You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Many companies sponsor sports by advertising themselves. Some people think that this is very good for the world’s sports, while others think that there are disadvantages.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experiences.
You should write at least 250 words.
Get your personalised IELTS Essay Feedback from a former examiner
Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score
Model Essay 1
Corporate sponsorships have transformed the global sports landscape into a dynamic arena of brand endorsements, igniting a debate on its implications. This essay contends that, despite valid concerns regarding commercial dominance and ethical issues, the infusion of corporate investments predominantly enriches the sports world. It will explore the dual aspects of financial empowerment and audience engagement against the backdrop of commercialization's ethical quandaries.
Corporate sponsorship in sports is often celebrated for the financial lifeline it provides. These partnerships enable the hosting of grand-scale events, enhance prize pools, and facilitate the development of infrastructure, thereby elevating the standard of competition and athlete performance. Furthermore, sponsorship deals boost sports visibility, drawing larger audiences and encouraging grassroots participation. For instance, global brands sponsoring major football leagues have significantly amplified the global following of these competitions, fostering a more connected world of sports enthusiasts.
Conversely, critics argue that the commercialization of sports through sponsorship can detract from the purity of competition. There is a fear that sports are becoming too entwined with corporate interests, prioritizing profitability over the true spirit of competition. Moreover, the reliance on corporate funds may lead to ethical compromises, such as the promotion of products detrimental to health, like sugary drinks and fast food, thus contradicting the health-centric ethos of sports. Additionally, there is concern over the disparity in funding, where popular sports attract significant investment at the expense of less mainstream disciplines, potentially stifling diversity in the sports ecosystem.
Despite these concerns, the pragmatic benefits of corporate sponsorship are undeniable. The financial support and global exposure it brings to sports are crucial for their sustenance and growth. While it's essential to navigate the commercial influences with caution, ensuring that the integrity of sports remains intact, the positive impact of corporate sponsorship on the world of sports is substantial. It not only facilitates the global celebration of athleticism but also bridges communities, making sports a more inclusive and accessible domain.
In conclusion, corporate sponsorship plays a pivotal role in the evolution and enrichment of global sports, despite the ethical and commercial concerns it raises. By offering essential financial support and enhancing visibility, these partnerships contribute significantly to the development and accessibility of sports, outweighing the potential negatives when managed with integrity and a focus on the true spirit of competition.
Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score
Model Essay 2
The intersection of corporate sponsorship and global sports has become a fertile ground for debate, juxtaposing the infusion of vital resources against potential ethical compromises. This discourse navigates through the merits and demerits of such partnerships, advocating for the nuanced acknowledgment of their value, notwithstanding inherent challenges.
Corporate patronage has undeniably revolutionized sports, injecting indispensable financial resources and global visibility. This symbiotic relationship enables the orchestration of grand events, improves facilities, and nurtures talent, ultimately elevating the sporting spectacle. Moreover, the global outreach facilitated by these partnerships not only magnifies audience engagement but also fosters a more inclusive sports culture. For instance, the partnership between major athletic brands and football leagues has significantly expanded the global footprint of the sport, knitting a tighter fabric of international sports enthusiasts.
However, this commercial entanglement is not without its pitfalls. The commodification of sports is critiqued for overshadowing the essence of athleticism with profit motives, sometimes leading to the prioritization of commercial gains over sports integrity. Additionally, the dependence on corporate funds might compromise ethical standards, inadvertently promoting products or lifestyles at odds with health-conscious sports values. The disparity in sponsorship allocation further exacerbates inequalities within the sports domain, overshadowing less mainstream activities.
Despite these critiques, the pragmatic benefits of corporate sponsorship — from financial buoyancy to enhanced global reach — are indispensable for the sustenance and advancement of sports. By fostering conditions for unparalleled athletic performances and global connectivity, such sponsorships undeniably contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of the sports ecosystem.
In conclusion, while it is imperative to remain vigilant about the commercialization of sports, the overarching impact of corporate sponsorship is profoundly positive. By judiciously balancing commercial interests with the sanctity of sports, these partnerships can continue to play a pivotal role in the flourishing of global athletics, making sports more accessible and enjoyable for communities worldwide.
Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score
Model Essay 3
In recent times, the commercialisation of sports has gained significant attention, with numerous companies choosing to sponsor sports by advertising themselves. While this phenomenon in sports can significantly bolster financial resources, enhance the global profile of sports, and contribute to their growth and development, concerns remain about the potential negative consequences such as overshadowing the essence of sports, detracting from fan enjoyment, and exacerbating existing inequalities in resource distribution.
On the one hand, companies that sponsor sports by advertising can inject substantial financial resources into the industry, leading to improved facilities, higher salaries for athletes, and better opportunities for young talents to pursue a career in sports. In many cases, these sponsorships enable teams and athletes to compete at a higher level, raising the overall quality of the sport. Additionally, corporate sponsorships can boost the global profile of a sport, as companies often have extensive marketing and promotional resources that can be harnessed to promote sporting events and athletes. As a result, sports become more accessible and appealing to a wider audience, contributing to their growth and development worldwide.
Conversely, critics argue that corporate sponsorship in sports can have negative consequences, such as the potential for commercial interests to overshadow the essence of the sport. For example, excessive advertising may detract from the enjoyment of the sport for fans, with constant branding and commercial breaks disrupting the flow of the game. Furthermore, there are concerns that the reliance on corporate funding may lead to an unequal distribution of resources, with smaller teams or less popular sports struggling to attract sponsorship and remaining underfunded. This could, in turn, exacerbate existing inequalities in sports and limit opportunities for athletes from diverse backgrounds.
In conclusion, corporate sponsorship in sports offers both benefits, such as increased financial resources and global visibility, and drawbacks, including overshadowing the essence of sports and exacerbating resource inequalities. Striking a balance between these aspects is essential to ensure the positive growth and development of sports worldwide.
Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score
Model Essay 4
A large number of businesses fund sports to promote their business interests using the popular sporting figures. Some people believe that this is a good tradition for sports in general, while others argue that it has major negative aspects. Though the critics say that business’s involvement in sports have some drawbacks as it controls over a team’s freedom of choice, in my opinion, companies’ sponsorship rather improves the quality of sporting entertainment by spending on diverse team facilities.
To begin with, those people who insist that sporting entities should not receive commercial supports argue that by sponsoring which is financial dependency in another word, sportspersons might not be able to play freely. If some players hope to move to other teams, owner companies may not approve the intention. To put it another way, the sponsored teams or players are forced to obey the sponsor companies' discretion. In fact, it has a knock-on effect on every stage of a sporting event, and eventually it becomes a staged financed entertainment for the sponsoring businesses’ target audience. Thus, snatching the freedom from fair sporting has far reaching consequences in terms of damaging sportspersons’ true spirit of sportsmanship.
On the other hand, giving athletes facilities to practise in an appropriate environment is one of the major advantages of companies’ support for sport associations. For example, they can play under the suitable temperature along with plenty of exercise tools, being trained from expert trainers, run on a smart diet and so on. If they do not get any funding support from companies, they will need to do all these things by themselves, which is beyond of affordability for many players and team managements. In fact, there are so many people who cannot afford to continue playing without funding supports. Therefore, financial assistance from big companies in the form of sponsorship can enrich team funds, gets fit players in the games and stimulates the overall sporting industry.
To conclude, though it might come at the cost of some players’ and managements’ freedom of choices, I believe that getting financial support from companies itself is a practical way to improve the level of this entertainment, as it increases a team’s affordability that accelerates the sports’ overall development.
Get your personalised IELTS Essay Feedback from a former examiner
Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score