Reading and comprehension

Only a game? UNIT 9

1 Look at the pictures. Then answer the questions. 1 Do you know who these people are?

3 How much do you think they earn?

4 What kind of life do you think they have? 2 Discuss the question in pairs or small groups. Do you think the salaries of top sports players are too high nowadays?

▸ how much they earn

▸ what they have to do in their job

▸ how they behave

3 Read the article. Then complete the tasks on page 89.

Are today’s young sports stars overpaid? It’s an opinion you’ll often hear repeated, especially in the world of football. The figures are astonishing. When

in 2013, his reported salary was around £250,000 a week or, if you prefer, £13 million a year. So every week he earns as much as the average Real supporter makes in ten years. This may be an extreme example, but there are a lot more footballers around the world earning almost as much. It’s a situation that makes some people very angry, but those who are infuriated by it often forget what players have to do to get to the top, and the risks involved. A new book by Wayne Barton tells the story of some of those who fell on the way up. These are young men who achieved the dream of playing for the famous club Manchester United, but only had short careers, often because of injuries. Take young Tony Gill, for example, who was on his way to becoming a regular first team player when he hurt his leg and was never able to recover, or the young forward Deiniol Graham, who broke his arm and never played professionally again.

The list of these tragedies goes on, but the story that stands out is that of Giuliano Maiorana. At the age of 19, he was playing for an amateur team in

one of Manchester United’s many scouts, who was searching the lower levels of football for promising young players. At first Giuliano thought the offer of a trial for the world-famous Manchester club was a joke. It wasn’t – only months later, he played his first match at United’s home ground, Old Trafford. He still remembers the mixture of excitement and terror he felt. Unfortunately, he didn’t get on well with the manager, and was soon playing in the reserve team. It was in a reserve match two years later that his knee was badly damaged. Soon, at the age of 24, his career was finished. For seven years after that, he couldn’t even watch football. He now works for his family’s business back in Cambridge, moving furniture, and says that he now wishes he hadn’t been so good at football when he was young. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (left) and captain Bryan Robson (right) welcome new signing Giuliano Maiorana at the Cliff training ground in Manchester, 8th December 1988.

1 Find words or phrases in the text that have these meanings. 1 very surprising (paragraph 1) 2 made very angry (paragraph 2)

4 not professional (paragraph 3)

5 having future possibilities (paragraph 3)

7 great fear (paragraph 3)

8 have a good relationship (paragraph 4)

9 second choice (paragraph 4)

2 Use the words and phrases in Part 1 to complete the sentences below. 1 This plan isn’t perfect yet, but it’s a very _ start. 2 The idea of speaking in front of hundreds of people fills me with . 3 That player is really . I can’t believe how good he is. 4 We quite well, but we’re not really close friends. 5 They agreed to employ him for a period to see if he was suitable. 6 What happened was quite sad, but it wasn’t really a . 7 He may only be an player now, but he has a bright future. 8 It’s a good idea to have a plan in case the first one doesn’t work. 9 I was _ by the rude comments in his article. 3 Answer the questions.

1 What nationality is Gareth Bale?

2 What is a common reason why young players stop playing? 3 What did Giuliano Maiorana think when he was first asked to play for Manchester United? 4 How did he feel the first time he played for Manchester United? 5 How does he feel now when he looks back on his football career? A He is sorry that he was ever successful. B He is happier now, working for his family. C He feels proud of what he achieved. 6 Does the writer feel angry about football stars’ salaries? A He is a little bit angry that they are paid so much. B He realises that being a professional footballer is not an easy life. C He thinks other professions should be paid as much.

There are limits to how many sports can be included in the Olympic Games. In the 2012 Summer Games, there were 26, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have added two more for 2016 (golf and rugby sevens). There are various criteria that the IOC bases its decisions on, but the most important is probably international popularity. Sports tend to get included if they have a tradition and are played and watched by enough people in enough countries. This leads to some interesting questions. Why, for example, was baseball included from 1984, but then dropped for 2012? Although some think it is only popular in the USA, it actually has a large following in South America and Asia too. The main reason for leaving it out, according to some, is a combination of geography and politics: there is little interest in the sport in Europe, and European members are in a majority on the IOC. Of the other sports not (yet) included, one that stands out is squash. It has a long tradition and is played all over the world. It’s also more obviously a real sport than some other Olympic ‘sports’. In fact, it’s more mysterious why certain sports are included. Take speed walking, for example, a long-standing Olympic regular. The rules say that the athletes have to have both feet in contact with the ground at all times, and must keep their legs straight. The result, to me at least, looks very silly. More importantly, it breaks one of my two personal rules for judging serious sports because it puts artificial limits on what can be done. This is why I can’t take any sport seriously if it involves doing something in water that is more naturally done out of water. My other rule is that the scoring has to be objective and measurable, not a matter of opinion. And of course both of these criteria would rule out everyone’s favourite example of an Olympic non-sport: synchronised swimming. 5 10 15 20

1 Discuss the question in pairs or small groups. Which of these sports are included in the Olympic Games? 2 Read the text quickly to find the answers to the question in Activity 1. synchronised swimming

golf

baseball

squash

speed walking

rugby

[a/w 9.2.1–9.2.6:: 6 photos of people doing sports, labelled with the names: a/w 9.2.1: synchronised swimming; a/w 9.2.2: speed walking a/w 9.2.3: baseball; a/w 9.2.4: golf; a/w 9.2.5: rugby a/w 9.2.6: squash]

3 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with words from the text. (The sentences are in the same order as the words in the text.) 1 What are the reasons or qualifications for being accepted on the course? 2 When he read the team list, he saw that he had been left out. 3 It’s an unusual mixture of flavours, but it tastes good. 4 I can’t choose between them. There’s no way of deciding which is acceptable. 5 We need to look at the facts and reach a decision that is not based on personal opinions. 6 He’s not a clear choice, but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to include the young player. 4 Read the text again and choose the best title for each paragraph. (There is one title that you don’t need.) A Two examples of strange decisions paragraph B What makes an Olympic sport? paragraph C How the IOC works paragraph

E A change of mind paragraph

5 Decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE according to the text. 1 Golf was not included in the 2012 Olympic Games. TRUE FALSE 2 Baseball is popular in some European countries. TRUE FALSE 3 The writer suggests speed walking should not be included in the Olympics. TRUE FALSE 4 The writer gives clear reasons why some activities are not serious sports. TRUE FALSE 6 What do the pronouns highlighted in the text refer to? 1 they (line 4) ___

2 it (line 7)

3 It (line 11) ___

4 it (line 16)

7 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. 1 Do you agree with the writer’s reasons in the last paragraph for taking a sport seriously? Why? / Why not? 2 Can you think of other examples of sports that are not really serious? 3 What other sports should or shouldn’t be included in the Olympic Games?