Merve Cura - 17

In the past, sporting champions used to be motivated primarily by the desire to win a match or to break world records. These days they are more likely to be motivated by prize money and the opportunity to be famous.

What message does this send to young people and how does this attitude to sport affect the sports themselves?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Previously, winning a sporting championship was considered as proof of being healthy, strong, and invincible. It was a sign of prestige to have a world record, and to become the best athlete of all time. Because of this, sportsmen and sportswomen were motivated by this motive to be the best and to honor their family and country. Conversely, the new generation does not seem interested in sports to be the best, or to prove their strength and make a good representation for their country. Actually, their desire to win stems from being famous and rich. This approach can lead to misunderstanding of the meaning and purpose of doing sports by young people and can change the nature of sports competitions.

Like everything that is a product of humans, culture changes over time. This means that the motivation orientation of the athletes will not remain the same. Now popular culture is based on individual values of self-presentation. The most important thing is being yourself, showing yourself, and making others sure that you are different from them. This also has effects on the sports fields. Self-presentation-orientated champions can make young amateurs or professional sportspeople forget what actually is valued in sports: healthy body, healthy mind, and fair play. These values are belittled by new generations and lost their preeminent place to fame and money. Because of this new approach to sportive competitions, young people might refuse to participate in small competitions which would not bring good prizes or fame. They can lose their interests in sports when they cannot get enough publicity or because when they get satisfied enough they forget their role as an athlete in the society.

Furthermore, changes in motivation orientation can affect the nature of sports competitions. Local competitions can be cancelled because of not having enough participants, or since they cannot offer enough prizes to tempt them. Some unpopular fields can suffer from being unable to find athletes to raise as professionals since they can never offer satisfactory fame, popularity or money; while in the sports fields with more followers or audience, the rivalry among participants causes undesirable situations during competitions.

In conclusion, the era that sports were important because of what they presented is past now. Most of the new sportspeople, today, are in competition to earn a prize or at least publicity. Changes in motivation orientation can cause many problems for both sportspeople and sports itself. Professional must be careful with their reaction towards being famous. It is also important to inform young people about sports' values to prevent future problems.