, and thus, an athlete promoting a particular product could lay a great impact on the audience. For this influence and power that the sportspeople hold, companies are inclined to pay them in very large amounts, which could earn them a luxurious living even when they are no more a part of any sporting activity. This further opens opportunities to these athletes that are better known and become and a household name in major parts of the world and can access other television professions as well.
The openings, prospects, and opportunities available to athletes is remarkable as it allows them to make a name for themselves and even though it is argued that a profession in sports is always limited to a certain age, carving an influence and making a name in this profession leads to a career that can flourish for more than a lifetime. In the end, it is important to recognize the struggles that need to be made in order to cross the hurdles that come in the way. Furthermore, it is often possible that an outstanding athlete may go unrecognized if not provided with the right forum to be noticed, and sometimes without the right guidelines and awareness, it is difficult to accomplish a career in this field. As time progresses, the field of sports as a professional career is becoming more competitive, but the possibility of it saturating is not viable, seeing that there is a constant cycle of players emerging, flourishing, and retiring hence, making room for upcoming more talented and dedicated athletes. Therefore, if one has the required talent, skills, and abilities, it could not get better than that in making a career out of and using this endowment in the best possible manner.
Works Cited
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“Fun, games and money”. The Economist. 2008: Vol. 387 Issue 8591, Special Report. p3-4.
Kahn, L. M. “Discrimination in Professional Sports: A Survey of the Literature”. Industrial & Labor Relations Review. 1991: Vol. 44 Issue 3. p395-418.
“Local Heroes”. Economist. 2008: Vol. 387 Issue 8591, Special Report. p10-12.
Salter, C. “The Most Valuable Player in Sports is…this Doctor”. Fast Company. Issue 128. 2008: 104-140.
Settimi, C. “Highest Earners on the Pitch”. Forbes Asia. Vol. 4 Issue 9. 2008.
“Sponsorship Form”. Economist. 2008: Vol. 387 Issue 8591, Special Report. p7-9.
Larmer, B. The gun’s for hire will work for gold. Time south pacific, Issue 34 (Australia /New Zealand Edition). p53. 2008.
Walt, V (2008). Field of Dreams. Time south pacific, Issue 25 (Australia /New Zealand Edition). p34-39.