Governments should spend more money in support of the arts than in support of athletics such as state-sponsored Olympic teams. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Governments should spend more money in support of the arts than in support of athletics such as state-sponsored Olympic teams. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Which one is more suitable for government investment, sports or arts? I believe there are a wide spectrum of answers. Although this topic is still under debate, from my own points of view, athletics are more deserved to get more money than arts.

For one thing, sports teams can build up national-identity, and spread the idea of patriotism across the country, especially when the team has won a victory in the game. Take Argentina as an example, it was defeated in the war against UK in the last century, which made the nation depressed. However, football team of Argentina won the championship in World Cup soon afterwards. Football brought Argentinians hope and confidence, which could not be directly offered by arts. Of course, arts can also symbolize certain kinds of national spirit. A case in point is the American writer Hemingway and his works. However, we should bear in mind thatinformation conveyed by art works is sometimes indirect, or even vague. Normally, an interpretation is expected to fully reveal the author’s idea. This vagueness makes arts a less satisfying choice for lifting up national spirit.

For another, sports events can encourage consumption, which contributes to economy boost. Sports are generally more popular than arts, as they can be enjoyed by every single person. So, tickets for sports games and matches could be a satisfying source of financial income. It is true that a charged museum is also a good source, but just consider, in a long term, how many people would prefer art museum to stadium? Besides, not only tickets but also sponsorships that makes sports a huge sink for money. Everytime the Olympic game holds, many companies rush to the organizer for a place of advertisement. How could this be achieved by supporting arts?

Although both arts and sports are important, if I have to choose only one of them, I would prefer the latter one. I believe more budget should be reserved for sports other than arts.