The editorial ‘A retail value for our sports venues’ (March 7) hinted at links between sports and business. It raised ethical, social, political and administrative questions and underlined the affinity of sports, particularly high performance sports, with the world of industry.
This approach gave me an opportunity to delve deeply in the commercialisation of sport and the right of all citizens to practise sports freely.
A White Paper on Sport should mainly be oriented towards mass sports participation in the form of free ‘sports for all’ without discrimination. Of course in this day and age we cannot leave business outside the equation.
The primary aim of a white paper should not be the commercialisation of sport venues but in line with Unesco, The Council of Europe and the International Olympic Committee, it should provide open spaces for physical recreation especially on a small island restricted by space and with crass laziness that has earned it the unenviable title of the Obesity Capital of Europe.
The Sports Council (Sport Malta) should embark on providing open spaces for all, as in Germany’s Golden Plan scheme.
For the government the health and well-being of its citizens through a healthy lifestyle should take precedence over all other considerations.
Locally, the commercialisation of sports venues has in many cases resulted in the utter underutilization of facilities that were once much alive with the shrill sound of children at play.
These spaces, arbitrarily usurped from public domain, should be accessible to children at least in the afternoon and on Saturdays, with supervision provided by the Sports Council, the local council or national associations.
Again I appeal to schools and colleges to open their playing fields after school hours under strict supervision.
The white paper should reach out to the schools, helping them to organise inter-school leagues and an annual sports rally, activities that were so popular in the past. We also expect more participation from the armed forces as in the golden past when servicemen dominated the top echelons of local sport.
There are other financial avenues for clubs to explore before the commercialisation of land that does not belong to them. Like sports, commercialisation is based on the achievement principle and with which sports share many characteristics – discipline, authority, competition and accomplishment.
The marriage of sport and industry demands strict adherence to sportsmanship, fair play and better results
It is no coincidence that modern sports developed simultaneously with the emergence of the industrial society. Since sport has much to offer which is of value to business, the business community is seeking exposure through association with sport.
Sponsorship is seen as a better financial deal than setting a retail value on sports venues which may deprive sports lovers from using these facilities unless they open their cheque books. Sadly we are already witnessing previously accessible venues becoming exclusive for those who can pay. This is a travesty of what sport is all about.
Like all purists I was outraged at the first hints of marriage between sport and mammon. It may be an absolute anachronism for me to retain a lingering nostalgia for the Corinthian values of sport.
But when in the late 1970s the Olympic Games were threatened with extinction after the financial disaster in Montreal in 1976 and the boycotts of the Moscow and Los Angeles games, I recalled Winston Churchill’s original views on private enterprise.
He said: “Some see private enterprise as the predatory target to be shot; others as a cow to be milked; but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon.”
This statement encapsulates the essence of my theory that striking a balance between sport and commerce is the way forward. Surely this is a better way of fundraising than the clawing away of public open spaces to be used exclusively by a club.
By all means, national associations should be encouraged to offer their facilities for a limited period to visiting teams but on no account should locals be deprived.
In recent years, in all industrialised countries, more and more companies have been turning to sport to promote their corporate images and for this they are prepared to pay dearly. Even on our island, sport clubs can benefit from this extraordinary bonanza if they could be increasingly identified by the local and foreign business community as an attractive vehicle through which they may promote their products.
The clean image sport can present helps boost sales and improve profits. Furthermore, through sponsorship the commercial community can gain much prestige and be viewed as making a valid contribution to society.
The marriage of sport and industry demands strict adherence to sportsmanship, fair play and better results in international competitions. Failing this, the marriage will fade into an acrimonious divorce or disastrous annulment. Good management, rectitude, perseverance and commitment are the hallmark of a successful linkage. That is the way forward.
Lino Bugeja is a former secretary general of the Malta Olympic Committee.