Since ancient times, sports has been considered as being part of a particular group’s heritage. Sports form an essential part of any country’s culture as it has an effect at the educational, physical and emotional levels of an individual. Sports have played a vital role throughout history by bringing communities together. In the USA, sports has become an important part of the culture (SOC379, 2019a). The four main games played by Americans include baseball, basketball, football and hockey (SOC379, 2019c; SOC379, 2019d). However, there other games such as soccer, tennis, and athletics among others that are enjoyed by a small margin of the citizens. Throughout the USA history, sports have undergone major transitions and transformations. The tensions between amateurism and professionalism began years ago and are still evidenced to date. Gender inequalities across the years have marred sports. Women have faced under-representation in terms of both participation and governance. This essay aims to highlight the constant tension between professionalism and amateurism, the reasons behind soccer’s inability to attain a cultural hegemony in the USA and the future of gender discrimination in sports.
Tension between Amateurism and Professionalism in Sports
Cultural and sportswriter commentators have over the years credited the Greeks for revolutionizing sports through the invention of the Olympics games. The games were developed with the aim of appeasing the Greek gods and were held after every four years (SOC379, 2019b). However, modern-day sports are more secular and are not played to appease the gods (SOC379, 2019b). During the initial development of sporting events such as the Olympics in Greece, professionalism was paramount for any athlete. All the people who played any sport were required to meet a particular set of standards. Sports was viewed as an engagement that brought people together. The sports at the time was based on the Kantian proposition “beauty exists only when you have 0 gain from it, the second you can make a gain from it, you cannot truly argue beauty,” (SOC379, 2019g). This proposition indicated that sport was not regarded as being a moneymaking business. Over the years, sports have become dirty as professionalism does not count. Modern sports consist of athletes competing only due to increased endorsement dollars, which drives their love for whatever sport they are playing. This drive for money is what has brought about the tension between amateurism and professionalism
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
