Media Impact On High Level Athletes Essay

Does the media have a negative effect on high level athletes?

909.6 million [1] people worldwide watched the football world cup of 2014 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Sports such as football and athletics have truly become globalised in the modern age. Sports and media now come hand in hand: newspapers, advertisements, radio broadcasts, the internet, social media and television coverage all analyse and expose every last thing which athletes at the highest level do; both on and off pitch. Young footballers are paid millions, track stars alike such as Usain Bolt and Mo Farah have become worldwide icons and are constantly under the spotlight for any number of reasons. But who wouldn’t want to be? To be adored by thousands each week while living the

most lavish and luxurious of lives imaginable. But is it something to truly be envious of? To have your every move scrutinised by millions of people? To have all your relationships and personal life laid bare for the public eye to watch and judge? Like a predator in the night, tracking your every move.
Social media can prove to be very dangerous, often resulting in an over exaggeration of the actual incident or it being taken out of context. A prime example of this was 22 year old Saido Berahino of West Bromwich Albion who controversially tweeted of how he would “never play for Jeremy Peace” [2] (Jeremy Peace being the chairman of the club) after he was denied a £20 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. He was soon cascaded for his actions by almost everyone, turning teammates and fans alike against him. He has since consequently deleted the tweet.
The phrase ‘too much too soon’ is often used by the media when describing a players career that has deteriorated as they have grown up, as they become villain like characters to the public due to their actions. The age of eighteen to twenty-one is usually when young footballers begin to break into the squad or first eleven of a team and, judging on how big a club they are a part of or how successfully they have been playing, are quickly thrust into the public’s domain. This is often every parents, agents and manager’s worst fear as it can begin to dictate the player’s actions; this is a dangerous dragon for all young athletes.
Nonetheless social media can also prove to be a pathway to many opportunities for young athletes.
Yes, sports such as football and athletics are now globally accessible to view and available for you to give your ever opinion on; but sports stars are the envies of millions of people. Sacrificing your privacy must seem a small price to pay for athletes who have dreams of competing and sustaining performance at the highest of levels and earning millions per year through advertisements and contractual details. Take David Beckham for an example, a national icon who appears almost every time you check Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Beckham is a true example of a sports star who has utilised social media to its fullest extent to expand his brand and become adored worldwide.
The ‘fame and fortune’ and the incredible life of: fast cars, un-parallel attention, luxurious houses, exclusive offers, A-list parties with celebrities and global movie stars alike, worldwide red carpet events and money in abundance must be worth the compromise.

The media can have a very positive effect on an athlete’s career as they have the power to portray them as they please and almost control the public’s view on them. This is particularly true with newspapers, who can pick and choose what they show, who can manipulate the content which is broadcasted, who can sway the public’s opinion either way depending on how the athlete has performed or how they have communicated to the media. Whether it conveys them as being saints: or sinners. Footballers and track stars do some incredible charitable events and donate thousands of pounds of their own money to charities of their choice so generously. Unfortunately, this often goes unnoticed and unreported. These types of cases hardly ever receive sufficient media coverage as a story creating drama and portraying an athlete in the wrong is usually seen to sell better. Even though these would have a much more positive effect on both the athlete’s mentality and the public’s opinion on them as a role

model.
The media just does not seem to work this way sadly.
So does the media have a negative effect on high level athletes? Yes. Each year young professionals are cascaded by the media, public and fans alike for their actions both on and off the field of play. 4.7 billion [3] people watched Barclays Premier League games on television in the most recent season (2014/15), over half of the world’s population. The pressure is immense and is only growing stronger as an ever increasing media presence on the game continues to expand, having almost unlimited access into their lives; particularly exposing younger, less experienced athletes. There is an ever growing number of abuse cases, it is disgusting to see in the modern world and it is only being made worse by the unforgiving media. This incompatible abuse should not be stood for in the modern game.
The negative effects of an ever stronger media presence on high level athletes far out way the positives which they bring.