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🏆 Advanced English • Unit 1

The Modern Business of Sports

Master 10 key C1 terms to discuss money, fair play, and ethics in professional sports.

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a high-angle cinematic shot of a modern, crowded professional stadium during a game, vibrant lighting, ultra-realistic s

i How to Use This Lesson

For Teachers

Spend about 5 minutes on the word table, 10 on the 16 items, 5 on shadowing. Check answers together after each part.

Review the practice drills in pairs before learners complete individual voice recordings in the Shadowing Studio.

For Learners

Study the vocabulary table and memory tips carefully before attempting any of the practice tasks.

Complete all 16 exercises, then listen to the audio clips and record your voice clearly for each shadowing prompt.

📋 Core Vocabulary Reference

10 Words Across 3 Key Themes

💰 Theme 1: Money in Sport

Word	Meaning	Collocations	Word Forms	Example Sentence	Memory Tip
sponsorship	Financial support given by a sponsor in exchange for advertising	corporate sponsorship, lucrative sponsorship	sponsor (v)	The athletic club secured a multi-million-pound corporate sponsorship.	Think of a brand logo stitched directly across a team jersey.
lucrative	Producing a large amount of profit or money	lucrative contract, lucrative deal	–	The striker signed an exceptionally lucrative deal with the European champions.	LOO-kruh-tiv: a lot of cash comes in.
revenue	Total money generated before any costs are subtracted	generate revenue, broadcast revenue	–	Clubs rely heavily on stadium ticket sales to generate annual revenue.	"Re-venue" = money returning to the venue every match day.
broadcast	To transmit a program on television, radio, or internet	broadcast rights, live broadcast	broadcaster (n)	Networks spent billions to acquire exclusive global broadcast rights.	"Broad" (wide) + "cast" (throw) = throwing the signal far and wide.

⚖️ Theme 2: Fair Play

Word	Meaning	Collocations	Word Forms	Example Sentence	Memory Tip
doping	The illicit use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports	systemic doping, anti-doping test	–	Independent investigators uncovered evidence of state-sponsored systemic doping.	Picture a syringe dropping chemicals into a runner's drink.
integrity	The quality of being honest and adhering to moral principles	uphold integrity, sporting integrity	–	Referees are expected to uphold the absolute integrity of every match.	"Integer" means whole/unbroken; honest rules stay intact.
misconduct	Unacceptable, improper, or dishonest professional behavior	professional misconduct, gross misconduct	–	The manager was dismissed immediately following allegations of gross misconduct.	"Mis-" (bad) + "conduct" (behavior) = wrongful actions.

⚠️ Theme 3: The Dark Side of Sport

Word	Meaning	Collocations	Word Forms	Example Sentence	Memory Tip
exploit	To unfairly treat someone to benefit from their effort or talent	exploit young athletes, commercial exploitation	exploitation (n), exploitative (adj)	Corrupt agents often exploit young athletes who dream of global success.	Picture a boss taking all the money from a young worker.
burnout	State of physical or mental exhaustion caused by chronic overwork	severe burnout, suffer from burnout	–	Relentless tournament travel left the teenage tennis star facing severe burnout.	A candle wick burning all the way down until no flame is left.
scandal	An action or event considered morally or legally wrong, causing public outrage	erupt into scandal, betting scandal	scandalous (adj)	The league erupted into scandal when leaked files showed rigged matches.	Picture a newspaper headline with a big shock.

🎯 Practice Exercises

Complete all 16 questions below to test your understanding of collocations, forms, and contexts.

16 Questions

Exercise Set 1: Collocation Matrix

Match each noun to the primary verb it naturally collocates with in professional sport contexts.

Question 1: Which verb typically describes clubs building financial income?

Noun phrase

generate

lose

waste

hide

... revenue

____ generate ____ lose ____ waste ____ hide

Question 2: Which verb describes finalizing a corporate backing contract?

Noun phrase

secure

cancel

ignore

miss

... sponsorship

____ secure ____ cancel ____ ignore ____ miss

Question 3: Which verb describes exposing hidden use of prohibited substances?

Noun phrase

uncover

cause

allow

promote

... doping

____ uncover ____ cause ____ allow ____ promote

Question 4: Which dependent verb pattern describes an athlete experiencing extreme exhaustion?

Noun phrase

suffer from

enjoy

celebrate

measure

... burnout

____ suffer from ____ enjoy ____ celebrate ____ measure

Exercise Set 2: Gap-Fill with Word Bank

Fill in each blank using a word from the bank: misconduct • exploit • lucrative • integrity

misconduct exploit lucrative integrity

Question 5: Match-fixing directly destroys the sporting ____ of the competition because fans cannot trust the result.

Question 6: By signing a highly ____ endorsement deal, the young sprinter guaranteed her financial independence for life.

Question 7: The head referee was suspended for six months following documented evidence of professional ____ during the championship final.

Question 8: Many critics warn that predatory agencies deliberately ____ teenage footballers by trapping them in one-sided long-term contracts.

Exercise Set 3: Choose the Best Word

Select the single word that fits the exact sport context and established C1 collocations.

Question 9: When several Olympic medallists failed random drug tests, the entire track federation erupted into a major ________.

____ a. scandal ____ b. misconduct ____ c. revenue

Question 10: The reigning world champion signed an enormously ________ television broadcast partnership across North America.

____ a. tiring ____ b. lucrative ____ c. illegal

Question 11: The league sold the exclusive global ________ to digital streaming giants for record figures.

____ a. broadcast rights ____ b. merchandising deals ____ c. naming rights

Question 12: The international sports tribunal found evidence of state-sponsored ________ stretching over a decade.

____ a. doping ____ b. medicating ____ c. stimulant abuse

Exercise Set 4: Word-Formation

Use the prompt word in capitals to form the correct grammatical word for the blank.

Question 13 (SPONSOR): Leading beverage companies continue their ____ of the national football tournament each autumn.

Question 14 (BROADCAST): The official sports ____ issued a formal apology after its live stream crashed during the penalty shootout.

Question 15 (EXPLOIT): Player unions condemned the schedule as purely ____, forcing athletes to compete three times a week.

Question 16 (SCANDAL): Investigative reporters described the misuse of emergency athlete welfare funds as absolutely ____.

🎙️ Shadowing Studio

Listen to each phrase, mimic the rhythm and intonation, then record yourself.

12 Prompts

a close-up, high-quality portrait of a professional athlete in motion, focused expression, cinematic sports photography

Group 1: Key Collocations

Collocation 1

corporate sponsorship

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Collocation 2

lucrative broadcast deal

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Collocation 3

uphold sporting integrity

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Collocation 4

player burnout

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Group 2: Short Sentences

Short Sentence 1

They risked their careers through systemic doping.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Short Sentence 2

The club must generate more commercial revenue.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Short Sentence 3

Officials investigated the coach for gross misconduct.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Short Sentence 4

Wealthy clubs exploit young talent from developing nations.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Group 3: Extended Sentences

Extended Sentence 1

It is high time sports bodies took burnout seriously.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Extended Sentence 2

The broadcast deal became a scandal when leaked documents revealed hidden payments.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Group 4: Precision Pronunciation (Challenging Words)

Focus Word 1 /ˈluː.krə.tɪv/

lucrative

Stress the first syllable: LOO-kruh-tiv.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Focus Word 2 /ɪnˈteɡ.rə.ti/

integrity

Stress the second syllable: in-TEG-ruh-tee.

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

The Modern Business of Sports

The Modern Business of Sports

i How to Use This Lesson

📋 Core Vocabulary Reference

🎯 Practice Exercises

Exercise Set 1: Collocation Matrix

Exercise Set 2: Gap-Fill with Word Bank

Exercise Set 3: Choose the Best Word

Exercise Set 4: Word-Formation

🎙️ Shadowing Studio

Group 1: Key Collocations

Group 2: Short Sentences

Group 3: Extended Sentences

Group 4: Precision Pronunciation (Challenging Words)

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