GLOBALISATION,
COMMERCIALISATION &
AMERICANISATION
22/10/12
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• KNOW THE MEANING OF THE TERMS
“GLOBALISATION”,“COMMERCIALISATION” &
AMERICANISATION”
• UNDERSTAND HOW SPORT QUICKLY BECAME
A BUSINESS
• BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE IMPACT OF THE
MEDIA ON WORLD SPORT
Task
• Who is responsible for the revival of the
Modern Olympics?
• How did sport spread from England to the rest
of the world? Give 3 examples
• Answer: Pierre De Coubetin
• Answer: British Empire, eg. Army, Expats,
Ports, Teachers abroad etc
The Development of Competitive Sport
21st Century Sport
The Globalisation of Sport
• Refers to the spread of sport across
national and cultural borders.
• Almost two distinct phases of the
globalisation of sport occurred during the;
– Nineteenth and
– twentieth Centuries
The Development of Competitive Sport
21st Century Sport
The Globalisation of Sport
Nineteenth and early twentieth Century Globalisation
• Sport was spread by traders and commerce, setting up clubs in ports
etc.
• The army encouraged sport to improve moral and for the training of
the soldiers and so took the sports across the world.
• Sport was spread via the education system with many British
teachers teaching abroad.
• The church also used sport as a means of social control and
education both at home and with their missionaries.
• Ex pats / emigrants formed clubs abroad.
• Diplomats took sports with them to their countries of work.
• Foreign students attending university in England and then returning
home.
The Development of Competitive Sport
21st Century Sport
The Globalisation of Sport
Late Twentieth Century Globalisation
• Invention and spread of televisions
• Consequent growth in popularity of the
– Olympics
– FIFA World Cup
– Rugby & Cricket World Cup’s
– Tennis Grand Slams
• Use of sport as a nation building tool / importance on international
success.
• Use of sport as a substitute for conflict – the cold war and USA vs
Soviet Union
• Increased commercialisation & Americanisation of sport
Task: Host Nation
• Why do you think countries “bid” to become
the host nation of global sporting events?
• Give 3 reasons
• What negatives might there be? List 3
• Answer: National Pride, Profit (tourism,
broadcasting rights, sponsorship), Home
advantage for athletes
• Answer: Security, Failure, Cost
The Development of Competitive Sport
21st Century Sport
Americanisation of Sport
American society is largely based on the
following;
•
•
•
•
Free Enterprise - capitalism
Meritocracy – American dream, - You CAN achieve.
Need to win – win at all costs.
Big, Bigger, Best.
The Development of Competitive Sport
21st Century Sport
Americanisation of Sport
Where Sport is seen as a Commodity and the market assumes
control.
The sale of TV rights becomes a major source of funding for
sports and the teams, exceeding the revenue from paying
spectators
Commercialisation
• The rise of sport as a business
• As the popularity of sport increases, so does the
opportunity to make a profit from it
• As global events have arisen, due to improved
travel (by air) and improved broadcasting (digital
TV)
• With such big audiences, companies pay huge
sums of money to advertise in these “shop
windows”
• Media corporations pay millions to secure the
rights to air such events
Task
• How much do you think the broadcasting
rights for the English Premiership sell for?
• Answer: £3 billion domestically
• This is the worlds richest sports competition
Examples of Audiences
• 2012 Olympic games: Opening ceremony =
23.02million viewers, closing ceremony = 23.2
million viewers (UK figures)
• Men’s 100m final: 2 billion worldwide……
• …… but none in America – they chose not to
show it live.
• They showed it delayed during peak viewing
hours
Case Study: The “Hamburger”
Olympics
• LA 1984
• US government withdrew funding due to previous
problems (Montreal went bankrupt in 1976)
• Peter Uberroth needed to find a way of paying for the
games
• 2 solutions – 1 company were offered broadcasting rights
• Leased the rings logo to sponsors who could sell “official”
merchandise
• This was the first Olympics in history to record a profit
• “Hamburger” nickname was due to the sponsorship
provided by McDonalds
Task: To be completed for homework
• Choose a global sports event, eg. The FIFA
World Cup
• Do some research to find out how much
money is paid for various aspects, such as TV
rights, sponsorship, official merchandise etc
• Choose a global sports star, eg. Usain Bolt
• Find out how much money they make from
sponsorship and other deals