WRITING TASK 2

MODEL ESSAY #2

Some companies sponsor sports as a way to advertise themselves. Some people think it is good, while
other think there are disadvantages. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

When businesses began sponsoring sports teams in earnest in the 1980’s it was considered to

be beneficial to sport. However, later on situations emerged where this sponsorship was seen to be

harmful, if not to the sportsmen and women, then most certainly to the general public. Although I think

sponsorship has its benefits, I believe the drawbacks are quite damaging.

The advantages of advertising in sport are numerous. First of all, money that comes into a sport

can be distributed to small clubs and players at lower levels so they may improve their skills. As a result,

the sport as a whole in that country will be more competitive with other countries. Also, when a club

receives a large influx of money from sponsorship, it means it can attract the best players with higher

wages. This leads to more success and growth for the club, which in turn creates jobs in the community.

However, in my opinion, the disadvantages of sponsorship offset the advantages. Firstly, this

advertising and sponsorship revenue stays in the hands of an elite group of clubs, leaving smaller clubs

to struggle. A case in point is the English Premier League football, where there are only a handful of rich

teams that enjoy success. Secondly, some choices of sponsorship deals made by clubs over the years

have been very suspect. A prime example of this is the Maclaren Formula One team, who for years was

sponsored by Marlboro cigarettes. For several Sundays per year, children watching F1 races were

consequently exposed to cigarette advertising. Thankfully the laws on this have changed in most

countries. However, gambling is also an addiction, and yet many betting companies still sponsor football

teams.

All in all, I believe that although we should embrace the advantages of sponsorship, we should

bear in mind its negative consequences to protect the vulnerable.

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