Sport

Sports had been the best physical activity all over the world. It has been known as early as 4000 BC and has been developed widely. Today, we had a lot of skilful sports arising that succors our competence, commitment and physical capabilities. Sports training were utilized by the coaches for the players to bring them into a standard aptitude and make them physically fit for their sport. This training includes commitment, hardship and discipline, not just for physiological and psychological side, but also for the nutritional aspects of an individual. Players do everyday exercises and work outs for physical fitness, iterates proper diet and conveys body nourishment such as taking in of food supplements. This training helps the players in maintaining the appropriate strength that they need to do their games in the right track. Players are trained as their practice of stressing their muscles to compensate the stability that they need. Having a balanced diet also helps in sustaining the players good body movement and to conserve a good metabolism.

Athletes seem to feel intuitively that they need higher levels of protein than the average sedentary person. This intuitive feeling is backed up by their claims of the ergogenic effects of high protein diets. Although perhaps for a while, supplements that may work through a placebo effect but have no intrinsic effects eventually fall by the wayside and are abandoned by the majority. High protein diets are used because they work as well as beyond a whole food high protein diet. Whether you need to supplement your diet with extra protein depends on your goals (Wolinsky and Driskell, 2008).
 Athletes use a wide range of nutritional supplements in their quest for improved performance. Even a cursory inspection of sports shops and magazines reveals the scale and diversity of supplement use. Sales figures for exotic supplements such as ginseng, inosine, colostrums, bee pollen, royal jelly, and pangamic acid, together with a wide range of vitamins and minerals (including boron, vanadium, zinc, magnesium and manganese), demonstrate that many athletes remain convinced of their effectiveness. However, the balance of the available information suggests that there is no benefit from these substances for healthy individuals consuming a normal diet. Some supplements are said to be potentially harmful in large doses and their use should be actively discouraged (Maughan and Burke, 2002). Athletes often look for alternative nutritional supplements or substances to improve performance. Some of these substances are naturally occurring and completely legal while others are manufactured, illegal or banned by many sporting organizations (Maughan and Burke, 2002).
The power of the placebo effect is well recognized and athletes seem to be particularly susceptible. Athletes are forever searching for nutritional supplements that will give them a significant advantage over their competitors. All essential dietary components, including protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals might be considered to come into the category of ergogenic acids, since they indirectly assist performance by maintaining normal health and physiological function. However, supplementation above the level required for maintenance of health is not likely to improve exercise performance. While research supports direct benefits from compounds such as creatine, bicarbonate, and caffeine, the majority of the compounds and products targeted to athletes have not been shown to provide performance enhancements (Maughan and Burke, 2002).

Sports foods that address real nutritional needs of athletes can provide a valuable, although often more expensive way for the athlete to meet their sports nutrition goals. The most obvious examples of valuable sports foods are liquid meal supplements and sports drinks (Maughan and Burke, 2002). Aside from intense muscular activity that increases protein catabolism (breakdown) and protein use as an energy source, there should be less protein available. The less muscle youre going to be able to build, a high protein diet is needed to protect the protein that will be turned into muscle by, among other things, providing another energy source for use during exercise (Wolinsky and Driskell, 2008).  The use of all sports foods and supplements needs to be balanced against expense, the risk of side effects from some ingredients and the possibility of an inadvertent doping outcome (Maughan and Burke, 2002).

    Due to this, the study will determine if legal supplementation increases the overall performance in trained athletes. If not, what are the usual results that professional studies have come up regarding the beneficial effects of legal supplementation to the performance of well trained athletes so as to provide a medically based information on the effects of supplements on the health status of athletes. The determination of the probable cause and effect of supplementation on trained athletes may provide baseline information to young and professional athletes as well as to sport analysts and trainers about the importance of supplements. The study will be limited in some conditions due to professionalism and availability of resources. The materials and methods used in determining the effect of legal supplementation in athletes will be based on professional studies and the like.

Most athletes however, need the economy of maximizing lean body mass and minimizing body fat. These athletes both competitive and recreational are on a moderate-or times a low caloric intake. To increase their protein intake, they need to plan their diets carefully and in many cases use protein supplements, since they cant calorically afford to eat food in the volume necessary to get enough protein (Wolinsky and Driskell, 2008). On the average, it is recommended that a minimum of 1 gram of high-quality protein per pound of body weight (2.2 grams per kg) every day for anyone involved in competitive or intense recreational sports who wants to maximize lean body mass but does not wish to gain weight or have excessive muscle hypertrophy. This would apply to athletes who wish to stay in a certain competitive weight class or those involved in endurance events. However, athletes involved in strength events such as Olympic field and sprint events, those in football or hockey weightlifters, power lifters, and bodybuilders, may need even more than the recommendation to maximize body composition, for example in sports with weight classes and in bodybuilding, its possible that protein may well make up 50 of their daily caloric intake (Wolinsky and Driskell, 2008).
Athletes, both competitive and recreational are on a moderate- or at times a low caloric intake. To increase their protein intake, they need to plan their diets carefully and in many cases use protein supplements, since they cant calorically afford to eat food in the volume necessary to enough protein (Wolinsky and Driskell, 2008). Athletes often look for alternative nutrition to perform at their best (Quinn, 2008).

A supplement is something added to the diet, typically to make up for a nutritional deficiency. Ideally, it should be used as a substitute for eating well. Products classified as dietary supplements are not required to meet any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. There are no regulations that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement (Quinn, 2008). Because supplements are something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency, before going out and buying the latest magic pill in a bottle, an athlete would be wise to evaluate his or her diet. Everything an athlete requires for energy and high performance can be gotten through a proper, balanced diet (Quinn, 2008). One of the substances that consists a supplement is the erogenic aid, which is said to consist of substance, drugs, procedures and even devices that are intended to improve athletic performance. Some of these substances are naturally occurring, easily available and completely legal while others are manufactured, illegal, or banned by many sporting organizations. Many athletes, coaches, politicians and fans feel the use of certain substances is unethical in sports.
Determining which substances are regulated, however, is an area of constant debate. Many substances classified as supplements are widely marketed as health aids yet have limited research on their safety or effectiveness. Being classified as a supplement means the contents of the product and the claims on the label have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may not have any scientific basis. In general, ergogenic are called performance enhancing substances (Quinn, 2008).

According to the study of Padilla in 1997, supplementation of creatine has become the common practice among competitive athletes who participates in different sports over the last few years. It was stated that supplementary creatine mechanism could have a potential ergogenic effects that could increase muscle creatine and phosphocreatine concentration, leading to a higher rate of ATP resynthesis, a delay in the onset of muscular fatigue and a facilitated recovery during repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise. A critical literature review reveals that the enorgenic effects have been generally shown in subjects performing several exercise under regular conditions. The limited body of scientific data available concerning highly trained athletes performing single competition-like exercise tasks indicates that this type of population does not benefit from creatine supplementation.
However, in the study of Colombani et.al, 2004, they investigated the effects of acute L-carnitine supplementation on metabolism and performance of endurance-trained athletes during and after a marathon run. Seven male subjects were given supplements of 2 g L-carnitine 2 h before the start of a marathon run and again after 20 km of the run.  Concentration of plasma metabolites and hormones were then measured and analysed before the run, immediately after the run and one hour after the run. The results showed that the administration of L-carnitine was associated with a significant increase in the plasma concentration of all analysed carnitine fraction. But acute administration of L-carnitine did not affect the metabolism or improve the physical performance of the endurance-trained athletes during the run and did not alter their recovery.

    On the other hand, Oral creatine supplementation is widely used in sportsmen and women. Side effects have been postulated, but no thorough investigations have been conducted to support these assertions. It is important to know whether long-term oral creatine supplementation has any detrimental effects on kidney function in healthy population. Creatinine, urea, and plasma albumin clearances have been determined in oral creatine consumers (10 months to 5 yr) and in a control group. The research showed no statistical differences between the control group and the creatine consumer group for plasma contents and urine excretion rates for creatinine, urea, and albumin. The glomerular filtration rate, tubular reabsorption, and glomerular membrane permeability were normal in both groups (Poortman and Francaux, 1999).

    Based on the study of Crowe, OConnor and Lukins in 2003, they investigated the effects of six weeks oral supplementation of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) and HMB combined with creatine monohydrate (HMBCr) on indices of health in highly trained athletes. Testing prior to, and immediately following, supplementation included a full blood count, plasma testosterone and cortisol, blood electrolytes, lipids, urea and glucose, sperm count and motility, and assessment of psychological state. The results showed that there are no adverse effects on the parameters evaluated in this study taken orally by highly trained male athletes over six weeks period.

    The effect of dietary supplements on the promotion of muscle growth has also been reviewed. Nutritional strategies of overfeeding, ingesting carbohydrateprotein before and after exercise, and dietary supplementation of various nutrients have been purported to promote gains in fat-free mass during resistance training. Creatine and calcium -HMB supplementation during resistance training have been reported to increase fat-free mass in athletic and nonathletic populations. Prasterone supplementation has been reported to increase testosterone and fat-free mass in nontrained populations. However, results are equivocal, studies have yet to be conducted on athletes, and prasterone is considered a banned substance by some athletic organisations. The report showed rationale and effectiveness of nutritional strategies in promoting lean tissue accretion during resistance training (Kreider, 1999).

    On the study of Clarkson, 1991, she examined whether mineral supplements are necessary for athletes, and whether these supplements will enhance performance. Macronutrients and trace minerals were described as well as the importance of calcium supplements in bone health of the athletes. Also, other vitamins and minerals were tested for importance and on how athletes lack most of these needed minerals. She stated that because of the low intakes of chromium for the general population, there is a possibility that athletes may be deficient. Therefore, the study concluded that mineral supplementation may be important to ensure good health.

    Another study showed a positive effect of supplementation for athletes. Vitamin status were measured in athletes including supplementation by assessing vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, A and E status with a combined determination of dietary intake with biochemical indices in fifty five male young athletes. The study included twenty matched sedentary controls. The results showed that supplementation administered for one month improved the vitamin status of the controls as well as the athletes (Guilland, et.al., 1989)

    The principal argument for vitamin supplementation is the assumed increased vitamin requirement of athletes. Theoretically, an increased requirement can be caused by decreased absorption by the gastrointestinal tract, increased excretion in sweat, urine and faeces, increased turnover, as well as biochemical adaptation to training. Of course, a marginal low vitamin status can simply be the consequence of a long-term inadequate intake. However, considering the RDAs there are no indications that long-term vitamin intake among athletes is insufficient. Neither are there indications that vitamin excretion or turnover is increased in athletes. However, a marginal vitamin status, induced by inadequate vitamin intake in athletes with an adequate vitamin status has no effect on physical working capacity. Possibly, exceptions have to be made for the use of vitamin E at high altitudes and for the use of vitamin C and multiple B-vitamin supplements (van de Beek, 1991).
Methods

    A double blinded experiment will be done with twenty four (24) trained male athletes as the subjects for the study. The subjects will be divided into two groups Group A (12 male athletes) will receive daily supplementation of 18,000mg of a popular nitrous oxide proprietary blend, 545mcg of three kinds of B vitamins, 5,000 mg of L-arginine, 4,000 mg of L-Glutamine and 20g Creatine for about 1-16 weeks. Group B (remaining 12 male athletes) will serve as controls. A record of maximum repetition of weight core lifts (e.g. squat, bench press, dead lift) will be observed and tracked as a test for plyometric abilities. The research will also include the observation of isometric exercises between the two groups to test whether there is an increase in muscle endurance sustained aerobic activities will also be observed to test the cardiovascular performance of the subjects. These factors will help to complete the over-all assessment if there will be an increase on athletic performance or it will still remain the same even after having legal supplementation.

There are many things that are believed to be shared by individuals universally, like music, for example. One of these things is sports. Proof of that is how, today, sports are characterized by its openness for everyone and anyone who wants to try and explore it. It is a significant development, a shift towards a positive change. There are terms like white men cant jump the plebeian sport and black mens game. This is because, in the past and in some part of the history of a particular sport, it was once exclusive to a particular group of individuals, either by choice or because circumstances at the time dictated the creation of such a condition. Over time, different sports have become something that is being shared and exercised worldwide in global stage and is appreciated by more and more people and in lieu with the development of the concept of fair opportunities in every possible sphere or endeavor. There has been a growing consciousness regarding the practice of removing any prejudice or bias when it comes to making a particular sport accessible to everyone and making the sport as something that is not limited to a selected group of individuals only. This is the ideal essence and ethos of sports. Despite the differences in color of the skin of the individual and the differences when it comes to racial and ethnic origins, at the end of the day every one individual has the capacity and ability to be a good athlete in any particular sport. Because of that, the appreciation for equality in opportunity to explore, exercise and compete in any particular sport selected by the individual, racial and ethnic background of the person often cannot dictate what sport he or she can or cannot exercise and participate in. This paper will discuss and analyze the fact that there are various opportunities for each individual coming from a particular race and ethnicity in the field of sports. This paper will also tackle race or ethnicity has a say in todays sports regardless of the sport at hand because of race and ethnicity, in a particular way, influences the conditions inside sports.

It is important to consider important key points. First, the discussion on race and ethnicity and how it impacts sports is not simply about people being able to or being unable to exercise the sport. Logically, so long as they know how to play it and as long as social conditions present them with the ability to learn it, every one individual in the world can actually play the sport. The bigger picture here is centered on the analysis of the possible factors related to race and ethnicity besides prejudice and bias that can influence not the individuals ability to play the sport. Every one can play the sport if they are trained and if they try. The individuals actual ability is not just simply play but to compete in different levels, to be recognized by significant organizations, to be encouraged to pursue a particular sport.

Prejudice and bias in relation to ethnic and racial background has long been proven as capable of holding individuals from doing or participating in a specific social activity like sports. This paper should stress the equal importance of the fact that ethnic and racial background in itself creates conditions that discourages people from these particular groups from pursuing and excelling in particular sports. This is an equally important and serious issue. Some of these conditions can be changed to improve the individuals chance at being able to compete in the same level of competition as anybody else in the world in a particular sporting event regardless of ones ethnicity and race and the possible implications of such characteristics of the individual.

A. Classification of race and ethnicity
Today, there are many identified different races and ethnic groups scattered all over the world. All of them have their own origins in a particular part of the world the migration and immigration patterns as well as other conditions like war, hunger, political strife, human trafficking including slave trade, inter-racial marriage, trade and commerce and many other factors. These resulted to the dispersal of different racial groups and ethnic groups in many different parts of the world that it is often hard to find a particular racial group and ethnic group that is still found exclusively inside the place or geographic origin where they began and originated. For example, urban sports were strongly influenced by ethnicity (Holli, Jones, 1995, p. 13) largely because of the concentration of different ethnic groups inside urban locations were sports are in full swing.

Currently, some of the racial and ethnic groups include Americans and the different ethnic groups from the US like American Indians and mixed races found inside the US like American-Italians, African-Americans and Asian-Americans. There are also racial groups for the different countries found in the other continents like Europe, Asia and Africa and the many different ethnic groups and minority groups found inside these countries. Countries create racial groups, while inside these different countries there are more specific groups (ethnic groups) which are formed because of affiliation of its members to a particular ethnic group present even before the country was a country.
Extending equal right towards members of different racial and ethnic group has grown significantly popular over the last few years that many different countries around the world feature these particular socio-civic characteristics. Just as it affects politics and culture, it also affects sports. Because of that, sports is never characterized by bias and prejudice based on racial and ethnic backgrounds, with a few exceptions on particular events in history wherein there are strong political and cultural considerations for such acts of bias and prejudice in sports based on racial consideration and ethnic background. Inside these countries, there are traces of equal opportunities for members of ethnic or minority groups. For example, in Canada, studies found out that there was little discrimination there versus the Polish minority when it comes to sports (Collins, Kay, 2003, p. 132).

B. Sports participation among racial and ethnic minorities
Today, sports participation among racial and ethnic minorities is seldom characterized by restrictions and limitations based on racial or ethnic considerations. In our multicultural society, people of all races and ethnic backgrounds take part in sport at all levels (Beashel, Sibson, Taylor, 2001, p. 229). Bias in sports because of racial and ethnic backgrounds is something that many sports organizations are discouraging, like how the Olympics has always stressed the universality of the sports how sports ignites the sense of brotherhood among people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds how racial and ethnic boundaries are broken down through the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie in sports and during sporting events and how sports does not look at the different varying superficial characteristics of the individual like skin color (attributing to the racial or ethnic background of an individual) and decides based on it who can and cant play (Beashel, Sibson, Taylor, 2001, p. 229).
Still, the issue of sports participation among racial and ethnic minorities is still characterized by the fact that there are many ethnic groups comprising the minority in the particular country that has lesser chance at a particular sport because other conditions contribute to creating this reality. For example, taekwondo is a popular sport in South Korea. While it is something that is not restricted to a limited set of ethnic groups, still, not every member of every ethnic group in South Korea can be considered as capable of enjoying, exercising and participating in taekwondo because of many possible reasons. First, poverty among particular ethnic groups may be a reason why sports is something that they involve themselves as a group. There is also the possible reason that the ethnic group is situated in a place where sports program or coaching for the particular sport did not manage to reach, or if the place where particular ethnic groups are located have poor sports programs that individuals do not find it interesting at all or they do not see enough reason why they would pursue such sports (Beashel, Sibson, Taylor, 2001, p. 229).

Based on this analysis, it can be considered that while there are no groups strongly advocating the limitation of who can and cannot play a particular sport based on their racial and ethnic origins, still, ethnicity possesses in itself characteristics that act as hindrance why particular ethnic groups are not able to enjoy particular types of sports. Among racial groups, this can be used as a paradigm to assess how race-related factors can be the one responsible for barring or discouraging individuals to participate in a particular sport. For example, it is difficult to imagine Eskimos excelling in mountain biking or surfing. The geographic condition that affects and surrounds the racial or ethnic group is a bigger factor that discourages the individual to pursue such sport in the first place.

C. Sports and promoting equality
Sports have been used to promote equality. The biggest sports stage in the world, the Olympics, has always advocated the idea of equality in sports. In many different sporting events around the world, one of the consistent themes is the promotion of the concept of equality in sports by the absence of discrimination or bias based on racial or ethnic background when it comes to who can play and who can join in the particular sporting event. Whats more important is that individuals are all given chances to excel in sports regardless of ones racial background. For example, tennis has crowned champions who came from different parts of the world, from the United States to Britain, to Spain and Russia. African Americans excel in this sports as much as Asians and Europeans do, whether it is played in the US, in Europe, in Australia or in Asia, highlighting and providing example on the concept of equality and sports and acting as one of the ways in which sports promotes equality particularly in consideration to racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The concept of fairness and equality across different racial and ethnic groups is visible in sports through the fact that some countries that are politically and economically less powerful than other countries nonetheless emerge victorious and dominant. For example, African countries are consistent winners in track and field events of the Olympics for several staging now. This reflects that even when other countries can overpower and subdue other countries politically and outside the realm of sports, this power is not exercised in sports. Individuals and countries are allowed to compete in equal and fair grounds versus each other. If politically, these countries are weak, in sports they have the chance to finally excel and put their countries in the map. This sometimes also has positive political repercussions. These countries are placed in the spotlight because of their victory in the field of sports. This moment in the spotlight allows the world to also see the problems in this particular country to which they can help. It makes sports not only an avenue for fair play and equal opportunities but also as a platform for development and positive change that can help people from other racial and ethnic background.

D.  Minorities as sports leaders
The concept of fairness and equality in sports also takes shape in the aspect of giving even the ethnic and minority groups inside a particular country a chance to become sports leaders and leading athletes in any of the many different sporting events in the world. The perfect example of minorities as sports leaders is the case of African Americans in the United States and the immense role of African Americans when it comes to sports. African Americans are still considered as a minority in the United States. Despite this social status of this particular minority and ethnic group, individuals of African American descent have becoming sports leaders in many different fields.

Many African Americans have become successful and leading athletes in the United States, excelling in some of the major sporting events in the United States, including baseball, football and basketball. The campaign for racial equality in sport continued in football, and on a smaller scale in other sports (Houlihan, 2003, p. 131).  Dikembe Mutombo is an African American who became prominent in the countrys leading professional basketball league, the National Basketball Association. In the countrys national sport which is baseball, many minorities, ethnic groups and racial groups are represented through the rosters of the teams, some becoming significant figures in the tournament and in the sport, including those with American-Asian, American-African and American-European descent (Houlihan, 2003, p. 131).

E. The opportunities individuals coming from a particular race and ethnicity presently has in sports
There are factors in ethnic and racial origins that present to them opportunities in sports. For example, individuals coming from a particular ethnicity or race that are naturally tall have the opportunity to be able to compete in sports where height is a significant factor. Individuals who are inherently short in stature based on the dominant trait in their race or ethnic background have lesser opportunities for sports wherein height is the key consideration. Selection of athlete, measuring the degree of capability to excel and win and other considerations favor the taller one from the shorter one, thus, lessening or limiting the opportunities for the people with naturally short frame compared to the opportunities presented to those who are naturally tall. This is the same case for other physical differences. For example, people from the South East Asia are often of average built and are often not as heavy as American, African or European individuals. Because of that, South East Asian athletes very seldom figure in competing in the heavyweight division or category of any contact sports like boxing and wrestling, the key factor is how people from particular racial or ethnic group is genetically built.

But in the discussion regarding the opportunities in sports presented to an individual in consideration to his or her ethnic or racial background, it is still important to mention that the opportunities are not similar with one another. But first, it is important to stress the fact that this does not mean there is a sense of inequality and unfairness in sports. These conditions are not created so that a country or a group of people can have an unfair advantage over the other. This is simply because of the fact that the complex system and requirements involved in sports development is also hinged in other characteristics of the society which, by nature are not uniformly similar with one another, hence, the difference in opportunities for individuals based on ethnic and racial backgrounds and connected factors.

The differences in the opportunities extended to the individual based on racial and ethnic backgrounds is influenced, first and foremost, by the financial capabilities of a particular country inside which the individual belongs to. There is a reason why there are dominant countries in the Olympics. These countries rake in huge amounts of gold medals during the staging of this quadrennial event. This is because any or all of the following reasons first, the country has enough money, facilities and other necessary things that can allow them to train their athletes in optimum, ideal conditions second, the country has enough money to support as many athletes possible financially to compete in many competitions in the national and international level which impacts their skill significantly third, this country possess aspects like research and development or technological advantage or both that other countries that do not have. This is not to say that this advantages guarantee victory.  It the end of the day, it is still not a guarantee of a victory although this enhances the chances of the athlete to become successful and encourages more and more athletes to participate in the sport, allowing the country a bigger pool of talent to which it can choose from.

F. How race andor ethnicity projects influence in todays sports regardless of the sport at hand
Ideally, there is no particular race that is prohibited from practicing a particular sport. There are factors that can limit the exercise of this particular race of a particular sport because of particular reasons. For example, armed conflict and political strife involving ethnic groups and minorities and particular racial groups can result in the non-participation of a particular racial group in an international competition based on these grounds and hinged on many particular considerations revolving around the central area of the conflict affecting the sports and its conditions.

a. Religious  Religion influences sports and how individuals participate in sporting events. For example, Muslim women find it hard to break into competitive international tennis because of the restrictions on clothing (since tennis is very difficult to play if the individual is as covered as how Muslim religion dictates it). In more conservative religions wherein the patriarchal system renders the women as second class citizens who are delegated to particular roles like housekeeping, the chances of being a dedicated athlete in a particular sport is severely affected because of such restrictions (Suad, Afsaneh, 2003, p. 444).  Iranian women, as well as young female students, are obliged to wear coats, headscarves, and trousers in their sporting activities. This requirement serves to alienate women from sports (Suad, Afsaneh, 2003, p. 444).

b. Cultural  For example, there might be sports that are limited to particular group of people because culture and tradition dictates it. Some sports are exclusive only for individuals who have royal blood or are relatives of the royal bloodline, limiting the ethnic group that can enjoy the sport. This is because the ethnic groups to which the royal family is connected in consanguinity maybe limited to just one or few ethnic groups to which the bloodline came from. Also, while race is not a factor to consider when it comes to the individuals ability to exercise a particular sport, there is what is considered as suitable sports for a particular race dictated by the place they live, their physical characteristics, capabilities and limitations and other factors.

Everyone should have the privilege of enjoying, exercising and participating in a particular sport. Today, there is what is known as sports equity which is concerned with aspects like fairness in sport and other related aspects (Honeybourne, 2005, p. 10). Racial and ethnic backgrounds and ones race and ethnicity should never be a factor when it comes to sports preferences, although admittedly, this is ideal but easily said and done. There are still more powerful cultural, economic and political forces that dictate the conditions of individuals inside the society which in turn affects their attitude, behavior and outlook towards sports. Nonetheless, there is a positive side to the latest developments worldwide. This includes the rise to sports popularity of individuals coming from different ethnic and racial background, excelling in many different sports. This is an indication that regardless of the problems sports have been facing, when it comes to restrictions based on ethnicity and race, there are positive changes that push sports development towards positive evolution.

Football has been accepted globally as one of the best entertaining sport. Since its inception in early history, football game has undergone a number of significant developments that have shaped it to modern day status. These developments are responsible for the differentiation in the mode of play between early football and modern day football. However, English football especially premier league has stood out as one of the best managed football organisations in the world. There has been a great deal of encouragement for other football management bodies in other countries to emulate the style of football management employed in the organisation and management of premier league (Greenlee, 2001). The paper covers areas of evolution in English football, the aspects of English football teams and the role of the Premier League in bettering football management skills through employment of managerial and financial skills. There are also a number of recommendations at the end of discussion on how to reform of the management and governance of English football.

Thesis
    English football, particularly the Premier League, has been held up globally as a model for other countries to follow in developing their own football industries through application of sound management skills.

History of English football
    Football game in England started as early as 9th century where it was played in varying forms among different villages in the regions of this country. Early football consisted of many players who would gather in wide open places and streets and engage in a game that had no rules of play. By then, football had not gained flavour as it has today due to the high level of violence that was involved in the play. As there were no specific places of play, it was common to find large groups of young men playing football on the streets and any open space available. As a result, the game always resulted to personal injury among the players due to physical pushing, kicking, and punching by the opponent players (Shobe, 2008). In addition, immense damage to property and objects occurred in the process of playing of the game. Early development occurred in the reduction of players in an individual game as groups started organising tournaments. By 16th century, there were organised teams which used to play football between schools. These school teams and their management helped a lot in development of early football codes. At this period various teams were also formed outside the confinements of schools. England boasted as the home to some of the first and oldest football clubs in the world.
The Londons Gymnastics society is thought to be first organised football club in the world which was formed in 16th century. On the other hand, Sheffield Football club which was formed in 1857 is thought to be the oldest football club in the world. England also have played a significant role in giving leadership in football such as the organising the first trophy in football commonly known as the Yodan Cup. The FA cup is also one of the earliest football competitions held at the national level which was formulates as early as 1871. In the last two centuries, English football has expanded and become more successful through formation of football leagues which has overseen the management of football at different levels (Barry, 2001). The success of these leagues has a lot to do with the massive media coverage and advertising that have been carried out about it adding to its glamour and fame.

Role of premier league body
The Premier League came into existence in 1992 after a unanimous decision which was made by top twenty clubs in English football set themselves apart from the mainstream football clubs in the Football league. Football League was left with 72 team members who are divided among three divisions. These include the Champions League, League One and Two. Their aim was to increase their revenue base compared to the clubs in the lower divisions. They however did not break their links with the Football League as the three underperforming teams in the premier league are relegated to the Football League. Their positions are always taken up by three other strong teams from the Championship League (Davies, 1998). Each team in the Champions League takes up one twentieth of the return s gained from the championship. All these teams are expected to express all their roles in meetings their relationships and other rights. Present day football has transformed to that of professionalism with a great need to employ all tactics in administrative and organisation of the game. This has been brought about by the need to run the game as both as a form of recreational activity for the audience and as a profession to the players as well as a profit making organization like any other business organization.

The premier league organising body has successfully continued to have success in planning of football. This have been so through the application of its strict rules in regard to competition, scheduling of games, mobility of players and the existence of teams in the league thorough the relegation process. The premier league body plays a significant role in ensuring that every team employs economic sense of management. Other football bodies in the world should emulate this body in acting as management body of a larger enterprise with units which abide to decisions made and put into action at this higher level (Davis, 1996). The success of football in other countries has been marred by too much freedom in each and individual team and lack of definite rules from the responsible leagues.

Despite being the most prestigious league in the English football, Premier League has not prevented the existence of other leagues which operate independently. However, the lack of competition can be to some extent being attributed to the large costs in demand for professionals and maintaining them. It is arguably true that, all the teams in the Premier League enjoy a relatively high number of professional players compared to other teams outside of this premiership. In addition, whenever a team is relegated to lower leagues, it loses most of its best player talents to other teams in the premiership through transfers. This supports the notion that, the Premier League is very much dependent on the existence of other lower leagues. As the team in lower leagues tries to upgrade their individual performance so as to enter this league, the teams in this league on the other hand try to keep up their game so as not to face relegation. On the process the enthusiasm creates a more and more entertainment to the fans that are always keen to follow the proceedings of these games.
A closer look at the premier league portrays a form of monopoly in itself which helps clubs to operate in competition under its control. As a governing body, it sets basic guidelines within which the clubs operates freely. The club however maintains the autonomy on how to utilise the revenue generated by it. The Premier League has no control on the clubs spending on acquiring new players, or infrastructure developments. However, the body has always a vital role in controlling the number of matches played by each team (Jebsen, 2007). This allows the clubs to have an equal opportunity of playing with each other regardless of their financial status as a way of ensuring a common interest in competition.

    In the regard of clubs in making their independent financial decisions, there is need to have a critical look at the main objectives of these clubs. We cannot refute the fact that all these clubs aims at operating at a profitable end. To break even, most of these clubs have at one point or the other been acquired by tycoons who have made money out of other fields but have a lot of interest in growing the football talent. Premier League is held high in terms of prestige associated with professional football. It is therefore true that, the good managerial skills employed by this body in running of English soccer have helped the teams to finances from other areas. Those who buy this clubs may be motivated by something else than the immediate financial gain they are likely to acquire from the club (Hunter, 2008). Most of them acquires these clubs at critical times in their financial solvency but hopes to help the clubs to break even at some point in future.

Management in English football
Success of every business organisation is dependent on selection of the best and well equipped manpower and placing them in their workforce. This style of management has not been left out in football as it has been well portrayed in English football. In this field, top teams are always in search of the best players to place them in their teams. There is one significant aspect about football that sets it apart from other business organisations. Unlike other businesses where their survival always targets at eliminating competition and controlling a significant share through monopoly, competition in English football has played a big role in creating uniform growth among clubs (Seymor, 2009). These clubs also acknowledges that if they accumulate all good players in their teams, they will acquire undue advantage over other teams.

In football, competition among teams is more advantageous than having a monopoly in this sport. Even if each team employs management skills like any other enterprising firm, it does not make any economic sense for a team to dominate the whole field. A game is a win-lose state of affairs whereby at the beginning any game, the two teams always has equal strengths and chances of winning. It would be illogical to have all talents in one team while the other team has least and yet the two teams be expected to compete favourably. Every team needs the other to play therefore, rivalry in the field is just a competition to win the game of the day at a uniform platform (Davies, 1997). There is therefore a need to have a cooperative assembly between the competing teams to maintain a balance in sport.

In addition, uniformity in player distribution eliminates chances of reaching at a point where a club may experience diminishing returns. In order to maximise their profits, these teams distribute the talents of the players evenly. The premier league has ensured a free market system of players moving from one team to the other during their transfer window period. Every team works in the interest of not becoming so strong in relation to its competing teams. The distribution of players in the premiership teams is guided by incentives present that ensure maximisation of investment value of the services to be supplied by the player. Transfers depend on the availability of a team which can offer a higher investment price for the player with an aim of getting a higher value from the player than his present team. This has a lot of advantage for the team and the player through the contractual transfers.

All the teams on the premier league are situated in major cities around England. This has helped them to build their fan base from their backgrounds while their performance in the leagues has continued to win them fan support outside their backgrounds. It is arguably true that, English teams enjoy a fan base all over the world. This has made many people continue to envy the style of management of employed by these teams (Jones, 2002). Through the application of sound management, English football has become a lucrative employer for the players by offering best salaries for best talents than what they could have earned in any other employment field.

The ever increasing fan base in these teams has been evidenced by the building of even larger stadiums with larger sitting capacities for each and every team. These large stadiums have helped the teams to operate on a larger scale thanks to widening enthusiasm from the fan base. All the people attending these championships as spectators buy tickets which in turn helps the clubs financial status. The championship has created a big market for advertising through field advertising boards, television broadcasts and even newspapers who sells sport news as a product. It is therefore true that, good management in soccer has the potential of attracting finances from other fields to the countries that arte still struggling in management of their clubs.

Acquiring reliable players
Football is a game of teamwork which is dependent on individual contribution of each player in collaboration with other players. Premier league has demonstrated to the rest of the world the magnificence of organising top talents to arrive at a best kind of soccer. Just like in the qualifications of a good staffing other business fields, there are various characteristics that determine the efficiency of a player in the field. This includes high level of decision making as a player, positive attitude towards the game, high level of endurance and flexibility. It is also admirable for any player to portray the characteristics of self motivation, have good physical and mental health, and discipline. When the managers are selecting the players to acquire, they seek for players with these talents (Tanner, 2001). However, the common trend in competition for the best players in the top teams has created a rise in the salaries of the players through their transfer fees. At some instances the teams are seen to benefit more from the fees charged during these transfers from receiving teams.

Economic analysis
In analysing the economics of these clubs, one can draw various factors which remain as objectives driving their success. This includes the profit gain, generation of revenue, success in game and even security of managers and players. The greatest driving force in football is the success that associated in playing a good organised football. Spectators are always looking and want to be associated with a team that has success in the pitch. On the other hand, players always aspire to play for certain teams which would create a climax in their career (Fisher, 2003). Those intending to invest in a club always look for a club that have a relative a high level of success. This acts as a measure of investment worth when determining return on their investment.

Even though it is hard to maintain a continuous profit making without a win, profit has remained a major driver in professional football. This is so because no club can afford to run and expect to have future developments without making a significant profit in its operations. This is the basic reason behind the charging of high priced tickets before attending any match compared to an instance where the tickets would have a flat charge price regardless of the team which is playing in the lower leagues. Furthermore, the spectators intent to have a greater value of entertainment from this kind of football compared to that played in the other leagues.

    All the team in the Premier league are always in competition for fan base. These fans are the ones who come to watch whenever their teams are playing. The presence of sizeable fans in itself is a good sign of club success. In recent times, there has been a rise in ticket value when certain teams are playing. Such activities are aimed at increasing the revenue base for these clubs by taking advantage of the fans that are willing to pay for these tickets regardless of their price. In economic view, this is a very advantageous point for the clubs as they have the control of their incomes compared to situations where a club is not assured of unwavering support. The presence of strong base of supporters in the field is always seen to affect the outcome of the matches by forming a bond with their teams (Charleston, 2008). They also tend to instil a lot of encouragement to the players as well as criticising the poor performers. In economic view, spectators represent the demand for the product and they have a right to demand a quality product which corresponds to what they have paid for. It has therefore become very important for the teams to maintain a high quality in their plays to the satisfaction of their fans. On top of valuing team work of the players, the team recognises the individual contribution of each and every player.

    These clubs have also been known to have a better performance due to their increased security in terms of revenue gain, better payment for the players and the management team. For economic survival, the league management allows for the transfers of the players between teams regardless of the expiry of their contractual period. This is seen as a way of getting the clubs out of financial strains such as liability to pay expensive players. This is done regardless of their high value in the club which might even be higher than the financial gain derived by the club. It has therefore become evident that, financial security is always a matter of concern for these teams. The teams can therefore undertake a financial risk in either acquiring high value players who can help their performance and secure their survival in the league (Peterson, 1997). On the other hand, they can also reduce a financial burden by disposing expensive players in due time. 

    The premiership football has created an important focus on the management of a team in order to achieve the desired field and economic results. The situation has created for the need of a manager to control the contribution of each player through performance in the field. A poor performance of a team is associated to lack of managerial skills of a coach who in most cases dubs as the manager. The most appropriate actions that are always taken by the teams management is termination of their contracts. This is done as a way of trying to improve the image of the team in the eyes of the spectators. This is a classic example of a characteristic facing the managers of these teams where job security is not guaranteed but it has been pegged on performance. In most cases, termination of services of a manager is a logical decision taken with a view of improving the fortune of the club (Norwood, 2004). In some rare cases, disruptions in change of managers cause short-term disruptions on the teams. New managers may take time before organising football in short-term. However, for the poor performing teams, change of managers has resulted in significant improvement of the quality of their field performance.

    The issue of the costs incurred in building of large capacity stadiums has become a hotly contested issue. This is in the view of the benefits these stadiums brings to these cities. Even though these games may have the capacity to generate a large income in one sitting, they occupy a large space in terms of land which could be used in other daily activities. In addition, these games are not played in daily basis which beats the logic behind utilising such a large mass of land for a single project (Greenlee, 2001). However, the councils and other businesses near the stadiums derive a lot of benefits during such matches.

Branding
    All of the teams in the English football have become identical in the way they identify themselves using team brand names in and out of the field. These brand names have helped the teams to advertise themselves without any confusion with other teams. In this these teams have had the capacity to improve their revenue base through sale of merchandise like team branded T-shirts, scarfs, key holders to people who wants to be associated with these teams (Shobe, 2008). To other teams in the world, successful branding of a team can go along way in helping the team gain economic in and out of the field.

Recommendations management and governance of English football
    Even though there is a great deal of success associated with English football, there is need to improve the financial management of teams to reduce the large burden of cash deficit that always sends these teams into economic hardships. Most of these top teams have debts incurred in the process of acquiring expensive players who do not necessarily translate to improved team earnings on the ground. The aspiration to arrive at a profitable end and reduce their debts should push clubs to employ stringent economic principles which govern ns their expenditures based on their income. The teams involved should also be made to give their managers a security in their service so as they can have enough time to prove their worth. Some of the best performing teams have been consistent n retaining their managers who have on the other hand given their best. If this is emphasised in other teams, there would be greater improvement (Barry, 2001). To control the rogue spending patterns in clubs, the league organisers should institute rules governing the maximum amount of money a team can spend on buying of players. This is aimed at regulating the distribution of the players among the top teams

    English football has gained a lot of significance in the world football arena especially after the formation of the premier league. Other than having the first national team in football, England has continued to give a leadership in various fields of football. The style of management of this league is without doubt one of the best in the world. There is however some areas that the league and the English football as a whole can improve on. The relevance of English football is in the way it incorporates a coalition of best layers from different countries hence becoming the pacemaker of the world football.

The performance in school, both in terms of attendance and academics, of student athletes has long been the subject of debates and negative perceptions.  This study is made to examine the effects of school sports activities and programs in the performance of student athletes, particularly in terms of attendance.  It will also touch on the other aspects of student athletes performance in academic achievement, or lack thereof, and in their behavior in class.  This paper will later reveal that there are really no negative effects on student athletes  school academic performance and truancy.  The fact is, sports activities in schools promote students attendance and enhance better academic performance as will be shown in this concept paper.

Statement of the Problem
    This study is made to do a research on the common beliefs views, concerns, debates and worries as well as activities related to the effects on a student athlete who participates in interscholastic sports activities.  It is designed to determine the relationship between becoming a student athlete vis-a-vis truancy.  It will also try to determine if there are other negative effects, as commonly believed, e.g., ugly behavior in class and poor performance in academics. 

    In any high school or even middle school in the United States, attendance is of utmost importance.  This is never more apparent than in 2002 when the Compulsory Attendance Law (Missouri Dept. of Elementary  Secondary Ed.,2009) was enacted.  This statute provides that parents or guardians are required by law to ensure that the child under their custody is enrolled in school and attend it regularly.  The age of requirement differ slightly depending on the state.  The enactment of this law alone serves to signify the importance the nation is putting on educating children.  In the pursuit of attaining this goal, attendance becomes a must.

    Interscholastic sports activities and programs, on the other hand, are becoming too popular in schools that a huge number of the students become drawn to it.  It is recorded that yearly, there are no less than 70,000 students who join interscholastic athletics in public community colleges alone (Natl Junior College Athletic Assoc., 2008 Horton, 2009 ).  With the number of student athletes increasing, the more that academic performance, truancy and its relationship to school sports are questioned and debated about. 

    Since most schools impart to their students the importance of not missing classes and attaining a certain average in order to participate in the sports activities, Miami-Dade County Public Schools policy for example, ensure that sports activities serve its purpose and become beneficial to the student s welfare and not the other way around.

Definition of Terms
    The following terms and concepts will be used operationally in this concept paper
    Academic Achievement.  Student s school progress based on grade point average.
    Student Athlete.  An individual who attends community college privileged to receive a sports-related financial aid.
Truancy.  An intentional and unauthorized absence from school.

The Topic
    For decades now, teachers, coaches, parents and those concerned have been forming their own conclusions on questions related to the topic (Rhea and Lantz, 2004).  This concept paper is basically focused on the topic of the relationship between interscholastic programs of student athletes and its effects on the attendance as well as academic performance.  From this topic, questions such as whether or not said sports programs adversely affect the student s performance or is truancy a direct result of such sports activities may be asked.

The Research Problem
     It has become a common belief that sports activities serve as a bad influence to student athletes and has been the cause of truancy and poor academic performance.  Truancy is considered to be one of the ten biggest problems in schools in USA today. The rate of truancy in some cities reaches a high of 30 (De Kalb, 2004).  For instance in New York City, out of 1 million students, 150 thousand do not attend class daily.  In 2003, United States adolescents (Johnston, et. al., 2004), based on the national survey, showed 16 of 10th grade, 11 of 8th grade and 35 of 12th grade students were reoprted to be skipping 1 or more school days in a 30 day period (Henry, 2007).  In Denver Public School in 2004 to 2005, there have been chronic truants who had about 10 or more unexcused absences (Natl. Center for School Engagement, 2006).

    A study done in Minnesota showed that truancy actually indicates a more serious problem including alcoholism, family trouble, issues on mental and physical health, chemical or drug problems, gang involvement, neglect or peer pressure (Minnesota Dept. of Health, 2004).  Initial skipping of a class or two can grow worse.  It follows that grades are affected, as the student athlete becomes a truant.  Should sports programs be proven to cause these problems, then a need to revisit the benefits of interscholastic sports becomes imperative.

    While this is the common belief among many, evidences tend to go the other way.  In the first place, most schools come up with sports programs in school for the purpose of promoting student participation.  A student who participates in school sports activities will need to adhere to strict rules in attendance and academic standards.  This fact makes student athletes all the more conscious about their attendance and grades instead of what many people perceive, that sports make them skip classes and get poor grades.

Background and Justification
    Truancy is clearly a big problem that needs to be addressed and it spans the whole nation.  In Texas for instance, as reported by Channel 13 KTRK-TVDT (2010), high schools  truant rates are the highest in Houston (Dolcefino, 2010).  There are at least 4 Kempner student athletes just last March, 2010 that were found to be in a burglary spree during class hours.  What makes the matters worse is that these kids were marked present in their athletics class.

In Detroit, Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson (March, 2010) reported that a typical high school student in Detroit has 46 days missed classes in 2009.  District revenues are affected by truancy since school funding is connected to enrollment.  The solution being considered to solve this problem is to withhold from students their class credit after a certain number of absences and to make parents accountable for it by slashing their public assistance. 

In Arizona, as well as in many other states in the country, school attendance is the law (www.hennepinattorney.org, 2008).  After a certain number of absences from class, the number of which depends from state to state, the student may be cited for delinquency and may need to go through legal proceedings in the Juvenile Court.

The facts above show that the problem of truancy exists and needs immediate solution.  Given that the people involved in this problem are students and people who are concerned about their future, this concept paper becomes highly important.  This study will test if there is indeed a connection between said truancy and poor academic achievement.  Furthermore, should a connection be found, tests will show if said connection is negatively affecting student athletes school performance or vice versa.

Deficiencies in the Evidence
The deficiencies this problem may encounter would be the lacking number of literature that will clearly connect truancy, as well as poor academic performance, to interscholastic sports programs and the participation in it by student athletes.  In the same way, there is not much written work that would prove conclusively that sport activities are not the culprit to the problem of truancy and even poor performance in class.

Audience
The effect and benefits of this concept paper, whether positive or negative, is mainly towards the student athletes.  A negative result on the topic will dictate that participation in sports will only do more harm than good and they would be better off not joining school sports activities.  On the other hand, a positive result will show interscholastic sports programs are in fact beneficial to student athletes and promote good performance in class particularly with regards to attendance and academic achievements.

Purpose of the Study
    The purpose of this study is to test and explore the hypothesis that student athletes are more likely to commit truancy due to their participation in various interscholastic sports programs in their school.  This concept paper also aims to test other underlying hypotheses that are connected with the topic, i.e., academics are negatively affected by participation in schools sports,  student athlete behavior are worsened by the fact that players are treated like heroes and to suggest possible solutions to the problem of truancy in majority of the schools in the United States.


    There are plenty of studies and researches done to examine the relationship between student athlete s participation in school sports activities and overall performance in school.  Most of these researches are generally divided into two types, one that positively considers school sports and its relation with school achievement and the other being the negative view that interscholastic sports activities are actually the culprit in the student athlete s truancy, poor grades and bad behavior.  This study is basically focused on learning the relationship of sports and truancy.   The study also extends further to include the correlation between sports and academic performance as well as the athletes  disciplinary behavior and issues. 

    For a better view of both sides on the subject, below are varying literature that discusses either the positive or the negative views, beliefs and opinions people have about student athletes and attendance in class as well as school performance as a whole.

Positive Studies on Interscholastic Sports Participation
    In a year 2000 study made by Mark Stegman in a  world class school  in Nebraska, it was shown that the subject school has 21 sport events offered to students.  in the same school, records would show that graduates are not happy ending up with just a high school diploma and would go on to continue college.  In the same school, Stegman conducted a survey and found out that sports participation does not hurt attendance and academic performance of athletes.  Instead, it instills in them self-discipline, physical fitness, teamwork, and goal setting.  All these have instead helped students will all the areas of their lives while in school (Stegman  Stephens, 2000).

    It is quite surprising to note that in many findings, such as one made by Stegman, based on intensive and in depth researches, sports have a positive impact on student athletes. Instead of common belief that it promotes truancy, low or failing grades and bad behavior, students who participate in sports are found to do the reverse. Instead of negative effects, what sports can do to student athletes are quite the opposite, i.e., better grades, better attendance and good behavior.  Some of such negative feedbacks about student athletes are found in the next topic.


Negative Views on Interscholastic Sports Participation
    The common opinion many people, including teachers, coaches, parents, students and other adults about students athletes are far from positive.  In fact, in a study made of 538 athletes and non-athletes, only 15 gave a positive perception with 59.1 of students and 33 of school professors giving them a negative perception (Simmons, 2010).  Some of the common misconceptions and more appropriately, insults, thrown on these athletes are the following  stupid unless otherwise proven, dumb jocks, truants, afforded too much favors they do not deserve, drops classes all the time, low IQ, etc.  They are in fact the butt of many jokes (Jokes.com, 2005).  These remarks and comments have no doubt placed a heavy burden on students who participate in sports.  They should not only excel in sports but also in academics and should be able to attend classes as well as sports activities.

    This study is designed to either dispel the aforementioned perceptions or strengthen them, depending on the findings and results.

    If done quantitatively, it will be difficult to find any negative effects in student participation in school sports activities.  However, contrary views remain to be present.  A study held in 2004 produced results linking sports participation to aggressive responses among student athletes as compared to non-athletes (Rhea and Lantz, 2004). 

Research Questions
    Due to the fact that sports programs now play a major role in most schools in the United States and affect the lives of numerous high school students, participation to it has become invaluable.  It is therefore important to understand the importance of sports participation of these students.  Given the topic in this concept paper, the research questions are as follows (a) Are interscholastic sports programs the cause of truancy in class (b) Is academic achievement affected by sports activities in schools (c) Is there a relationship between sports programs and student athletes  school performance in terms of attendance, academics and behavior


Participants
    The study is based on a comparison done between student athletes and non-athletes in an urban high school.  The comparison will be gauged via a survey of the two most important personalities in the lives of the student athlete, their teachers and coaches.  The comparison will be done through a mixed method research.  Teachers and coaches will be asked to comment openly on their views about the impact of school sports activities in the lives of the students, particularly in attendance, behavior and academics.

    Less than 10 questions will be asked of all the teachers handling the second year high school students in the subject school and all the coaches of all sports events in the said school.  Each question may be answers by 1 to 5, which is the interval scale that will show the teachers  or coaches  agreeability, with 1 being the most negative effect and five the positive.  An essay part of the questionnaire will be answered by the subjects with their views on the effect of interscholastic sports activities to the lives of the student, their attendance, their behavior in class and their grades.  They will also give a comparative feedback on the difference in performance between the athlete and the non-athlete.

Instruments  Procedures
This type study design is basically that of a survey.  The questions answerable by a scale of 1 to 5 that will serve as the rating of the opinions, beliefs and views of the teachers and coaches on the effects derived by students through sports participation on their overall performance, i.e., attendance, academic achievement and disciplinary behavior and other negative or positive effects.  Also in the survey form is a question that will investigate the time demanded of student athletes for comparison with those who do not participate in sports.  Lastly, a question in essay form will be included that will inquire about the views of the students  mentors on how sports programs are related to the students  overall performance in school.

This survey can only be possible if permission from the concerned school will first be obtained from the institution s head.  This can be done through a formal letter of request which will include among others the guarantee that all teachers, coaches and who will be subjected to the survey will be extended anonymity and privacy.  The identities of the individuals involved as well as the school itself will remain confidential.

Only when the permission is granted will the survey form and questionnaires will be distributed to those targeted to join the survey.  An instruction of returning all questionnaires in the school administrative office will be given out and once complete, the tabulation and analysis of the answers will ensue.

Validity
    Validity is attained in this study through the formation of questions to be included in the survey that are representative of all tested areas.  Moreover, to ensure credible and accurate random sampling that is representative of the whole, sufficient samples are to be surveyed.

Procedures
The information and data are to be selected, collated, organized and coded for a more comprehensive review.  Procedures will be based on the replies given in the questionnaires.  The quantitative data included in the survey will be manually tabulated through percentage calculation.  The qualitative data, on the other hand, will be grouped according to common subjects or themes to get the result.
This procedure will be done to determine the connection between the participation of students in sports activities in school and truancy, as well as its effects of student academic achievements.

Preliminary Results
    The result immediately shown by the survey conducted on the coaches and the teachers for students, both athletes and non-athletes, under their mentorship is a positive.  The feedbacks show that those who participated in school sports are less likely to skip classes than those who do not attend sport activities.  The athletes also perform better in class in terms of grade and behavior.

    The collected data showed that interscholastic sports programs and activities, instead of producing negative effects on the student athletes as some people perceived have instead resulted into positive effects on the different aspects of the life of the student.  Their attendance is better than those who are not into sports, their grades are relatively higher and their behaviors are well within the protocol in school. 

Limitations
    Given the fact that the data collected for random sampling is only from a single school, the study becomes demographically limited.  The abilities, achievements and activities by the students in the subject school may not be representative of other schools across United States.  Moreover, though the relationship derived between sports programs and truancy, as well as academic achievement, came out positive, the basis of the results may not be as strong as other methods.  The opinions of coaches and teachers may not be sufficient.  Other variables may be the reason for the exemplary achievement and school performance of the student athlete such as proper upbringing, family support, encouragement from family and friends, etc.  Given the fact that the study compares the performance of the student athlete and the non-athlete, the mentioned factors may very well lead to successful school life even if they do not participate in interscholastic sports programs.

    It is quite apparent that there is indeed a connection between interscholastic sports activities and student athletes  performance in class, particularly to truancy, as well as behavior and academics.  However, instead of negative effects, what the sports can provide these students are better attendance in classes, better grades and good behavior.

    These results are basically attributable to the policies student athletes need to adhere to be able to become eligible to participate in said sports activities.  This is how big an importance they give to sports and the effect on their overall school performance become enhanced.  Both qualitative and quantitative data collected support these conclusions.

    Fishing in Hawaii is both an adventure and a commercial activity. The strategic location and cultural diversity of Hawaii greatly favors fishing in the area. Even though diverse fishing styles in exist Hawaii, certain fishes can only best be fished when specific fishing methods are employed.

Hawaii State is one of the worlds eighteen centers for the coral reef biodiversity. Hawaii, being located in the United States of Americas area that is dominated by reefs, cliffs, very conducive tropical waters for fishing, and various offshore has been a very strategic area that promotes fishing. Participation in cultural tourism has been one of the greatest contributors to the uniqueness of the fishing styles being witnessed in Hawaii. Hosaka (170-193) elaborates that the number of cultural tourists and the participants in cultural activities makes up 64 of the cultural tourists. Sport fishing is encouraged by the availability of the offshore and the chatter boats that facilitates fishing activities. Marlin fishing, tuna fishing, wahoo fishing, and the mahimahi fishing are some of the target fishing styles undertaken in Hawaii. The continued demand for fishing has necessitated the need for people willing to fish to make reservation.

Existing Hawaiian Fishing Styles
Variations in the Fishing Styles
Hawaiian style fishing ranges from the actual fishing to boat riding along the shore in order to view the beautiful water scenery within and outside the actual shore. Games are also played as a form of entertainment in order to attract and maintain tourist in the state. Only families that do not mind experiencing the act of having ocean sprays on their faces and at times the unfriendly smell of fish on the shorts and the die-hard common fishermen are encouraged to participate in the fishing tour activities. The tours entail having very aggressive fishing exercises in order to ensure that the allocated time is fully utilized (Kuykendall 231-310).

Adapted Styles of Fishing
Various parts of the Hawaii tend to have adopted relatively different styles of fishing. In most instances, the style of fishing adopted tends to directly relate to the needs, economic and cultural practices of the people in that specific area. According to a social research undertaken on the Pacific Islands in relation to the various national oceanic and the atmospheric administration in Honolulu, Hawaii, fishing styles such as the ancient hard-line fishing, in Hawaii clearly reflects the very existing cultural practices in the area (Sakamoto 230-250). This is at times varied depending on whether the fishing practices are being undertaken by women or men or the local inhabitants or tourists in the area.

Licensing and Fishing Areas
Various tropical water tips, tactics, and techniques from the boat and banks are vital for fishing in Hawaii. Marine fisheries in Hawaii are categorized under the three geographical areas which include the core Hawaii Island that are mainly inhabited, the Northwestern Hawaii Island, and the Mid-North Pacific Ocean area (Kawaharada 125-126). Both large and small scale commercial fishing is undertaken. Since early 1970s, the U.Ss department of the interior commercial fisheries bureau has hugely been involved in enhancing the survival of Hawaii fishing and controlling the various fishing methods used. Licensing is normally required if commercial fishing is to be practiced. Wildlife refuges, harbors, military bases, and natural area reserves are some of the areas where fishing in Hawaii is prohibited. Keeping of undersized fish that have died is also not allowed under any circumstances.

Past Fishing Styles
Traditional Fishing Styles
Traditional fishing styles in Hawaii were used for a period of about fifty years, which ranges from 1900 to the year 1950. This can best be illustrated through an in-depth analysis of the Samoan styles o fishing. The common fishing techniques used under the traditional modes of fishing include rod and line fishing, gleaning, netting, trapping, boat fishing, and the diving fishing styles. Rules and regulations on where and how to fish and the types of fishes allowed to be caught were in existence. Lagoons were the core facilitators of fishing. Various traditional methods of fishing are still in existence.

Net and Line Fishing
Shorts nets that have eight to ten fathoms that have pegged float lines and stone sinkers are used for fishing in most local areas of Hawaii. Shorts are also used for fishing though with artificially made rock-heaps (Beckley 1883 Sakamoto 230-250). A sinker line is used in ensuring that the net covers even the bottom parts of the artificially made rock heaps. This is also applied when fishing is done using two kinds of mullet. Fish poising, the usage of fishhooks, specialized fishing with the boats, squid lures, and fishing using floats some of the traditional methods of fishing that are still in use in the modern Hawaii.

Fishing Undertaken By Women
Small fishery was mainly done by women and was mainly called figota. This was mainly practiced during the dry period in the new moon in which there were low tides in the forenoons. Women always went to the dried up reef-lagoon with relatively short sticks together with longer ones and a basket that was popularly called Ola (Russ 345-350). This fishing style was practiced by the women poking in the reefs for the small available fishes, regardless of their species, and then killing them by way of either biting them through the eyes or biting them through the neck. Women also used baskets and nets to fish though this was done in very rare instances.

Modern Fishing Styles in Hawaii
Pelagic Fishing
Pelagic fishing method, which integrates other fishing styles, is one of the fishing methodologies. Pelagic fishing method in Hawaii mainly targets fish available in the Pacific Ocean in the area. The major fish types that are caught using this method include the goatfish, kumu fush, moano, the weke-a-oama, moana kea, malu, munu, kala, and the manini fish among others. Under this fishing style, large industrialized fleets, smaller domestic commercialized fleets that are from the Pacific Island, and the artisan domestic fisheries are frequently.  The fishery under these categories mainly targets large and commonly available pelagic species (Hosaka 180-193). The fish under these species include the yellow fin, skipjack, spearfish, blue fish, and the black malin. Sailfish and the pelagic sharks are also common species of fish caught using the pelagic fishing style.

Hawaii Long-line Fleet
Longline fleet fishing method used in Hawaii includes a number of much older wooden long-liners, fiberglass and wood vessels, and much newer long-liners made of steel. These vessels were previously used for fishing in the areas that were off the United States of Americas mainland. This style of fishing mainly targeted primary swordfish while in some instances, yellow fin and the bigeye tunas were the major targets (Sakamoto 230-250). Long line fleets mainly engaged in the fishing of the Longline fisheries, which was practiced throughout the year. The older vessel that was used for fishing using the Hawaii Longline fleet technology measure thirteen to twenty in meters and normally very capable of between two to three weeks trips. On the other hand, Pukui and Samuel (12-67) are of the opinion that the more modern long-liners that are currently in use averages two thousand one hundred and thirty meters long and normally travel for about three months. This style therefore evidently increases the scale of fishing and is mainly practiced on a commercial scale. Fishing using long-liners also engages the use of outfitted water and ice making machines and more modern electronic equipments that facilitate easy navigation, fish location, and communication.
During the employment of the Hawaii long-line fleet fishing style to catch tuna and other fishes, a vessel may be made to travel for about two days from the port for a few hundred kilometers so as to have a higher probability of having a better catch. However, two to ten days traveling of a vessel over a distance of two thousand miles is required if swordfish have to be caught using the Hawaii long-line fleet fishing style. Aquarium Fish Handbook explains the fact that long-line trips normally last for about fourteen to twenty-one days whenever the bigeye and the yellowfin tunas are targeted. To the contrary, efficient pursuance of swordfish demands thirty to forty-five days (Dick 31-82). The Hawaii long liners sell their long-liners in auction through which both export and the local wholesalers that are specialized in doing fish purchase them related businesses buy their shares. In 1993, for instance, Hawaii based fishing long-line fleets landed about 6,000 mt of the swordfish, alone which was about 15 of the total swordfish caught.

Pole and Line Fishing Style
Tuna fishing method in which fish are mainly caught using a fiberglass or a bamboo pole and barbless leathered line is called the pole and line fishing style. This method, even though it is also dominant in Hawaii, was developed by the Polynesians with the aim of catching skipjack tuna through the employment of peal shells meant to act as baits to the fish to be caught. The pearl shell lures that are rigged with various designs of hooks of the hawksbill turtle shells. In most instances, two to three poles are connected to a single lure, which is in turn connected to a much larger boat. It is the sturdy fishermen who handle the boats while automated polling machines are also used in order to speed up the entire fishing process. Hawaii pole and line fishing vessels were built in 1940s and in the 1950s and have an average length of twenty three to thirty meters. The common number of crew that operates in Hawaii under this fishing style comprises of five to seven people. This method targets to catch anchoivies, baitfish, sardines, and the silversides, which are commonly found in the sheltered waters of Keehi lagoon, Kaneohe Bay, and the Pearl Harbor. At night, baitfish is caught using a net of approximated thirty-to-fifty meters long that is set 24m deep in the water. This is different for the daytime baitfish catching which requires about 160 meters long net though only a depth of one meter needs to be covered.

Other Fishing Styles in Hawaii
Mid-water Tuna Lines Fishing
From the research and analysis undertaken, it is evident that various types of fishing do exist. Other fishing methods in existence in Hawaii includes fishing using mid-water tuna lines, the drop stone method, the Palu-Ahi method, the Ika-Shibi method, and the catching of bait around fads. With reference to the size of gear required for fishing, the mid-water line fishing style is the simpler style of catching tunas and other oceanic fishes in the fishing practiced by Hawaiians (Dick 31-82)

Canoe and Small Vessels
Fishing in Hawaii is also done from a canoe or other smaller vessels and relies on the winds direction to influence the direction to be taken by the fishing vessel. The core advantage of this fishing technique, which is however not so common in Hawaii, is that they can easily be maneuvered in order to continuously stay over their fishing spot by use of the motor or a paddle. Shoe fishing methodology, reef fishing, and bay fishing are other styles of fishing used in Hawaii are suitable for fishing due to the nature of Hawaiian shores, climate, and cultural practices in the state.

Troll Fishing
Trolling, a pelagic method of fishing is the most common fishing style in Hawaii (Pukui and Samuel 12-21). This method has continued to be dominant due to its uniqueness and the ability of the people to combine fishing with other popular activities used by both the local Hawaiian inhabitants and the tourists to the area. Full time and part-time commercial and recreational fishing methods are commonly used in troll fishing. In Hawaii, fishing using the troll style mainly targets the blue marlin, dolphin fish, wahoo, the yellow tuna, and the skipjack tuna. Additionally, this fishing style targets to catch spearfish, albacore, sail fish, sharks, and the kawakawa fish both within and outside the Hawaiian territory. Outrigger poles are used with the aim of keeping the fishing lines from tangling. Beckley (183) explains in his Fisheries in Hawaii book that the trolling gear used under this method consists of the lever-drag hand in the cranked reels, stouts-fiberglass poles, and short. Like many other fishing styles used in Hawaii, trollers occasionally use both dead and live baits to entice the fishes being targeted. For instance, small tuna are normally employed in attracting marlins. The marlins are prized catches for the chattered vessels. Mackerel scad, bigeye scad, and strips of the skipjack tuna are more often used whenever a dolphin fish school is encountered in the process of fishing. The vessels being used to fish are always slowed whenever live baits are being used to in order to allow the bait to swim naturally and increase the chances of catching the prey (fish) (Mary and Puak 190-330).

Trollers fish mainly in areas where the water masses converge at slow pace and in places where the topography of the underwater changes dramatically. This is common in areas that are near oceanic seamounts and submarine cliffs. In Hawaii, charter boats targets and catches more marlin of about 40 to 50 by weight while the non-charter commercial trollers targets and catch more yellowfin of about 80 by weight. The available fulltime commercial vessels which are not engaged in Charters does relatively long trips that last for at least eight hours (Pacific Foundation of Whale 2002). The part time recreational and commercial vessels normally fish for about six hours per trip. 70 of the charter boat fishes caught and the 60 of the fish caught during the recreational activities either by the locals or foreign tourists is sold for domestic use  food. These categories of fish include the sail fish, spearfish, kawakawa, albacore, sharks, and the rainbow runner. Sport fishing is mainly undertaken in Hawaiian using the troll fishing style.

Major Areas of Fishing in Hawaii
Kauai
In Hawaii, various types of fishing have been known to be concentrated in specific parts of the state. For instance, Kauai, which has the public Kokee fishing area, offers seasonal unrestricted fishing opportunity while though most shorelines are fully open to public fishing (Pukui and Samuel 23-67).

Maua
Maua is another area in Hawaii that has many fishing activities and it has many fishing boats that offer chatters of deep-sea sport fishing in Maui. According to the UNEP report released in the year 2002, snagging in Hawaii is never prohibited unless if it is done in the specific FMAs, PFAs, MLCDs and few other managed places in Hawaii (UNEP News).

Prohibited Areas
In Hawaii, there are a number of areas in which fishing is either totally prohibited or regulated. In most instances, prohibition is normally done in circumstances where the natural inhabitants seems to be threatened or in areas in which further fishing would totally eradicate the specific species of fish being protected. According to the regulators of the Hawaii fishing industry, the areas in which fishing is prohibited or constantly regulated include military bases, wildlife refuges, harbors, and natural area reserves. The prohibition includes encompasses fishing of the undersized fishes which indeed is never allowed under any circumstances.

The ever increasing demand for fresh tuna fish and other fishes implies that Hawaiian people and the governance authority need to improvise new style of fishing that are environmentally friendly and which would ensure that the available fish species are conserved. The future prospect of some fisheries is so uncertain and thus new better new inventions in the fishing style to be used ensure that the fishes are not totally eradicated (Wichman 12-31). The Hawaiian pole and lines skipjack tuna has witnessed limited market due to the changing of the product from the being canned to fresh tuna due to the 1984 closure of the Honolulu fish cannery. As a tourist attraction activity, some fishing styles in Hawaii are used as forms of sport.

For centuries, the effect of Liverpool in Great Britain has been felt. Equally, these effects have spread all around the world. Traced back to the 12th century, Liverpool has grown in terms of commerce, infrastructure, art, sports and culture, which has had an effect in Great Britain. The City has been instrumental in the rise of Great Britain as an empire through a number of effects over hundreds of years that have streamlined the city into one of the most successful cases across the world.
This paper aims to find out the different factors that depict Liverpools influence on Great Britain. The main influential factors are highlighted and discussed, from the Mersey, Inventions and Innovations, Slave Trade, Industrial Revolution, the Immigrant Factor, Second World War, Liverpool in 20th Century, Tourism, Liverpool World Heritage Site, and Liverpool Sport to Music. The conclusion echoes the main ideas.

Body
The Mersey
One of the reasons that have made Liverpool what it is today is the River Mersey, through its strategic positioning in terms of trade and accessibility to the world. The first major cargo that opened Liverpool to the world is recorded to have been from Americas in 1648. However, the real development of the town rose after 1660, after the restoration, as the growth of commerce with West Indies and America grew. From that time, the rapid successful increase of commerce and population has seen Liverpool rise to Great Britains second metropolis. As the access to the sea catalyzed commerce in Liverpool, coal, salt and cloth from Cheshire and Lancashire were traded for tobacco and sugar. In fact, Liverpool got its first sugar refinery in 1670.  Other notable developments in Liverpool were recorded by 1699, when it became its own Parish through an Act of Parliament, by being separated from Walton-on-the-Hill and getting a different  customs authority distinct from Chesters.

Inventions and Innovations
If there is anything that is significant and genius about Liverpool, it is the spirit of ingenuity, innovations and inventions in all spheres of human life and culture.  Railways, municipal trams, helicopter, electric trains, ferries and transatlantic steamships were all started and pioneered as mass modes of transport in Liverpool (Liverpool Museums). Even the first ever School of Tropical Medicine began in Liverpool, which saw the first ever Nobel Prize in Great Britain go to Ronald Ross in 1902, a professor in the School. In societal issues, Liverpool was also a pioneer in creating the first high school arrangement for girls the first school specifically for the Blind. Juvenile Court, and Council house, all were founded in Liverpool.

Such issues as Age Concern, Citizens Advice Bureau, Legal Aid and Relate evolved and perfected from works in the Merseyside city. In terms of health, Liverpool has also been tremendous and first in transforming the welfare of the Great Britain people. This is because it originated such issues as public health, public baths, first lifeboat station, sanitary act, washhouses, X-ray medical diagnosis, medical officer for health, slum clearance, district nurse, cancer research centre, purpose-built ambulance, zoonosis research centre, and motorized municipal fire-engine. Also, school of tropical medicine, free school meals and milk originated from Liverpool. In addition, Hugh Owen Thomas also pioneered orthopedic surgery as well as the first modern medical usage of anesthetics through Thomas Cecil Gray.  In finance, the trend of origin and pioneering continues from Liverpool, where the first Great Britain Underwriters Association in Finance came into being, together with the creation of the first Institute of Accountants.

Liverpool also has the arts depicting its spirit of ingenuity and innovation, where it was the home of the first lending library, the athenaeum society and arts centre, as well as public art conservation centre. The oldest surviving orchestra from the UK is also found in Liverpool, known as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (British Broadcasting Corporation).  In architecture, Peter Ellis in 1864 built the first iron-framed building in the world, an office building that was also curtain-walled, known as the Oriel Chambers a perfect prototype of the modern skyscraper.  The English Heritage made Liverpool the first city outside London to receive an award of blue plaques in recognition of the ingenious, innovative and significant contributions that the daughters and sons of Liverpool have effected in all occupations and lifestyles.

Slave Trade
The real rise of Liverpool to global eminence came after it has received its own customs authority and Parish, through its global trade in slavery. This was on October 3, 1699, where the first ever slave ship in Liverpool known as Liverpool Merchant sailed from Africa and left for Barbados with slaves as the cargo. Trades in slaves characterize significant revenue that was so lucrative and had a far-reaching effect on the citys status as an economic giant.  The first ever wet dock in Great Britain was completed in 1715 in Liverpool, the first commercial enclosed wet dock across the world and could hold about 100 ships. This was very important since the worlds forty percent and Britains eighty percent trade in slaves was accounted for from the Liverpools docks (British Broadcasting Corporation, Liverpool local History, updated July 2002). Huge profits from trade in slaves changed Liverpool into one of the foremost very important British city (Muir, 191-193).

The international trade through Liverpool in a way was triangular. Goods from such towns as Manchester were offered to Africans who would offer slaves. These slaves were transported through the Atlantic to places which had high demand for slaves such as West Indies. Sugar was again brought back to Liverpool. This trade was making merchants in Liverpool huge profits. Beaten by London alone and rivaled by Bristol, Liverpool became a progressive financial centre where the huge presence of the black community is because of the successful slave trade that took place in its docks. Through the returns of the slave trade, Liverpool was transformed from just a mere port city to a financial success and contributed to the development of Britain into an empire (New York Times). When the high seas were a major war and piracy zone, where the British ships used to carry out Privateering from government by attacking Spanish ships and stealing all the spoils from the Americas, Liverpool saw many ships sail from its dock towards this activity.

Industrial Revolution
The rise in trade and finances are the main factors that saw Liverpool rise from just a port to an excellent city and metropolis. As much as slave trade helped carve a new and stronger Great Britain largely in terms of commerce, there were other commercial factors as well. There was a rise in international trade alongside slave trade, on a vast range of commodities, particularly cotton, and Liverpool became the worlds leading market. It largely supplied the textile mills of Lancashire and Manchester. Other contributing factors to the financial independence of Liverpool and its subsequent rise to one of the best and important towns in Great Britain were such industries as sugar refining, shipbuilding, rope making (needed for the huge number of ships), ironwork, pottery and watch making (Liverpool Museums).

Since through water transport Liverpool was growing rapidly, rivers had to be deepened in the 18th century, thus making it easier for all kinds of ships to sail through them. In fact, the Irwell and Mersey rivers were deepened by 1720 while the Sankey Brook faced the same in 1755. With the new thinking and commercial success of the 18th century, the population of the town was growing, from a mere 6,000 to more than 80,000, which was significant for the industries that required a huge work force. At this time, Liverpool started opening up Great Britain by increasing communication with the northern cities and hinterland. In fact, it was linked through a canal in 1721 to Manchester, St. Helens coalfield and Leeds in 1755 and 1816 respectively. The rail link to Manchester, one of the first between two urban centers was via the Liverpool-Manchester Railway.

Another strategic change in Liverpool that led to its influence in Great Britain is the Town Hall designed by the Great architect, John Wood for merchants, opening its first ever office buildings, as well as the corn exchange.  The rise of Liverpool in terms of trade hardly halted in the 19th Century as the population continued to rise and expand. As the growth in Cotton trade continued, Liverpool developed strong trading with the Far East and India after the end of the monopoly of the East India Company in 1813. As the international trade blossomed, Liverpool had to enlarge its docks and between 1824 and 1858, there was an opening of over 140 acres of new docks with a space of 16 kilometers. Through this, since International trade conducted through the ocean, Liverpool was very significant in the rise of the British Empire, as it opened the commercial links between Great Britain and the world, where finances trickled down to the heart of Britain through the towns link with the northern regions and the hinterlands. The granted city status in 1880 saw Liverpool continue with its effects on the British economy and culture, more so because of the establishment of its University in 1881. This expanded the city and in so doing, its boundaries enlarged to encompass Everton, Kirkdale, Garston, Toxteth, West Derby and Walton.

The Immigrant Factor
Due to its status of being a port city, Liverpool maintains a diverse population historically drawn from different cultures, religions and peoples, more so from Ireland. Liverpool is also the home of Britains largest Black African Community as well as the oldest community of Chinese in all Europe. This is one of the most exotic hybrids of a society contributing to its place in Britain and transformed the course of Great Britain in all spheres.

The Irish migrants arrived in their thousands by 1840s, because of the worst famine of 1845-1849. In fact, in 1847 alone, about 300,000 Irish folks arrived in Liverpool, while a quarter of the entire population in 1851 was Irish born. This is reflected in the Irish and UK political history where Liverpool produced the only parliamentary member from the Irish Parliamentary Party outside Ireland. In the years 1851-1911, the Welsh came to Liverpool, 20,000 in every decade, mostly in the 1880s, flourishing the Welsh culture (Mersey Gateway). With such an intense blend of cultures, the city rose in terms of their input, to the second largest and important city after London, in basically every sphere. In fact in 1851 Liverpool was called the European New York, with its heroic buildings standing supremely as a witness of the citys ambition.

Second World War
Apart from being the first ever-provincial airport in the UK, operations commencing from the 1930s, the port city played a crucial role in the ensuing Second World War. It was a city of critical importance, recognized by both Churchill and Hitler. This made the city to suffer a blitz that was only second to that suffered London. It is the spot where the Battle of the Atlantic was planned, fought as well as won. This is historically one of the most important parts of the history of Great Britain in the 20th century and strengthened the position of Liverpool in terms of Great Britains involvement in the Second World War.

Liverpool in 20th Century
The 20th century also saw Liverpool maintain its industrial prowess and presence, thus effectively maintaining the position of Great Britain in the financial limelight. In the late 20th century, Liverpool had such industries as cement manufacture, flour milling, engineering and sugar refining. These tenets made the economy in the city to boom between the 1950s and 60s. However, just like in other parts of the country, the economy of the city was affected by the recession in the 1970s and 80s. However, this has not affected the position of the city in United Kingdom. It is still one of the most important port cities in Great Britain. Since it is strategically positioned in the Northwest, it has the main port that trades with the entire North America.   Other changes abound that still make the city very crucial, such as the redevelopment of Albert Dock in the 1980s, turning it into an area of commercial excellence in terms of restaurants, shops and bars.

Tourism
Due to its lavish and rich history, Liverpool has been increasing in terms of tourism and tourist attractions because of different factors, such as the rise of the Liverpool music, arts and culture. Its Merseyside Maritime Museum had its doors opened in 1980 while the Modern Art TATE gallery was opened in 1988. Other significant art museums include the Museum of Liverpool Life that was opened in 1993 and the 1994s Custom Excise Museum. These rose due to the demand of such museums in the City, as people came into the city in large numbers. In fact, a conservation Center was opened within Queens Square around 1996, plus the Institute for Performing Arts in the same year. These sites are offering tourists visiting the city the chance to see great and historic paraphernalia, contributing in a great way to the economy of Great Britain (Office for National Statistics, 2001)

Liverpool World Heritage Site
There are less than 900 inscriptions of UNESCOs World Heritage Sites since the list started being made in 1972. When the Dock Front in Liverpool was honored in 2004, the citys tourism and effect in Great Britain in modern times took a different dimension. The list is made in recognition of historical and cultural significance in different sites, natural or man-made. What made Dock Front in Liverpool to be recognized was because of its crucial role in the expansion of the British influence and trade in the age of the British Empire, its architectural supremacy and innovations depicted by its engineering. It was referred to as the Maritime mercantile City. Currently, the Dock Front has joined officially such significant places in world history as the Pyramids, Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty. The site is divided into six unique regions, the Pier Head, Albert Dock and its environment, Stanley Dock and its environment, the cultural quarter (Dale St, Castle St, Old Hall St regions), Duke St region where the merchants housing and warehousing is situated. Today, these areas are as significant and important as when they were built, although used wholly for other different purposes, but still maintain the architecture, character and demeanor they had when they were being constructed.

Liverpool Sport
When someone speaks of Liverpool in another place across the world, the first impression is Liverpool Football Club, arguably the most successful club in Great Britain. It has fanatical following not only in Liverpool and UK but also across the world. The name Liverpool has thus been made famous, an advocate of the Great Britains supremacy in the world of soccer. However, this is also the hotbed of soccer success in the Northwest, being the home of Liverpool and Everton, two Premiership clubs, as well as hundreds of others. Football and Liverpool are almost the same, but not the only thing that the city has a story influence on in Britain in terms of sports.

Liverpool is a City of sporting success. In fact, the citys passion for basically any sport made the 1860s Liverpool Olympics a success, heavily influencing Pierre De Coubertin towards reviving in 1896 the first modern Olympics. Down the historical pages of Great Britain is the Citys list of great Olympians, such as Austin Rawlinson, Steve Smith, Mary Peters and much more. Liverpool is also a host of the international Tennis Tournament that attracts great tennis maestros and big names (Liverpool City Council, Organized Sports). With a new seats arena of 10,500 enough to stage the best ever indoor sports, Liverpool has invested in sports heavily, since it is the breathing matter of the City and its environs. Another world famous racecourse in Liverpool is the John Smiths Grand National in Aintree. Innovative technology in Liverpool has not avoided the route of sports, through facilities courtesy of the Citys three main Universities. For instance, Liverpool John Moores University has a science department playing a critical role in the research and development of technology and sports technique. In such, it helps the Liverpool City Council in pioneering the Sportslinx Scheme, which is the largest program in Europe tackling issues of youth obesity.

Music
Musicians from Liverpool have been involved in the production of top singles that is not equaled by any other City across the world. The birthplace of the world famous musicians, the Beatles, as well as the forefront in the Beat music movement of the 1960s that led to the British music invasion that followed, Liverpool is known for such all time musicians as Billy J. Kramer, the Searchers, Cilla Black and Gerry and the Peacemakers (Liverpool History Society).

Liverpool has arguably transformed Great Britain in terms of culture, commerce, innovations and art more than any other city in Britain, as the Blue Plaques award suggests. It is a city carved out of success.