In the modern world, a lot of attention is given by society to various sports. Moreover, the level of these tournaments can be completely different, starting with the championship of the city and ending with the world championships and the Olympic Games. Nevertheless, despite the enthusiasm of many people for physical education and amateur competitions, it is nevertheless necessary to separate the performances of amateurs from such a thing as “professional sport”. The features of professionals and the differences between them and amateurs will be discussed in this article.
Common features
At first glance, professional and amateur sports seem the same: both athletes are present, various performances are held to determine the winner, remuneration is paid, and titles and titles are awarded. Each of the people participating in the tournaments necessarily strives for victory, giving all the best in training and giving himself completely during the performance.
The value of sport for society
Today , sport basically has three dominant functions, namely:
- Bright and full exit of negative emotions.
- Model to follow other people.
- Habit, ritual (meaning a trip after a working day, for example, to a fitness center or a run through the stadium on a weekend).
Fundamental difference
Initially, the division of sports into professional and amateur meant that the first category included people who give themselves completely to the chosen direction without any remainder. Moreover, for their performances they receive a mandatory cash reward, which may be fixed or may depend on the level of achievement of the athlete.
Amators are people who play sports for their own pleasure and do not set out to get money from this activity. Their performances do not generate income, and they devote most of their lives to their main work.
All of the above gives a basic idea to a person from how professional sports differ from amateur sports. However, it should be understood that these criteria are not exhaustive, therefore, it is worth delving into a discussion of the topic.
To the top!
As for the main goal of professional sports, everything is very simple here - getting the maximum possible material profit. Any swimmer, boxer, racer, soccer player and many other representatives of sports "workshops" ultimately seek to earn as much money as possible. And here, the age limit of professional athletes comes to the fore, which makes them earn a very short time (15-20 years) for the rest of the days. And all because the prohibitive loads that the professionals get do not allow them to perform at a high level for a very long period of time.
Blurred faces
And yet, when considering the question of how professional sport differs from amateur sport, it is also important to know that, given the rapid course of our lives, the boundaries between these two areas of activity are becoming less clear. This is largely due to a significant degree of commercialization of sports. It is no secret that today even small regional tournaments among young people are held under the protectorate of various firms, companies, organizations that often advertise themselves in this way or receive tax benefits from the state through charity assistance to young athletes. It is difficult to say whether this is good or bad, but the fact remains: almost no serious competition is held without trustees and sponsors. Well, there is no need to talk about professional competitions on this issue, since initially any duel, race, swim, etc. are paid by financial institutions.
World elite
Professional sports is in a constant process of transformation, development and some structural changes. And although athletes cause enormous damage to their health, nevertheless their work does not remain without a worthy reward. Especially highly paid are hockey players, basketball players, soccer players, boxers, pilots of racing cars and motorcycle racers. The income of these athletes can be in the tens, or even hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Oddly enough, the lion's share of their profit is not at all the prize money for the won competitions, but the percentage of advertising in which they are often shot. After all, even a child knows that people like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Maria Sharapova and many others are people whose media level is just off scale. Various firms and companies are ready to conclude contracts with them, if only the stars of the world sports horizon deigned to wear their clothes, shoes, use their perfumes, shampoos, ride their cars.
Loss of amateur status
Professional sport is a world with quite strict rules. So, for example, if a boxer spent at least one round according to professional rules, then the road to the amateur ring will already be closed to him. Similarly happens in figure skating. The International Union of Skaters and the International Olympic Committee tightly control all tournaments, and those athletes who began to perform in the status of professionals are strictly prohibited from speaking at amateur championships.
It is also worth noting that professional sport (athletics and many other types) still leaves its mark on a person. And here we are talking not only about his physical condition, but also psychological. The months-long stages of preparations for various competitions make the athlete experience extreme stress, which can subsequently result in depression, apathy or irritability and nervousness. It goes without saying that any athlete perfectly understands this and always seeks to minimize the effects of both external and internal irritating and negative factors. Moreover, work in this direction is the main activity for many specialists (psychologists, trainers).