18. Sport and Leisure

Arguments against Professional/competitive sport

• Sport has become a business
• Professional sport encourages people to compete for money
• Many sports stars are only concerned about money and fame
• Some athletes take drugs in order to win at any cost
• Competitors are often selfish and rude
• They are not good role models for children
• All sports should be amateur
• Sports should be leisure activities rather than jobs
• People should do sporting activities for enjoyment and health reasons
• Taking part is more important than winning

Arguments for Professional sport

• Professional sports are the same as any other business
• Many people are employed in the sports industry
• People should be able to use their talents to earn a salary
• Sports stars entertain millions of people
• Money is necessary to improve facilities and train athletes
• The level of professional sport is much higher than that of amateur sport

Arguments for Competitive sport

• Competition is a natural instinct in humans
• In daily life we compete to get jobs or the highest grades
• Sports are a safe form of competition
• Competition is healthy because it pushes us to give our best
• Competitors and fans can release energy and aggression
• Supporters of teams feel a sense of belonging to a community

Opinion: professional sport salaries are too high

• Sports professionals earn too much money
• They do not provide a vital service
• Football players, for example, earn enormous salaries by simply kicking a ball
• We could all live happily without professional football
• Life would be difficult without doctors, engineers and other vital professionals.
• Society does not seem to value these professions as highly as professional sport
• Sports salaries should be compatible with the wages most people earn

Opinion: professional sport salaries are fair

• It is fair that the best professional earn a lot of money
• Sport is a multi-million-pound industry**
• There is a large audience of sports fans
• Sports on television attract many viewers
• Sports stars have dedicated hours of practice to developing their fitness and skills
• Only the most talented among them will reach the top
• A sports career many only last 10 years
• Sports fans are willing to pay to support their teams

Sports and Politics

• Some people think that sport and politics should remain separate
• Governments are involved in the hosting of sporting events such as the Olympics.
• These events attract investment and create jobs.
• The Olympic Games are an advertisement for the host nation
• They attract huge numbers of visitors and sports fans
• Wealthy countries tend to hold these events
• Developing countries should be given the chance to become hosts

反对职业、竞技体育的论据

• 运动成为一种商业
• 职业运动鼓励人们为了钱去竞争
• 许多体育明星只关心钱和名声
• 一些运动员为了赢不计成本吸毒
• 竞争者通常自私和粗鲁
• 他们不是孩子们的好榜样
• 所有的运动应该是业余的
• 运动应该是休闲运动而非工作
• 人们应该是出于享受和健康的原因运动
• 参与远比赢重要
• +竞技运动的一些不好的社会影响，如吸毒，商业化

支持职业运动的论据

• 职业运动就和其它商业一样
• 许多人在运动行业被雇佣
• 人们应该可以使用它们的才能来赚钱
• 体育明星娱乐百万人(普通人通过观看体育赛事来 reduce pressure)
• 钱在提升设施和训练运动员上是必须的
• 职业体育的水平远比业余运动的水平高

支持竞技运动的论据

• 竞争是人类的天性
• 在日常生活中我们通过竞争获得工作或更高的分数
• 运动是竞争的一种安全形式
• 竞争是健康的因为它推动我们拿出我们的最佳
• 竞争者和粉丝可以释放能量和侵略行为
• 团队的支持者能感觉到一种社区归属感
• +竞技体育可以帮助人类探索潜力 explore potential

观点:职业体育薪水太高

• 体育明星赚太多的钱
• 他们并不提供一个很重要的服务
• 足球运动员，比如，通过简单踢踢球赚无数的薪水
• 没有职业足球我们都可以生活地很开心
• 没有医生、工程师和其它重要的职业人生活会难
• 社会似乎不像职业运动那些非常看重这些职业
• 体育薪水应该和大部分人赚的薪水可兼容

观点:职业体育薪水是公平的

• 最好的职业人赚很多钱是公平的
• 体育是一种多百万英镑的行业
• 有很多体育粉丝观众
• 电视上的体育吸引很多观众
• 体育明星为了发展他们的健康和技能付出了小时般的练习
• 只有他们当中最有才能的人会到达顶端
• 一项体育生涯或许只持续 10 年
• 体育粉丝愿意支付支持他们的团队

体育和政治

• 一些人认为体育和政治应该保持分开
• 政府参与到体育赛事的主办如奥林匹克
• 这些赛事吸引投资和创造工作
• 奥林匹克运动会是对东道主国家的广告
• 他们吸引大量的参观人员和体育粉丝
• 富裕的国家倾向举办这些赛事
• 发展中国家应该被给予成为主办方的机会