Sport law and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Sport law and society - Essay Example Politics, history, sociology, economy, accounting, media, entertainment, nationalism, racism, gender issues, drug abuse and unhealthy competition have all become part of almost all the sports. No doubt there are many negative aspects; but there still remain a few very positive factors in every form of sports that makes it divine even today. The pure competition, the thrill of enjoyment of playing and watching both do not fail to take us back to the days of Athens sports when sports was played for crystal clear enjoyment and sporting spirit. It has also become a rich language of nationalism and differentiation. It represents the national aspirations and standoffishness both. The pride involved is because of the nationalistic dimension, which sometimes can go overboard, if not properly controlled. When we talk about the controlling, we unwittingly venture into the arena of Sports Law. EXPANDING REGION OF SPORTS Today, sports come under the banner of social psychology and its theories of communication, inclusion and wellbeing of the society. A society which encourages sports activities at any levels like regional, national and international, is regarded as a healthy society that can face playful, ethical and healthy challenges. As a bridge of communication, builder of friendship, resurrector of healthy bodies and minds, and as promoter of strong and competing outlook, sports is unparalleled. It is nothing new that sport has not remained as pure happiness any more and is increasingly getting commercialised which has created both advantages and disadvantages. There are other connected problems that could create or spoil a perfect social atmosphere. Still sports is considered to be one of the highpoints of human life even in the days of early Roman or Greek civilizations. Sports implies some kind of physical activity that could improve the mental or physical prowess of the participants and enjoyment of the onlookers. The competitions are not considered to be a show of enmity, but of happy competition. The 'Spirit of the Game' is the main slogan here. LEGAL SCOPE Although sports should be ideally played in good-humoured and pleasant atmosphere, every country knows today that sports has to be bound by national and international laws that should be respected by all the connected teams and countries. Any deviation from this law is punishable and the rough play, foul mouthing, un-sportsman-like behaviour, hooliganism by fans are all controlled through civil and criminal laws of the land and through the international sports law. Rough sports should be contained and there has to be a realisation that roughness in sports should not go beyond a certain limit. Adventurous sports could be curtailed by law if there is definiteness about its causing body injury for participants, onlookers or both. INTERNATIONAL LAW International sports law is growing steadily in recent years and has shown that it could be very effective1. It has advocated the efficiency of non-judicial remedies which could be tried before approaching the Courts and Tribunals and in some cases, non-judicial remedies could be more effective and less taxing2. But any attempt to flout the rules and regulations of international sports law could end up in embarrassment and perplexity3. At the same time, there is an increase of conflict between national law and international