Professionalism In Sports Essay

An Essay on Professionalism in Sport

Sports have professional all over the world. Men who have become proficient in certain games or sports have used their talent as an ostensible means of earning a livelihood. Since sports have got a large spectacular appeal, people are naturally willing to pay for witnessing the exhibition of skill or strength that the sportsman has acquired. The boxer, the wrestler, the cricketer, the footballer certainly have as much right to earn a livelihood by displaying their particular talent as the dancer or the actor may have.

There is nothing inherently wrong in this. All men are not constituted in the same way. Surely a man has as much right to make a living by his brawn as he has by his brains. Professional

The amateur sportsman is accounted superior because he is rich enough to afford not to put his talents to earning livelihood. These prejudices of course are now dying out. There was a time when professional cricketers in inland were allotted separate tents. This was chiefly because they came from a ‘lower’ social class and were not accounted fit to hob-nob with ‘gentlemen’. It was Indian prince ranjitsingji-‘Ranji’ to the world-who put an end to his meaningless snobbery. Today in the west, professional sportsmen are paid high fees in order to add to the prestige of clubs, and to earn gate money for the promoters. The conferring of a knighthood on the English football professional Stanly Matthews has removed the last stigma on professionalism as such. This has brought them a higher social status.

The only valid argument against professionalism in sports is that the profession is non-productive. It creates no tangible good. But that is a wrong kind of materialistic approach. After all to create joy and happiness is as much of a social good as any marketable commodity. After a day’s hard work in office and factory, it is good to fill the galleries of a stadium, and witness exhibitions of strength and skill. Who will deny the social utility of these recreations? The professional sportsman really stands on the same level as the professional

But there are certain off shoots which deserve to be condemned. Many sportsmen are driven to practice professionalism in secret because clubs have to maintain an amateur status. This creates underhand practices. It professionalism were recognized openly, this sort of practice would cease to exist. Whatever is driven underground is bad. Amateurism is not to be condemned, but it should not be given a superor status. In india,officially we do not recognize professionalism in any sports, except perhaps in wrestling. This gives rise to many abuses. It drives professional