International Football: How to Reach Superstar Status

Imagine playing for a football team whose rivals date back to the 19th century. With over eighty thousand fans in attendance (as seen in the picture below) and the media covering every minute move, the pressure is unbearable but highly motivating. This is a brief description of the number one sport in the world, football, which is called soccer in the United States. As the most popular and watched sport, competition is very evident. This has led to verbal and physical encounters not only between players, but within the crowd. The players, coaching staff, and fans treat football not only as a sporting event, but as a part of their life. The country’s reputation is on the line. With this intense pressure, players must perform consistently at such high standards to maintain the support from the franchise, fans, and media. Therefore, players must decide how far they want to push themselves.

In recent news, the New England Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, who is pictured below, has been under deep scrutiny for comments concerning trading prospects. The team from a statistical view is currently in first place in the Premiere League winning the last seven games. From a financial status, the Arsenal has enough money to invest into an all star player. Wenger, however, has commented, “I don't see this player at the moment anywhere." This is such a strong statement because he is blatantly stating that the football players are not playing to their potential and do not deserve large paychecks. However, this remark could be used as a reverse psychology tactic. Players now feel they must practice and play harder to earn the recognition they deserve. In doing so, this attention will lead to more media headlines which will give players the opportunity of possible endorsement contracts and higher salaries. The problem with this tactic is it can lead to trouble. Some athletes feel they must find other methods to improve in a short amount of time. This leads to steroid abuse, and when this news is revealed and made public, the reputation of the player as well as the franchise is tarnished. Therefore, players must decide what is more important, the money or the quality of the game.

All star football player, Ronaldinho de Assís Moreira , (as pictured below) is a specific example of a player under a large amount of pressure. He is, at the moment, the epitome of football players. Ronaldinho earns the respect not only from his fans, but also his rivals as seen when he scored two goals against the real Madrid and “the Real Madrid and the Madrid fans saluted Ronaldinho with a standing ovation despite Real Madrid suffering a 3-0 defeat.” However, his injury is hurting his world renowned reputation. With the Arsenal having a large salary capacity to offer Ronaldinho, Wenger has refused to make any offers. He unashamedly said, "Maybe one year ago he was the best player in the world. Is he today? No. It's as simple as that." This statement is very controversial because Ronaldinho’s reputation is highly valued in the game right now. According to consultancy firm BBDO Germany, “Beckham still has the best-known face, but Ronaldinho's age and recent feats make him a better marketing prospect.” Many sports fans come out specifically to watch him play, and as a result of this high attendance, the franchise earns a large amount of money through endorsement deals, ticket sales, and player paraphernalia. Why would the Arsenal not want to bring Ronaldinho to the team? His statistics clearly show that he has the capabilities of making football history not only for himself but for the Arsenal franchise. It would be a win- win situation.

But Wenger makes an important point. All star player status should be given to players who perform at top notch levels on a consistent basis. If the player cannot do this, then a team should not spend a large portion of the budget on them. It is important for teams to invest in quality players that improve their performance every game. By doing so, this leads to a domino effect (as pictured to the right). As a result of the consistent improvement, players increase their confidence which allows the coaching staff to have the flexibility to create various plays. With so much variety every game, more fans come for the unexpected excitement, and then more sponsors become involved because of the positive marketing opportunities. At the end, the reputation of the sport becomes renowned globally. Players, therefore, need to be willing to take on risks to set themselves apart, although the probability of serious injuries rises. However, stepping out of the usual is what creates the excitement of the game and makes the world’s greatest players.

Steroid Abuse: Athletes Use Steroids for Fame and Fortune

In today’s sports news, the hidden truth about steroid abuse is slowly surfacing into various media outputs. Top names of professional athletes are making these headlines which make fans wonder if world records are now being skewed. But why cheat the system? From a business perspective, records prove that once athletes started using steroids to enhance their skills, fame and fortune became evident.

This controversy is becoming evident especially in Major League Baseball. Take for example, Troy Glaus, the third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Glaus began his career with the Anaheim Angeles in 1998, and for the first two years he had a solid and stable career. However, in 2000, he had a breakout season becoming the all time single home run leader for third basemen in Angels’ history and led the entire American League in home runs. For the next three years, Glaus became more popular by earning valuable awards such as being a three time All Star (2000, 2001, and 2003), the Silver Slugger Award two times (2000, 2001), as well as helping the Angels win the World Series for the first time in team history in 2002 and earning the Most Valuable Player Award for that series.

Sadly, the fame slipped away once Glaus suffered a shoulder injury and missed most of the 2004 season. Since it was his last year under contract with the Angels, the team chose not to offer him a contract extension. The Angels decided to invest in a less expensive third baseman and Glaus went on to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, Glaus’s fame began to diminish. His statistics showed that he was creating major league lows. His lack of production forced the Diamondbacks to trade him to the Toronto Blue Jays. From a business perspective, companies do not want to sponsor a person that is unproductive and does not have a marketable image. Fans want to follow athletes that improve on a consistent basis. Sadly for Glaus, he went from being one of the greatest third baseman to just becoming a mediocre player.

Society tends to believe that high statistics equals success. Unless an athlete is able to continuously produce solid numbers, fans will stop supporting that athlete and as a result their marketability will drop. For this reason, players feel pressured to resort to the extremes such as using steroids in order to get that “competitive edge” in order to salvage their career. By taking these pills for a certain amount of time, players have the ability to enhance the body in order to make a drastic change in the way they play. With this new change, players have the capabilities to rise to the top and at the same time enhance their marketability.

Along with all the media coverage comes fortune for the players. In the Glaus case, it is important to track his salary change. According to Baseballcube.com, during his first six years, his salary gradually increased each year from $170,000 in 1998 to $7,250,000 in 2003. However, during the year of his injury in 2003, his salary dropped drastically to $725,000. This change called for extreme measures. According to SI.com, Glaus has been reported “[receiving] performance-enhancing drugs from a Florida pharmacy which is under investigation for illegally distributing prescription medications” between September 2003 and May 2004. At that time Glaus went back to becoming an all star caliber baseball player. He was back in the public eye because fans were inspired by his drastic improvement and all the records he was setting. Glaus became a fan favorite once again and was an All Star in 2006. Therefore, it was not a surprise that his salary increased in 2004 when he earned $9,900,000 and is now making $11,500,000. However, the truth about him using steroids was not revealed until four years later.

Consequently, Glaus’s reputation now remains questionable. He refuses to comment on the situation, but the media is confident that he has used steroids because of the evidence accumulated against him. One assumption that has led many to believe that he had to use performance enhancing drugs was his quick recovery from such a serious injury.

Therefore, the Glaus story is just one example of the controversy involving steroid abuse. Sports are becoming much more competitive, and more money and fame are being rewarded to those athletes that have the capabilities to reach the top. With those incentives, players are willing to risk their reputation and take steroids to succeed. If money buys happiness, then athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to get that money. However, when the truth is revealed, not only do they ruin their own reputation, but they also tarnish the team and more importantly Major League Baseball.