A sport by definition is a “mentally competitive activity carried out with a recreational purpose, for competition; for self-enjoyment and to attain excellence for the development of a skill.”
Sport is supposed to be about equality and friendly competition, where different countries or communities can come together and test their skills against each other. However if this is the case, why is it that it’s not always as perfect as we’d like it to be?
I know we probably thought on pitch fighting was bad enough, be it from scuffles during Rugby matches or the occasional outbreak in games like Ice Hockey. And I’m pretty sure we haven’t all forgotten the provoked attack of Zinedine Zidane in the recent World Cup final.
Recently the sporting world has taken a turn to the dark side when leading sports such as Football, Horseracing and Cricket all being stained by incidences such as match-fixing.
Italy’s World Cup celebrations were cut short following the findings of the Azzuri’s match fixing scandal, with high-ranking clubs Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio all being relegated to Serie B.
However fixing scandals extend further than just football. In today’s horseracing, former champion jockey Kieren Fallon, alongside 10 other jockeys and trainers, have been accused of allegedly conspiring to defraud online gamblers.
What we need to be asking ourselves is why are these scandals occurring? I remember a time when there was decency and honour in sport, and it was all down to who had the better skill.
I think the answer to that question is obvious… money. It has a way of corrupting the incorruptible; look at politics and big business for example. It was only going to be a matter of time before franchises like sport were targeted.
What kind of example are we being shown when we see our idols taking part in criminal acts? Sport is supposed to enhance personal growth, and be enjoyed by all. How can we now be sure what is for real and what is fake?
We give out about footballers diving around football pitches, but can you blame them when you find out what some of their clubs have been up to? Big business sport needs to clean its act up, or the grassroots fans will walk away!
About this article
This article was written by Gavin Leung. It was published on the Reach for the Sky website.
