Our our bodies are a bodily manifestation of our intangible selves which have interaction to convey sports activities into existence. Sports and our our bodies are linked inextricably, be it when it comes to a sporting interest, to keep up bodily health, or after all as a industrial enterprise that feeds into our capitalist system. The commercialisation of our bodies and sports activities is so apparent; nonetheless, we miss out on the way it operates inside society every day.

Yet once more, our greatest pal, the media, performs the lead function in bringing the commercialisation of sports activities to fruition. The excessive permeability of the media, through channels devoted to sports activities in addition to the ability of a number of stay and offline streaming platforms, permits a time-space compression to happen. This compression and ease of accessibility to viewing sports activities join the viewers, performers and profiteers in a triad. For occasion, a typical T20 cricket match lasting roughly two and a half hours is compressed right into a half an hour ‘highlights’ model, providing a excessive incentive for these with busy schedules to have the ability to tune in even for a fraction of the unique time. Furthermore, the current development of inviting well-distinguished celebrities as hosts, commentators and workforce representatives, makes an attempt to make use of this associative affect to enchantment to the viewers. Hence, by merging the viewers pool of Bollywood stars and of cricket, the general reputation and ‘value’ of the game will increase. It can be apt to insert the instance of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma right here. Those who had been solely Bollywood followers at the moment are considerably extra prepared to commit themselves to cricket, since “the husband of my favorite Bollywood actress is a cricketer.”

One might think that food has nothing to do with the commercial aspect of sports, apart from the health of the players. Little do we realise, that the agenda behind the freshly installed humongous flat-screen TVs in restaurants and eateries are nothing but an extension of the commercialisation of sports. The cafe culture of sports provides an environment of leisure and entertainment where sports can be viewed with family and friends, with the luxury of delicious food. Using this, restaurants seek to keep their customers around for longer, hence making larger profits during ‘match season’. The entire meaning, then, of what a ‘weekend’ really is, is defined by the broadcast timings of matches, which are scheduled to reach the maximum number of audiences.

Drugs, not very exclusive from the food category, are yet another aspect of the commercialisation of sports. Be it energy-boosting sports drinks or supplements such as Whey protein, or physical performance-enhancing drugs like Creatine or steroids, the commercialisation of sports acts as a legitimacy badge for drug usage, simply because “it is to maximise my sporting output.” The long-term detrimental results of synthetic exterior substances far outweigh the short-term benefits, however are nonetheless opted for by 1000’s of athletes and aggressive sports activities gamers. We are usually biased and worth solely ‘healthy’ our bodies which can be able to performing. Social buildings have made it such that not solely the viewers, however athletes too are likely to worth efficiency and output a lot that they’re prepared to face up to the long-term detrimental results for an immediate enhancement in bodily capacities. These very our bodies that face up to a lot put on and tear are paradoxically idolised and used as commercial magnets.

Amidst the ‘hype’ of sports activities, will we cease to consider how the gamers themselves are commodities, enjoying alongside to the tunes of capitalist frameworks? Surely we have now heard of how the arms or legs or different output-producing components of the our bodies of sports activities individuals are ‘insured’ as an asset. Were Messi to harm his foot and pull out of a soccer match, would that not imply a fraction of the viewers would pull out from attending the sport, paying cash for the tickets and shopping for merchandise too? Sporting our bodies and the sharpened talent units they wield, sadly, should be ‘sold’ for a profession, whatever the purpose that fuels it. Certainly, it’s not as horrible because it sounds, as a result of financial compensations are expended in circumstances of accidents and incapability to carry out, however it’s momentary. Your sponsors sponsor you due to your efficiency, but when the consistency of efficiency falters, the sponsors exchange you with a ‘better’ and extra profit-producing participant.

Another very fascinating phenomenon that may be simply noticed is the merchandise tradition. Notice how each comfort retailer is rearranged to show jerseys, horns, caps and workforce flags each time the IPL season hits? By handing out merchandise that acts like little tokens of ‘loyalty’ to 1’s workforce, is it actually the game that’s being popularised or the very gamers who’re symbols of “sportsmanship”? Speaking of loyalty, the geopolitics aspect is as inalienable as any of the others. While supporting a team, or a player, we form ‘fandoms’, that function almost as a religion in themselves. Players in all sports are representatives of the region they hail from, be it a village, city, state or nation. Supporting a player from another country is instantly labelled as ‘anti-national’ or ‘unpatriotic’ by others, turning it into an issue not of sports but of politics. Many times, the colonial baggage and hatred that is inscribed into us, manifest in the way we choose to support any other team but that of the colonisers. An even more pressing issue becomes that of the sentiments of the audience of one nation towards foreign players, who are condemned for ‘taking up’ the spot of a native aspirant. All in all, the sports industry is supported by and taken advantage of by a number of peripheral industries that interact with each other to produce a ‘cultivated’ entertainment that we enjoy.

Yashee Jha, a multi-faceted student, is an avid commentator on various topical issues. Views expressed are personal.

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