Facilities are essential in any undertaking because they make the work at hand achievable. In sports, availability of facilities means the players can train in an appropriate field with the right gear and thus prepare themselves adequately for any tournament. An individual or a team has to shine on the field to attract sponsors, and thus the players require the right facilities and proper training to perfect their skills, raising their winning stakes. A group of sports facilities forms a sports complex and is characterized by tracks, swimming pools, gymnasiums and football stadiums among others. The popularity of sports around the world has led to an improvement and creation of sports facilities. The paper’s aim is to provide an explanation for the abundance of sports facilities.
Sports can be defined as a skill that involves physical exertion. The skill can be learned, or it can be inborn, where the individual has a natural understanding of the activity. In both, practice is essential to perfect one’s strengths and improve on their weaknesses. To some, a sport is an activity for leisure time, a form of entertainment, but to others, it is a job especially when it involves an individual or a team competing against each other for a prize. An individual can choose to go professional and can earn money from the game. A lot goes into forming a team and getting the right sponsors to support the team financially and thus a need for quality facilities to achieve success. In the recent years, sports have gained popularity across the globe with football topping the list of the most popular game. It is estimated that 3.5 billion people watch the game. With such a following, measures have been put in place to ensure the sport remains a favorite to many people. (Crompton, 1995)
With sporting events such as THE FIFA WORLD Cup held after four years, there is a need to ensure the facilities are top notch as such tournaments attract people from many countries to the host nation. Countries that have the privilege to host such events always go an extra mile to ensure their stadiums are top class to ensure the comfort of the fans is maintained throughout the game and is attractive for people to travel from far and wide to get a first-hand experience. With so many expectations from sports lovers, there has been an increase in sports facilities everywhere; in the country and the world. Sports are no longer leisure time activities but have evolved to professional occupations. They have been identified as a form of employment, unlike the usual white collar jobs. Regarding football, the players are among the best paid in the world with some of the best earning approximately 336,000 British pounds on a weekly basis. Such payments can be attributed to good facility management and organization of sports and the successful history of a team and that of a particular player thus attracting sponsors to the team.
Sports that attract a large following have better sporting facilities compared to those that perform poorly. Supporters come out to support modern teams and sport because they also have something in for them. Most of the increased sporting facilities are financed by sponsors who also benefit from the partnership. Their employees are ensured of low priced tickets, and this enhances the relationship between the employer and the employees. The financial supporter also builds his or her reputation or that of the company. By offering support, the company increases its popularity among people. Sportsmen are often used as brands and thus an added advantage to the company sponsoring the individual. So popular are sports in the world that there are betting games that have been started to promote fans participation in the different sports. It is a way of analyzing how well people understand a certain sport and how popular it is across the country and the world. (Crompton, 1995)
Sports have evolved and are now considered one of the lucrative business ventures. The increase in sports facilities can be viewed as a measure to enhance the new business venture by ensuring the players access the best facilities and thus raise their winning stakes. In stadiums, it is a common occurrence to see banners of various companies. Also, some teams’ jerseys have different organization names written on them. It can be viewed as a form of advertising by the organizations offering financial support to the teams. Some teams have been dropped by their sponsors because of their poor performance, and thus, the primary reason for the increase in games facilities is the desire to be associated with a famous team and also gain money from the undertaking by popularizing themselves to the fans of the particular sport.
The increase in the sports facilities can be attributed to the popularity games have been receiving recently. Gone are the days when those who participated in sports were considered failures in the society. It has since been accepted as a job just like any other. Many companies are investing in the most popular games by investing in sports facilities. It has lead to the creation of sports complexes that have allowed fans to have a firsthand experience of their favorite games. Also, the architecture attached to the facilities is one that draws attention to the country where the stadium is located becoming a tourist attraction. The abundance of sports activities is not only for the love of sport but to economically impact a country’s growth by attracting fans to the country.
- Crompton, J. L. (1995). Economic impact analysis of sports facilities and events: Eleven sources of misapplication. Journal of sport management, 9(1), 14-35.
