Should We Be Spending So Much Money on Sport?

The two biggest sporting events of 2014 have perhaps raised one question which most people tend to shove aside - and call the people who raise them as spoilsports, wet blankets.

Nevertheless, it is a valid question - with so much problems in the world, should we be spending so much of our time and money on sport?

Moreover, should the governments of this world be investing people's time and money on sport when there are so many pressing issues with its people, i.e. poverty, healthcare, education etc.?

There are really two camps to this polarizing question and there is really no right or wrong answer.

Indeed, it is those who are saying that we should be devoting more time to reducing the number of people living below the poverty line, solving world hunger and improving access to healthcare, that have been getting the attention in the buildup to football's World Cup in Brazil.

This is one rather compelling site featuring photos taken by a Getty Images photographer covering the World Cup in Brazil - http://www.animalnewyork.com/2014/picture-rio-many-brazilians-hate-world-cup/

I guess it has to be said that if we lived in a black and white world, devoid of emotion and able to survive without needing a release from the drudgery of life, then yes governments should not be spending billions of dollars on frivilous events like the World Cup or Olympics and spending that on trying to help the people living in the favellas and slums, inoculating the children from diseases like meningitis, polio, etc. and ensuring that every child born has access to education.

Indeed, looking at New Zealand, would quake-hit Christchurch be up and running much quicker had it not been for the money spent on the 2011 Rugby World Cup or the recent America's Cup? Would there be less violence in East and South Auckland, less cases of meningitis and even typhoid fever?

Therein lies the problem. The fact is that a substantial amount of money has already been spent by the New Zealand government in those areas and more money that we don't have will need to be spent to not only eliminate those issues but ensure they don't happen again - something even the opposition is aware.

Moreover, events like the Rugby World Cup and America's Cup are bonuses to the country, providing media attention and small change of tourist dollars that probably has boosted Christchurch and the rest of the country - visitors to Christchurch during the Rugby World Cup have definitely helped to return confidence to travellers wanting to see the city, to the point that it is very much a Lonely Planet must-see place to visit in 2014.

The America's Cup - the last campaign in 2013 worth a relative bargain $36 million to NZ taxpayers - has actually yielded a profit when you consider the boat industry in New Zealand. Oracle's triumph last year was definitely down to New Zealand ingenuity and effort and worth $100 million - and the job security is definitely handy as well.

But what about Brazil - a country long dogged by its favellas and slums? The fact is that these have been afflicting Brazil have been around as long as we can remember and are a bit like a birthmark that won't go away.

While it is undeniable that the Brazilian government has overspent on the World Cup and Olympics with uncertain return, the World Cup and Olympics are definitely bonus events for the country and the legacy will be good for the country for generations to come.

It is still a small - yet powerful - minority that are protesting the event - and the media loves to a report a thought-provoking story about poverty when there's nothing else to report even if it has been around for some time.

Brazil's favellas have produced many great athletes and footballers, including the likes of Neymar, Ronaldinho, etc. and while it would be a dream to eliminate them completely, one must remember that football and this World Cup are considered a release for the boys and even girls growing up in the slums - something to aspire to, to get out of their poverty.

Governments may come and go but poverty will still be around as long as we live. So will sport and its heroes who will forever be remembered.