Jamaica has a long and rich history in sport, and no one can question that.

Ever since George Headley broke on the scene in 1930, this country - going from the likes of Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, and George Rhoden, Lindy Delapenha, Alfred Valentine, Collie Smith, Lawrence Rowe, Michael Holding, Jeffrey Dujon, and Courtney Walsh, Don Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson, and Juliet Cuthbert, Michael McCallum and Deon Hemmings, to Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Melaine Walker, and Shelly-Ann Frazer, Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt - has produced some of the best sportsmen and sportswomen in the world.

And on top of that, without even mentioning the audacity of our bobsledders, without talking about our appearance in the World Cup of football in 1998 and the skills of footballers like Theodore Whitmore and Ricardo Gardner, there have been some master-class performances.

Greatest achievements

Starting with Headley's phenomenal batting record as a youngster, following up with achievements like that glorious run in the 4x400 metres relay in Helsinki in 1952, with Rowe's fairy-tale entry into Test cricket, with Walsh's record number of wickets, with the consistently brilliant performance of our netballers headed by players like Patricia McDonald, Janet Johnson, and Connie Francis, and ending, so far, with the magnificent 4x100m in Beijing less than a year ago, this great little country has recorded some of the greatest achievements in the world of sport.

Right now, for example, the talk of the world is not an American. He is not an Englishman or a Russian - and not an African.

The talk of the world is a Jamaican. He is Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, arguably the greatest sprinter of all time.

Jamaica has produced so many great sportsmen and sportswomen, it has recorded so many great performances that Jamaica is almost synonymous with sports. In any language, that is great, and Jamaicans the world over are proud of the achievements of their ambassadors.

More than sports

There is, however, more to Jamaica than sport. In fact, sport is only for a time and occupies only a part of a man's life. There is life to live after sports, and as much as it has contributed to the national psyche, as much as we are proud of our sportsmen and sportswomen, as much as sports offers an opportunity to those from humble beginnings in the society, as much as it offers an equal opportunity to every one, until it becomes an industry - as many have been pleading for it to become - until it is part of the economy, those in sports should recognise that.

Hopefully, if they recognise that, they would stop using every opportunity to beg the government for financial assistance.

For many years now, certainly in recent years, those in sports, in almost every sports, have been loud and clear in their request for financial support from the government, and as much as sport has contributed, this government, if the truth be told, if politicians are big enough to tell them the truth, cannot afford to fund sports, and definitely not professional sports.

Apart from the fact that a government should not be expected to fund every sporting organisation - and certainly not those played by a few, by their own, and for their own enjoyment - sports, basically and especially so sports in which participants are paid, should fund itself.

Why should a group of people decide to play a sport, any sport, for their own enjoyment, then decide to go competitive - sometimes without any degree of skill, and then turn to the Government to pay for their training, coaching, travel and accommodation, and sometimes, and most times, to give them pocket money?

Why should a government, especially one in a country as poor as Jamaica, be asked to fund a sport, any sports, and including popular ones which collect at the gate, which have a staff and which pay those who play?

There are those - more so those who stand to benefit, some of whom do not pay taxes - who will come up with many answers why the Government should dip into its coffers.

Funding roadways

However, there are those - the poor of the land, some of whom are still expected to pay taxes, some of whom manage somehow to still pay taxes of one kind or another - who believe that but for providing for recreation, in schools and communities, the Government, this country's Government, should not be asked to spend so much of the people's money on sports - and definitely not in a country where there is so much to spend it on.

For those who do not know, for those who probably do not care, the Government's money is needed not only to fund good roadways - roadways on which people can walk, not to mention on which they can drive, but also, and probably more important in the long run, to provide the necessities of life, things that could mean prosperity, things that could be the difference between life and death, things like education and health, housing and food.

Sports has been good to Jamaica and to Jamaicans, and Jamaicans with a gift to perform in sports should be encouraged.

That encouragement, however, must fall in line with what the country can afford. It is foolish, for example, as so many tend to do while asking, to compare the facilities of countries like the United States and Great Britain with Jamaica's.

Until Jamaicans, the vast majority of Jamaicans, in every nook and cranny, can read and write, until proper health care, housing, and food are available to all Jamaicans, the Government cannot be expected to answer every call, or most of the calls, to pump so much of the people's money into sports.

It is nice to beat the champions of the US, England, and Russia, but based on what they sometimes ask for, based on what they expect this country to do for them, unlike what some people in sports seem to believe, when it comes to money, Jamaica is way, way below not only those three countries but also many, many others.

Sports as industry

The Government loves sports; the Government has set up the Sports Development Foundation to fund the development of sports as best as it can; and sometimes we just have to be satisfied with what we have, with what we can afford and, as we did back when champions like Headley, Wint, McKenley et al were on top of the world, hope, and pray, for the best.

Either that, or let us turn sports into an industry. Based on our history, based on the quality we have produced over the years, based on the greatness of our achievements, it could be an industry second to none - an industry which could help us achieve the necessities of life, a good education, good health care, proper housing, etcetera, etcetera.