B2 – Upper Intermediate
There are millions of sports enthusiasts who are always tuned in to big sporting events in the world such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. For these spectators, it is hard to ignore the large banners of sponsors all throughout the match. Some experts believe that these advertisements are contributing factors that lead to people consuming them.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript on fast food sponsorships in sports.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-211104
Discussion Questions:
- Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
- How important is sponsorship in these events?
- How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
- Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?
8 replies on “Should Fast Food Sponsor Sport?”
1. Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
I love sports and big sporting events, but I only watch them when I have time and lately I don’t have it
2. How important is sponsorship in these events?
I think it’s very important for athletes because most of them depend on sponsorship and if brands didn’t pay them they couldn’t train hard to compete because they would have to work for a living.
3. How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
Because of brand attachment and health halo that confuse people. It is a perfect psychological game
4. Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?
I am not sure because I think that without them it would be difficult to hold such events but I think to be better if we want to take care of ourselves
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1) Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
When I was a little girl I used to watch football matches on TV with my father, and I used to go with him to the stadium at the weekend. One day when I saw the local soccer goalkeeper I asked my father if he was the Real Madrid goalkeeper, and of course he wasn’t, all the people around us laugh a lot with my question.
2) How important is sponsorship in these events?
Sponsorship is very important because professional sports require a lot of money, sportspeople need equipment, have travel expenses, and most of them don´t earn a lot of money, only the best can have a comfortable financial situation.
3) How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
People tend to attach these brands to success and healthy lifestyle even though that´s not really true, so at the end people ends putting weight.
4) Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?
Yes, I agree with that. If a company convey a message that could be misunderstood, this company should be banned from sponsoring events.
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Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
Not specially. I’m only interested in finals or when the best teams are playing.
How important is sponsorship in these events?
I think it’s very important. A good portion of the income in the sport world comes from big companies giving suport to teams or championships
How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
The brands supporting sport are not always healthy, they usually produce ultra-processed food or drinks containing a lot of sugar. Even though there’s a brand-attachment because of the constant presence of the brand on TV, commercials and so on, and that helps to create bad habits.
Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?
I desagree but I think the potential problems they can produce should be explained in some way.
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1- Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
Yes, I consider myself a big sports fan, I practise a lot of sport and I always want to watch all kind of sports on tv. I personally like watching the Olympic Games because it offers a very big variety of sports and some of them are very interesting.
2- How important is sponsorship in these events?
I think sponsorships are a very important part in big sports events because paying for all the resources needed to create this events is very expensive and that way they can pay a part of it.
3- How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
As they say in the audio, people tend to associate brands with famous athletes or teams and this can encourage people to consume the products. Also they say there is a fake connection between the brand and the sport making the brand more healthy than it actually is.
4- Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?
I totally agree with that because, as we see, there are a lot of unhealthy food brands in sports nowadays and this gives us a false impression that fast food is actually good. Some examples that comes from my mind are Redbull and Coca Cola, this brands are everywhere in sports and they are very unhealthy drinks that even no athletes consume because of the high doses of sugar and caffeine they contain.
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