In today’s world, there is an increasing trend of investing in advertisements through sports events by powerful organizations. Therefore, it is believed that this catalyst has negative effects on sport activities. Even though funds from the major companies can maintain the quality, as well as the frequency of sport events, the negative impact on the meaning, as well as the value of the events is more concerning.
On the one hand, large corporations may enhance the standard and the frequency of sporting events through investing money on advertising. Thanks to the funds provided by these large companies, the sports organizers are able to hold more events for the fans, which in turn benefits both the founders and the audiences. On this basis, by advertising, companies help not only the organizers to improve the quality of the sports events, but also allow the audiences to witness these programs at higher calibre. To illustrate, Coca-Cola’s long term crossover with the Olympic Games has allowed this event to improve their stadium infrastructure and attract world-class competitors. Consequently, this symbiotic relationship has fostered not only the guests, but also the prestige of the Olympic Games, as well as the sales of Coca-Cola. However, this view is flawed, as commercial activities should not be the priority of every sports event.
On the other hand, hyper-commercialization leads to demote the traditional meaning of sports events. The justification is that commercial activities can market these sports events, making them lose their attractiveness and thereby lead to the reduction in views. In other words, if an event is occupied with so many advertisements, it can be easily turned into a commodity, not a place for sportsmanship anymore. For example, Nike pressured the Brazilian national team to play a sick and unfit Ronaldo in the 1998 World Cup Final because of their massive sponsorship deal. As a result, this renowned brand had made this prestigious event become commercialized, leading to the highly publicized conflict over this company. Because of this, commercial saturation leads to fundamental and problematic consequences to the events, rather than promoting them.
Although investments from large corporations through commercial activities play a significant role in maintaining the quality, as well as the frequency of sport events, relying too much on them can make any events lose their attractiveness and meaning. Therefore, it is important for both large communities and events organizers to balance their funding on their long-term goals.