Are you watching TV. You see your favorite foreign boxer, Manny Pacquiao, who once again knocked out a titled contender. With a bloody face and a dislocated nose, the opponent remains uncoordinated by the dizzying blows he received. You rise from your seat and shout in victory with your idolized athlete. And then, after the initial victory cries and congratulations, now it’s time for the interview.
The interviewer asks, “So, Manny, what can you tell us about your fight?”
Manny replies, “I um…ahh…I’m happy to fight.”
Your favorite champion stutters and speaks in English you can’t understand. You are disappointed and your trust and admiration for him diminish. In fact, in news, statistics, interviews and reports, the English language dominates the world of sports.
These are the reasons why learning English is important for the sports athlete:
- As an athlete grows in achievement and fame, he is more exposed globally with fans coming from different countries and different nationalities as well. With English being the most widely spoken language in the world, being able to express yourself in easy-to-understand English allows the athlete to communicate more effectively with fans. Furthermore, he can reach more people, express his passion and even educate listeners through his experiences.
- Having a good understanding of English allows an athlete to communicate better with their staff and coach. It is not uncommon for athletes whose native language is not English to have coaches and managerial or promotional staff whose native language is English.
- Learning English gives athletes more opportunities to earn money through advertisements. Most international companies like Nike use English as the medium for advertisements. It is common for them to accept international sports athletes for their ads, sometimes requiring these non-native English speakers to deliver a few lines to promote their products. Having a good understanding of English or at least an acceptable accent makes the athlete and the product they promote more salable. It will be hard for people to buy sports drinks from a sports figure who can’t even pronounce the product correctly.
- It makes traveling and staying in other countries more enjoyable and comfortable. It’s quite difficult and a bit tiresome to have a translator always following you. You also cannot speak directly with your promoters and business partners. You may miss important details that your translator does not include in your translation.
Therefore, athletes must not only excel in the sports they play; adding good English to your repertoire may not increase the level of your athletic performance. But, the English language will certainly add to their reputation, fame, marketability to the public, and the satisfaction of their fans who want to get to know them better. Learning English is easy and hiring a tutor is something a successful athlete can easily afford. For athletes just starting their careers, learning through online English courses is an affordable option and can be of great help in the future.
I’m sure his fans will be more than willing to buy “Red Bull” and not really his “Red Burr”.
How about Manny Pacquiao? His English is improving now: he is aware that he needs to learn English, the world’s current lingua franca.