All things finance in Sport

In Sport, it is normally the rich that come out on top. Whatever sport it may be, the clubs and players with a larger financial backing usually finish with the prize.

In America, millions upon millions of dollars are spent on players and the facilties for them to train in. This means that is constantly the richer clubs that win the division and end of season playoffs, this an unfortunate fact that is unlikely to change.

In the UK, the English football premiership has been dominated by the same four teams over the last 15 years and you can go even further back to when Liverpool were a team that nobody could beat. All that has changed but despite Liverpool being a fairly poor form of themselves they still finish within the top 4 teams (except for one season) when the season is over. Chelsea are now owned by one of the richest men in the world and have spent around £300 million during the past 4 years.The most successful club in the past 20 years has been Manchester United who have fast become the richest football club in the world, a title they exchange constantly with Real Madrid.

Tiger Woods has broken pretty much every record this to be broken in golf and is reported to be worth over $200m and is one of the most successful golfers of all time.

It is no coincidence that the richest teams and players win the honours but the question is can the small, poorer teams and players upset the books? Probably not!

This summer will see the XXIX summer olympics take place in Beijing, many countries will take place but the fact of the matter is that the usual suspects will probably take the honours.

The richer countries are able to supply the facilities for the athletes to train to an exceptionally high standard whilst the less fortunate nations will have to make do with below standard tracks and equipment. When you look down at the winners list at the end of the games you will no doubt see a pattern, the wealthier countries will have their athletes with gold medals around their necks whilst the poorer countries will have just been glad to be there and competing against the worlds best.

The Africans will undoubtedly dominate the long distance events which they normally do but apart from those events can any of the athletes from the lesser developed countries outdo those from the richest? the sad thing is probably not, there just isn't the infrastructure in those countries for these athletes to compete. Surely the IOC (International Olympic Commitee) should be helping these athletes to compete and have a more enjoyable games.

Whilst we're on the topic of the olympics, what are peoples thoughts on Dwain Chambers? Should he be able to represent Great Britain at the Olympics?

For those who don't know, Chambers failed a drug test a few years back and as a result was banned from all further Olympics. However, he came back after his ban and won the British trials last weekend which would normally automatically qualify him for the games. He is appealing the lifetime ban and should find out whether his appeal was successful or not.

SO where do you fall? Is he rehabilitated and served his punishment and should be allowed to run or would that set the wrong image for younger athletes and he the ban should stand?

A recent increase in prices will have everyone worried. It effects everyone! The recent sufferers a sport fans, football fans in particular. With the increase in fuel prices, a football fans matchday has become even more expensive.

A matchday ticket is around £25-£30 for one adult and children normally pay around £10-£15. This means a family going to a game can cost upto £120 for 2 adults and 2 kids, and you haven't even brought a programme, drinks and maybe a pie at half-time! Adding to this the cost of getting to a game is now more expensive with the rise in fuel prices, football grounds may find themselves not so full in the coming months.

How can the smaller teams expect to compete with the bigger, financially stable teams? With the "big four" able to spend hundreds of millions on players, the smaller teams are finding it increasingly hard to compete for major honours.

Takeovers are a usual thing is business but football has never been like any other business, all of a sudden we are seeing clubs being taken over left, right and centre by businessmen looking to make a quick buck and get out of there. Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and even Manchester United have all seen foreign investors come into the club and take over. IS this a good or bad thing for football? well, England is a nation that prides itself on sport (however bad we may be) and the one thing all fans demand is their players and staff alike give all they can. Can this happen with so many foreign investors? Let me know your thoughts.

Debt is a common problem and it is not just your average joe is gets into it! sportsmen often find themselves in debt because they have thrown their money away on unnecessary things. One of the best examples is Mike Tyson, whos career was marred with controversy and ultimately led him into serious debt. He seeked help and so should you if the unfortunate does come to fruition.

Sportsmen are vulnerable to debt, simply because they don't often seek advice on how best to save your money, if you feel that you are on the brink of debt or you simply need advice on how to save money then click on the links section here and ask some questions to the experts, they helped me so they could help you.

As with most sports, football is dominated by money and for the owners and chaiman, the money the club earns is as important as the results on the pitch. 15 years ago, results were more important but due to the increase in popularity, clubs are concentrating on making extra cash. They do this by playing games midday or on sundays so they can be put on television which means they will earn extra revenue.

Leeds united were playing in European Cup, the biggest club competition in Europe in 2001. 7 years later they have been in administration twice and in the third tier of English football, their demise was money and is can easily happen.

This is true in life as well, you may feel that you have loads of money and that you will never have any financial problems. However, it only takes one thing to change that all and preparing for the future and being cautious will ensure that if anything goes wrong then you have sufficient collateral to give you a helping hand.

Whether you have 20 or 2 rooms, you will still need a mortgage. There are so many different deals available and deciding which one may seem like hard work but searching online can eliminate the hassle and stress of finding the best deal. After all, you dont want to spend hours and hours looking for an insurer do you?!!

Whether it be a variable, fixed rate or offset mortgage you will find the best deals available to you online. Obviously the cost of your mortgage and the repayments required will differ depending on the size and value of your house. Sportsmen often have mansions and houses worth millions of pounds but for the average joe an average size house with 3 bedrooms is the norm. The one thing they have in common? the owner will have a mortgage!!

The Olympics is less than a week away and the favourites have been named. Unsurprisingly the financial powers of the world are the favourites such as the USA (with the largest squad you expect them to be) and Great Britain. Do those countries with a lower GDP and funds stand a chance of Olympic glory? the answer is yes!

The African nations thrive in the long distance events with many Jamaicans amongst the fastest in the world over 100m and 200m. So is it all about money in the Olympics? well there is no doubt that it helps, the USA swimming squad have hired a stadium in Beijing costing them $2m and add to this the financial muscle they have back home, they obviously have an advantage. However athletes have a god given talent and whether they are from the USA, Britain, Egypt or Ghana they all start on a level playing field and anyone can win on the day.

The football world cup is set to be held in South Africa in 2010, it is a monumental rise for a nation who has suffered so much in the recent history. The world cup will result in a huge boom for the economy with an increase in tourism and people buying various merchandise as the build up starts!

However, it may be over before its even started because FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) are unsure whether the country will have all the stadiums ready and the necessary infrastructure to hold an event of such magnitude. This would be catastophic for South Africa if this was to happen but they are doing all they can to ensure they get the cash windfall that is the FIFA Football World Cup.

Germany estimated they made pre-tax operating profit of £90million and for a country like South Africa, they could do so much with this kind of money. The South African representatives should do the utmost to ensure the World cup comes to the country.

The worlds financial powerhouses are fighting it out at the top at the medal table. China, USA, Great Britain, Germany and Australia are at the top and the financial muscle they have means the facilities their athletes have give them a competitive advantage over the other athletes.

It is not all about the financial powers in Beijing. Jamaica have produced 2 gold medal winners on the track and are expected to produce some more. It is refreshing to see athletes from traditionally poorer nations competing with those athletes who have had millions spent on their training.

It is unknown whether those athletes from the leading 5 nations will be there come the end of the games but one thing is for sure, the financial backing you have, whether it be a business, sportsman or businessperson, the financial muscle you have can give you an advantage.

A recent study conducted shows that some credit card providers are offering interest rates that are way above the average and you need to be careful when choosing your credit card deal that you dont become yet another victim to fall foul of high interest rates.

Some people rush into making a decision about which company they will use but if you take a little time to analyse your options then you will quickly realise that there are so many options available to you that you can afford to be a bit picky about the deal you choose. Now as credit cards arent like normal products, you wont be able to barter with the insurer for a better deal but searching online can ensure you get the best deal available.

Dont come a cropper to high interest rates by looking around and comparing various deals and offers from different providers and you should end up saving a considerable amount of money.