Sportsmen or showmen, athletes or actors?
Does professional sports still have anything to do with
sports, or is it mainly a business (and a business based on entertainment at
that)? Do you agree with this writer,
who sides with the coach, or does the commissioner have a point? Would your answer change if you had paid for
tickets and did not get to see the star players?
I have to agree with the writer of this article, that the coach had a right to let his best players rest for the game. As was mentioned in the article, most fans also agree with his opinion. I think that most people enjoy a good game even if it does not contain the best players.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for this situation is that the names of the players were written in the advertisement campaign. This gave the fans a hope that they would be seeing the best players. However, just because their names were put in an advertisement, it does not mean that they have an obligation to play. As the author states in his article, the decision to let the players rest would help the team in the long run and is therefore justified. The viewers were dissatisfied, which is not surprising after they have been promised the best players. Therefore, I think that the misleading advertisement is to be blamed for this unfortunate situation.
Few years ago, I had a Russian tennis coach, when staying at my aunt’s house in Madison, WI. While living in Russia she couched professional tennis players, as for example, Maria Sharapova. She once told me that for a professional tennis player it is not only important to score, but also to play elegantly because that’s what the audience likes and what keeps them entertained.
ReplyDeleteThis made me ask myself, whether a professional athlete is an entertainer or a sportsman? I personally think a sportsman, but I do understand that it is important to impress the audience. However, to be successful and earn a lot of money you need to get as far as you can in the competition with other athletes. Gregg Popovich, a basketball couch of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team, chose to send his best players home, even though they had an upcoming game against the Miami Heat. For the couch and for the players it is all about the sport. The main goal for the couch is to bring his team to the championship and win it. Basically, he has to think for the long run. To do so he has to care about the health of his players. According to Popovich, to become NBA champions he had to send his best players home and as NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said "Gregg Popovich in particular is probably the last coach that I would second-guess.”. However, many people didn’t like Popovich’s decision for the reason that, the game was supposed to be according to the article, “a nationally televised showcase of two elite, star-studded teams”. The person, who mostly disliked his decision, was the NBA Commissioner David Stern. According to Stern, NBA players are “entertainers”. Moreover, according to him sports is played for the audience and the players are supposed to provide the best possible show. David Stern only cares about the fans and the business and that’s why, I understand where David Stern is coming from and why he reacted the way he did.
I don’t completely understand why, the fans are so upset. When going to a game, I am paying to see the game and not the individual players. I maybe want to see a particular player, but that doesn’t matter because I am not paying for that. Fans have to be prepared that maybe their favorite player cannot play that game. Personally, I would not ask for my money back, if I would not get to see my favorite players.
You have to know: No one is likely to pay you for kicking or throwing a ball around. Even if you have considerable skill, no one cares. But if your skill can entertain people, then you have an advantage. Professionals are not paid for being good at a sport, but for drawing audience (and their wallets) to matches (and thus to team's sponsors). For example team "Moscow Five" was for a long time a successful e-sport team, famous mostly for their unconventional and interesting playstyle. When they stopped being innovative however, their income has steadily fallen and now they face serious financial issues. You see, players are paid not for their skill and contribution, but for their ability to draw audience. Exactly the same has happened in NBA.
ReplyDeleteSure, the federations try to conceal the fact. They have to, if they want at least some credibility look like they are something "more" than mummers. This is also why the coach got fined: He decreased the ability of the game to draw crowds, and NBA doesn't like lower incomes. It is logical that the coach was fined, to discourage other coaches to do the same. However NBA had little right to do so. If they want to keep at least some credibility as a "organization focused on promoting basketball" instead of "organization focused on filling bank accounts of owners", this is not a wise move. You see, NBA has some reputation to maintain and should it loose it, many fans will surely follow. They best try not to do such moves.
After all consideration, all is about money. Money comes from crowds. Crowds gather for interesting games. Most valuable players are those who bring greatest income to team. Therefore most valuable players are those who play interesting games. It is no matter whether these players are actually good, as long as they keep sponsors happy. And NBA was unhappy. They however did a bad move, revealing old truth: Professional sportsmen are but mummers for out entertainment and gold for their wallets.
@ Milan
ReplyDeleteI do not really think and agree that professional sports is all about money and entertainment. In my opinion, fans want to see more than just the teams’ star players doing great things. They want to see their team win, no matter who plays. I would just use one example, one that is more appropriate than anything else I can think of. Let’s consider the recent success of Slovan Bratislava in KHL. From the very beginning, every single game was sold out. When the most popular player injured himself, nothing has changed. In my opinion, the reason behind the success is not the way the team plays, since they mostly play defensive style hockey. The fans come, because they want to see them win. So far, they have got what they want. At least, the team has a potential to win every game. I believe the situation would be much different, if Slovan lost majority of the games and had no chance of making playoffs.
In my opinion, the thing that David Stern did was extremely stupid and hypocritical. It is completely up to the coach to decide who to put in the lineup. Just think of all these players injuring themselves the game before. Would he fine the club. I do not think so. The fans buy the tickets long before the game, so they have to count with every option. Furthermore, since it was in Miami, I believe the fans wanted to see their team win. However, they almost lost to a star-less squad from San Antonio. What if all the stars played for the Spurs, and the Heat would lose as a consequence. I do not see the fans being much happier in that case.