the word "sport" first meant something that people did in their free time. later it often meant hunting wild animals and birds. about a hundred years ago the word was first used for organized games. this is the usual meaning of the word today. people spend a lot of their spare time playing football, basketball, tennis and many other sports. such people play because they want to. a few people are paid for the sport they play. these people are called professional sportsmen. they may be sportsmen for only a few years, but during that time the best ones can earn a lot of money.

for example, a professional footballer in england earns more than 30,000 pounds a year. the stars can earn a lot more. international golf and tennis champions can make more than 50,000 pounds a year. of course, only a few sportsmen can earn as much money as that. it is only possible in sports for individuals, like golf, tennis and motor racing. perhaps the most surprising thing about sportsmen and money is this: the stars can earn more money from advertising than from sports.an advertisement for sports equipment doesn't simply say,"buy our things". it says, "buy the same shirt and shoes as..." famous sportsmen can even advertise things like warches and food. they allow the companies to use their name or a photograph of them and they are paid for this. sport is no longer just something for people's spare time.

運動員和金錢

“運動”一詞最初是指人們在閑暇時所做的事情。后來這個詞經(jīng)常用來指獵獲野生動物和鳥類。 大約一百年前，人們首次用這個詞指有組織的活動。這就是“運動”一詞現(xiàn)在通常的含義。人們花費很多業(yè)余時間踢足球、打籃球、網(wǎng)球、做許多其他運動。這些人運動是因為他們想要運動。有些人運動會有收入。這些人就被稱作職業(yè)運動員。他們也許只能作幾年運動員，但在那幾年期間最好的運動員可以賺到很多錢。

比如說．英國一位職業(yè)足球運動員每年可以賺到三萬多英鎊。球星可以賺到多得多。 高爾夫和網(wǎng)球世界冠軍每年可以賺到五萬多英鎊。 當(dāng)然，能賺那么多錢的運動員也為數(shù)不多。而且只有在個人運動項目中才有可能，比如高爾夫、網(wǎng)球和賽車。有關(guān)運動員和金錢，最讓人驚訝的也許是運動明星們的廣告收入比運動收入還要高。有關(guān)運動裝備的廣告不簡單地宣傳“買我們的東西”；而是說“買和某某同樣的襯衫和鞋子”。著名運動員甚至可以為手表、食物這樣的東西作廣告。他們允許公司使用他們的名字或照片，并接受報酬。運動不再是人們閑暇時所做的事情了。

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