ISSUES IN CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT:

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SPORTS

Sports refer to physical activities that have a history and precise rules about how the game is to
be played. Participation in sporting activities is very beneficial to the development of the region,
because if people are healthier mentally and physically then they are more productive.

GENERATION OF INCOME

Professional sports and organized sporting associations can contribute to development in the
region by marketing their activities to increase their income. This assists the economy and allows
the sport to be self sufficient. This is because sporting activities make up a multi-billion dollar
global industry and small island economies can benefit from this income. Many sports require
sponsors, however, if there is a concentrated effort to attract spectators from regional and
international countries then there will be less need to require government funding.

Globally people seem to be utilizing their leisure time and therefore sporting associations can
take advantage of this increasing practice and offer attractive packages, by partner with other
agencies [airlines and hotels etc.] to acquire more patrons. Even if the sport is not as popular as
cricket or football, the leisure time that people have, can still be taken advantage of and be part
of marketing strategies.

The mass media has an influential role in Caribbean sports ability to generate income; this is
because of the way the sports is portrayed/advertised in the media. Also, among the various
media houses there is competition to acquire the rights to record and broadcast live and taped
matches; the rights to these matches are worth millions. This generated income can be
re-invested to develop the sport further, increase players’ salaries, hire better coaches and have
training clinics for amateurs and youths.

Participation in sports generates income by providing employment for elite athletes and their
support staff. Professional athletes generate income through sports from their salaries and
endorsement contracts. Their respective countries generate income through taxes that are levied
against their salaries, endorsement deals and their associations, such as the WICB.

Sports is related to a number of industries such as: manufacturing [clothing and equipment for
teams and supporters, along with the printing of tickets and posters etc], services [sports
medicine, nutrition management, physiotherapy, leisure centres/gyms and management
personnel], research/publication [medical research, magazine, biographies, archiving and
documenting] and gambling [government taxes on horseracing dividends and large earnings
provide revenue to GDP].

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Sports also create new careers [sports medicine, sports psychology and sports journalism etc]
allowing others to generate income. In addition the construction and refurbishing of venues
provide employment for a wide cross-section of the population.

Sports in the Caribbean need to discover means to generate income and not depend solely on
sponsors. This is especially needed in the case of marginal sports such as, car racing, golf, tennis
and swimming etc.; sponsors for those sports are sparse because governments and businesses in
the Caribbean are more inclined to sponsor cricket or football.

However, to acquire multinational sponsorship for marginalized Caribbean sports is dependent

on the quality of the team. This become as ‘catch 22’ for these sports as they need funding to
achieve success, and sponsors need to see proven track record before they sponsor. Therefore
more effort needs to be concentrated to devise means to generate income in all sports of the
Caribbean.

SPORTS TOURISM

Sports tourism has two types; it involves those individuals who visit the region as spectators and
those who visit to play sport. Sports tourism can fill the gap that seasonality creates in the ‘off
season’ of conventional tourism industry. The Caribbean with its blue waters is the perfect
location for watersports. With further in developing infrastructure and marketing the region as a
watersport site, the Caribbean could acquire billions of dollars in watersports tourism. Also,
sports enthusiasts can be big spenders and as well as spending money on the event, they also
spend on food, memorabilia, travel and sightseeing.

Sports tourism has proven itself to be a means to generate income for the region; for instance test
matches and one-day internationals in cricket. World Cup matches in cricket and football has
generated a lot of income prompting the construction or refurbishing of venues to accommodate
more spectators. This was evident with the Caribbean staging of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

The innumerable benefits of physical activity are well known, especially as it relates to increase
performance and health. Physical activity is also associated with emotional and mental
well-being; research indicates that individuals, who participate in some type of sporting activity
at whatever level, are less stressed and feel accomplished. However, physical activity has to be
partnered with a proper diet and abstinence from activities such as smoking, drugs and excessive
drinking.

Participation in sports is essential to any country’s human development goals, and strategies
should be implemented to encourage all citizens to be more active. Involvement in sports can
have economic consequences, as it relates to medical care for citizens, especially the elderly and
the disabled.

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EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The field of sports studies covers a wide range of disciplines including: medicine, law
economics, psychology and management. The G.C Foster College was established in 1980 in
Jamaica and it was school in B.W.I that offered exclusively sports in its curriculum. Currently
UTECH offers a sports studies programme, which is the most diversified and state of the art in
the B.W.I. The Mona and St. Augustine campuses of the UWI offer BSc. Degrees in Sports
Management. These programmes have served to strengthen the sports industry in the region,
created career opportunities and have provided local athletes with viable academic options to
pursue at the tertiary level. Most recently CXC has introduced Physical Education at the CSEC
level.

In the secondary schools, the importance placed on sports in schools is a legacy of colonial
education; the British schools were the first who thought that sports in schools would aid
discipline and positive character development. Currently sports programmes in secondary
schools especially in the areas of football or track are very developed in terms of facilities,
teaching and human resources and meal and transportation programmes for the participants.

The United States have created numerous sports scholarships which serve as alternatives for
Caribbean youth to access higher education. Regional institutions such as Caribbean Tourism
Organisation provides scholarships and grants to athletes interested in pursuing studies in
tourism and hospitality. A sports scholarship will expose athletes to superior expertise, training
facilities and a higher level of competition, which is beneficial to both them and the region in the
long term. Acquiring a sports scholarship is essential to Caribbean development as these
individuals return either as professional experts in their sport or with expertise in a number of
non- sports areas.

SENSE OF CARIBBEAN IDENTITY AND UNITY

Caribbean people are very segregated and sports can be an avenue to facilitate more integration;
this is most evident in the area of cricket. This was a game acquired from England in the early
20th century, during the colonial period; however, instead of this game unifying the Caribbean
with England, instead its serves to integrate the people of the region more. Caribbean unity is
most evident during the international cricket matches. More importantly the fact that the regional
cricket team has been able to dominate the game from the late 1970’s to the early 1990’s plays an
important role in the ‘decolonisation’ process and steps towards a feeling of Caribbean identity.
“Cricket lovely cricket” has been the slogan used to express the passion and the joy that
Caribbean people have the game and the region’s team – ‘the Windies’. This pride and joy is
manifested in many Caribbean calypso songs honouring the team.

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Other sports indirectly create feelings of Caribbean identity, such as football and track and field.
Caribbean identity is indirect in these cases, because the athletes represent their respective
countries; however, because they are from the Caribbean, their achievements still evoke a sense
of pride in the region. Also, many territories have not been able to have athletes are teams that
qualify and or participate on ‘international stages’; but, they identify and feel a sense of pride
with other countries from the region that have been able to do so. Sports therefore serve to unify
the region and deepen the Caribbean identity. When a sports in the Caribbean is on display all
other issues are seemingly forgotten; for example in 1998 when then Prime Minister Patterson
declared a national holiday after the Jamaican football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
The accomplishment unified not only Jamaicans, but all Caribbean people, creating a sense of
national and regional identity.

DISCIPLINE AND MORALE

Involvement in sports creates a disciplined approach to the game and develops cooperative spirit
among the athletes; these are essential to success in any sport. Requirements for athletes to
participate and excel in any sport contribute to the development of characteristics, such as
honesty, fair play and team work. Discipline and good morals are instilled in athletes in all
phases of participation from training to the end of the game. Acquiring these characteristics are
important for Caribbean development as it create individuals who are fair, honest and just and
thus facilitate a more peaceful society.

However, these ideals are being derailed by a new desire among athletes to not only win, but win
at all cost. The results are athletes being penalized and or banned from participating in sports.
This is not a phenomenon that is regularly associated with Caribbean athletes; however no matter
the quantity, this practice is contrary to the values of good sportsmanship and has no role in the
development of the region.

Another emerging factor which serves to undermine the good values of being involved in sports
is, the luxurious lifestyles portrayed of especially non-Caribbean athletes. The media consistently
portray the affluent lifestyles of these international athletes, who often times are portrayed
behaving badly on and off the field. Thus the lure of riches overshadows moral principles. The
emphasis is taken from building a good character through sports to an emphasis on material
wealth, fame and glory and winning at all costs.

PRESENCE ON THE WORLD SCENE

Any opportunity the Caribbean has to be on display internationally is very important for
development. Cricket, football along with track and field are the sports that seem to pave the way
for the region to access the ‘world’s stage’. International tournaments such as the World Cup and
the Olympics are events where the Caribbean seeks to shine. The region is very proud to have
several national teams qualify to the FIFA World Cup; however, the region acquires more

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continuous pride by the performance of athletes at the Olympics, especially the track athletes
from Jamaica.

The Caribbean got involved in the Olympics in 1900; Cuba was our first representative followed
by Haiti in 1924 and Jamaica in 1948. At the Olympics the national flags of the Caribbean are
continuously on display; and it is a source of joy for the Caribbean when a country wins a medal,
especially gold. After a win they are draped with their flag and the entire globe has to stand still
as the national anthem of a Caribbean country echoes in the stadium and across the world. The
2012 Olympics was the most memorable for the Caribbean because many nationals excelled.

For instance Keshorn Walcott, of Trinidad became the first athlete in the Western Hemisphere in
over half of a century to win gold in the men’s javelin throw; also Felix Sanchez of the
Dominican Republic, became the oldest Olympian to win the 400M and Usain Bolt of Jamaica
became the first athlete to ever win the 100M and the 200M races at consecutive Olympics.

DEVELOPMENT OF NON-TRADITIONAL SPORTS

Globalization has helped the Caribbean to develop an interest and become more involved in
non-traditional sports. One of these non-traditional sports is bobsled; Jamaica has a team that
participates in the winter Olympics, making their debut in 1988. Jamaica’s team has created such
a sensation that a movie was made about them in 1993. The Jamaican team was able to make use
of skills acquired from ‘push cart derby’ and in 1994 at the Norway Winter Olympics, the team
placed 14th. This placement was ahead of the USA, France and Russia.

Other non-traditional sports becoming more popular in the Caribbean are: swimming, water-polo
and golf. Popularity for these sports are related to them receiving funding and sponsors; for
instance non-profit organisations like ‘Swim Jamaica’ are assisting the education system and
sport industry by implementing swim programmes in communities. Additional many schools are
incorporating these programmes in their curriculum and or extra-curricular activities

WOMEN IN SPORTS

Netball and hockey are the two most popular sports played by Caribbean women; with netball
being the more popular of the two. Like cricket netball was introduced to the region by the
British during the colonial period; and currently the Jamaican team is rated in the top ten among
the world’s best. In 2003 the World Netball Championship was held in Kingston and Jamaica
placed 3rd. Hockey though not as popular as netball, is still a sport that Caribbean women do
well at, with the teams of Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados ranked as the best in the British West
Indies. The major events for women’s hockey in the Caribbean are: Pan American Women’s
Hockey Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

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