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consisted of events like foot racing and fighting, that the common class who had little leisure time integrated into daily activities.As the average people gained more leisure time “elite” sports expanded and team sport spectatorship became a popular entertainment activity. Technology therefore led to the rise in popularity of team and spectacular sports. Then professional team sports appeared and new communication media such as radio and television extended their popularity. Technological advancement also led to the creation of entirely new sports, such as cycling, auto-racing, etc.

Today we can expect new changes in sports due to the new technologies of the Internet and other communication systems. Presentday online sport applications can be roughly divided into four categories: information sources, communication channels, competitive systems and physical systems.

Information sources. Sports fans need information. News, statistics, analysis, schedules, prices, etc., all these can now be found online.These arewebsiteswiththesametypeofsportsnewsthatcanbefoundinadaily newspaper. Unlike a paper, however, they can be updated many times daily. These Internet news services solve some problems with traditional newspapers and broadcast news. The amount of news presented is not directly determined by advertising space or available air time. The news services attract customers because of their novelty, timeliness and depth of resources. Once a fan has news he may want scores and statistics. Selling sports statistics is already a multi-million industry.

Communication channels. Communication channels connect sports enthusiasts so that they can converse with each other in ways not possible in print and broadcast media. E-mail is the most popular form of online sports communication for several reasons. It is faster and cheaper than ground mail service, allowing many exchanges on a single day. It is point-to-point and point-to-multipoint form of communication unlike traditional mail. No other medium allows inexpensive real-time conversation with groups of fans spread out across the world.

Competitive systems. One way to encourage natural communication is through competition and competition is an important aspect of sport. Online services are using competitions to attract users. Currently the most popular online competitions are fantasy leagues. Players construct

fantasy teams of real professional players and each week they see how their teams are doing by checking playing statistics.

Physical systems. Some interactive fitness equipment presently on the market integrates physical activity and interactive competition over local networks. For example, the VCR bike allows a user to exercise on a bike as he rides through a computer graphics displayed in front of him.Auser can ride individually or compete with three other VCR bikers connected to the same network. These systems are expensive but they are the first of what is to come in the industry of interactive fitness.

Vocabulary and Speech Exercises

XI. Answer the following questions to discuss the text in detail. Refer to the text if necessary:

1.How did technological advancement change sport?

2.How is the Internet used as a source of sporting information?

3.How can sports fans use the Internet as a communication channel?

4.What is the most popular online competition today?

5.How can interactive competitions be organized?

XII. Choose the phrase which best completes the sentence:

1.Industrial development contributed to ...

a)creation of new teams;

b)creation of new sports;

c)creation of new leagues.

2.… can be updated many times daily.

a)Daily newspaper news;

b)The Internet news;

c)Broadcast news.

3.Communication channels connect sports fans through ...

a)print media;

b)broadcast media;

c)e-mail.

4.The most popular online competitions are ...

a)Premier league;

b)Fantasy league;

c)Bundesleague.

5.The interactive fitness equipment integrates …

a)physical activity and interactive competition;

b)computers;

c)competitors.

XIII. Make a list of international words used in the text. Learn their meaning and pronunciation.

XV.Say, what you have learned about the four categories of the online

sports application:

–information sources;

–communication channels;

–competitive systems;

–physical systems.

Task III. Read Text C to know about the Internet as a sport sales tool. Make a list of new words and expressions while reading it.

Text C

Using the Net as a Sports Marketplace

Alongside with a tremendous increase in the use of computers, companies started to use the Internet as a marketplace. With a computer and modem a businessman can research about anything, finding links to resources for his business. Now the Internet itself is being transformed into a marketplace: advertisements, cyberstores and webzines 1 are offering everything for sale. Businesses are using the Net as a current and future marketing tool2.

Cool Sportz is a sporting goods retailer 3. It makes its own brand products 4 as well as buys products from other manufacturers. It sells

74 Sports management and marketing

coolwear products through 2500 independent sporting-goods stores around the country. A secure corporate extranet links Cool Sportz to its contract manufacturers, suppliers, independent retailers, distributors and partners such as its law firm, accounting firm and ad agency. This ensures privacy and security for e-mail and electronic files. Cool Sportz marketers brainstorm over the Net with the ad agency.

For years Cool Sportz has placed orders with contract manufacturers using Electronic Data Interchange, or EDI, an old software standard that is neither cheap nor flexible. Now Cool Sportz saves money by moving some of these orders over the Internet.

Cool Sportz used to order shoes, ski gear and camping goods by phone and fax. Now Cool Sportz saves time and money by sending orders electronically over the Internet. Some suppliers let Cool Sportz enter their private networks to place orders.

When products don’t sell Cool Sportz auctions them through an online brokerage. The company posts information about the goods and a minimum price. Potential buyers enter bids and Cool Sportz ships the goods to the winning bidder5.

Cool Sportz has a private company intranet to communicate with branch stores and employees in remote offices. Cool Sportz collects sales data from its retail stores around the country and fills hundreds of product orders electronically. All stores are on the Cool Sportz intranet, a secure link that traverses the Internet. Cool Sportz also “pushes” information or promotions and discounts to its stores.

Instead of phoning the Human Resource Department the Cool Sportz staff refer to an electronic version of the employee handbook on the company intranet 6 to change their investment and health-care options and calculate their retirement benefits. Expense reports filed via the intranet are paid within 48 hours.

Notes:

1 ...into a marketplace: advertisements, cyberstores and webzines... – ...в рынок c рекла-

мой, сетевыми магазинами, сетевыми журналами...

2 ...as a current and future marketing tool. – ...как действующий и будущий рынок сбыта.

3 a sporting goods retailer – компания, занимающаяся розничной торговлей спортивными товарами.

4 own brand products – продукция под собственной торговой маркой.

5 Potential buyers enter bids and Cool Sportz ships the goods to the winning bidder. –

Потенциальные покупатели участвуют в торгах, и «Кул Спортс» поставляет товар покупателю, выигравшему торги.

6 the employee handbook on the company intranet – справочник сотрудников во вну-

тренней сети (интранет) компании.

Comprehension and Speech Exercises

XVI. Work in three groups:

Group A. Read the paragraph about the use of the Internet. Group B. Read the paragraph about the use of extranet. Group C. Read the paragraph about the use of intranet.

XVII. Find the topic sentences of each paragraph to make up a plan of the text.

XVIII. Make a summary of the text. Give your point of view on the Internet as a marketplace.

Task IV. Read Text D testifying how important computers and other modern machines are in sports and sports-related science. Add the following terms to your topical vocabulary:

1)workout v, n – тренировать, тренировка;

2)treadmill n – бегущая дорожка;

3)stamina n – выносливость, syn. endurance;

4)score board n – табло;

5)muscle mass – мышечная масса;

6)infrared scanner – инфракрасное сканирующее устройство.

Text D

Computers and Sports

1. Today computers are widely used not only in everyday activities, but in workouts and sports. Computers can be found in the equipment to enhance athletes’performance in the gym, swimming-pool, tennis court and on the playing field. From the treadmills athletes use to workout, to the playing field score board, computers are starting to become an integral part of sports. They can also be used to keep instant scores and allow for real-time statistics to be displayed to fans instantly. Moreover they are just beginning to be used to enhance fans’interest in sports.

76 Sports management and marketing

2. Computers are now used to allow athletes to become better at their sports. Over the years science has played an increasing role in selection and training of athletes. Long gone are the days of all-round athletes who compete in many different events. Today most athletes specialize in only one sports event. Because people are built a little differently, they are physiologically adapted to different skills. For power sports like weightlifting and wrestling, muscle mass is the key. For distance running and swimming endurance and stamina are critical and for sports like tennis reaction time is the key element. By using a series of tests and tools physiologists can pre-determine which sport is best suited to a particular individual.

3. When sports selection is completed the next phase in athletes’

can be enhanced by using computers, video-cameras and infrared scanners. Today video-recorders coupled with computer processors allow a detailed analysis of each motion. Scientists can find the flaws in techniques which can make or break an Olympic record.

4. By recording world class athletes and comparing their techniques to that of the trainee coaches can maximize performance in a minimal amount of time.

Comprehension and Speech Exercises

XIX. Reread paragraph 1. Which is the “key” sentence expressing the main idea of paragraph 1? Find the “key” of paragraph 1.

XX. Rereadparagraph2.Whatheadingcanyougivetotheparagraph?

Which suits best in your opinion?

1.Computers and sports science.

2.Physiology tests and tools.

3.Computers and athletes’selection.

XXI. Reread paragraph 3. It is about the role of computers and videorecorders in the training process. Find and read aloud the sentences that disclose this role.

XXII. Speak on the modern equipment that is used in your sports event to enhance performance.

Listening and Speaking

I. Listen to the dialogue and trade the roles. Follow the tape-script if necessary:

Dialogue: Buying a Fax Machine

Remember:

rebate n – возврат денег

A. Excuse me, sir, could you help me? I’m looking for a fax machine for my office. My old one has broken!

B. Yes, of course. We have several models. A. What is the price range?

B. Faxmachinesgofrom150to1000dollars.Thedeluxemodelisafax,a phone, a printer, a colour scanner and a modem. It costs 799 dollars.

A. It’s very nice, but it’s pretty expensive.

B. You get 25 dollars off the price of this model. Plus the company has a 30-dollar rebate, so it only costs 745 dollars.

A. The problem is I don’t want to spend so much. B. May I ask what your budget is?

A. Not more than 400 dollars, but I would prefer to spend less. Can you suggest anything in that price range?

B. Let me propose this fax-phone with speed dialing, speakerphone, and answering machine. It also has a printer and a scanner. All for a very low price of 419 dollars.

A. I already have a printer, so it’s a waste of money to get another one, besides, it’s still over my budget.

B. In that case, let me recommend two other machines, both in the 300-dollar range. The smaller one has a speakerphone, a copier and a speed dialer. The larger one has a modem and a scanner.

A. Hmm. I likethis cheaper model better. It has a nice design.Wrap it up. I’ll take it.

Act out a similar dialogue. Pretend that you are responsible for buying new equipment for your company office and have come to a shop to buy a good but not very expensive computer. One of your group-mates will play the part of a shop assistant.

Writing

I. Write the instructions you would give someone making photocopies for the first time. Information and key phrases below will help you.

Key phrases: push button, face down, select number, on the far right, on the left side.

How to operate a photocopier

The copier makes two sizes of copy: 8 ½ × 11 inches (letter size) or 8 ½ × 14 inches (legal size). Pushing one of the buttons on the far right of he panel selects the paper size. The sheet to be copied is placed face down on the glass plate and the cover is closed. The number of copies is selected by pushing the buttons on the left side of the panel. The big rectangular button that says “Normal” is pushed to start copying. Pushing the smaller buttons below makes the copy darker or lighter.

Copies come out onto the tray on the right of the machine.

PART II. SPORTS MARKETING

Unit 5. Fundamentals of Marketing

Pre-reading activities

I. Listen to your teacher’s reading and mark the stressed syllable in the

II. Check if these topical words and key phrases are known to you. If not, try to memorize them:

Pre-reading discussion

III. Discuss with your group-mates before you read the texts:

–what you understand by the term “marketing”;

–what the role of marketing in sport is.

Reading

Task I. Read Text A to know about the three stages in the evolution of marketing.

Text A

Marketing Process

What will help you achieve success in business? Surely it is clever marketing.

According to the definition marketing is planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services.