Running Head: GLOBALIZATION GLOBALIZATION OF SPORT: AN INCONVIENT TRUTH FRED BENNETT ASHLAND UNIVERSITY |1 GLOBALIZATION |2 Summary The article Globalization of Sport: An Inconvenient Truth (Thibault, 2009) discussed the issues involved in the globalization of sport and the affect the issues have on the field of sport management. The author wrote his article for a number of reasons; the importance of globalization to sport managers, controversial issues or professional and amateur sports that are global, powerful organizations around the world, and why sport managers need to understand globalization for their careers. The article states that there have been many positive outcomes from globalization to sport management but the positives do not come without negatives. “In the numerous works on globalization, several factors have been identified as playing a key role in the increasing movement toward globalization. These factors include: pressures from transnational corporations, international capital, neoliberal economies, and right-wing governments where markets have become deregulated and trade relations among countries have increased” (Thibault, 2009, p.2). Globalization has been very beneficial to sport. It has helped with the diversity in athletes in many major sporting leagues. Globalization has also increased the number of countries that participate in international sporting events. With globalization has also came an increased number of athletes participating in a wide range of sports that even cross religion and gender lines in some countries. “The evidence also includes the increasing opportunities athletes, coaches, and leaders have been able to access because of the global nature of sport” (Thibault, 2009, p.3). The article states that although there are many positives with globalization of sport there are also negatives from globalization. It is stated that the success of globalization come at the expense of the less fortunate individuals, organizations, and countries. The article is based off GLOBALIZATION |3 four main issues; using a developing countries workforce to produce sports products and sports goods, the migration of athletes, sport media, and sports impact on environment (Thibault, 2009). Critical Analysis This article provided evidence that globalization of sports has negative aspects and that globalization is not always good. The first aspect that the article analyzed was using a developing countries workforce to produce sports products and sports goods. These working forces usually have the worst of working conditions and usually do not get paid very well. The article states that even with organizations such as the International Labor Organization the labor forces in undeveloped countries are not treated well in making sports products (Thibault, 2009). This part of the article makes sense because Nike was caught using sweatshops to produce their sports products and shoes. Nike has be criticized for using sweatshops since the early 1970’s and were criticized heavily when the 1990’s came around and everyone suspected Nike goods were being made in sweatshops. In 2001, when Nike director Tom McKean stated in an interview that they knew about the sweatshops and basically said that they cannot control what is going on in other countries ("Nike sweatshops," 2011). The second aspect that the article analyzed was the migration of athletes to other countries to receive better benefits. When the athlete leave their native country to participate in another they usually get the benefits of better resources but they counties they leave get scarred. These countries are scarred because the best athletes leave and the talent in the country begins to diminish and what is left is talent that cannot compete with other countries leaving the countries to be known as unskilled or weak in sports (Thibault, 2009). This argue makes sense because athletes leave less developed sporting countries to go to the best leagues in the world, and when these athletes sign contracts for their new sporting leagues they can be clauses in the contract that GLOBALIZATION |4 make their participation in the international aspect prohibited. Since these players are not allowed to participate internationally their country does not get the recognition that it should for producing the athlete. When the countries do not get the recognition for producing the athlete it hurts the country and makes outsiders feel that the country does not produce great athletes. Another part of this aspect is athletes born in one country but have heritage in another country. For example, in 2004 the American baseball and softball teams did not qualify for the Olympic Games but there were 20 American athletes representing the Greek teams. These athletes were Americans with Greek heritage. This is a problem because national sports leaders in global countries are trying to steal players from their native countries to play sports in their countries. The countries that can offer the best incentives usually get the best athletes to come play for their countries making the other counties suffer (Thibault, 2009). The third aspect the article discussed was global sport media complex. Media which is one aspect of the golden triangle is a very important piece for a country to become a global sports country. Media has become so important to sports that there have even been rule changes to sports and commercial breaks from the game. One of the problems with media being a huge factor in sports is the fact that media targets what people want to watch and the other sports get left out. The sports that are omitted take hit with popularity and people no longer wish to play those sports because they have no one to relate to in that sport. Another problem with media in the sport is that if media becomes too big it will control what is seen. If this happens then the negative sides of sport will cease to exist and people’s voices will not be heard through baseball any longer. This makes sense because a media corporation is not going to want to show all the negative aspects of the leading sports organizations and have their ratings decrease. If the ratings GLOBALIZATION |5 decrease they will lose money and if the media corporations are losing money they will begin to cover over sports (Thibault, 2009). The fourth and final part of this article discussed sports and their impact on the environment. This part of the article stated that sports can have a negative aspect on the environment. The author states that hosting major and general sporting events effects the environment because of the amount of trash that is left after the sporting events. Most sporting venues do not recycle the trash they usually just throw it out. Having this huge amount of trash after a sporting event is a true aspect of sports. The author is right on when she says that tons of trash is left after a sporting event is over. This trash hurts the environment because it is taken to a landfill and sits in the earth without decomposing. Another way that sports effect the environment is through destroying ecological areas to construct sports venues. This makes sense once again because sporting events get constructed on grounds that used to be forest areas or even farming fields. Without these forests for farming areas the environment suffers (Thibault, 2009). The author states that even though she discussed only negative issues of globalization that she feels that globalization should continue to takes its course. This makes sense because there are negative aspects of everything in life. There are both positive and negative consequences for every decision made. The author feels that they negative aspects of the globalization of sport should not sport sports from continuing to grow and become international (Thibault, 2009). Implications Several areas of this journal article could be beneficial for professionals in the sport management field. This article is important to sport management because it shows some of the GLOBALIZATION |6 negative aspects that globalization can have on sports. Sport managers can take from this article was some of the consequences of trying to become global such as the impact on the environment, media, and the workforce of undeveloped countries. If sport managers plan to take an organization to the international or global level they should analyze this article and take out what they need to take out to be successful. The managers may want to know the negative side of taking an organization overseas. For me as a future sport manager this information is important because I now know how globalization of sport can be negative and how underdeveloped countries can be treated. This article may not really help me in the future because I am trying to pursue and athletic director’s position and I may only have to deal with few international players. I want to direct a high school and may not need to know the consequences from globalization of sports. The implications from this article have a great impact of sport mangers looking to expand to a global organization. GLOBALIZATION |7 References Nike sweatshops. (2011, April 6). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_sweatshops Thibault, L. (2009). Globalization of sport: an inconvenient truth. Journal of Sport Management, 23, 1-20.