SPORT 5ocr GCSE geography Why is sport an issue? People all over the world are interested in sport, and many people participate either individually or as part of a team. Many more attend sporting events or watch on television. Sport is a global industry and generates huge amounts of money. The most successful sportsmen and women earn huge sums. Tiger Woods is the world s wealthiest sports star, earning US $115 million between July 2007 and July 2008. David Beckham, the UK s wealthiest sports star, earned US $50 million in the same period. About 80 per cent of their earnings come from sponsorship and endorsements. Large companies such as Nike, Pepsi and Gillette are prepared to pay high-profile sports stars to endorse their products, as this helps to increase sales worldwide and in turn make more profit. Sports clubs involved with popular sports also earn vast sums. Manchester United is well known for the huge profits it generates every year. In 2007, this was about 375 million. Manchester United is now a huge multinational company, and has interests well beyond the football club, the merchandising and the corporate entertainment that goes with it. Many American football, baseball and basketball teams in North America also have huge followings and make vast profits, although they may not be so well known worldwide. Only eight members of the 2008 9 Chelsea squad were British. The rest of the team came from all over the world, including France, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Czech Republic, Serbia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Slovakia, Argentina and French Guyana, showing that this major Premier League club is truly a global concern. Where does the money come from? Television has enabled sport to become a global industry. Broadcasting companies pay vast sums for the rights to show major sporting events because of the huge audiences these attract. The popularity of sport helps broadcasting companies to increase their audiences, and in turn this attracts more advertisers. In the case of commercial broadcasters such as Sky, they can increase the number of people who pay a monthly subscription to watch their programmes. For example, in 2007 Setanta bought Premier League football rights, and within a year the number of subscribers had risen from 200,000 to 1.1 million. Sky paid 300 million for the exclusive rights to broadcast Test Match cricket for four years from 2010 to 2013, which they hope will attract more people to pay to watch Sky Sports. Although people all over the world enjoy sport it is not equally available to all. People in MEDCs are Figure 5.31 Chelsea Football Club team at the start of the 2008 09 season. 234
more likely to participate in sport, either by playing or watching, than people in LEDCs. In all countries people with higher incomes have greater access to sport than people who earn less. Figure 5.32 shows the distribution of Formula One (F1) motor racing Grand Prix circuits. The map shows the circuits used for Grand Prix events in 2008 and those planned to be used until 2011. The global distribution is clearly unequal. Most F1 races are held in Europe, where F1 racing started, but in recent years new circuits have been introduced, for example in Bahrain, China, Malaysia, Turkey and Singapore, and future races are planned in Moscow, India and Abu Dhabi. The sport attracts huge television audiences, which means it can attract sponsors who are prepared to invest vast sums so their product can be associated with an exciting sport and be seen by at least 55 million people worldwide each time an F1 race is broadcast. We should not be surprised that richer countries in the world are more likely to win major sporting events, because they can invest in better facilities and can provide funding for athletes to train. At the Beijing Olympics, Team GB were in fourth place in the final medal table the country s highest placing since 1912, with China in top spot. However, if other factors are taken into account, such as population of the country and its GDP, then other countries are at the top of the leader board. ReseaRCh Link 0 2000 km Key Tracks used in 2008 New tracks used 2008 2011 Tracks that may be used in the future Figure 5.32 Map showing global distribution of Formula 1 Grand Prix circuits. Fact file The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was watched by an estimated 4 billion people worldwide, almost certainly the biggest audience ever for a sporting event. The FIFA World Cup Final in 2006, between Italy and France, was watched by a live global audience of 260 million people, with more than 600 million watching at least some part of the match. N 5Why IS SporT an ISSUE? Channel 4 s alternative medal table will show you what happens when other factors are taken into account for an Olympic medal table: look at the Channel 4 website for more details. Figure 5.33 A Formula 1 Grand Prix car. activities 1 Describe the global distribution of F1 Grand Prix circuits. Name continents and countries in your answer and refer to the North South divide. 2 Suggest reasons to explain the distribution. 3 Where are the newest race circuits? Why would a country want to host a Grand Prix? 4 Choose your favourite football club or any other sporting team. Use the internet to research where its players come from. Label all these countries on a world map to show the global distribution of players. 235
5ocr GCSE geography SPORT Major sporting events: the impact of sport on the economy Competing for events It is a huge job to organise a large sporting event, but despite the enormous costs involved there is often strong competition between nations wanting to stage these events. The host nation needs to build and prepare venues and run the event itself, all of which is very expensive and often logistically difficult. So why do countries want to host these large events? Does it really help the country, city or region during the event itself? And what are the long-term impacts once it is over? Hosting big sporting events can be very profitable and raise the status of the cities and countries staging them. On the other hand, it can be very expensive and fail to make any real difference once the event is over. The Athens Games, 2004 Athens hosted the 2004 Olympic Games at a cost of approximately 9 billion. There have been benefits to the city, particularly the much-improved public transport (including a new airport and metro), making it easier for people to travel around Athens. A new pedestrian walkway has also been constructed round the Acropolis, which has improved visitors experience of Athens most famous ancient site. These changes had been planned for years, but it took the Olympics to turn them to reality. Elsewhere in the city, the benefits are less clear. Twenty-one out of 22 Olympic venues are now abandoned and some of the magnificent stadiums are overrun with rubbish, weeds and graffiti. It is costing the Greek authorities millions each year to maintain and protect the stadiums whilst they struggle to find buyers. Hosting the Olympics does not seem to have revitalised the Greek economy as was predicted and there must be questions as to whether the massive cost was money well spent. Figure 5.34 This abandoned stadium in Faliron Bay, Athens used for volleyball, basketball and judo in the 2004 Olympics shows that hosting a major sporting event is not always a long-term success. 236
The Beijing Games, 2008 China was able to boost its international standing during the 2008 Olympics. There was a lot of positive publicity during the Games, and China hopes to attract more tourists and greater business investment as a result. The Chinese built or renovated 31 venues in and around Beijing, including the construction of the six main sporting facilities. These include the Bird s Nest stadium and the Water Cube, which cost more than US $20 billion. As well as the impressive venues, the city built a new airport terminal, new subway lines and a new light railway. It also tightened laws on industrial and vehicle emissions. Whether the massive investment will provide long-term benefits for the people of Beijing, or just the Figure 5.35 This logo helped to promote Beijing to a global audience during the 2008 Olympic Games. government, remains to be seen. The commonwealth Games, Manchester 2002 The Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games is a good example of a very successful event. From the outset, Manchester aimed to host a world-class event in order to showcase itself as a city. However, it also aimed to create a lasting legacy for the city, using it as a catalyst for major regeneration of rundown east Manchester. This area had suffered large-scale deindustrialisation, resulting in 30 years of underemployment, but the Games and the investment helped present a new image of the area. After the Games, Manchester City football club took over the stadium and draws up to 40,000 spectators to home matches, helping the local economy. Concerts and events at other centres, including the Velodrome, are also important in drawing people into the area. By 2008, about 600 million had been invested, creating about 20,000 jobs in a new business park and large retail centre. There is still work to be done, ReseaRCh Link but the benefits brought by the Games are clear. Find out about the London 2012 Olympics. How much is this event activities 1 Draw a spider diagram to show the types of jobs that could be generated by the hosting of a major sporting event. 2 List five benefits or opportunities that result from hosting a major sporting event such as the Olympic Games. 3 Give reasons why some people might object to their country or city staging a big sporting event, both in the short term and in the long term. 4 Choose a recent major sporting event. Use the internet to research both the positive and negative impacts of this event. Figure 5.36 Sportcity was developed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is now the chosen venue for over 400 events each year. It receives over 4,500,000 visits annually. It was built on previously derelict land and the site has undergone major environmental improvements and created new employment and other opportunities for local people. expected to cost? How will this money be found? How will east London benefit? What problems might there be? Decide whether you think the Olympic Games in London will be money well spent or not and explain your reasons carefully. Go to the London 2012 and Games Monitor websites for more information. 5MaJor SporTING EVENTS: ThE IMpacT of SporT on ThE EcoNoMy 237
SPORT 5ocr GCSE geography The impact of sport on the environment Many people not only want to watch sport but also to take part. Some of the most popular participation sports in the UK are swimming, walking, cycling, fishing and football. Governments try to encourage more people to get involved in sport because being active benefits people s health and well-being, both physically and mentally. However, in some cases increased numbers of people participating in sport can cause problems for the environment and therefore strategies need to be adopted to manage this impact. Figure 5.37 Environmental impacts of winter sports Skiing and snowboarding are very popular activities in both Europe and North America. The Alps attract over 120 million visitors each year. In summer, visitors climb, hike or admire the stunning scenery, but most visit in winter to enjoy some of the best skiing in the world. The large-scale development of ski resorts has brought prosperity to many Alpine areas but has also had a major impact on the environment. Economic benefits include: jobs are created in construction as new roads, buildings and ski facilities are built once open, resorts need thousands of people to work on the slopes and in hotels, shops, restaurants and bars in the resort local people find winter employment as ski guides, lift operators and in behind-the-scenes organisation, or providing accommodation in their houses the local economy benefits from employment as people spend money in local businesses young people are more likely to stay in the area rather than move to larger towns and cities to find employment Les Arcs ski resort. once-remote areas become more accessible as new roads and improved services are developed for the visitors. Despite these benefits, many people feel that winter sports are causing excessive environmental damage. Small villages have mushroomed into large resorts, with new roads linked to the motorway network bringing much more traffic along with noise, congestion and air pollution, especially at weekends. Development of huge numbers of new buildings has changed the landscape for ever, and some modern high-rise apartments and hotels are very different in appearance to traditional chalets, which of course some people do not like. Perhaps the greatest problem is the damage being done by the ski installations themselves. Huge pylons and cables are erected for the ski lifts, and trees may be cut down to make space for the lifts and the ski runs, leading to soil erosion on the steep slopes. Heavy use of the pistes can damage fragile vegetation below, and during the summer the main ski runs become huge scars on the landscape. 238
As more areas are used for winter sports, the alpine ecosystem is threatened and habitats of birds and animals are being lost. If resorts are developed at higher altitudes, either as a response to global warming or to satisfy the growing demand for skiing, these fragile environments will be put under even more pressure. Visitor impacts in the Lake District National parks have been created in many countries to protect the beautiful scenery, but they are also attractive to visitors, many of whom visit in order to take part in sports such as hiking, camping, climbing and mountain biking. It is important that steps are taken to protect the natural environments for the future. The Les Arcs ski resort is committed to act to protect the environment. Without a massive increase in awareness, our environment is threatened. The professionals who work in the mountains are taking the following steps: collection and recycling of ski cards reforestation and seeding of new ski run development reduction of the number of pylons where possible when building new lifts use of organic oils for machine maintenance protection of birds (black grouse) around cables, in conjunction with the Vanoise National Park distribution of pocket ash trays installation of many dustbins, which are emptied daily collection of garbage under the chairlifts at the end of the season protecting natural environments for the future. (Source: the website of the Les Arcs resort) The Lake District National Park in England attracts over 12 million visitors a year, and it has been estimated that over 10 million people use footpaths and bridleways leading to the fells. This number of people using the tracks for hiking or mountain biking causes a lot of damage and some have become ugly scars visible from miles away, unpleasant and even dangerous to use. In 2002, the Upland Path Landscape Restoration Project (UPLRP) was formed in the Lake District, starting a 10-year strategy to repair 180 eroded footpaths. This is expected to cost over 5 million; some coming from Heritage Lottery Funding, some from organisations such as the National Trust and some from donations. The project also benefits from volunteer labour. Footpath repair is very expensive, but it is essential to protect the landscape for the future. 5ThE IMpacT of SporT on ThE ENVIroNMENT Figure 5.38 Helicopters are the only way of transporting materials into the hills, and this is one of the reasons why footpath repair is so expensive. activities 1 Construct a table or matrix showing the economic benefits and the environmental costs of mountain biking, hiking, skiing and snowboarding. 2 Choose a sport that you enjoy. Describe any economic benefits and/or environmental losses that result from people taking part in your chosen sport. Figure 5.39 Footpath repair in the Lake District. 239