Some Companies Sponsor Sports As A Way To Advertise Themselves | Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample
Some companies sponsor sports as a way to advertise themselves. Some people think it is good, while others think there are disadvantages to this. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
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Band 8 IELTS essay sample
Sponsoring a sports person or a sporting event is a method to make the brand and the product popular and reach the customers worldwide. Though this practice has huge benefits, it has a few drawbacks as well.
When companies sponsor sporting events or sports teams, organizers do not have to worry about funding. For example, major events like World Cup Football or Olympics have numerous sponsors. These companies take care of a great deal of expenses and play a huge role in making the event commercially successful. Sponsorship is also a great way for sports teams of poor nations to fund their campaigns. Without sponsorship many of these countries will not be able to send their teams to international events like Olympics. Sponsorship also enables sportspersons to earn extra income. The prospect of winning brand deals encourages many young people to take up sports as a career.
On the downside, when a wrong company associates itself with a major sporting event, it can tarnish the reputation of the event. For example, it is not uncommon for tobacco or liquor companies to sponsor sporting events. Since most of the audience of such events are young people, this sends a very wrong message to the society. It is also common for sportspersons and teams to endorse soft drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi although they are not healthy. Furthermore, sponsorships can sometimes lead to unethical practices like match fixing. When large companies sponsor teams, they will want their team to win at any cost and for this purpose they might even buy out players of the opponent team. This practice kills the very essence of sports. Sometimes players hired by companies are get caught doing things inappropriate for their image and in this case, it hurts the reputation of the company as well. Sponsorship money may also cause players to lose focus on the game.
To conclude, when companies sponsor sports events or teams both of them benefit. Businesses get the brand recognition they need and teams no longer have to worry about arranging funds. However, sometimes players endorse the wrong products or companies hire players who do more harm than good to their brand name.
