Many companies sponsor sports to advertise their products or service. What advantages and disadvantages does this bring for the teams and individuals that these companies sponsor?

It is common for industrialists to promote athletes in commercials to draw attention of a larger group of consumers. As this trend has become increasingly popular over the years, it could bring numerous benefits to an athlete and the game; but there might be possibilities of a number of drawbacks at the same time. This essay will discuss both the sides. On one hand, sponsorship provides monetary support for a lesser-known sportsperson who, otherwise, struggles to manage the training cost of advanced coaching. In fact, sometimes the advertising agency helps with purchasing equipment that are expensive. As a result, the sportsperson can completely focus on the practice rather than wasting time with unnecessary problems. Hence, performance is improved. For instance, recently a famous medicine brand has featured Hima Das, a talented young sprinter in India, and also helped her with professional coaching. On the other hand, there are a few occasions where games are being overshadowed by advertisements. To be specific, promotional events demand complete attention from the players, which may impact players' commitment towards their skills. As players find it difficult to balance between their career and passion, it has an adverse effect on the performance. That is why many end up in mental distress due to separating themselves from athletics. To cite an example, a recent study on former Olympians conducted by the University of Sydney indicates that almost 40% of the finalists had suffered from drug abuse and spent rest of their lives in rehabilitation. In conclusion, there are both merits and demerits of the trend of featuring sports-personals in adverts. It might provide the opportunity of getting financial aid; however, it has detrimental effects on the athletes.