Money can't buy love - of sport: on the unresolved contest between amateur and professional

Abstract

Can the values of sport survive commercialisation? Modern elite sport is big business but it is clearly more than that. For many of those who participate in or watch major sporting events, these activities are valuable, regardless of their commercial worth, as ends in themselves. For instance, think of the last Ashes series that took place in England. This was a closely fought contest between well matched and highly competitive rivals. It kept many people chained to their televisions through those long cold winter evenings in 2005. The thrill of the contest is but one value to be obtained from sport. Another is the pursuit of excellence. In the Olympics we enjoy watching champion athletes shine in swimming, fencing etc. Sport can also be an arena for the pursuit and expression of national pride and unity. For an example of this we need think only of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the remarkable support for the Socceroos from across the whole of Australia. The business side of all this is troubling.