Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Position for Paper 3

Sports is a multi-billion dollar industry, fueled by advertising, ticket sales, memorabilia sales, TV contracts and other revenue streams. Sports can also have a major economic impact on a city. The professional athlete is paid millions of dollars because of the earning potential that he creates for his franchise and the companies that he endorses. In the end the athlete is expected to produce much more in revenue than he is paid.

However, behind earning potential in professional sports lies the news media, the public's source for anything they could hope to know about an emerging star player. The media builds the hype and influences how people perceive a player. It can build a player up and it can also shut a player down. Media drives all professional and college sports. The players receive an enormous amount of attention and fame in the public eye. However, with celebrity and fame comes an increasing sense of invincibility among some players. They may commit a crime or another wrongdoing and a judge might let them slide because they have a big game, and the judge wants to see his beloved team win. Since even the earliest times, sports have always played a key role in society. People are drawn to them. However, when the athletes are held to lower standards in regards to the law and feel that they can get away with anything, the games that so many watch and love, have gone too far.

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