In the international sport contests, which people around the world watch, the players are representative of the country. For the people watching the game, the behavior of the players and the reaction of the media directly affect the image of the country. If the player and the media do well with sportsmanship, the country is also recognized as a respectable country, government, media and nation. However some players or media show immature attitude in the game and bring shame on the country.
In 3rd WBC, I saw a case that is a negative aspect of "Sport is the reflection of the society". It is South Korea's media reaction. South Korea lost in the 1st round in Taiwan and couldn't come to Tokyo 2nd round. Then, The president of KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) reacted on the Korean, Center Daily News(韓国・中央日報). He said"The players couldn't got used to lifestyle in Taiwan. And the equipment and environment for practice was terrible. They couldn't have enough relaxation time and food didn't suit them." What do you think about this comment? It may be the cultural difference. But these excuses never give good impression to people. When one lost, one should recognize the loss and motivate oneself for the next game. I believe this is the sportsmanship. At least people who know the comment don't respect it. And some people may think the country has same nature as the comment.
In the widely noticed contests, not only the players but also the staff and media should take care about their comment and behavior not to give negative impression to the world.
The way certain athletes behave and perform in certain international events does greatly effect the image of their home country in the way people on the outside veiw them
ReplyDeleteI think the way we as Americans act when we participate in international competitions weighs a lot on peoples perceptions of Americans.
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