This document discusses several contradictions and paradoxes in modern sport. It addresses how politics uses sport for propaganda, and how sport has become a major business and economic activity. It also examines issues like violence, doping, gambling, commercialization through advertising and sponsorship, and how sport impacts society through schools, media and gender roles. The document aims to provide a critical analysis of both the advantages and disadvantages of the role of sport in 21st century society.

1. SOCIETY, SPORT AND ITS
CONTRADICTIONS: THE
PARADOXES OF CURRENT SPORT
Physical Education Department

2. INTRODUCTION
• Nowadays, sport is a sign of
quality of our society, sport
is a key part of our 21st
society with its advantages
and disadvantages. In this
unit we’ll deal with some of
the most controversial topics
in sport phenomenon in
society to make a critical
thought about it.

3. POLITICS AND SPORT
• At a political level, sport is
considered a propaganda tool.
• In some countries sport is
used as a way of leaving aside
the real problems and of
entertaining the citizenship.
• At the same time, the
politician tries to associate his
image with a sport success.
• On the other hand, sportsmen
don’t want to be linked to a
political party or ideology.

4. SPORT BUSINESS
• Think about these questions
that everybody has listened to
at any time:
• ‘do you practice any
sport?’,
• ‘what do you do in your
free time?’,
• do you do any physical
activity in the open air?’
• or ‘you should do sport’.

5. ECONOMY AND SPORT
• Nowadays, sport is a leading
economic activity in Spanish
society since it represents the
1.2 % of the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP).
• Sport needs facilities and
services which are rather
expensive, it also needs
specific material and
equipment and it also needs
people who teach sport,
computers, medical assistance,
TV satellites… that is, an
economic importance that
isn´t very often noticed.

6. VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSIONS IN SPORT
• It´s remarkable to say that
human actions are influenced
mainly by the environment,
that is, the society.
• It´s true the topic is open,
maybe the collective
contribution of Biology,
Psychology and Sociology
could give us an answer to this
dilemma.

7. Then, why are we so worried by the
violence phenomenon?
• First of all, because the wave of violence around
sport causes obvious personal, material and
moral damages. But because of our tolerance
towards violence has fallen, violence is not so
extreme and our sensitivity is higher than
before.

8. BETS IN SPORT
• Betfair, Bwin or Unibet are 3
of the most usual bookmakers.
Betting on sports in the
Internet is extremely easy: a
credit card and be over 18 are
the only requirements.
• But this entails that matches
are fixed, there are bent
referees or agreements among
the players to manipulate the
scores in a sport competition.

9. DRUG-TAKING IN SPORT
Why is the reason to use drug?
FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCES AND METHODS IN
SPORT.
• In our society, medicines are
not only used to fight illnesses
but also to help in extreme
physiological situations
(tiredness, pain, sleep,
anxiety…).
• The sportman resorts to them
to stimulate himself, make his
strength and concentration
grow, calm his tiredness…
• This is the group of forbidden
substances:
• Stimulants.
• Narcotics
• Anabolic steroids.
• Diuretics.
• Pharmacological substances.
“The recreational sport as well as
the competitive one have an
important role in current
societies”.

10. MASS MEDIA IN SPORT
• By means of the mass media, sport has become
popular.
• The king of sports is, without any doubt, football
which is continuously broadcast in radio and TV
and occupies plenty of pages in sport press.
• Mass media exert great influence in the personal
opinion of each person.

11. SPORT MAKES AND POPULAR AND
PROFESSIONAL SPORT.
SPORT SPONSORSHIP
This sponsorship has a few
characteristics that make it
different:
• Sport sponsorship represents
the 11% of the advertising
investment every year. This
implies an investment of 600
million €.
• Visibility. It focused on
advertising and marketing. It
allows that the logo of the firm
can be seen everywhere.
• Spectators. Diverse, numerous
and less elitist public.
• Media presence. Sports are in
the media more frequently than
any other activity. Sponsoring a
team, a sportsman of a sport
event guarantees the presence of
the logo in a video, in a photo….

12. SPORT MAKES AND POPULAR AND
PROFESSIONAL SPORT.
THE VALUES OF SPORT
SPONSORSHIP
SPORT AND INDIVIDUAL
SPONSORSHIPS.
• A desire of doing better.
• Competiveness.
• Effort.
• Team spirit.
• Work.
• Perseverance.
• Reach the goals.
• Sacrifice.
• Although individual sponsorship
is not born from sport
sponsorship, it´s true that in
this field we find more
individual sponsorships.
• Individual sponsorship is found
either in team sports or
individual ones. The same firm
can sponsor Messi or Michael
Phelps (a swimmer).
• On the other hand, sport
sponsorship must think about
getting the highest results of
sportsman.

13. ADVERTISING IN SPORT.
• The relationship between
Advertising and sport is so
close that both activities profit
each other.
• The sponsors use sport as a
way of persuading consumers
who are gradually more
heterogeneous.
• Sport provides the
businessman with a profitable
alternative to carry out
advertising campaigns with a
multitarget profile.
• It´s possible to choose among
sports broadcast in television
or in live.

14. ADVERTISING IN SPORT
• From the football shirt to the
stadium hoardings, the
smartvision system or LEDs
screens, everything is
surrounded by advertising.
• Most times firms resort to
these strategies starred by
celebrities: Cristiano Ronaldo,
Rafa Nadal….

15. FREE TIME AND SPORT
• Sports are the healthiest
option for the human body, to
practice them we should
supplement them with another
factor, our free time.
• We must enjoy both. Free time
means leisure and we have to
choose what to do: rest, watch
TV, do sport…

16. PROFESSIONALIM AND SPORT
WORLD SPAIN
• The sport spectacle entails the
professionalization of the
sportsman. He becomes a star,
a worker on many occasions, a
luxury worker.
• For example, the NBA comes
in 400 million€ every year, it
also has 20 important
sponsors.
•
• In Spain the professional sport is
very developed in relation to the
whole of the sport system. The
professionalization reaches football
and basketball but also other sports
such as handball, volleyball…
• On the other hand, in Spain we like
organizing great championships and
paying large amounts of money to
sportsmen.
• For this reason, Spain on many
occasions is a goldmine for many of
these sportsmen from other
countries.

17. SCHOOL AND SPORT
• We should provide them with a basic multi sport ….with contextualized
learning situations where they can practice several technical tactical
elements.
• On the other hand, the introduction to a sport can’t be reduced only to
motor aspects but we also should try to foster an education in values and an
improvement of attitudes.
• Among these attitudes:
 Respect to the classmates.
 Be a good winner and a good loser.
 Fair play.
 Cooperation with the classmates.
 Tolerance.
 Respect to the rules.
 Critical attitude towards some high competition behaviours.
• We should try that students practice sport out of school and for that, they
have to maintain a good relationship with it by means of positive
experiences.

18. WOMAN AND SPORT
• Women have had restricted
access to sport, for a woman is
much more difficult to devote
professionally to sport than for
a man.
• There are other barriers that
have to be overcome:
 Little presence in the mass
media,
 No economic incentives to
invest in female sport,
 Less spectacle of their
competitions…

19. SPECTACLE AND SPORT
• The appearance of sport as a
mass spectacle makes the
person a passive subject
(spectator) instead of an active
one (sportsman). Sport becomes
an entertainment.
• The passive spectator identifies
himself with the sportsman who
admires.
• The sport spectacle causes the
threat of making our conscience
sleepy. There is no time to
participate actively in the
building of the human condition
because in sport the spectacle
becomes an addictive drug.

20. JUNIOR SPORT AND EARLY PROFESSIONALISM
• Not always sport skills last throughout
the childhood and adolescence.
• The difference between the recreational
model of sport and the professional
one.
• Professional sport involves a greater
amount of time devoted to train,
economic income, regularity in
competitions…
It´s said that adolescence is the vital stage
when more withdrawals in sport take
place.
It´s a key moment not only in the
consolidation of personality but also in
the choice of a vocation….

21. PARENTS AND SPORT
• The fanatical father
He searches for his son’s victory above all. He doesn’t respect the decisions made by referees,
he uses swearwords and he is always complaining.
• The sporting frustrated father
He tried to excel in a sport but he didn´t achieve the goal. They use to choose this activity for
their children without taking into account the child´s likes something that causes even his
rejection.
• The trainer father
He wants his son to be a top sportsman, training is the most important activity leaving aside
the pleasure of playing. This kind of training causes psychological and physiological risks in
children.
• The manager father
This father offers the sport ´rights´ to a club of sport body.
• The indifferent father
The father doesn´t worry about the sport practice of his children. He just enrolls them on a
sports club or they buy them a bike or a pair of skates. His aim is to get more free time for
himself.
• The over-protective father
• He forbids his children the practice of any kind of physical activity because they can be
hurt. They prefer that his children play computer games at home rather than play in a
court. In a sense, the children can´t play or establish social relationships in group.

22. The sports father:
• He has in mind the sports
interests of his children.
• He knows the difference
between dangerousness and
over protection.
• He practices whenever he can, a
physical activity with them.
• He respects referees and
trainers´ decisions.
• He makes his child see that the
final goal of sport is its
socializing aspect.
• He teaches how to win in a
humble way.
• He teaches how to lose.
• He fosters the non violence.

23. CONCLUSIONS
• As you can see, the facts of sport and the
physical activity is more complex than we can
see in the Physical Education class.
• It´s a social phenomenon difficult to understand
and that moves a lot of money every year.
• It has become one of the most important
businesses nowadays.

24. Thank you for your attention…
P.E. Class.