Vol. 30 No. 328 (2025)
The Show Must Go On
Contemporary sport presents itself as a mirror with many faces, one of which expresses the complex reality of a globalized industry, which needs to maintain the sporting spectacle at all costs to satisfy the public, the media, and the economic interests that sustain it. The extreme commercialization of sports has transformed soccer, basketball, motorsports, and other disciplines not just into competitions, but into mass entertainment products. This implies that the action, excitement, and narrative of the event must continue, regardless of setbacks. Player injuries, off-field controversies, or even a lack of fans at an event do not stop the machinery.
Television programming, multimillion-dollar sponsorships, and image rights contracts force the agenda to be met no matter what, often with overwhelming match schedules. Entertainment operates as extreme pressure on athletes. Elite athletes are expected not only to perform at their best, but also to act as public figures, role models, and, sometimes, as part of the marketing strategy. They often face the pressure of competing with minor injuries, with their personal lives exposed to public scrutiny, or even mental fatigue. Their primary role is to entertain, and their human vulnerabilities must be subsumed under the demands of the spectacle.
The logic of spectacle and business prevails over other considerations, shaping the experience of both fans and the athletes themselves. Sport, transformed into a gigantic business, sets in motion a value chain that includes media, sponsors, and merchandising companies, reflecting the essence of sport in the 21st century: a hybrid of passion, competition, and a gigantic global entertainment machine.
Tulio Guterman, Director – September 2025
Published:
2025-09-01
