The connection between sports and mass media has a long history and its own ups

and downs. For instance, efforts to link International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
Summer and Winter Olympics Games with global television audience were not
strong in the 1950s and 1960s. A surge in the value of media rights on Olympic
Games was attributed to the bidding war among ABC, NBC, and CBS. In 1990s, the
line between amateur and professional sports was blurred when for the first time,
professional basketball and hockey players participated in the Olympic Games.
Today, Olympic Games obtain significantly huge profits from the combination of
media and marketing funds which are created as part of the selling package for the
host city. The host bears the event’s huge expenditure, but it can now regain the
money spent, while generating profits from tourism yields. All these are based on
the lucrative amount of money paid by the American television stations to the host.
Hence, sponsoring the Olympic Games is beneficial, and the connection involved in
this sport can surely be practiced for other sport events too. In fact, today National
Football League (NFL) holds championship games in Europe while National Hockey
League (NHL) organizes championship series in Asia and Europe as part of their
efforts to go international. European football was not well-exposed in The United
States until it was during the World Cup event. American female football team’s
victory in 1999 World Cup which was broadcasted live had a dramatic influence on
the media and football exposure in Northern America.
Latihan 2

Aku mendongak dan semua orang kelihatan tergesa-gesa dan sugul: keluarga
bersama ibu dan ayah yang telah berusia memakai pakaian yang gelap dan suram
warnanya. Mereka menolak dan menarik beg-beg dan kotak-kotak kayu kepunyaan
masing-masing. Wanita asing berpakaian seperti ibuku, berjalan dengan lelaki asing
bertopi: isteri-isteri kaya memarahi pembantu mereka and para pekerja mengekori
sambil membawa bagasi, bayi-bayi dan bakul-bakul makanan.

Kami berdiri berdekatan dengan jalan yang sibuk dengan beca dan trak lalu-
lalang. Kami berpegangan tangan seraya memerhatikan manusia tiba di stesyen dan
ada yang segera berlalu pergi. Matahari semakin meninggi dan di luar cuaca
kelihatan panas. Namun, langit mendung diselimuti awan.

Setelah lama berdiri dan tidak melihat sesiapa di situ, ibu mengeluh dan
berteriak memanggil beca. Suaranya yang kuat hampir memecahkan gegendang
telingaku.

Sepanjang perjalanan, ibu bertengkar dengan penarik beca yang meminta

upah tambahan kerana membawa kami berdua dan bagasi. Kemudian ibu merungut
tentang debu-debu yang beterbangan, bau jalan, permukaan jalan yang tidak rata,
hari yang telah lewat dan perutnya yang sakit. Setelah puas merungut, dia
mengalihkan perhatiannya kepada aku pula: ada tompok di atas baju baruku,
rambutku yang kusut, dan stokingku yang berpintal. Aku cuba untuk memenangi
semula hati ibu dengan bertanyakan tentang taman kecil, seekor burung yang
terbang di atas kepala kami dan trem yang melintas sambil membunyikan hon.

Malangnya ibu jadi lebih marah dan berkata: “An-mei, duduk diam. Jangan
teruja sangat. Kita hanya nak balik rumah”.