A great way of filling your ESL classes with a fresh air is choosing activities based on current news. Use the news in ESL activities is an approach that we will be displaying through examples of teacher friendly ESL topic activities prepared by our teachers. Based on breaking news and current events, the ESL activities based on news are a winning bet in your lesson plans. The World Cup has been an inspiration for Toby Knight, a football fan and a great activity writer.

Sponsorship for sporting events is a multi million pound business and the coming world cup continues to reflect this, but at the same time social unrest in Brazil has lead many to question what the implications are for the country.

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News in ESL activities - development
Title:	World Cup 2014 sponsors face whole new ball game
Objective: (short)	To get students to understand sponsorship and the roles the sponsors play at major sporting events
Intro:	Are you looking forward to the World Cup? Why is this year's tournament so controversial? (Protests and social unrest) Have you noticed an increase in football related advertisements recently? Can you name any? Does this make you want to buy their products?
Activity:	Read out text:World cup SPONSORSHIP is now much more than companies just handing over money for promotion on billboards. The relationship is now a different one, with this year's sponsors aware of the growing non-commercial, social and political NUANCES around their role as financial BACKERS of this event. Sony has involved itself in the FURORE around the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, and Adidas says the ONGOING issue is ''neither good for football nor for Fifa and its partners''. And another massive backer, Coca-Cola, says it is prepared to tone down its BRANDING message in the face of social unrest in Brazil.''There is no disputing that the sponsors are a really important part of the World Cup,'' says sports marketing consultant Amir Somoggi. ''However, protesters are trying to put some of the guilt around the World Cup costs onto the sponsors. So sponsors are not launching their usual type of MARKETING strategies in case they are targeted by protesters. But for me the blame for the increased costs should not be put on Fifa or the sponsors, but our politicians.''  Questions for students: How has the sponsors relationship with the event changed? Which sponsors are unhappy about the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar? Which is Coca-Cola going to do at this world cup? What do the protestors feel about the sponsors?   Discussion: Where will the $13.3 Billion of Government money be spent best? Divide class into two groups - one group representing the Brazilian government, the other representing Brazilian people. (If teaching a large group include a third group representing sponsors of the tournament) Each group must come up with 3 strong arguments why Brazil should or shouldn't host the World Cup and how the money should be spent best. (Sponsor group must talk about the positives their sponsorship brings to Brazil)
Wrap up:	Are the politicians to blame for all the social unrest?Should sponsors change their marketing strategy to avoid upsetting people? How do you now feel about this tournament? WIll you still watch it? Where else have you seen sponsorship recently? Did it affect you? What was the last furore you were involved in?

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