Sasha Mathai

Ms. Ramnauth’s mid-term essay

Sports is regarded as a physical activity that is competitive and conducted by rules and governed by
an organizing body. Sport has grown because of the increase in leisure time in modern societies. It is
also seen as a form of recreation where people engage in activities during leisure time. Whether
sports is practiced as an amateur leisure time or strict sportsmanship, it is seen as an avenue of
human development. In leisure sport like community clubs or minor school leagues it has a single
goal or achieving an accomplishment. Even in major competitive games that are focused on talents
of specialised athletes, sports represent achievement of excellence. In every nation or city there is
always some form of sport encouraged and practiced in schools, communities, form of fitness and
health.

In the Caribbean there is a rich history of sports where almost all forms of competitive sports being
played in the region which was influenced by former colonizer countries like Europe. The most
dominating sport in the Caribbean is cricket and track and field and influenced by Europeans during
slavery through racial divide and social stratification between the whites and Africans. Eventually the
Africans and East Indians began playing cricket together and it developed into a regionally loved
sport. Track and field also has same background where Caribbean people compete in international
games. Both football and netball is also popular in countries of the Caribbean and is thought in
educational systems.

Professional sports and organized amateur sporting associations contribute to development in the
region by marketing their activities to generate income. Sports is a form of employment for youths
of the nation and is a form of foreign exchange through tourism, contracts and advertising. Minor
national cricket teams can host simple test matches and attract international attention and
sponsorship for financial aid to make it international. The income of sports not only comes directly
from the activities itself but leads down to vendors at the stadiums at sporting events. The
achievements of local Caribbean sporting stars like, Usain Bolt, Christopher Gayle and many others
have open up many opportunities for more international interest in finding more people of talent
within the Caribbean. Therefore this foreign involvement leads to more foreign exchange through
tourism and sponsorship.

The success of sporting teams of the Caribbean like the West Indies Cricket Team, has been able to
build a form of identity for the Caribbean. It has also been able to pique the interest of those
internationally and those within the diaspora as well. Cricket has a deep connection to our historical
identity back to slavery time under the British rule. Cricket isn’t just loved leisure time and common
associated name of success in the Caribbean’s sport history but as an important part of our
decolonization process through where we have been able to find ourselves and develop capabilities.

The success of many practised sports in the Caribbean is able to real in funding. This propels the
Caribbean’s development by being able to build more sporting facilities and create sporting grounds
in many schools. This also helps a futher exposure in youths of the nation by including a form of
sporting activity in the curriculums of schools to encourage futher development of sport personnel.
In the Caribbean there are now available sports scholarships.
It is clear to see sports is making an increasingly contribution to the development in the Caribbean
through generating income, promoting a sense of Caribbean identity and futher developing an
international name for the Caribbean.