Introduction
Sports are physical events or activities that are based on fairness in that all the participants have equal and reasonable chance of winning. Sport is competitive and is guided by rules regulations that all the contestants must abide by. Sport creates passion in individuals and is meant to bring joy to its lovers. However, conflict theory argues out that, as much as every person would benefit from sporting events; the wealthy and powerful in the society are always privileged especially when it comes to attending sports events.
Conflict theory views the society as a dynamic entity which is constantly going through change due to competition over limited resources. The conflict theory is suggestive in the way that competition drives social life, distribution of resources, power, and inequalities among people. It argues that the wealthy use their power influence and resources to get better services in the community. For instance, better institutions of higher learning are mostly occupied by individuals from wealthy backgrounds. The theory also suggests that the rich in the society will benefit at the expense of the poor. Rich people tend to use the poor to satisfy their needs or gain more wealth and power in the community (Cockerham, 2014).
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Modern sporting events have always vividly brought out the picture where we clearly see how the distinguished, wealthy classes are treated in almost all the major sporting grounds. Soccer which is one of the most attended sporting events, particularly in Europe, is played in huge stadia with allocations for parking and different sitting arrangement that recognizes classes of people. The theory of social conflict is portrayed in various many other ways in sports.
The rich get to benefit by being offered excellent services by the lower class in the society during games. Sporting events are occasions where the rich get to enjoy themselves at the expense of the poor in the community. Sports are generally organized for the purpose of generating revenues for the participants and the sporting organizations. There is no better way to achieve this than involving the rich who are more than ready to spend money for entertainment. Therefore people in the lower class in the society will have to alter sporting grounds to accommodate and draw the interest of wealthy people so as to maximize their revenues.
Sports organizers acknowledge this fact. They realize that for the sporting activity to generate more income and even grow, they have to accommodate a majority of wealthy people who can pay for the sports tickets. Therefore, there sporting ground has to be provided with security especially around the areas occupied by the distinguished class. There have to be parking grounds with good security designed specifically for the wealthy individuals. The VIP area for the rich guys should be appropriately furnished and designed to meet quality standards. Tickets with higher values must be made available to be acquired by the rich individuals for them to attend the sports. These arrangements create the clear picture demonstrated by the conflict theory whereby a bridge between the wealthy and the poor is openly drawn (Struthers, 2011).
This essay will analyze using the conflict theory; ways in which sporting events are professionally programmed to mostly to present the powerful and wealthy with an upper hand of benefiting when they attend the sports events. They are provided with the best parking grounds with good security and VIP sitting spots in the sporting arena. They are accorded good safety in their sitting positions. They are able to acquire tickets in time for the sports as they can easily afford them.
The essay will be organized in the form of themes that will explore and vividly bring out the conflict theory as manifested in sporting activities whereby the rich people are privileged. The topics include management and commercialization, segregation and isolation and prestige.
Segregation
Sporting events bring out a clear demonstration of social separation between the poor and the rich. The rich are able to attend the games in due time as they can afford faster means of transport such as planes. They get to the sporting grounds and are offered the best available parking grounds with proper security systems where they park their cars. Of course, security is provided by those of lower classes in the society. The luxurious guys are thus, offered services by the poor who instead of enjoying the sporting event, are at work struggling to make ends meet. The poor work so hard to ensure the rich are satisfied and settled in the sports arena.
For the rich, the cost of attending the games, i.e. purchasing the tickets can never prove to be a factor in determining their appearances at the sporting grounds. This is why they will be able to acquire the most valuable tickets for the restricted areas. Even the mode of transport to the sporting arenas may differ as most low-class individuals will always prefer public means of transport. The rich may show up at the sporting grounds driven in fancy personal cars while some may even get there in private choppers (Kennelly and Watt, 2012).
The tickets for the sports events are produced in categories that divide the rich and the have-nots, in terms of the costs. The rich get tickets of higher prices that will enable them to acquire the best positions in the sports ground. The lower class get tickets that with permits to standard or general areas in the sports ground. In the main sports arenas, the rich will pass through different gates as people with low-quality tickets. They are then directed to the VIP sections from where they will have the best views of the playground and the events.
The sitting arrangements are made in ways to that create segregations in the sporting grounds such that the most distinguished guest will have their sitting positions in glass enclosed areas followed by the section for other wealthy class of individuals who are guided to other VIP areas. The general public is left in the vast areas of the sporting ground. In open sporting arenas, shades have to be acquired for the wealthy individuals in the VIP sections while the rest of the spectators are left to bask in the hot sun or may even be rained on a wet day. It would be saddening to see the poor people being rained on while the rich sit comfortably in the VIP sections enjoying every bit of the game.
Segregation and isolation of the rich and the have-nots in the sporting grounds is evident in all aspect of the sporting activity.
Paramount security is offered to the VIP guests in their sitting areas and to their packed cars while the other lot of poor individuals does not get much of accorded security. In a number of events and sports incidents, people have lost their belongings. Some get beaten up while others end up even killed. The majority of these incidents involve the population in the lower class of the society.
Sport management and commercialization
As stated earlier, sports events are driven with the principal objective of gaining revenue and income to support the participants as well the sporting organizations involved. It is the duty of the sporting organization to come up with a good sporting structure that will attract the maximum amounts of revenue. The sporting body works to ensure that they attract more investors and support through attendance by wealthy individuals (Mallen, & Adams, 2013).
Sports management and commercialization plays a key role in creating priority for the wealthy class of people. For instance, very wealthy individuals will not set foot in places with appropriate structures that are presentable to them. If there is no adequate availability and assurance of security, a majority of rich will not attend the sporting events.
With this in mind, sporting managers have to put in strategies that will give considerations for the accommodation of the rich in the sports ground. The sports organizations have to commercialize by bringing in good sporting managers who will produce good sporting qualities. Commercialization also involves the having good players who are adored by the fans and who can produce consistently good results.
The organization has to create structures such as the VIP sections and VIP packing lounges that are used specifically by the rich people. VIP tickets to the sporting events should be advertised online and in the media (owing to modernization and the current digital era) to hasten the buying of the tickets. The view from the VIP sections in the sporting grounds should offer a wonderful glimpse of the playing field. The seats should be made comfortable.
Sports management and commercialization, therefore, gives privilege to the rich in the society by making it possible for the wealthy to attend the sporting events where they are acquainted with the necessary requirements for their class. Commercialization is essential in promoting the sporting organization, coping with the trends in sporting activities and providing excellent sporting activities and services. Sports management also ensures that a sports organization is governed properly and the interests of the fans are met (Macionis, 2011).
The cost of attending games is a factor that clearly favors the rich individuals. Not all people will be able to afford the tickets for the games or the cost for attending the games. The rich have no difficulties in acquiring the game tickets no matter how costly they might be. Organizations take advantage of the ability of the wealthy to buy tickets (even if they are so expensive), and then they decide on what prices they will place on the tickets. This may affect the minority who may not be able to afford the tickets, while the wealthy class is privileged as they can easily acquire the tickets. Knowledge in sports management and commercialization provides the organization with the necessary strategies to apply to get the maximum revenue out of the sports fanatics.
Prestige
Sports events present a chance for the rich to show their class by showing off their valuable assets. The rich guys get the opportunity to Sports to the world, their expensive cars, and other gadgets. Some will go ahead to show off their beautiful girlfriends and wives. The rich get a forum to socialize and talk about their belongings with their counterparts. Class and prestige are the order of the day for the wealthy individuals.
The rich will be looking to get noticed as they get into the sporting grounds. At some occasions, the general congregation would stand up when particularly distinguished guests such as a sports minister arrive. Sports indeed offer the rich with opportunities to exercise their prestige and show off the power among the people in order to gain publicity.
Very influential and respected individuals in the community and able accorded the best of treatment and hospitality in sports events. Reservations are made for them in the allocated areas. Such are allowed access to the delicate sections of the sports ground without permits. Power and prestige give privilege to wealthy influential people in the society without questioning. Such people have influence in the community in that reservations for their accommodation the sports arenas can be made any day any time even when they were initially not expected. They do not need to have tickets in order to acquire positions in the restricted VIP sections. That is how much the rich and powerful are accorded privilege in the sports grounds (Kennelly and Toohey, 2016).
The cost for attending sports events is not a problem for wealthy prestigious people. In order to keep up with their prestigious nature, wealthy and powerful people will always try their best to cope up and buy the expensive tickets, however, costly they are. The rich fear the thought of other people knowing that they are not able to afford certain items. Therefore in order to keep up with their public relations and prestige, they will have to purchase the tickets and show up for the games.
Conclusion
Sporting events present are occasions that most people love to attend as sports are a major source of fun for most individuals in every part of the globe. However, most sporting events require the audience or viewers to pay money in order to be able to watch the games. Sometimes, the costs might go higher due to the intensity or type of game. This may present the low-class group of people in the society with difficult situations in that; they may not be able to afford the charges or gate passes. On the other hand, the rich and power are not shaken by any alterations in ticket or gate passes increment. The rich are thus said to be privileged in that they can get to sporting events without any difficulties (Woods, 2015).
Privileges accorded to rich people when they attend sports events have been described through the themes above. The rich are able to acquire expensive tickets, get proper security and are provided with separate sitting positions. The themes of segregation, prestige and management and commercialization are evidently portrayed in the way behavior and how rich are treated in the sporting grounds. Sports managements and organizations may increase the cost of games in order to raise more revenue. The rich are still not affected by this as they have the money to purchase any tickets. Conflict theory clearly brings out the differences between the low and high class in sports attendance. It shows how the rich are favored in sporting events while the low-class may face challenges.
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