Learn English via Listening - Level 3 - Globalization and Sport | Текст песни

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• Learn English via Listening - Level 3
• Globalization and Sport

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One of the most recognized and widely debated terms in recent times is "globalization."
While there is little consensus as to what it actually is, there is little doubt that the world
has in one way or another become more inter-connected. Mass communications and
transportation technology, in addition to the rise of transnational corporate culture, have
combined to produce a new global culture.
At the same time, sport has become one of the most recognized elements of global
culture. In fact, it has been claimed that there are no other events in the world that attract
the attention of more people around the world than sports events, especially the Olympic
Games and the World Cup football (soccer) tournament. It is difficult to think of other
events that attract the world's attention in the same manner as sport.
Global themes infuse international sporting events in several ways. One of those ways is
in advertising. Major transnational corporations using major events like the Olympic
Games advertise with global themes and images. In addition, media coverage of major
events often emphasizes national and international themes. These themes can be both
positive and negative. For example, sport can reinforce international cooperation and
cultural learning, but it can also be used to reinforce themes of aggressive nationalism
and create tension between countries. This was clearly the case during the Cold War
from World War II to the late-1980s, in which West Bloc and East Bloc nations regularly
did battle at the Olympic Games.
More recently, additional global themes have appeared. The international immigration
and movement of athletes is one theme. Increasingly, professional and elite amateur
athletes are attracted to other. Football (soccer) is one sport that practices "athlete
immigration" frequently. Many professional teams in Europe, for example, have many
players from outside the team's nation.
An additional global theme that has appeared lately is sport used for international
advertising and marketing. Sport provides a very useful device for transnational
marketing and advertising because the symbols provided by sport are often recognizable
internationally, and sport provides many of the themes and images important to
advertising: speed, strength, competition, perseverance, and so forth. Major
corporations such as IBM and Coca-Cola regularly use sport to advertise their products,
even though these corporations don't sell sport-related products directly.
Some critics have claimed that major international events such as the Olympic Games
are being used less for international understanding and culture sharing as they are for
making big corporations a lot of money. While it is clear that the sport-related images
and symbols used by these corporations are recognized worldwide, it is not so clear
what positive benefits are accrued from this. In any case, there is little doubt that sport
will continue to play a vital role in the globalization process.


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