They watch TV. You see your favorite foreign boxer, Manny Pacquiao, who has just knocked out another title contender. With a bloody face and a dislocated nose, the opponent is still uncoordinated from the dizzying blows he’s taken. You rise from your seat and scream in victory with your idolized athlete. And then, after the first shouts of victory and congratulations, it’s time for the interview.
The interviewer asks, “So Manny, what can you tell us about your fight?”
Manny replies, “I um.. ahh.. looking forward to the fight.”
Your favorite champion stutters and speaks in an English you can’t understand. You are disappointed and your trust and reverence for him is gone. In fact, the English language dominates the world of sports in news, statistics, interviews and articles.
Here are the reasons why learning the English language is important for the sportsman:
- As an athlete increases in success and fame, they are more confronted with fans worldwide who come from different countries and also with different nationalities. Since English is the most spoken language in the world, being able to express yourself in an easily understood English allows the athlete to communicate more effectively with the fans. In addition, he can reach more people, express his passion and even educate listeners through his experiences.
- With a good command of English, an athlete can better communicate with their team and coach. It is not uncommon for athletes who are not native speakers of English to have coaches and managerial or promotional staff who are native speakers of English.
- Learning the English language gives athletes more opportunities to make money through advertising. Most international companies like Nike use English as a medium for advertising. It’s common for them to include international athletes in their promotion – sometimes these non-native English speakers require them to utter a few lines to promote their products. A good command of English, or at least an acceptable accent, makes the athlete and the product he is promoting more salable. It will be difficult to buy sports drinks from athletes who can’t even pronounce the product properly.
- It makes traveling and staying in other countries more pleasant and comfortable. It’s quite difficult and a bit tiresome to have a translator who always follows you. You also do not get into direct contact with your organizers and business partners. It is possible that you may miss important details that your translator may not include in their translation.
Athletes must therefore not only excel in the sports they practice – adding good English to their repertoire must not raise the level of their athletic performance. But the English language will surely add to its reputation, fame, salability to the public, and the satisfaction of its fans who want to get to know it better. Learning English is easy and hiring a tutor is something a successful athlete can easily afford. For athletes who are just starting their careers, learning through online English courses is an affordable option and can be of great help in the future.
I’m sure your fans will be more than willing to buy Red Bull and not actually your Red Burr.
How about Manny Pacquiao? His English is now improving – he is aware that he must learn the English language, the current lingua franca of the world.
Thanks to Jayson Pino Guevarra | #Learning #English #Impacts #Sports #Importance #Learning #English #Athletes
