The world of sport is no longer just a game between two individuals, it has become one of the sectors in our society that receives gigantic investment. Looking how far sporty events have gotten and the recognition it has received on a global level, a person does not need to study economics to know it a very lucrative money making machine for those willing to invest in it.
Sport is the one thing that everyone is into in one way or another but there are levels to sporty events, the most noticeable ones are the international sporty events, like world games or world cups. When it comes to football at least I know of two that always puts people in my country on a tight spot whenever the games are on full swing, I'm speaking of FIFA world cup and African cup of Nations (AFCON). Even if you are someone with zero interest in sport just like me, you would definitely have no choice but to pay a little attention to it because it will be the most discussed subject on everyone's lips.
It is no doubt that countries can go to great length to host this event and it cost a lot of funding and donations, it make you wonder why go through this kind of stress for just a game? I believe the real question is, is it just a game? In international politics, every action taken by a country is backed by motives, nothing is what it seems. When one country decides to donate some medical appliances to another country, is not because they are so generous and there is nothing else they could use money for, it is as a result of mutual respect, formulation of alliances and declaration of economic strength and worthiness.
When it comes to participation in hosting international sporty events, it is not as if countries don't have anything better to do with their money, international sports grants countries the kind of recognition that would take years to build. Whenever a specific country host a specific sport events, such act also attracts tourists to the country and whenever there is tourist there is a lot of people spending money on God knows what. It is a form of return investment for the money used in hosting an international sporty events.
Apart from this, international sports is also a form of bonding for countries, that is why any country that doesn't seem to meet the standards of international politics can be easily removed from the list of participants in an international sporty events. This proves it is not just about money spending but more political oriented. International sporty events has helped close the gaps that exist between most countries and also addressed some major issues like racism. Now we have people of different colours playing side by side which is something that never existed in the past.
International sporty events is also a podium for athletes to showcase their talents and stand a chance of getting sponsors and joining influential teams. It is a grand means of networking for individuals, teams and countries. So when a country spends large sum of money on hosting international sporty events, there is a larger picture they are aiming at, something that is not visible to most people, so while y'all are watching and enjoying the games, other games that doesn't require fields are being played by powerful, elite political players.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled The world of sports in hive learners community.
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