Characteristics of football, athletics and tennis.

The idea

You need to know how football, athletics and tennis have developed since 1950 and what distinguishes each as a participation and spectator activity. Football is a team invasion game with two squads, a pitch, goals and a global professional league structure. Athletics covers track and field events, often measured by time or distance, with individual and relay formats and major championships. Tennis is an individual or doubles racket sport played on different surfaces, with grand slam tournaments and a professional tour. For each sport, consider participation levels, media coverage, commercialisation, sponsorship, technology and rule changes since 1950. A multiple-choice question might ask which characteristic belongs to which sport, so link each feature to the correct activity rather than treating the three as identical.

What earns the marks

• Football is a team invasion game played on a pitch with goals, and since 1950 it has grown into a global professional sport with major leagues and international tournaments.
• Athletics includes track events such as sprints and distance races and field events such as jumps and throws, with performance often measured by time or distance.
• Tennis is an individual or doubles racket sport played on surfaces such as grass, clay and hard court, with a professional tour and grand slam tournaments.
• Since 1950 all three sports have experienced increased media coverage, sponsorship, commercialisation and technological change, but the form of that change differs by sport.
• Participation patterns differ: football and tennis have large recreational bases, while athletics includes both mass participation running and elite championship events.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing the scoring or match structure of tennis with that of football.

  Put it right: Tennis uses games, sets and matches, while football is decided by goals scored within a match.

• Describing athletics as only running events.

  Put it right: Athletics also includes field events such as jumps and throws, and combined events.

• Assuming all three sports have identical commercial and media profiles.

  Put it right: Football has the largest global commercial market, tennis has a strong individual tour and grand slams, and athletics has major championships and mass participation events.

Exam tips

• Read the question stem carefully to see which sport is being asked about, then eliminate options that describe a different sport.
• Revise one distinctive feature for each sport, such as football's league pyramid, athletics' time and distance measurements, and tennis' surface variety.
• Use the 1950 to present period as your frame, so options referring to pre-1950 developments are unlikely to be correct.