Are you the superstar in your hometown? Are you preparing to launch yourself into a career of athletic success?
If the answer is yes, congratulations! We’re sure you’re gonna knock it out of the park.
But before throwing yourself into the world of teams, arenas, and scoreboards, it’s important to make sure that ineffective communication is not going to stand in the way of your success. Although you may be eager to get straight into practice, it’s crucial that you first understand why Sports English is so important for your career.
In this blog, we’re going to take you through four major benefits of Sports English Learning, from bonding with your teammates and understanding strategies to representing your favorite sports brand on a global level. By the time we’re done, you’ll be convinced that English is your secret weapon in obtaining international sporting success. So, without further ado, let’s get this ball rolling!
Teamwork makes the dream work.
However, you can only achieve teamwork through effective communication and understanding between team members. Without a common language, this can be quite a challenge! As a sportsperson, you must be able to understand your teammates, as well as your coach, manager, and any other people relevant to the team. From tackles and scrums to huddles and penalties, there’s an extensive list of vocabulary that you must get to terms with, in order to be informed and knowledgeable, about your chosen sport.
If your coach is talking strategy, it’s crucial that you can follow along. Sports language can be extremely technical, and will often consist of discussing positioning, movements, objectives, and outcomes. In order to have a smoothly-running team, you must be on the same page as everyone else. Similarly, you may have questions or doubts that you need to run by your coach or manager, so having the necessary language skills to do so is important.
You are likely to hear all the abbreviations, idioms, and complicated phrasal verbs when dealing with native English speakers, so it’s essential to get familiar with this kind of language. Not only that, but team friendships will become stronger through a common language, allowing for a level of understanding on and off the pitch!
Of course, every sport is different, claiming its own specific jargon and terminology. From rugby to handball, each and every athletic pursuit will have its own vocabulary, which is why it’s a good idea to talk with a native teacher, who can work closely with you to achieve your goals and teach you the specific vocabulary you need.
They don’t call it ‘legalese’ for nothing…
As a sportsperson, you will likely be faced with the formidable task of understanding and negotiating a work contract- in English. Yikes!
From a buy-out clause to image rights, the legal side of the sporting world is incredibly complicated, and having a good knowledge of this terminology will help you to prepare yourself.
Of course, we do urge you to seek legal advice for such a procedure. It’s still important that you are involved in the process! You should have a solid understanding of what’s happening as miscommunication is extremely common in contract deals. You’ll more than likely run into problems down the line. After all, it’s your career at stake, so get involved!
The legal language found in contracts will include vital information related to terms of pay, conditions of the contract, requirements of your role, protocol regarding a breach of the contract, etc. Contracts are full of specific language, used to express specific obligations, clauses, stipulations, liabilities, rights, etc. The list is endless, and this kind of terminology can even be confusing for a native speaker! You must not only understand what’s being asked of you. But, you should be able to clearly communicate your wishes, demands, doubts, and concerns. This will help you to avoid future miscommunication or disagreements. Having this ability will allow you to achieve the best possible working conditions for yourself, thus opening doors for future opportunities.
Want to be the face of your favorite sports label?
Brand deals, transfers, and media appearances- speaking the common language of English creates unlimited opportunities to expand your career. Major brands often advertise and promote their brand through English, so being able to collaborate with companies through a lingua franca can allow you to snatch up those sponsorship deals and advocate for worthy brands, thus reaching a larger audience.
Collaborating with labels will require you to talk intelligently about the value of their specific product or service, e.g. why you like it, if you recommend it, why you started using it, etc. Being able to do so fluently and naturally will help you to achieve more publicity, and in turn, more business.
Not only this, sports personnel are more likely to use English when it comes to public appearances such as interviews and press conferences. Through English, you can get your name out there by appearing in many media outlets and platforms, allowing you to generate more business opportunities for yourself, and promoting your current team! With a higher level of English, you’ll be doing Instagram live streams and tweeting about your gym routine in no time.
If you aim to become a globally recognised sportsperson, it’s a certainty that you’re going to need English to do so. As the world’s “global” language, English will allow you to communicate with fans and fellow sportspeople all over the world. Expressing your passions, dreams, and motivations through English will be essential in transforming yourself into a world-famous athlete. By increasing your communication pool, you open yourself up to connecting with more people, creating a greater platform of fans and followers. Although many sportspeople make use of interpreters and translators, sometimes only you can say what it is you truly feel, and being able to express this in English will allow your true personality to shine through.
Not only that, but by speaking English, you will increase your confidence when participating in global competitions and tournaments, allowing you to interact with fellow participants, event organizers, and fans. In these situations, you’re likely to be nervous or anxious about your upcoming performance, so avoid the added stress of worrying about your English level, and make sure that you’re confident in your abilities to both communicate and understand in a common language.
So, there you have it! 4 major benefits to having a good knowledge of Sports English. Get along better with your teammates, ask your manager important questions, negotiate terms of contract, get that brand deal, and communicate with fans. The possibilities are infinite when you open yourself up to the world through the global language of English.
Of course, you may not feel quite prepared to enter into the international world of sport without some practice first, or perhaps you want to learn some specific vocabulary for your sport of choice. Either way, leave it to us! One of our native teachers will be more than happy to assist you in preparing yourself for your new adventure.
