From Roman times on, it has been recognised that the “masses” can be kept in line only as long as they are
given diversions particularly “bread and circuses[1].”
In this 21st century
professional sport provided the circuses and up till now the events have been inspired by the increasing celebrity status of
professional sports people with the audiences fueling their success, and television and radio being the media
that has provides mass distribution and engagement for the masses.
Now this pattern is beginning
to change. Something is happening that is altering the habits of individuals
and groups and is leading to the disengagement of the masses from sport, both
as audience and as participants. These
dramatic changes are occurring rapidly and may see the diminution of sport as
the circus events for the population, especially for those under 40 years old. Some
of the elderly will still engage, but with limited disposable incomes they will
not be sharing the experience with the whole population.
The first thing that
is happening is that audiences are becoming disillusioned by the champions
themselves. The media has, in the past, promoted as more than human, but drug
scandals, family violence and drinking antics of professional sports men show
the myths of champions not supported by facts.
This diminishing role
of champions is being coupled with reductions in the attendance at stadium and the
watching of television at home for sporting events. Events are becoming increasingly
expensive, particularly for those many individuals and families who have
limited disposable incomes and watching live events is reserved to those who
have purchased pay television subscriptions.
It is significant to
notice that over the last twenty plus years, the salary packages and
sponsorship perks of professional sportspeople have risen faster than the
audience numbers. There are increases in
incomes, luxury homes, and lucrative sponsorship deals for top particularly
football, rugby and tennis sportspersons. All these income packages need to be
paid for, as does the maintenance and security of stadiums and sports
grounds.
In this blog I am suggesting
that these trends will shift sports participation away from team sports
participation and audiences of the big team sports towards individual sports
like cycling, walking and running.
This shift is
exacerbated by the diminishing disposable incomes being allocated on sport and
demonstrated by fewer people attending events, less people joining and playing
sport at club level and the increasingly
expensive fees necessary to enable them to watch games, play sport necessary
while supporting the growing expense of sport generally.
Also there is a further
change that parallels that growth in the costs associated with staging events
and events. This new era is associated
with the internet, and mobile distribution of information through tablets and
smart phones and the shorter attention spans that are fuelled by mobile devices
and the simultaneous watching of multiple communication systems. Premier sport will be screened on the
internet at a higher price than Sky PayTV and will be watched by a small elite.
So let’s look at what
is happening.
Some of the signs have
been seen with the increasing disengagement with Super 14 Rugby, Cricket and “A”
League Soccer and with that, half empty stadiums for other sports events. While a few events are still command large
audiences, they are now the exception and are not enough to keep stadiums
profitable.
At the same time as
audiences are reducing, we hear tales that many team sports clubs are struggling
financially. Sport’s clubs are coping
with increasingly ageing memberships and less commitment by younger players.
The Brazil protest
movement has shown that the popularity of big events has not been universal and national planning for economic growth from events is criticised, especially
when the core service expenses associated with health, education and transport
are being put off till after the events.
We need to see some of
the more recent political events as yet another signpost of change away from
sports circus events. The people of
Brazil don’t believe that prosperity will come from spending billions of
dollars on ‘entertaining’ overseas visitors. The widely broadcasted event this
week has been the massive popular political reported demonstrations in many parts
of Brazil might have started with an opposition to the increases in transport
costs, but they quickly evolved into demonstrations against the major events in
sport for Brazil (Olympics 2016, Soccer World Cup) and the costs of these events
is being met by Brazilian tax payers and the general public, some living in poverty
but also the middle class who want basic services before entertainment from
sport.
"This
is not just about bus fares any more. We pay high taxes and we are a rich country , but we can't see this in our schools,
hospitals and roads." Many in the mostly young, middle class crowd were
experiencing their first large protest.
Matheus
Bizarria, who works for the NGO Action Aid, said people had reached the limit
of their tolerance about longstanding problems that the Confederations Cup and
World Cup have brought into focus because of the billions of reals spent on new
stadiums rather than public services. Rio is also due to host a papal visit to
World Youth Day next month, and the Olympics in 2016[2]. "It's totally connected to the
mega-events …" Bizarria said.
So back to Brazil and
the deal with Coliseum
Sports Media. Is this a sign of what is to come or is it just another way to
grow sports professionalism?
What does this
mean? Really what is happening?
In summary:
1.
Less
people are attending events
2.
Less
people are participating in sport
3.
Coverage
of sport is becoming too expensive
4.
Attendance
at big events is dropping
5.
Sports
scandals associated with high profile sports people has dented the celebrity
status of sports people
6.
Disposable
incomes of the masses is diminishing
7.
Individuals
are no longer totally absorbed in watching sport and they watch on their second
screens parallel with the sports event
8.
Sports
clubs are finding their memberships dropping
Finally individuals
are no longer seeking mass entertainment and maybe the internet and smart
phones mean we no longer need circuses. Hopefully there will still be bread, or
at least breakfast in schools for the poor.
The only positive is that many people are striving for physical fitness.
They want to do exercise and wish to have group companionship. Hence individual activities, casual sports in
the form of cycling, walking and running is growing and gym membership remains
high.
What happens in the
next ten years will be interesting. I suspect the huge incomes of professional
sports people will be under stress first, then premier events will no longer be
profitable and the popularity of sports people will be significantly
reduced. Sponsorship will dry up. Will team sport then die?
Well maybe – but there
will certainly need to be change otherwise major sport as we know it today will
be dead and with that stadiums will be empty and our sports fields, golf
courses and sports clubs generally will be empty or sold off as prime real
estate.
[1] "Bread and Circuses" (or bread and games) (from Latin: panem et circenses) is a metaphor for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of
politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not
through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere
satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace, as an
offered "palliative."
(Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia)
