Category: Sports and Culture

College sports are usually referred to any sports activities and competitions held for students either in the form of intramurals, within walls, or extramural, mainstream college sports. Both having their pros and cons, intramurals and extramural sports are likely to be compared in various aspects, particularly from the psychological point of view. Intramural activities are often opposed to mainstream college sports as the former has more freedom, equality for the participants, and lots of fun than the latter.

Considering the structure of the intramurals from the psychological point of view, such sports activities have less restriction compared to extramural sports. The structure of the activities held within walls allows college staff and students to choose a convenient schedule, a certain team, and a type of game. While extramural activities are usually held under the approved schedule and program which should correspond to the plans of all the participating colleges, intramurals have a very flexible timetable.

Psychologically, such flexibility makes students feel confident and important in college life. Along with independence from other colleges and universities, intramurals have pluses in team organization. The staff and students can always choose whether to participate individually, in teams, or meet sports.

Such freedom of choice attracts students and the faculty more than the defined program for the participants of extramural sports. Also, there is always an opportunity to choose a game or a certain kind of sports and even invent something new and unacceptable to other universities. Thus extended possibilities and freedom in choosing to make intramurals much more exciting and positive than mainstream college sports.

Regarding intramurals as activities held within the walls of the same college or university, they have many more advantages than extramural sports organized between unlike universities. As a rule, various universities represent different programs and interests which also result in a variety of sports activities and diversity of requirements. On the contrary, intramurals are of common interests, unique principles, and equal opportunities for students.

Equivalent physical abilities and age provide equality for intramural sports. Moreover, the participants are not supercilious towards the students from other colleges. The general atmosphere of intramural competitions is less hostile than that of extramural sports. Thus, competitive intramural activities turn to be much funnier than extramural competitions because of the positive rivalry of equal possibilities.

Compared to extramural sports, intramurals bring more fun and joy to the participants also for the reason of lower tension among the students and the faculty of the college. Because the participants are of the same college and have similar knowledge and skills, they feel more confident and less tense in competitions and games held within the walls. This psychological aspect positively influences the course of the intramural activities as well as helps participants to improve themselves and develop their capabilities. Thus, fun and weirdness is an inevitable element of any intramural sports. They are always enjoyable, extraordinary, and free for everyone who wants to entertain themselves and spend leisure time with pleasure.

To sum up, intramurals have many more pros than mainstream college sports thanks to their free structure, equally organized activities, and their weird nature. Intramural sports can be considered the only possible future of any college activities since they bring fun not only to the students and faculty but also to make the college atmosphere original, bright and specific, promoting wellness and a healthy style of life.

All the truth about Intramural Sports

Intramurals as kinds of sports for recreation may sound weird; however, many students and teachers find them exciting and funny. Thus, what makes intramural sports and activities within a set college so peculiar and amusing? Is it true that intramural sports may bring fun and pleasure? The answers to these questions are going to reveal all the truth about intramural sports, their advantages, and opportunities.

Intramural sports refer to any recreational activity which is arranged within a specific area or college. The main purpose of the intramurals is to make students and faculties physically active and bring fun to the whole college. Because intramural sports promote wellness, such events cannot be dull, in principle. They are aimed to attract the attention of students and awake a desire to be an active participant in college life.

It means that intramurals are organized based on weird games, funny competitions, and exciting entertainments. To illustrate, many colleges play a weird intramural game called broomball. This sports recreation reminds a usual hockey, however, differs in means of leading the game. Broomball is the most popular and extraordinary intramural game that attracts not only professionals but also those who just want to have some broom fun. Thus, only intramural activities may present a new kind of sports and bring lots of fun and entertainment.

Amusement and leisure activity is not the only advantage of intramurals. There is a list of advantages proving that intramural sports are much funnier than mainstream college activities. The first and the weirdest one is that only intramurals allow students to show the most unusual sports activities. Various peculiar games and competitions can be held within the walls of the college, however, they become famous and widely spread far beyond those walls. The second preference which is especially liked by the students consists of the absence of tryouts. Regardless of whether you are a fresher or a professional, the door to the intramurals is always open to you.

One more advantage of such sports, which is the third one, is that intramural events are set up according to your schedule. Such flexibility is very convenient and necessary while having lots of subjects at college. The fourth advantage of the intramurals is in the friendly atmosphere secured by acquaintances, friends, and familiar staff of the college. Such positive background makes participants feel less strained and competitions go less formal. Thus the listed preferences make the convinced opinion about intramural sports true and explicit.

Along with several advantages, intramural sports have certain opportunities which are just as funny as the activities themselves. For instance, intramurals result in a great number of new friends and acquaintances as a friendly atmosphere and funny activities bring many positive emotions and desire to share them with others. Also, such events give a nice opportunity for everyone to be active and to show ones best. Consequently, intramurals make students more confident and their life brighter and ingrained. However, the biggest opportunity and value of the intramurals is wellness and the desire to be active and to get entertainment always.

All in all, the truth of intramural sports is vivid, intramurals are fun and exciting. Such events have many advantages and open many possibilities for students to be active and fun. They encourage students and college faculty to participate in the active life of the college, experiment in entertainment, and promote wellness. Such obvious truth about intramurals cannot be hidden or concealed.

Self-Realization with Fun through Intramural Activities

Self-realization through intramural sports can sound weird and unusual; however, it is real and possible. There is no doubt that students can have fun and fulfill their potential using recreational activities. The students can get pleasure and define their way through the freedom of choice of intramurals rather than mainstream college sports. Certainly, intramural activities provide the whole range of opportunities for the development and improvement of both personal and professional skills.

It is a well-known fact that personal development is quite vivid if the students participate in intramural activities. There is a multitude of benefits the intramural sports offer to their participants, and here are some of them.

• First, by taking part in sports competitions and games within the college or university students learn to cooperate and interact in groups. This personal quality is of great importance for every person who wants to succeed in life and participate in the work team. It is a nice opportunity for students to find friends and to learn how to build relationships and start working in a group.
• Second, students learn to compete in a right, honest, and polite way through the intramurals. Participation in sports teaches how to compete on the simple instances in the form of fun and game. Though it seems to be mere fun, this is the beginning of personal growth and development of the ability to work with people. Simultaneously, the students become aware of respect towards competitors and rivals.
• Third, intramural activities rather than extramural sports help the participants to become confident since the competitions are based on their equal abilities and skills. In such a way students feel freer to act and show their best within the walls of their college or university. Thus these points are nothing but the way to self-realization and personal growth which is fulfilled through fun and entertainment.

Along with the personal improvements and learning, the students who take an active part in intramural sports can develop professional skills and increase competence. It is not a secret that desire to deal with something serious and on the professional level occurs after trying something for fun. Perceiving certain kinds of sports as a hobby first, students can turn it into a profession later. To illustrate, the students can attend intramurals just for fun and entertainment, therefore they continue playing the usual game after graduation.

As a rule, the students are likely to train in intramural sports rather than mainstream college sports since they have lots of classes and want to spend their free time on interesting activities. Hence, if students understand that sport is just for fun and it is a kind of leisure activity, they are eager to participate in it. Moreover, in case they are not forced to take part in a certain competition, they are more likely to train it seriously in the future.

Namely, for this reason, intramurals are more effective for self-realization than extramural activities. Also, it makes a lot of fun to participate in recreational activities and realize that it can be a vocation of your life. Thus intramural activities are not only the means of entertainment and the way to spend free time healthily, but it is also a way to realize ones potential abilities and find ones place in life.

Making up the conclusion, it is worth to mention that intramural sports play a significant role in contemporary college life as they help the students to realize their personal qualities and professional skills. The way to self-realization is not hard; it can be reached through fun and positive emotions that are always present within the walls of your college or university. All you have to do is to make fun of participating in intramural activities.

The preponderance of Freelancing or Unscheduled Opportunities

Can you assume freelancing to be a permanent job? Can you think of its advantages and opportunities? They are so vivid that it is possible to deem freelancing worthy of consideration and trying. The preponderance of freelancing would not be so obvious if there was no full-time job which highlights the possibilities and unrestricted potential of freelance activities. Undoubtedly, freelancing is in pluses which can be hardly seen while working for someone at the office: they are the flexibility of schedule and variety of activities.

Freelancing as unbound employment does not foresee any work schedules and obligations to work for a certain amount of hours a day or a week. Consequently, it is up to the freelancer whether to choose hard-working hours or to spend the whole day in relaxation and peace. Such a flexible timetable means that freelancing provides the worker with additional free time which can be spent on personal or family matters.

Moreover, it is much easier to work when you know that you can have a rest after you finish a certain task. Thus freelancers can work and rest in turn, changing types of activities. For instance, any person who is not on a full-time job can work, learn, relax, and fulfill some home duties in turn. As a result, any freelancer can arrange time individually up to his or her abilities and needs. Freelancers time organization, or even time management, is one more advantage resulting from flexibility of working time which is impossible in full-time jobs. It is much more effective to work under the individual schedule rather than upon the time requirements defined by the employer.

The effectiveness of individual time organization consists of the possibility to combine various activities and to deal with them in turn. Also, named possibility allows freelancers to earn more money provided their time is properly managed. Thus flexible schedule in freelancing is not the only pros since it results in many other pluses and a host of positive moments of work.

What makes freelancing much more acceptable than full-time employment is the opportunity of having various activities at once at or at a certain period. It is a proven fact that a variety of activities in a job allows keeping interested in all of them. Dealing with different tasks in turn, like in freelancing, attracts workers more than unvaried and repeated types of work which are usually set while working for someone.

When you are not employed as a full-time worker you can enjoy a variety of activities and assignments. Since similar tasks and duties of the full-time job are interesting only at the beginning, it is dull and boring to perform them for life. Repeated tasks may also occur in freelancing, but freelancers can always reject them and look for other types of work that are not typical. Moreover, a variety of activities means a variety of interests and opportunities to develop in various directions.

Unlike types of activities make freelancers work harder to learn new issues and subjects, however, at the same time, they enrich their knowledge and broaden outlook which is of great significance for contemporary people. Thus freelancers never stop in their development, they are always eager to learn something new and experience the latest challenges.

To sum up, freelancing has not only its obvious preponderances but also a host of opportunities that are neither unscheduled nor set within monotone and repeated frames. No restrictions make freelancing surpass full-time jobs and provide each worker with a flexible schedule and a range of varied tasks which result in broadening of views and new experience.

Independence or Stability: Freelancing vs. Full-Time Job

Many people quit looking for work when they find a job explains the workers attitude towards jobs and their wish to work. However, this statement concerns mostly those jobs which do not correspond to the workers abilities and desires. Such jobs bring money, stability, and a full day of work; however, they fail to provide workers with pleasure, self-realization, and freedom of choice. These jobs refer mostly to full-time employment and oppose to freelancing which consists of self-employment and dealing with various types of works.

Therefore, both freelancing and full-time jobs have advantages and disadvantages, the preference is given to freelance work in respect of its independence, freedom of choice, and ample opportunities.

The first thing that becomes obvious while comparing full-time jobs with freelance employment is dependency. The workers are completely dependent on the employer when working for someone since they cannot choose the working time, type of activity, and place of performing it. Making a parallel with freelancing, the workers are not restricted to a certain quantity of hours worked out a day, to the repeated tasks, and the office or other defined place of work.

The freelancer has an opportunity to arrange the individual schedule, vary activities, and work outside. Such independence enables freelancers to work more actively, effectively, and freely. Thus freelancing makes workers independent in their activities and does not put frames for their realization.

The second point of freelance benefit consists of the possibility to choose any type of work as well as to change it in case of need. Freedom of choice is certainly realized while choosing an occupation and while being fully employed, however, none can choose the type of work or task he or she wants to perform and reject activity which is not upon his or her taste when working for someone. On the contrary, freelancers can always keep their options open and refuse the work they are not willing to accomplish. Freelancers have the greatest freedom which is to choose what they are fond of and improve their skills rather than go with the flow and perform repetitive tasks at a full-time job for life.

Along with the variety of options, freelancing gives plenty of opportunities, which result in the impulse to develop and grow. Speaking about full-time jobs it is difficult to discuss variety and growth, excluding some professions and promotion ladder. Therefore full-time job enables the worker to be promoted and have some stable income and certain social benefits, it rarely brings pleasure and real satisfaction in accomplished actions.

Working for someone means working in one direction which does not allow moving out of a certain field and broaden the boundaries. Contrary to all the restrictions set by full-time employment, freelancing makes personal development possible and evident. Though freelancers lack stability, they have ample opportunities to find it and continue looking for self-improvement and self-realization. Thus a host of possibilities can be provided only if there are a choice and independence in work which is ensured by freelancing.

All in all, freelancing as opposed to a full-time job due to more opportunities, less dependency, and the presence of alternative. Though full-time employment brings certainty in future and stable income, it may often mean the absence of a desire to work. That is why it is better to stay in a constant search for interesting work like freelancers do than to live in stability without self-improvement and pleasure. As Betty Bender says, When people go to work, they shouldnt leave their hearts at home, thus it is better to stay freelancer at home, but with your heart.

Freelance Writing: Stress Profession or Vocation for Life

You seem to be on the road between freelance writing and a full-time job having dozens of arguments for both and no decision. Then you have to consider all pros and cons of freelance writing and make your true choice. There is a long list of advantages and disadvantages of freelancing; however, you have to define what freelance writing is for you: an unhealthy profession or vocation of the entire life.

Freelance writing is deemed to be an unhealthy profession because of many stresses caused by the lack of stability and spending lots of time at the computer with junk food. The stress situations in freelance writing can reveal in the absence of work and dishonest customers. Such stress is clearly described by Robert Benchleys saying, which is A freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.

However, in reality, freelancing brings not so much stress as it is thought in the contemporary business world. Like any other job freelance writing can be stressful if there are some stressful situations. The absence of work for a freelance writer can be equally compared to the loss of permanent workplace by the full-time worker. Though freelance writing may seem to be a not stable source of income compared to full-time jobs, it may bring more money at one time and less at other. Thus, it cuts both ways.

The only disadvantage of freelance writing is that you spend quite a long time working near the computer with junk food and your life becomes less active and unhealthy. Therefore, if you know how to manage your time properly, you can be in pluses with freelance writing. If you can arrange your working hours duly, you can find a lot of time training in the gym or other sports activities. Speaking about junk food, it is consumed not only by the freelancers; it depends on each individual whether to eat healthily or junk food.

Considering freelance writing from the position of a life vocation, a list of advantages should be outlined. The first is a great variety of interests since freelance writer works in various fields and directions, from scientific to comic writing, etc. The second advantage consists of the effective use of time. When you are a freelance writer you have to arrange your time properly to accomplish order duly and to have time for rest.

What you need to accomplish all the tasks is to manage your time effectively. The third point is the development of writing skills. While composing various articles and fulfilling writing assignments, freelance writers have to collect necessary information, learn it, and transform into a piece of successful writing. This process results in the improvement of language skills, writing, and acquisition of new knowledge. Hence, considering these advantages it should be highlighted that freelance writing can turn from the way of mere earning money into a life vocation with the opportunity to develop and grow.

Summarizing the pros and cons of freelance writing, it is necessary to admit that its disadvantage consists of some unhealthy moments like stress from instability and frauds; however, this disadvantage is completely broken by the numerous advantages which freelance writers have. Having the possibility to change interests and types of writing, to use working time effectively, and to be involved in the process of continuous development makes freelance writing to be the perfect vocation for the entire life. Thus your true choice is hidden in your real desires: if you want to have interesting tasks that allow managing your time individually and developing your skills; neither stresses nor lack of stability can frighten you and dissuade from freelance writing.

Getting Rid of Stress in Freelance Writing

Stress is poison, as Agave Powers says, thus stress in freelance writing poisons the work and spoils the results of the writing process. Freelance writing as unhealthy and stressful work requires quick and effective remedy to keep the process of writing interesting, successful, and rewarding. Getting rid of stress is one of the most important issues while being involved in freelance activities as it helps to avoid negative consequences and to prevent the writing process from failure. In general, the stress in freelance writing can be overcome by effective time management, due change of activity, and reasonable fulfillment of the writing task.

Any freelance activities, including freelance writing, which result in stress situations, require such preventive measures as proper time arrangement. In other words, to avoid stress which is related to hurry and in time fulfillment, the freelancer has to manage his or her time properly. It is necessary to make an effective schedule and perform the tasks according to the scheduled plan step by step, gradually.

Along with that, it is strongly recommended not to postpone the planned step till the last day since it is the direct way to stress and the inability to accomplish the task. Herewith, you should be quite realistic in your expectations for the accomplishment of writing. Thus freelance writers should be both an excellent time manager and persistent worker keeping individually established rules and plans.

Effective time management in freelance writing means also the ability and possibility to change the activity when it is required. If you feel that you are getting tired of certain writing or it starts to be boring, you should change the subject of the writing and distract. If you feel that the process of writing annoys you in general, it is better to change the activity and have rest, for example, or do something about the house. In other words, you have to control the process of writing and have realistic expectations for the task considering your feelings. Hence, a change of activities or subjects for writing can help the freelance writer to avoid forthcoming stress while accomplishing certain work.

The stress in freelance writing can also be overcome if the freelancer stops concentrating on details and starts perceiving things easier. Because freelancers spend a lot of time writing, they have to be reasonable in the fulfillment of their tasks. John de Paola recommends Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you. It means that you do not have to hurry up and to do everything running, on the contrary, you have to consider the key points and concentrate on them.

Moreover, if you know or feel that you will not be able to manage a certain task, you have to be reasonable and refuse it to avoid failure. Thus freelancers have to be sober-minded and reasonable people since such traits provide successful and in time accomplishment of the writing task as well as help to get rid of the forthcoming stress situation.

Making up a conclusion, getting rid of stress in freelance writing depends on the ability of the writer to arrange his or her working time effectively, their readiness to change the activity when it bores, and the capability to stay reasonable while the performance of writing tasks. Thus being in control of your own life and abilities as well as real and mundane expectations about your possibilities are the essential points towards getting rid of stress and, as a result, towards having an interesting, healthy, and rewarding job.

Every country has its favorite sports which are a part of the popular culture and help perceive the society values (Nimijean 1). In Canada, the central place has always been occupied by hockey. However, the latest tendency shows that people start getting much more interested in basketball. While some people consider the business strategy to be the primary reason for such trend, others believe that the rising interest in basketball is connected with the changing Canada.

Despite the fact that the game originated in Canada, it took a long time for basketball to become popular (Marcin par. 6). A recent Canadian Youth Sports Report states that basketball currently occupies the third place among the youth team sports, preceded only by hockey and soccer (Marcin par. 14). Canadas vice president of NBA, Dan MacKenzie, considers such state of things a golden era for basketball in the country (Marcin par. 13).

The motto of Canadas team Toronto Raptors We the North inspires the fans and the players (We the North). This team has brought basketball in Canada to the new level as it is the countrys only NBA representative. Moreover, Toronto Raptors put Canada back on the map for basketball fans in the whole world. This fact especially concerns the US since basketball is very popular there.

There have been several causes of the games growing popularity. The major reasons are connected with the arrival of NBA in Canada in 1995, the victory of Vince Carters Dunk Contest in 2000, and Bennett and Wiggins becoming number one draft picks in 2013 and 2014 (Zillgitt par. 2). The less apparent, but still significant, causes include the improvement of coaches, the increase of baskets accessible for play, the influence of the web, the advancement of the Amateur Athletic Union policies, and Canadas dynamic and considerate attitude to the players progress (Zillgitt par. 3).

Masai Ujiri, the general manager of Toronto Raptors, says that with the teams growing popularity, Toronto has become a basketball town (Gatehouse par. 3). He remarks that the success of the players makes the young children want to repeat their accomplishments. He also mentions that the increasing achievements of the Canadian basketball players change the resistance of the US-born sportsmen to sign in Canada (Gatehouse par. 6). Ujiri also notes that the fans support is a crucial factor for the teams progress (Gatehouse par. 18).

Canadas future achievements in basketball rely on the success of Toronto Raptors (Wolstat par. 1). The profound flow of talent allows the country to keep up with the world, but the sportsmen should not stop trying their best (Wolstat par. 9). The former Toronto Raptors president, Bryan Colangelo, emphasizes that the teams ratings still are not high enough, and thus more hard work is needed (Wolstat par. 14).

The fans, the players, and the professional critics all have various approaches to the game, but everyone agrees on one point. In order to maintain the success and popularity of basketball in Canada, a lot of hard work is demanded. On the part of the government, additional costs are required. On the part of the fans, support is needed. And on the part of the players, brilliant tactics and strenuous everyday efforts are expected. As basketball has become a new trend in Canadas popular culture, every effort should be taken to develop and keep its success.

Works Cited

Gatehouse, Jonathon. Masai Ujiri on How Basketball Is Becoming Canadas Game. Macleans. 2016, Web.

Marcin, Tim. Toronto NBA All-Star Game 2016: Canadas Golden Era of Basketball. International Business Times. 2016, Web.

Nimijean, Richard. Sport in Canada. CDNS 1001 Lecture, n. d., Carleton University.

We the North. YouTube, uploaded by Toronto Raptors, 2014, Web.

Wolstat, Ryan. Basketball in Canada Getting Stronger by the Year. Toronto Sun. 2016, Web.

Zillgitt, Jeff. We the North: How Hoops Became Popular in Canada. USA TODAY Sports. 2016, Web.

Sports and physical culture have been developing rapidly in recent decades, turning into a whole industry of sports and spectacular events, which, from a business perspective, is a promising object of investment. In modern society, these are the most important factors in maintaining and strengthening peoples health, improving the technical and innovative approach to conducting and organizing sporting events. Moreover, it is connected with building sports facilities and arranging infrastructure around them.

Modern sport is very multifaceted: it is a very complex and controversial economic and social phenomenon. Sport today simultaneously represents the fllowing:

• A national treasure and an object of national pride, a significant political capital and an effective instrument of political life,
• The most important economic resource that significantly affects the level of economic development of the country and the reproduction of labor carriers, able to create specific products,
• A new and special area of economic and business relations.

The positive impact of physical culture and sports on the economic system of any state is explained by the development of this industry as an extensive branch of entrepreneurial activity. The economization of the policy of the highest achievements sports, the need to develop strategies to support a kind of points of its growth, improving management efficiency is one of the urgent problems of the professional sports development.

The relevance of this study lies in the fact that, at the moment, in the conditions of rapid development of the sports industry, there is a lack of theoretical and methodological work on the market aspects of conducting business operations by professional sports clubs. A large number of works and publications are devoted to general issues of managing economic processes in the field of professional sports. The complex of problems associated with the analysis of the specifics of the sports entities activities and their investment attractiveness has not been studied enough, which confirms the relevance of the research topic.

Nevertheless, the financial specificity of entertainment services of professional sports gives the industry a competitive advantage in relation to other services of similar quality, presented in the entertainment markets. The exclusivity of professional sports product can be described as follows (Desbordes, Aymar, & Hautbois, 2019):

• The possibility of selling a service in various forms of its existence: in the form of tickets, video and broadcasting information, information in a printed periodical and the Internet, as well as in the form of material media in the form of attributes (scarves, T-shirts, baseball caps, souvenirs, etc.).
• In the potentially unlimited profitability of a sports service, which, due to its entertainment nature and constant novelty is a mass product, the level of net income from the sale of which is directly dependent on the number of buyers of this service.

Namely due to the financial specifics of professional sports services, the assets of organizations operating in this sector of the economy are considered as an effective investment and advertising tool. Thus, investment in sports, despite the high risk characteristic of the sports business, can bring significant income both in the form of dividends and image capital, and in the form of a socially significant effect in the process of rehabilitation and reproduction of a quality workforce.

Based on the socio-economic importance of professional sports for society, a specific form of payment for sports and entertainment services has been formed, based on the unity of direct (the services are paid by the consumers themselves) and indirect (sponsorship payments and government allocations) sources of financing. In this case, government spending on the development of the sports industry is considered as an economically viable investment in the development of human potential and improving the quality of life of citizens. The value of intangible assets is strongly tied to athletic performance.

Victories in tournaments raise the value of human capital, business reputation, the image and brand of the club, which is reflected in increased income, and vice versa, poor athletic performance reduces the value of intangible assets.

Professional sports clubs are currently full participants in the economic process and, along with companies representing various sectors of the economy, can be considered as an object of investment. When choosing methods for assessing the cost of a professional sports club, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the clubs have assets that cannot be taken into account due to the extreme difficulty of their evaluation (base of loyal fans; reputation/brand; membership/right to participate in profitable competitions; the effectiveness of the training system for football players), but which have a significant impact on the size of the sports clubs income.

Directions for stabilizing the value of the clubs assets are to increase the share of tangible assets in the overall structure of non-current capital through the construction of the material and technical base. Also, it is about the diversification of activities and the development of non-core assets, which will allow generating income in addition to core activities, making the club less dependent on sports results (Desbordes, Aymar, & Hautbois, 2019).

Thus, when placing its shares, a sports club should offer investors to invest not only in a team consisting of well-known players and participating in various competitions. First of all, possibility of investment is needed in an organization that owns sports infrastructure, has its own well-developed brand, which regardless team sports results will be profitable.

Prospects for the further development of the football industry are based on a further increase in the proceeds from the sale of media rights to broadcast competitions. Also, it is the introduction of deductions for sports clubs for a part of the income received by bookmakers through the use of the brand of a football club (Rohde and Breuer, 2016). Moreover, the need to optimize the cost part of the club budget is obvious, including by establishing the so-called salary ceiling in the sports league, improving the use and management of sports infrastructure, and investing in youth sports.

For successful placement of shares in the primary capital market, the leadership of a sports club needs to invite interested parties to invest money not just in a team of athletes participating in various tournaments. Investment should be made also in an organization that actively positions its brand on the market and effectively manages socially significant infrastructure. This will allow it to generate income from related activities, including those not directly related to sports.

It should be noted that, as a rule, the economic indicators of sports clubs are lower than the average for companies representing different sectors of the economy. It is since they use the generated retained earnings for the purchase of athletes, which can make it possible to achieve goals set for the season, rather than paying dividends to shareholders. However, in the case of a change in priorities in terms of a development strategy from the principle of maximizing utility to the principle of maximizing profit, the shares of sports clubs can be considered not only as a speculative tool. They can be regarded also as an object of long-term capital investment.

There are rare cases when a football club immediately makes a profit to its owner. This investment object requires huge financial injections that can pay off only in the long term. However, when a football club becomes successful and, most importantly, stable, it starts to bring its owner a significant profit and becomes an excellent investment.

The high popularity of the professional sports industry led to the emergence of a new way of accumulating financial resources for the development of a sports club  the placement of shares on the stock exchange. The main advantages of entering professional sports clubs on the IPO market include the following:

• The possibility of obtaining additional financial resources to increase the profitability of their activities and avoid sponsorship as an inefficient source of financing for a commercial organization. In most European clubs, intangible assets, which include registration rights for players accounted for using the capitalization and depreciation method, occupy a significant share in the structure of fixed capital and play an important role for fundamental valuation of shares (Sloane, 2015).

Some advantages of a sports club entering the stock exchange include the possibility of attracting resources to cover its obligations, moving to a higher level of corporate governance, as well as improving the image by giving the club a public status, creating the possibility for owners to exit the business or partially return their investments. Football club stocks first appeared on the London Stock Exchange in 1983. The pioneer was Tottenham Hotspur; soon other English clubs followed its lead, including Manchester United. In the first three to four years, the shares of all clubs grew in price, increasing their capitalization by almost three times (Baur and Mckeating, 2011). However, then each club went its own way and currently, 26 football clubs are listed on the stock exchange (Rohde and Breuer, 2016).

The history of English football has shown that the IPO of football clubs is an effective measure only at a certain stage of development. Football is too unpredictable to guarantee the continued interest of investors and provide stable financing for even the most successful clubs. Clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Leeds, Aberdeen, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Sheffield United, Southampton, and Watford have experienced the delisting procedure.

Obviously, any transaction in the capital markets should be preceded by an analysis of its effectiveness with the development of relevant indicators, the subsequent control of which will help to form an idea of its results. One of the main indicators used in this approach is Economic Value Added (EVA), which is the spread between the return on net assets and the cost of capital multiplied by the invested capital. If we analyze the formula in more detail, we see that EVA increases, and the cost is created each time the company achieves any of the following results (Sloane, 2015):

• Increase in return on capital  increase in RONA;
• Profitable growth;
• The closure of units (lines of business) that destroy value;
• Decrease in the cost of capital.

In order to regularly achieve high EVA indicators, it is also necessary to identify leading cost indicators that would signal the creation or destruction of value before it affects the final EVA value. However, RONA and EVA are short-term historical indicators. This means that the heads of individual departments of the company can take actions that increase these indicators in the short term, but destroy the cost in the long-term planning horizon.

Thus, there is a need for the introduction of some additional indicators. For example, one can try to measure the level of satisfaction of the needs of customers and employees (level of loyalty). This can be done with the help of various surveys, as well as by calculating several indicators in the format per client/employee. For a football club, such calculations are somewhat complicated by the procedure for measuring the number of fans. For example, Manchester United in its investment memorandum published before the IPO indicated that 669 million people support the club worldwide (Ross, 2013). Despite the unconditional popularity of this English club, it can hardly count on such a number of fans. For analytics, it would be more appropriate to use the number of subscribers on social networks.

One of the most important indicators of value is the market capitalization, or stock price, which reflects the expectations of investors regarding future cash flows. If these expectations are revised downward, the stock price will fall. The conclusion is very simple: in order to earn high profits, the company must exceed expectations. Thus, a business should be evaluated not only on the basis of historical performance, but also with an eye to the potential for creating value, which can be realized by exceeding the planned indicators for existing projects or by implementing new projects.

The specific indicators that can be used as part of a football club management system are as follows (Pyatunin et al., 2016; Sloan, 2015):

1. The dynamics of the number of fans and attendance (taking into account country (regional) segmentation);
2. Percentage of irrelevant income  non-monetary items or certain types of income from activities not related to sports;
3. Revenue structure and dependence on the maximum income item (for example, sponsors/revenue);
4. Revenue growth rates over the past five years (by articles: TV, sponsors, merchandising, transfers);
5. The growth rate of wages over the past five years;
6. The absence of deterioration of the indicator net liabilities (liabilities exceed assets) in comparison with the previous reporting period;
7. Self-sufficiency  the absence of losses and compliance with the requirements of the financial fair play regarding compensation for losses by club shareholders;
8. The ratio of salaries of football players to total revenue;
9. The ratio of net debt to capital;
10. The ratio of net debt to revenue;
11. Operating profit margin (operating profit  profit excluding transfer operations and income from related businesses not directly related to football/revenue);
12. Overdue debt (primarily for transfers);
13. Average revenue (profit) per match, that is, total revenue (profit) on the day of the match/number of matches per season;
14. Average revenue per viewer, that is, total revenue on match day;
15. The average number of spectators at home matches;
16. Transfers balance for the last five years.

However, when making decisions on investing in a company, investors all over the world take into account not only its annual financial statements. They conduct their own analytical studies, media monitoring, etc. Also, investors are increasingly interested in the so-called hidden value of a business, its intangible assets, in particular, CSR strategy, the results of its implementation, and the impact of this on reputation capital.

Moreover, the companys transparent reporting on activities in the field of sustainable development is part of the compliance system and directly affects not only its reputation, but also the companys capitalization. The share of intangible assets in the market value of S&P 500 companies increased from 32% in 1975 to 84% in 2015 (Adams, 2015). Non-financial reporting is most often of interest to investors, including those who invest in sports and, in particular, football. However, among reports, 42% are devoted exclusively to financial information, and only 14% cover a description of a business strategy (Rohde and Breuer, 2016).

Thus, the investor receives mainly historical data, while attracting long-term investments requires revealing the companys development vision. Meanwhile, for sports and especially football, with its high dynamics of player transfer, a description of the medium and long-term strategies can potentially increase the confidence and, as a result, investor interest.

In fact, an integrated report is a combination of financial and non-financial information. It includes the following areas: business model, external environment, opportunities and risks, strategy, results of operations, forecast for the future. Thus, the report consists of a basic description of the business model of the enterprise and external factors that affect its activities, as well as management strategies to manage these risks. According to the International Council for Integrated Reporting, 71% of investors consider having an integrated report very important for making an investment decision (Eccles and Krzus, 2014).

It is obvious that sport is no exception  on the contrary, the presence of integrated reporting in the organization of the industry, where it has not yet gained widespread distribution, can become a unique competitive advantage at the moment.

The integrated reporting standard states that the main goal of companies is to create value in the interests of all stakeholders, i.e., to increase all types of company capital (Adams, 2015). Therefore, reporting should meet the requirements of developing a companys strategy; it is important for interested users to understand from the reporting how exactly a business creates value, and not only in terms of financial capital. It is also important how the business affects the surrounding economic, natural, and social environment. In this regard, drastic changes in reporting are needed; at the same time, improvements in financial reporting are required not so much in terms of the amount of information, but in order to present a complete picture.

Company reporting reflects the business culture. The importance of improving reporting is due to the fact that it brings changes to the practice of company management, that is, there is a relationship between reporting and business management.

On the one hand, the better reporting, the more effective management; on the other hand, the more efficient the business, the better reporting. The logic behind all this is quite simple: financial statements are compiled on historical information and, as a result, look back. It is also very focused on financial capital, while the success of many organizations today depends on other resources  such as the knowledge of their employees, the intellectual property created in the research and development process, as well as their relationship with the environment and the society where they work. The integrated reporting (IR) is designed to fill these significant reporting gaps.

There are both significant risks and advantages for issuers, which are hidden in non-financial information. Investors are increasingly realizing that, by understanding these risks and benefits, they can avoid the negative impact and experience the positive benefits of creating value that comes from the non-financial activities of the organization (Eccles and Krzus, 2014). Being a separate philosophy, IR goes beyond the numbers  often it is thought abuot it not as reporting, but as integrated thinking.

From the perspective of accounting (in particular, using IAS 38 Intangible assets) according to the criteria, recognition of a transaction to transfer a football player from one club to another (that is, in essence, the football player himself) can be considered an intangible asset. According to clauses of the international standard, recognition criteria for an intangible asset are identifiability, control, and future economic benefits (Oprean and Oprisor, 2014).

Since all three conditions are successfully observed, a football player can be recognized as an intangible asset. It is seen in such a way that the club gains the talent, skills, and abilities of the player, which, in fact, is an intangible asset. On the other hand, players management can be seen as human resource management, which is part of non-financial reporting. Thus, the inclusion of the development strategy of the players and their transfer to the football club reporting is an excellent tool for informing potential investors.

The interests of the audience are a platform for creating a successful sports business. The leading link here is the achievement of local athletes or national teams. If there are no such achievements, then this sport does not cause spectator interest and is unattractive from a commercial point of view. Even when all the other components of the sports business are presented perfectly  auxiliary trade and lotteries, performances of dance groups and pop stars are exemplary organized, comfort and safety are ensured  this set of services is, although important, but still supportive in nature.

The economic role of sports is prominently manifested in several main areas. In particular, physical activity, sports and tourism are currently the most important area of extensive entrepreneurial activity, which provides, on the one hand, the employment of many people in the sports industry and the tourism industry. On the other hand, these industries replenish state and local budgets through tax revenues, which allows the state to solve the social problems of the population quickly.

A special place in the system of scientific research of the last decade is occupied by approaches to studying the problems of sustainable development of regions and individual territories. The paradigm of sustainable development, involving a dynamic process of successive positive changes that balance the economic, social, and environmental aspects, underlies the formation of approaches to solving the problems of territorial entities (Blewitt, 2014).

A number of factors influence the maintenance of the sustainable development of regions and territories, including the development of social infrastructure, the availability of qualified personnel, the activities of public organizations, and social institutions (educational, cultural, health). In addition, the concept of sustainable development is successfully accommodated in regional socio-economic systems, which include sports organizations.

Understanding sustainable development in the context of sports is multifaceted. However, it is generally accepted that any viable definition should include an assessment of the future consequences of current actions (Blewitt, 2014). This means that responsible decision-making must take into account the future consequences of the current choice, as well as effectively integrate social, environmental, and economic criteria into daily planning and operational practices. This understanding means that an organization from the sports industry that wants to comply with the principles of sustainable development must constantly evaluate the possible trade-offs between the short-term and long-term consequences of business decisions and strategies.

Obviously, encouraging an IPO, advising investors, and giving preference to football clubs implementing integrated reporting will increase the investment attractiveness of large state football clubs. In turn, the growth of investments will contribute to the development of infrastructure, the creation of jobs, and the strengthening of the development factors of the competitive advantages of large cities.

These advantages include the level of economic development of the city, the innovative potential of the urban environment, the level of investment, as well as the implementation of large sports projects. This will give the state enormous reputation effects, as well as various advantages: the development of business and the regional economy as a whole, the creation of new jobs, the improvement of the investment climate, as well as the attraction of qualified specialists.

Reference List

Adams, C. (2015) Understanding integrated reporting. Abingdon: Routledge.

Baur, D. and Mckeating, C. (2011) Do football clubs benefit from initial public offerings? International Journal of Sport Finance, 6(1), pp. 40-59.

Blewitt, J. (2014) Understanding sustainable development. Abingdon: Routledge.

Desbordes, M., Aymar, P., & Hautbois, C. (2019) The global sport economy: contemporary issues. Abingdon: Routledge.

Eccles, R. G. and Krzus, M. P. (2014) The integrated reporting movement: meaning, momentum, motives, and materiality. Hoboken: Wiley.

Oprean, V. and Oprisor, T. (2014) Accounting for soccer players: capitalization paradigm vs. expenditure, Procedia Economics and Finance, 15, pp. 1647-1654.

Pyatunin, A. et al. (2016) The Economic efficiency of European football clubs  data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach, International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(15), pp. 7515-7534.

Rohde, M. and Breuer, C. (2016) Europes elite football: financial growth, sporting success, transfer investment, and private majority investors, International Journal of Financial Studies, 4, pp. 1-20.

Ross, K. (2013) The American market & sports IPOs: does Manchester United signal a change? Law School Student Scholarship, 296.

Sloan, P. J. (2015) The economics of professional football revisited, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 62(1), pp. 1-7.

Sports occupy a significant place in the modern world because they unite millions of athletes, fans, managers, reporters, and others. It is a typical case that people associate professional sports with luxury and richness. It is so because the most famous athletes are among the wealthiest individuals in the world. In his chapter The Last American Dream, Robert Lipsyte (2018) addresses this state of affairs and shows that everything is more ambiguous than it appears. Thus, the present paper will assess Lipsytes perspective and comment on why sports matter to everyone.

In the beginning, one should note that the author challenges the idea that athletes only witness the advantages of their careers. Lipsyte (2018) uses the example of Cleon Jones to demonstrate that athletes are sometimes forced to ignore their own dignity to stay afloat. It refers to Joness public whipping after he was found asleep with a young woman who had a marijuana cigarette in her purse (Lipsyte, 2018, p. 250). Simultaneously, it would be an exaggeration to state that athletes are their clubs slaves since they have to follow management orders. Individuals who earn millions of dollars do not receive compassion. I agree with Lipsytes argument that being a professional athlete implies both benefits and drawbacks. These individuals should work hard to become a player of a particular team, while even greater efforts are necessary to keep occupying this place.

Furthermore, it is reasonable to emphasize that the writers perspective has appeared to be prophetic. Even though the book SportsWorld: An American Dreamland was originally written in 1976, its author managed to predict sports future. It relates to the idea that all the old sports will retreat into cults (Lipsyte, 2018, p. 254). Modern events prove this claim because conflicts between fans of different clubs when individuals aggressively defend their beliefs are typical. In addition to that, no one can deny Lipsytes (2018) thought regarding the fact that we will surely gamble on everything (p. 255). Bookmakers are leading sponsors of many sporting events, which stimulates millions of people to bet.

However, the information above does not mean that the authors intention is to show that sports only are an adverse phenomenon. That is why Lipsyte (2018) argues that unforgettable emotions and sensations make people watch sporting events. Even though sports joy is commercialized now, stadiums were and still remain the most suitable place for individuals to express themselves without fear of being judged. This opportunity is a great pleasure in the modern world because people are forced to meet numerous expectations in their offices. Consequently, sports and sporting events are significant because of the emotions that people experience from watching them. Simultaneously, it is impossible to overestimate the positive impact of sports activities on health.

In conclusion, Robert Lipsyte offers an exciting approach to sports and their role in society. The author mentions that it is not reasonable to make unambiguous judgments regarding athletes lives and careers. Lipsyte insists on the fact that being a professional athlete provides individuals with both advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, this writer managed to forecast the future development of the sporting industry. It refers to the fact that he predicted the more incredible popularity of sports and the bookmakers dominating role in this sphere in 1976. Nevertheless, Lipsyte does not diminish the importance of sports, emphasizing that they provide individuals with multiple benefits.

Reference

Lipsyte, R. (2018). SportsWorld: An American dreamland. Rutgers University Press.

Wrestling offers a plethora of benefits for the people that decide to start doing it as a part of their pastime and gradually realize that this kind of sport offers a range of benefits, including a unique philosophy. Wrestling can cause noticeable improvements in ones physical and emotional well-being, creating the premise for a future framework for comprehensive health management. However, at the age of seven, I could not understand the implications of wrestling and its advantages for me from the physical and psychological viewpoint. Wrestling simply seemed exciting and fun, and, like any kid at that age, I was immediately fascinated with the idea of fighting without breaking any rules. The decision to take up wrestling changed my life by introducing a unique philosophy of physical and mental discipline and prompting the development of leadership qualities and work ethic.

Wrestling came into my life rather naturally when I was seven and would not leave ever since. Shortly after my birthday, my friend who I missed much when he trained suggested that I should try it as well so that we could be together even during his wrestling classes. Although I felt hesitant at first, imagining that wrestling would take an inconceivable effort from me, I agreed afterward once my parents supported the idea. The very first wrestling class changed my perception of this kind of sport completely and helped me to gain several important insights into the wrestling philosophy, as well as relationships with others, including my community, my friends, and family members. Due to the focus on hard work as the pathway to personal development and professional success, wrestling has become the platform for building my self-esteem.

In addition, the importance of wrestling in the development of my sense of camaraderie and helped me to maintain a close connection to my family members. Due to the support that they have been providing me in my development as a wrestler, we have built a strong understanding of each other. While I have to admit that I would have probably found other ways apart from sport to discover that my family values me and is very supportive of all my endeavors, It was crucial to learn about the strength of our family ties at an age this young. Surprisingly enough, the sport that one would typically label as fighting has helped to bring my family together and allowed me to build trust-based relationships with my family members.

However, by far the greatest effect that wrestling has produced on me concerns the personal progress that I have made throughout the years of building my professional set of wrestling skills. Doing wrestling has affected the way in which I see myself, increasing my self-esteem and convincing me that I can accomplish anything that I will deem as important. For example, I have become less conscious of my body flaws, learning to correct the ones that affect my health directly and accepting the ones that do not require immediate change as my unique characteristics. Therefore, becoming a wrestler has allowed me to build a healthy approach toward self-esteem-related issues, making me immune to unhealthy attitudes that one may acquire when affected by low self-esteem.

Along with changes to the fashion in which I viewed my physical and psychological well-being, wrestling has contributed to shaping my philosophy, values, and ethics. Although wrestling is not classified as a team sport, it does encourage building similar values and ethics. Specifically, the spirit of camaraderie is essential to the development of wrestling skills. In addition, the concept of sportsmanship has permeated every area of my life. It has become critical for me to play fairly and be honest in not only wrestling but also any activity, in general. As a result, attaining the end goal has transformed from an end in itself to a tool that can be used to improve the quality of my life, my communication with family members and friends, and other aspects of my personal and professional life. Therefore, the philosophy of wrestling and its ethics have affected me on a very deep level, defining the principles on which I build my interactions with the rest of the world.

Wheel wrestling is typically viewed as an individual sport rather than teamwork-based activity, it has also taught me important lessons about leadership. A person that is timid or preferring to be guided rather than to guide others may underestimate the significance of gaining the skills of a leader. However, the ability to make decisions, collaborate, and communicate ideas effectively, which are typically attributed to a leader, are essential for ones success in personal life, academic progress, and business career. Wrestling, in turn, has provided me with important lessons about self-control, conflict management, and communication as the pillars of leadership (Weinberg and Gould 219).

The values that wrestling teaches go beyond sport-related instructions and, instead, serve as the wisdom based on which one can build an entire life philosophy. The ideas to which wrestling has introduced me exceed the traditional concept of winning and losing; instead, they teach the concepts of success and failure as grand notions that can be applied to any other realm apart from sport. Thus, the principles on which the wrestling philosophy is constructed have provided me with the wisdom that will allow me not only to build a career in athletics but also to succeed in life in a broader sense (Weinberg and Gould 258). Helping me to distinguish between important and trivial issues, the values associated with wrestling have influenced my personal growth. Wrestling has shaped my personality, teaching me important life lessons about communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The insights that wrestling has given to me have affected the way in which I interact with others, making me open to changes and allowing me to become a better person with every new experience.

Although wrestling is typically viewed as solely a set of combatting skills, it has changed my entire life by teaching me the qualities such as physical and mental discipline, leadership skills, and work ethic. Learning the wrestling philosophy enables one to embrace every facet of personal success and realize what steps should be taken to achieve it. For me, wrestling is not merely a kind of sport but, instead, a lifestyle that provides a plethora of opportunities for development and health management. Moreover, due to the chances that wrestling gives regarding the self-assessment of emotional well-being, it can arguably be seen as a method of addressing the issues associated with communication, leadership skills, and other areas that require emotional health and awareness. Therefore, wrestling has been strongly integrated into every possible facet of my life, defining my choices and helping me to improve as a person.

Work Cited

Weinberg, Robert S., and Daniel S. Gould. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 6th ed., Human Kinetics, 2018.