Question

1. “Almost no local sporting enclaves are completely independent of the globalization of sport and, indeed, today’s constant penetration of the global into the local has already resulted in a great deal of integration and hybridization of the two at a local level."

(With reference to specific sporting examples, critically discuss this assertion that globalization has had a near total impact on sport and conclude by thinking about this claim in a post-COVID-19 world.)

Answer 1

1. “Almost no local sporting enclaves are completely independent of the globalization of sport and, indeed, today’s constant penetration of the global into the local has already resulted in a great deal of integration and hybridization of the two at a local level."

ANSWER-

By means of our approach, we will try to bring to light the main demands and restrictions that have lain and will continue to lie at the basis of the evolution and of the confrontation, of the purpose and of the goals of the Olympic Movement, of sports in general, and their connection with the problems of mankind from the perspective of globalization. From this perspective, one of the premises of our approach starts from the fact that, by comparison to the past, mankind has reached the wall, this aspect being highlighted by the recent unprecedented population growth and by the inhabitation of the most unexpected Earth areas (recently, we have recorded 7 billion inhabitants). At the same time, given the existing means of communication and transport, namely given the compression of time and space, the human individual has become homo planetarium being present anywhere and anytime, in this way getting to reach the limits of any delimitation that man has ever wanted to know and to experiment professionally, emotionally or affectively. Yet, this phenomenon is nothing new.

In 1955, A. Gregg stated, for instance, that “The Earth has cancer, and the cancer is man”; 19 years later, in Mankind at the Turning Point, J. Clifford stated that “suddenly…the world has found itself faced with a series of unprecedented crises… The intensity of the crisis appeared in the world’s global development… can only be solved in a global context". Then, we attained the concept of "organic growth", which later on became, after many transformations, the concept of “sustainable development”, concepts that are still evolving.

Doubtlessly, the most important sports competitions, by the enthusiasm they generate, do promote a strong social, economic and educational interaction; sometimes the impact that sport events have may be stronger than all the texts of any political conventions. The friends of sports organize contests or participate in them as simple spectators, accepting without reserve democratic procedures, international treaties, rules and relations based on common goals and values.

So, globalization is becoming a process of increased interdependence among societies and people on an economic, political, cultural and social level. Trade ties, battles, migration and culture have been present everywhere in mankind’s history. The recent globalization process has delivered from chains and brought independence to many people from different parts of the Globe.

The impact of COVID-19 on sport -

To safeguard the health of athletes and others involved, most major sporting events at international, regional and national levels have been cancelled or postponed – from marathons to football tournaments, athletics championships to basketball games, handball to ice hockey, rugby, cricket, sailing, skiing, weightlifting to wrestling and more. The Olympics and Paralympics, for the first time in the history of the modern games, have been postponed, and will be held in 2021.

The global value of the sports industry is estima­ted at US$756 billion annually. In the face of COVID-19, many millions of jobs are therefore at risk globally, not only for sports professionals but also for those in related retail and sporting services industries connected with leagues and events, which include travel, tourism, infrastructure, transportation, catering and media broadcasting, among others. Professional athletes are also under pressure to reschedule their training, while trying to stay fit at home, and they risk losing professional sponsors who may not support them as initially agreed.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in closure of gyms, stadiums, pools, dance and fitness studios, physiotherapy centres, parks and playgrounds. Many individuals are therefore not able to actively participate in their regular individual or group sporting or physical activities outside of their homes. Under such conditions, many tend to be less physically active, have longer screen time, irregular sleep patterns as well as worse diets, resulting in weight gain and loss of physical fitness. Low-income families are especially vulnerable to negative effects of stay at home rules as they tend to have sub-standard accommodations and more confined spaces, making it difficult to engage in physical exercise.