Essay On The Impact Of Sports On Australian Society
The Impact of Sport in Australian People’s Lives today
As Australian society became more commercialised and globalised, so did our sport. From an amateur, locally-based pastime, sport in Australia gradually evolved into a professional, highly lucrative industry with international scope.
The development of sport in Australia also reflects the gradual movement of our culture away from its British roots, towards a more Americanised, yet distinctly Australian cultural hybrid. While sports like cricket and the various codes of rugby point to our British heritage, modern sports like basketball demonstrate the penetration of American influence into our culture. At the same time, local sports like Australian Rules football continue to thrive.
Government …show more content…
and Sport
Increasing public concern prompted the Commonwealth Government into action and construction began on Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. Completed in 1981, the AIS aimed to help talented athletes reach their potential, by providing specialised training, expert coaches, sports science and sports medicine services, as well as state-of-the-art facilities across many different sports.
Through the Australian Sports Commission, the government also established funding and scholarship schemes that allowed athletes to devote more time and energy to training. Programmes were also set up to encourage better sports participation in the wider community.
In the coming decades, these measures would prove extremely successful in restoring the international success rate of Australian athletes.
Impact of the USA and UK on Sport
Since the early days of the Australian colony, sport has been a fundamental aspect of Australian cultural life.
Sport is one area of Australian society that, for decades, resisted American influence and retained a strong British influence. Popular contemporary sports like cricket, horse racing, and rugby union were all originally transferred to Australia from Britain. Australia and Britain also share many great sporting traditions like rugby internationals and The Ashes cricket matches. Australians still relish beating England 'at her own game'.
From the 1970s, American culture was changing the nature of Australian sport. This was accelerated by advances in communications technology, which enabled more widespread, frequent and up-to-date broadcasts of American sport into Australian homes. From the 1970s, the American influence also changed the way sport was presented. Many Australian sporting matches began to feature American-style glitz and glamour, such as football games where players and the crowd were boosted by cheerleaders and mascots. The World Series Cricket tournament, developed in the late 1970s, was inspired by American baseball. It featured brightly-clad players, night games and shorter match times - all designed to appeal to a modern television
audience.
The impact of sport on the Australian Identity
For a nation with a relatively small population, Australia performs remarkably well at an international level. Sporting success, particularly on the world stage, enables the creation of a distinct national identity. Victorious sports people often become national heroes and some, like legendary cricketer Donald Bradman, become revered as Australian icons.
The popularity of sport in Australia can partly be attributed to a warm climate that encourages people to get outdoors and be active. Sport also enables well-loved national values like 'mateship', 'having a go', and 'egalitarianism' (the assumption that that all people are equal), to be played out. Australians also revel in the expression of 'fair play' on the sporting field - hence, sports cheats are often chastised for being 'un-Australian.'
As Australian society became more commercialised and globalised, so did our sport. From an amateur, locally-based pastime, sport in Australia gradually evolved into a professional, highly lucrative industry with international scope.
The development of sport in Australia also reflects the gradual movement of our culture away from its British roots, towards a more Americanised, yet distinctly Australian cultural hybrid. While sports like cricket and the various codes of rugby point to our British heritage, modern sports like basketball demonstrate the penetration of American influence into our culture. At the same time, local sports like Australian Rules football continue to thrive.
Government …show more content…
and Sport
Increasing public concern prompted the Commonwealth Government into action and construction began on Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. Completed in 1981, the AIS aimed to help talented athletes reach their potential, by providing specialised training, expert coaches, sports science and sports medicine services, as well as state-of-the-art facilities across many different sports.
Through the Australian Sports Commission, the government also established funding and scholarship schemes that allowed athletes to devote more time and energy to training. Programmes were also set up to encourage better sports participation in the wider community.
In the coming decades, these measures would prove extremely successful in restoring the international success rate of Australian athletes.
Impact of the USA and UK on Sport
Since the early days of the Australian colony, sport has been a fundamental aspect of Australian cultural life.
Sport is one area of Australian society that, for decades, resisted American influence and retained a strong British influence. Popular contemporary sports like cricket, horse racing, and rugby union were all originally transferred to Australia from Britain. Australia and Britain also share many great sporting traditions like rugby internationals and The Ashes cricket matches. Australians still relish beating England 'at her own game'.
From the 1970s, American culture was changing the nature of Australian sport. This was accelerated by advances in communications technology, which enabled more widespread, frequent and up-to-date broadcasts of American sport into Australian homes. From the 1970s, the American influence also changed the way sport was presented. Many Australian sporting matches began to feature American-style glitz and glamour, such as football games where players and the crowd were boosted by cheerleaders and mascots. The World Series Cricket tournament, developed in the late 1970s, was inspired by American baseball. It featured brightly-clad players, night games and shorter match times - all designed to appeal to a modern television
audience.
The impact of sport on the Australian Identity
For a nation with a relatively small population, Australia performs remarkably well at an international level. Sporting success, particularly on the world stage, enables the creation of a distinct national identity. Victorious sports people often become national heroes and some, like legendary cricketer Donald Bradman, become revered as Australian icons.
The popularity of sport in Australia can partly be attributed to a warm climate that encourages people to get outdoors and be active. Sport also enables well-loved national values like 'mateship', 'having a go', and 'egalitarianism' (the assumption that that all people are equal), to be played out. Australians also revel in the expression of 'fair play' on the sporting field - hence, sports cheats are often chastised for being 'un-Australian.'