Monthly Archives: December 2011
Sport in Our Life
Sport has become an integral part of human life.The word ‘Sport’ had originated between 1910 and 1915. Sport connotes a physical activity governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Over the years Sport has undergone an amazing metamorphosis. Sport was initially developed for recreation of the human beings. It has grown monstrously in the modern days and become high-tech.
Sport, athletic games or tests of skill have been undertaken primarily for the diversion or recreation of the participants or spectators. Sport has great and varied manifestations. It has been restricted to any play, pastime, exercise, game or contest performed under the given rules.
It has been played either indoor or outdoor, on individual or team basis, with or without competition, but requiring skill and some form of physical exertion. Some Sports, such as hunting, fishing, running and swimming have evolved out of the primitive ways and lifestyle of human life. Some Sports, such as riding, shooting, throwing the javelin or archery have derived from early military practices and background. Sports like boxing, wrestling and jumping, had arisen from the spontaneous human outbursts and challenges and occasional hostilities that had accompanied human interaction.
The development of sport in the ancient, middle ages and in the modern days has been phenomenal. In the ancient days, the Greek and Roman had evinced a keen interest in developing sport. It was the Greek who organized the Olympics and interestingly people from all over the world participated and witnessed it. Thus modern Olympics had originated in Athens city of Greece. The feudal system of the middle ages had hampered the growth of sport that was revived only in the days of renaissance. In the modern days, especially in the 20th century, sport has witnessed an organized growth and development of games.Baseball in the US, cricket in England, hockey in countries like India and Pakistan are some of the games that developed rapidly in the 20 th century.Olympic games, Pan-American games, Commonwealth Games and Afro-Asian Games etc have been organized and held at periodic intervals, making the sport as an international event in the 20 th century.
In the 21 century, sport has turned ultra-modern and developed with high tech facilities.The games like cricket , football and hockey have increasingly become global.Frequent changes in the rules of the games have been further complicated by the umpiring controversies due to human errors.The building of ultramodern stadia, provision of adequate infrastructure facilities etc had further increased their problems manifold and put them under a heavy financial stake.On the other hand technology has facilitated live telecasting and viewing of the matches and games so easy, thereby easing the common mans’ burden to some extent.The Olympic events have been held under the auspices of International Olympic Association. Almost all countries of the world have become members of International Olympic Association and participate in Olympics, which is periodically held once in four years. Similarly cricket has a governing body called International Cricket Council to hold the premiere events like the world cup and the champions trophy etc with the object of spreading cricket throughout the world. Hockey has an International governing council known as International Hockey Federation, enrolling all hockey playing members in the world. Similarly soccer world cup has been held under the auspices of an international organization once in four years.The soccer playing member countries have to go through rigorous qualifying rounds before participating in the soccer world cup. Modern sport has also witnessed the evolution of multimillionaires like Sachin Tendulkar in cricket, Ronaldo in soccer, William sisters in Tennis, who have risen to prominence by dint of their hard work, skill and passion for their respective games.
The modern Sport has also witnessed the growth and development of sport and its allied industries. Media industry like Sports journalism, Sports education and online games etc have evolved and developed out of sports. Each country has a separate Sports ministry. For example India has a separate Sports Authority of India with sufficient funds to function separately and independently. Sports goods and apparels like tennis ball, rocket etc in tennis, bat, ball, flannels, Sport wears etc in cricket, hockey sticks, balls and synthetic astroturf etc in hockey have been the money spinning projects globally. Sponsorship has been a modern feature in popular games like cricket, soccer, tennis etc involving millions of dollars. Similarly popular players of cricket, soccer and tennis etc are engaged by the multinational companies to advertise their products, spending millions of dollars. Last but not least, Sport has been not only meant for recreation but also has the object of keeping the individual concerned in good health and stamina. We are all aware that a healthy person is a wealthy person and Sport has been the secret of ones’ health as well as wealth.
The Sports Industry – How to Find Your Dream Job
Though jobs in the sports industry might seem to be plentiful, it is a very competitive field. Divided into ten sections, this industry contains thousands of jobs in, sporting events, trade shows and meetings, sport sponsors, sport related media, sport facilities, sport retailers and manufactures, and professional sport services.
This industry in particular has a large turnover, a complex infrastructure, and an influence on many people’s lives via the media and participation. To completely understand the nature of the sports industry, one must know that it is composed of different components:
Different Components in the Sports Industry
o Sporting goods – equipment manufacturers, high street sports retailers
o Facility management, provision and maintenance – motor sport facilities, stadiums, sports and leisure centers
o Sports coaching
o Sports tourism – packages for fans attending the world cup matches, or Olympics
o Sports development – sports development initiatives, governing bodies for various sports, local authority sports development officers
o Sports-related gambling/betting
o Professional sport
o Health and fitness – health clubs, GP referral schemes, personal fitness
o Trainers
o Sports medicine -sports injury clinics, physiotherapists
o Outdoors and adventure activities – mountain biking, climbing, canoeing
To know every section of the sports industry, you must understand the type of activities that take place and the respective organizations that provide them. For instance, if you are planning to get involved with sporting goods, you should know the different types of goods that are available through specialist equipment manufacturers and high end retailers, plus names of the various companies involved.
Likewise, to seek a job in sports development, you should be aware of what ‘sports development’ is and the various jobs available for sports development officers, as well as the organizations that employ them, like the local authorities and charities governing bodies of different sports.
In general, people take it for granted that jobs are restricted within the sports industry. However, there are many other opportunities available. A job in the sports industry could range from that as a professional athlete, to a ball girl/ boy, to a general manager of a professional sports team. You don’t have to work for a professional sports team to get into the industry. You could start working as a trainer or coach for a high school team, a journalist, or a sports agent, or even work as a television broadcaster.
Salary Range in the Sports Industry
The sport, the team and the type of job, are some of the aspects that influence salaries in the sports industry. Following are examples of salary ranges of some jobs in the sports industry:
Coach: $20,000-$400,000+ (College) and $20,000-$70,000 (high school)
Sportscaster: $18,000-$1 million
Sportswriter: $15,000-$1 million
Sports Event Coordinator: $24,000-$90,000+
Education largely depends on the type of job one is planning to pursue. A college degree may not assure a job in the industry but may provide numerous opportunities for employment. Besides, it is almost impossible to get into the sports industry without experience. The best way to prepare for a job in the sports industry is to get maximum exposure.
An Ugly Conspiracy Turns Sinister Politics in Sports
It is a conspiracy. Monika Devi, one of the best weightlifters of the world has missed the Beijing Olympics. The episode is a humiliating chapter in the sports history.
Monika was intentionally and forcefully withdrawn from the Indian squad hours before she was to board the flight to Beijing for failing a dope test. Later it was announced that she was cleared of charges by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). To her dismay, she was not allowed to participate in the Olympics.
Who will make her losses? It is four years of dedication, hard work and perseverance that has been washed away by an alleged doping charge. The culprits must be find out and punished legally for assassinating the character and career of Monika Devi. They must also paid huge compensation to her.
Well, the Beijing Olympics is now a history and several records were made to be broken again at the 2012 London Olympics. India is happy this time with 3 Olympic medals. India has won a first ever gold in an individual event along with two bronze medals. It is improving now. But how will Indian sports shine when there are controversies, conspiracy and nepotism?
Monika episode is an eye opener to the ugly policies of the sport officials who are enjoying lavish lifestyles, drawing huge salaries from the government for the sake of promoting sports in the country. It is a conspiracy between the officials and players. This happens everywhere in the world. However, there must be some ways to deal with such dirty bureaucrats. Politicizing the Monika issue will be a wrong step. If the people do not react and agitated in a correct direction, it will end as a blame game, never to give justice to her.
Monika Devi, a Manipur born and wedded to a non Manipuri weightlifting coach, Santosh Kumar should clearly understand the situation she is facing now. She cannot kill her sporting career by politicizing the controversial issues; she should realize herself as one of the bright prospects for Indian sports in coming years. It is unwise for her to engage herself in the probe for truth. She should not forget the ethics, discipline and sportsmanship of a player. Let her husband whole heartedly fight to deliver justice to his Meetei wife. He might know how to deal with those Indian officials in Delhi.
It is absurd to call general strikes in Manipur state, any form of mass protests and burning the effigies of the Chief Minister of Manipur and other Political leaders of India. The Monika case is not a political issue; rather it is a personal matter between the officials and Monika. No political parties or leaders can solve her case. Instead of getting justice, the player might end her sporting career.
This is a battle where she will fight alone in a true sportsmanship. She should show to the world, the Chinese opponents or the Ukrainian player that she is not a failure. She should be ready to challenge them in other International championships again. It’s a false pride for her to proclaim that she might win a medal in the Beijing Olympics.
Currently Monika is 15th in the World ranking. Her record lift is just 235 kg in International competition. This is way behind the Bronze winning lift of 250 kg by the Ukrainian lifter, Natalya Davydova. It is wrong to underestimate the opponent player without participating in the competition. Be prepared, work harder, fight and proudly stand in the winning podium. Such ” I Might Do” words are often heard from Indian politicians, it is better she should stay away from politics and their political rhetoric.
It is sports that give Monika a Havildar post in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a good non Manipuri husband. She has no right to blame the Indian. She should have national feeling and pride. Will she able to severe her relationship with Santosh, an Indian? Not possible. It was the Army Chief JJ Singh who feted her for the silver medal in Melbourne Commonwealth Games with a cash award of Rs 75,000.
It is sad that people of Manipur seems to forget what is the value of sports in their life. After agriculture, sports are another avenue for job. 80% of Manipuri working in Central government departments are through sports quota. It is through sports that the Manipuri race is known by the International community.
Today, politics find a way into the sports in Manipur. A conspiracy to stop Monika from participating the Olympics has become a political issue. It has a negative impact on the minds of players in the state. Mass protest rallies were organized by players from different localities of the state. Some have decided not to participate in International and National sports competition. Why such politics in sports? Will Monika get justice with their decision of boycotting the competition? Who are the losers? It is not India which will lose; rather it is the players whose dream of becoming an International player that has been at the receiving ends.
Instead of boycotting the national championships and National Games, every player from Manipur should support Monika. They should wear a black badge as a sign of protesting the corrupt sports officials in India. Play well and achieve victory. Keep on protesting till Monika get justice.
There is no way a Manipuri player can participate in any International championship representing as a separate region. It is correct to record that Indian sports are dominated almost by Manipuri players. But not at the International level. Except Mary Kom – the Women Boxer, none of the state player has record breaking performances. Most of them are one time lucky who cannot repeat their performances better in their next participations. Manipur sports policy should be reformed before considering of a separate team in any international championship.
The Monika issue is so burning and agitating in the state of Manipur, there were no welcome celebrations for two state Olympians – Laishram Bombayla Devi and Khumukcham Tombi Devi. It is a great feat for the people of Manipur that out of the 57 players, two are from the state. There is no celebration for the recipient of Arjuna award winner for 2007, Khumukcham Tombi Devi too.
What will Monika do now? Will she keep on fighting the officials, or concentrate on her game as a true sportsmanship? She must practice harder and cautious enough to get rid of her enemy. There is no use of boycotting and running away from the game, she should prove her best. If she thinks the Indian sports officials are doing injustice to her, think of playing for Manipur, representing some other nations.
For instance, she can approach the New Zealand government organization for granting resident visa to talented people with sports at International level. Alternatively, she can start training young players for future. She should never think of politics in games and sports. The primary goal of every player is to display better social values such as sportsmanship, on and off the court. Always remember the motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius.”