Full benefit of success in sport is not yet realised - Time to market ...

John R. Myers Jr, Gleaner Writer

The sporting arena is perhaps one prominent area where the Jamaican dream is very much alive, given the island's huge success in producing stars with the likes of Olympic and World 100 and 200 metres record holder Usain Bolt and boxing champion Mike McCallum.

But top officials in the administration of sports here have suggested that the benefits from realisation of the Jamaican dream in sport could catapult if we were 'savvier' in the development and promotion of a sport brand.

"In many respects, I think that we have not captured the full potential of what sports can do for us in our economy. We have our sports stars and the income from sports is probably limited. If we look at athletics it is only a few that make money from it and we have conquered the world at one time in cricket," observed Edward Shakes, the principal of Jamaica's sole sport college, G.C. Foster College based in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

According to Shakes, there lies immense earning potential from a Jamaican sport brand, which would generate much needed revenues that would make a significant contribution to the country's GDP. "We haven't really built an industry around our sport. We don't have brands, for example. Our business people are not going out and establishing brands for sport wear that you associate with Jamaica," he lamented at a Gleaner Editors' Forum on Wednesday, July 11. He was among a contingent of top officials addressing issues that affect sport.

Citing the case of sprint star Usain Bolt where a Chinese businessman shared that there was a huge demand for apparel with his image around the time of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the sports educator bemoaned the fact that "our business people are not going out and establishing brands for sport wear that you associate with Jamaica."

He expressed a desire for sport in Jamaica to be transformed into a thriving industry like that in Australia where sport and recreation contribute an estimated 15 per cent to the economy of the country down under.

no business acumen

"We really need to grasp those opportunities and we are not doing that. I am not talking about setting up factories to manufacture because that is not where the money is, it's only in the brand and so having a Jamaican company build a brand like Nike or Puma; something distinctively Jamaican and being able to earn income from that I think is important," Shakes explained.

Marva Bernard, the president of the Jamaica Netball Association sought to explain why sport has not developed into a business or an industry. According her, over the years sport evolved from the club or association structure where they are led by persons without the necessary business acumen to take it to the next level.

"The sports evolved out of the club situation where mummy carries Mary and Johnny to football and to cricket and netball, and the parents become the managers and the parents become the presidents and there is no business acumen to it so it's a club, it's an association so the whole business of the business of sport is lost because all of these mothers and fathers become the presidents and it isn't translated into the business," Bernard explained.

She believes there has to be a paradigm shift in the structure and management of sports organisations in order for it to become an industry and its full potential is realised.

Fritz Harris, the secretary of the Jamaica Cricket Association suggested that "one of the new thrusts going forward is to have the youngsters at an early age understand and be aware of all the different areas that they could divert into and I believe that will drive in a serious way an industry going forward."

Shakes, whose institution is dedicated to training athletes and sporting professionals, said a focus is now being placed on designing training programmes aimed at creating the kind of professionals with the skills necessary for building a sport industry.

"Down the road the thrust of the college is really going to be in training qualified persons who can sustain and support the growth of our sports and recreation," he said.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120806/sports/sports97.html

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