Unchanging Authority and Power in Sports

Sport is organized competition which allows for development of physical ability and provides entertainment for those participating. Sport is also a place where effort and determination are valued and rewarded. At the lower levels of competition, the aforementioned is primarily true with equality being its utmost priority. However, when sport is looked further into with a sociological and political lens, there are many things that go unnoticed. The people at the top of the sports world, in terms of financial and authoritative power, are milking the system of professional sports while benefiting all by themselves.

The most people in sports are not the athletes or the fans. The fans definitely have a significant influence in how the sports market trends, they are not aware that the commissioners, network presidents/CEOs, and the owners of leagues are in control of how the fans view and receive sports. They make all the decisions on how sports is meant to be portrayed in the media, what kind of political messages they want to get across, and how they make the most money out of what they have. They definitely should make the decisions for they are the ones at the top, but the decisions should weight heavily on whether they are working for the greater good in sports: racial equality, gender equality, etc... Their decisions do not always improve the sport and their interest are how to get people to spend their money and lives on the entertainment value of sports. They build their grand stadiums, homes, and corporations off the fans, but the not all fans have the opportunity to enjoy the experience. The people at the top make money off the athletes but they do not give back to the communities that do not have resources to develop aspiring athletes' skills and dreams.

“The sports world certainly has a pecking order, which is all driven by cash,” says Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks). ”Sports may be nothing more than a game at its most basic, but when it comes to the sport of business, my list is driven by those who control the purse strings.”

The same owners, presidents, CEOs, and commissioners run the show through multiple generations and hundreds of athletes. The problems we encounter in sports and the changes that we might need to see in sports might have to start from the top of the "pecking order."

Jong Hyun Lee
KIN 332i Sec 05 11143