Harte of the Matter on sport and sponsorship

These days football is almost all about spin and issues that have little to do with what actually happens on the pitch.

We are pulverized by news that has little to do with football, whether it is about the wealth of one player, or the night-life of various stars.

Increasingly, football takes second place as TV companies set the agenda when it comes to football news. The days of reports on a match making the news seem far away – they are now replaced by the night-time antics of certain players, and the public seems to love it.

Is football being taken over by media types and where will it all end?

There was a time when football matches were about football and not about social media acts that have little to do with sport. When will the tide turn again?

We live in a sports-obsessed country where sport brings families together.

Too many games have been by marred by poor presentation and a lack of sporting prowess. I think the day will eventually come when advertising is banned from sporting events. It might be in the best interests of all sports and will rebalance the current situation where many big players are judged as much by their latest advertising contract as  their skills on the pitch.

The days of sport being commercialised are part and parcel of the modern era, but it should be the sport that motivates young players, not alcohol or razor blades.

That said, the multi-national companies that provide the money tend to be just as powerful as the boards of football clubs who are depending on sponsorship.

Government must tackle the dominant role of sponsorship in sport and step into the frame to secure the future of football and indeed many other sports that have an influence on the development of young kids in sport.

It cannot be good for sport when the sponsors are promoting alcohol to a young audience around the world. Meanwhile governments and sports development officers are trying their best to promote healthy living.

These days money talks, but there will come a point where those in control of sport, including managers and boards, must take a serious look at sponsorship and grasp the nettle of advertising and separate sport from commercialism.