Is sport important?

Living Room
#1

I’m biased and think sport is very important. It helps keep you fit, builds strengths and disciplines.
I still run quite a lot, and regularly play squash, swim, and work out at the gym.
I also take part in weekly self defence classes, learning Karate and Taekwondo.

I also watch a fair amount of sport, either by going to the event, or on TV.
Some sports, seem almost tribal in their support. For example football (soccer).

How important do think sport is, either at a personal level or national level?

#2

We need to seperate this into at least a couple of categories.
Exercise is important .
Sport not so much.
You can check this out but I advise against running as an exercise.
Walking is much better . The reason is it is much less likely to cause injuries.
You may not feel it now but the impact from running may come back to bite you as you get older.
For martial arts: Make sure the class is well ran .
In other words don’t be someone’s “practice dummy” . All sparing should be “pulled punches & kicks”. Well padded feet & hands.
Also don’t let an instructor & certainly not another student “force stretch” you.
Take an easy pace at this the stretch will come. Yoga stretchs work well for this.

For sports on a professional level . That is entertainment & big business.
Personally I fell a lot of US pro sports are fixed to generate the most money.
The team that is supposed to win does.

For amature sports it’s probably not usually fixed . Fine for adults .
I’m not so sure for children as a lot of permanent injuries are incurred every year this way . I disagree that any public school should have anything like tackle football.
That would include state colleges as well. I know parents sign waivers & are required insurance for this . However I think a good lawyer can defete this. Then the tax payers become liable. So only flag football at the most for these groups.
Personally as a tax payer I would eliminate all public school sports. I don’t see this as education. So I shouldn’t have to pay to support something that is not education.
Further the percentage that become professional athletes is far to small for the money spent. Let the parents pay private business to run sports teams . That way the people that want to use this pay for it & the one’s that don’t use it aren’t forced to pay for it.
I will make an example : All parents & non-parents like myself pay school taxes.
A parents child can try out for a public school team & not be selected. Does this result in lower taxes for those parents because they aren’t getting full benefit of the schools resources . The answer is no. Do I get reduced taxes because I have no children in public school sports or at all ? No.
The only fair way for parents would be any child that wanted to play on any team would be allowed. They also would be allowed at least some time every game even if they weren’t a good player . That would be fair & equal benefit. It shouldn’t matter if this caused a game loss. The thing is it does matter . Coaches are moved up the ladder by wins. Parents of the good players want their team to win because at a certain level college & pro scouts watch for the athletes they want.
Note that pro sports don’t pay for the cost of the public school teams . They just want the benefit of the “pool” to select from. Again this will be a very small percent.
At least here in younger children a private non-profit organization does run sports. It’s called Kids Inc. . I would like to see it all the way through high school anyway.
There’s my more than 2 cents worth.

#3

I don’t have much use for professional sports any more but I like amateur sports. Especially local sports such as high school and local leagues. I watch very few sports on TV as professional sports are too money driven for my taste. Also, there are too many sports stars that are nothing more than talented criminals/thugs and they are proving to be very poor role models for our youth.

#4

I don’t really understand the attachment/identification with professional sports teams. Taken to extremes, it can be ugly and even dangerous.

On an individual level though, sports can be fulfilling and keep you in shape. It takes time and dedication to become really skilled in any sport, and no matter how much time/effort you devote to it, you rarely become a world class competitor. So you have to learn to manage your skills, control your emotions and try to play your best within your particular skill level. All of this is useful in other areas of your life too, so sports can have a definite benefit for anyone.

Personally, I played tennis for over twenty years, and became an advanced level player, but ran out of partners eventually, and the wear and tear on my right shoulder rotator cuff became so painful I had to give up the sport. I couldn’t serve or hit overheads without paying the price for several days after playing. I still can’t throw overhand anymore without re-injuring myself. So I switched to golf, which is much more frustrating. The only way to get good exercise with golf is to walk the course though, which I do the vast majority of times I play.

For those who run, it is a mystery to me. I have to have an objective, a reason for running, like catching a ball, or reaching the shot in tennis. Running for its own sake baffles me, and always has.

#5

Sports fanaticism (“sports disease” as I call it) has grown to a dangerous and rediculous level. As a child in the Cub Scouts, they taught us the lie, “It’s not whether or not you win the game, it’s how you play the game that counts”. Then I grew up and found the exact opposite was true. “Sportsmanship” is just about dead.

Organized sports easily does just as much damage as it does good. I grew up hearing about school football teams in terrible traffic accidents, and I’ve seen many over the decades. I can’t help but wonder how many THOUSANDS have died since. Or, in cars on the way to games. Then there’s the fights at the event, then there’s the riots afterwards. How many have died in that? Then there’as those who suffered long term disability from concussions and such. It’s getting so that grade-schoolers are entering highschool with “an old football injury”.

They even admit that it is a sickness. Who hasn’t heard of “March Madness”, or “Football Fever”? When they reach the level of fanaticism as it has today, it really does qualify as a mental disorder; a disease. My question is, are they working on a cure? Ironically, as they wheel off yet another dead youth from the sports field, no one has the sense to utter the simple words that might make a difference, “Maybe we’ve gone too far”.

I particularly loath when people ASSUME that everyone loves sports as much as they do. People often ask what I thought about such and such game, or team, etc. I used to be nice about it, but in latter years, I flat out tell them I don’t care about sports (then they call me “un-American”). Likewise, I hate when the TV stations think everyone loves sports, so they put it on every channel (broadcast; I don’t have cable).

Instead of sportsmanship, there is corporate greed. Have you ever watched a coach on the sidelines? They are SO stressed, that it can no longer be called a GAME. They always talk about how sports builds “teamwork”, but there are plenty of non-sports related things out there that do the same, but without all the injuries and such. When someone dies in sports, people always say, “Well, at least they died doing what they love”. No, they pushed it too far and commited SUICIDE. There is no justification for it, and people should learn to admit that it was a suicidal, fool-hearty thing to do.

There is a PSA commercial trying to teach todays male youth to not hit women. It goes through clips of a father and son playing various types of sports, saying, “You’ve taught him to hit the ball, hit the opponent, hit the net, etc…” [paraphrased because I don’t remember the exact words] “…but maybe it’s time to teach him what not to hit”. Such ironic hypocrisy. Trying to reconcile the inherent sports brutality with being a “GENTLEman”. It’s not working.

Then there’s sports fanaticism in women. At some point, back in the 70’s, many women decided that if they can’t beat them (get their husbands away from TV during football season), then they would join them. Now, we have an entire generation of sports diseased women. Now, they suffer the same consequences and injuries as the men do. Likewise, they have learned to be just as cruel and brutal (and dishonest) as the men are.

The very existence of “sports medicine” should be enough to tell people that they are doing something wrong. When it hurts so much and does so much damage, it can’t be right; it’s against nature. Patient: “Doctor, it hurts when I do this”. Doctor: “Well, QUIT doing that!”. Duhhh [emphasis mine]

If you look on Youtube under “sports FAIL” (or something like that), you will find just some of the dangers of sports disease, as (self-destructive) people show you all the ways the human body is NOT supposed to bend or move. Heck, just a month or two ago, there was a horrific sports injury on the bassetball court (as I recall). A compound fracture of the lower leg. I didn’t watch it, but from the reactions of others, I’m GLAD I didn’t! Argh!

There is nothing to be proud of here. Nothing but shame. Life can be lethal enough without throwing impossible odds in front of yourself. For every hour someone wastes on sports, that is an hour that could have been used for something more practical (and less damaging).

:disagree:

#6

[QUOTE=Gaarry;2704102]Sports fanaticism (“sports disease” as I call it) has grown to a dangerous and rediculous level. As a child in the Cub Scouts, they taught us the lie, “It’s not whether or not you win the game, it’s how you play the game that counts”. Then I grew up and found the exact opposite was true. “Sportsmanship” is just about dead.

Organized sports easily does just as much damage as it does good. I grew up hearing about school football teams in terrible traffic accidents, and I’ve seen many over the decades. I can’t help but wonder how many THOUSANDS have died since. Or, in cars on the way to games. Then there’s the fights at the event, then there’s the riots afterwards. How many have died in that? Then there’as those who suffered long term disability from concussions and such. It’s getting so that grade-schoolers are entering highschool with “an old football injury”.

They even admit that it is a sickness. Who hasn’t heard of “March Madness”, or “Football Fever”? When they reach the level of fanaticism as it has today, it really does qualify as a mental disorder; a disease. My question is, are they working on a cure? Ironically, as they wheel off yet another dead youth from the sports field, no one has the sense to utter the simple words that might make a difference, “Maybe we’ve gone too far”.

I particularly loath when people ASSUME that everyone loves sports as much as they do. People often ask what I thought about such and such game, or team, etc. I used to be nice about it, but in latter years, I flat out tell them I don’t care about sports (then they call me “un-American”). Likewise, I hate when the TV stations think everyone loves sports, so they put it on every channel (broadcast; I don’t have cable).

Instead of sportsmanship, there is corporate greed. Have you ever watched a coach on the sidelines? They are SO stressed, that it can no longer be called a GAME. They always talk about how sports builds “teamwork”, but there are plenty of non-sports related things out there that do the same, but without all the injuries and such. When someone dies in sports, people always say, “Well, at least they died doing what they love”. No, they pushed it too far and commited SUICIDE. There is no justification for it, and people should learn to admit that it was a suicidal, fool-hearty thing to do.

There is a PSA commercial trying to teach todays male youth to not hit women. It goes through clips of a father and son playing various types of sports, saying, “You’ve taught him to hit the ball, hit the opponent, hit the net, etc…” [paraphrased because I don’t remember the exact words] “…but maybe it’s time to teach him what not to hit”. Such ironic hypocrisy. Trying to reconcile the inherent sports brutality with being a “GENTLEman”. It’s not working.

Then there’s sports fanaticism in women. At some point, back in the 70’s, many women decided that if they can’t beat them (get their husbands away from TV during football season), then they would join them. Now, we have an entire generation of sports diseased women. Now, they suffer the same consequences and injuries as the men do. Likewise, they have learned to be just as cruel and brutal (and dishonest) as the men are.

The very existence of “sports medicine” should be enough to tell people that they are doing something wrong. When it hurts so much and does so much damage, it can’t be right; it’s against nature. Patient: “Doctor, it hurts when I do this”. Doctor: “Well, QUIT doing that!”. Duhhh [emphasis mine]

If you look on Youtube under “sports FAIL” (or something like that), you will find just some of the dangers of sports disease, as (self-destructive) people show you all the ways the human body is NOT supposed to bend or move. Heck, just a month or two ago, there was a horrific sports injury on the bassetball court (as I recall). A compound fracture of the lower leg. I didn’t watch it, but from the reactions of others, I’m GLAD I didn’t! Argh!

There is nothing to be proud of here. Nothing but shame. Life can be lethal enough without throwing impossible odds in front of yourself. For every hour someone wastes on sports, that is an hour that could have been used for something more practical (and less damaging).

:disagree:[/QUOTE]

gaarry I couldn’t say it any better,when the players started getting millions of dollars it quit being a sport.Now if they played for free now that would be a sport.

#7

Sports was often about gold medals and something heavily military. Strict military training was sports and vice versa. Looking back, I feel most people did not have redundant calories to engage in extra physical activities at all, but sports organized and military must have been of top priority since it’s more important than preventing famine and disease.

It was in the 1990s sports and physical exercise were widely introduced. Far more people consciously spend money and time on sports and exercise, both aerobic and anaerobic, than ever, but the same people usually smoke tobacco and drink alcohol too much and keep awake till 6 AM watching Olympics and World Cups. When someone asks them why they are smoking so much and spend money on building muscle at the same time, their common answer is: “none of your business, I don’t care when I die”, or “better die early than having to stop smoking” or something of such effect.

I have always been against cities and cars, against smoking and drinking, against drugs and sports and everything intended to entertain.

Both Chinese martial arts and Japanese karate were designed to fight againt heavily armed enemies. South Korea’s taekwondo was national and nationalistic since the first president wanted an alternative to karate. Martial arts novel was once something young South Korean males spent more time on than sex. It’s mostly stories of Shaolin temple-style martial arts experts flying near at the speed of light and kill anything airborne or crawling on the land, or a few such experts joining North Korean cause to conquer Japan, or the West. It was a lost generation, but less so than the PC game generation.

I liked to walk and run for long hours mostly because it was often the only available option and I became accustomed to think hardest when walking and running, day and night, before I was about 8. I could walk on any terrain reading a James Clavell paperback with a rifle on the other hand always aiming at 45 degrees and gear about as heavy as me on the back. I was probably the only one in the company who enjoyed shooting and 50km march because they were of the only kind of leisure I knew.

#8

There is no doubt about it. The amount of money involved in top flight professional sport is disgusting.
If you ignore that I teach physical education for a living, then my endeavours are strictly amateur. I was quite a reasonable 400 meters runner in my time, all run at club level. A hip injury made running bends agony, so was forced to quit competitive running. To answer a question ‘what’s the attraction of running’? For me it was to try and cross the finishing line first. :slight_smile:

Here, coaching is of a pretty high standard. Although I have the teaching qualifications to teach PE, that is not enough. I also have to hold a national coaching certificate, and I’m tested, and have to pass the course every few years.

Regarding sports injuries.
If you’re going to participate in contact sports, then you’re going to pick up a few injuries along the way. The martial arts classes I attend are not full on, and we have protective head gear, and padded hand and foot gear. I’ve still had a few black eyes, or hurt my hands or feet.

If we took the ‘may get injury or worse’ when competing, travelling to or from a sports event, and apply the same rules to life itself, then you can equally be involved in a serious car crash while travelling to work, or going shopping. If you can’t accept that everything in life carries a certain amount of risk, then you might as well stay in bed and hope the roof doesn’t fall in on you. :slight_smile:

Sport is not for everyone, but I enjoy it, and it makes me feel good.

#9

Professional footballers (soccer) are getting crazy money these days.

Ronaldo is currently on £600,000 a week and this seems so far removed from normal people I wonder where it will stop?

Sport has its place though and my wife is addicted to it (watching it that is). :slight_smile:

She’s a big Leeds United fan and we’ve been over to see them on several occasions.

Participation wise I’m not overly athletic myself as golf and snooker would be my main things.

Golf is pretty good exercise though especially when you carry your bag like I do.

[B]Wombler [/B]

#10

I agree that anyone can be injured or killed or not at any time. People can’t spend every minute worrying about that is true.
On the other hand a person can walk down a train track with their ears plugged & eyes closed maybe a train won’t be coming at that time. It still doesn’t make it a good idea;so something not to do.
Traveling in a vehicle has become a life necessity for most people we almost have to take that risk.

For sports : I don’t have a problem with adults making a decision to participate in sports . As long as their decision doesn’t cost me anything. If they have to go on disability because of this & the taxpayers have to pay that cost then I have a problem. Same for insurance rates going up for me becauseof paying out for sports injuries.
For minors it is a decision that shouldn’t be made for or by them . They may decide that the injuries weren’t worth it too late. Several minors are severly injured or killed in sports every year. Is it worth that unnecessary risk ? I say no.
As a taxpayer when this happens in a public school it can be a liability to me . Why should I pay for someone elses bad decision when I had no input in their making it ?

For children their are reasonably safe alternatives .
For example volleyball . I don’t remember any deaths while kids were playing it. I’m sure ther were some injuries but probably minor.
Swimming . Other than poor supervision & letting a child drown. It’s low impact as well.

Something more dangerous bicycling . A lot of that is from bike to car accidents .
That even happens to adults. I don’t have any idea how many thousand miles I put on a bicycle as a child & quite a few as an adult.

That brings up another subject . A few years ago a woman on a bicycle here was hit & killed by a driver who said he dropped his cell phone. I think he was texting while driving. The police (& maybe judge) ruled it as an unfortunate accident . I think it should have been a least manslaughter . With some prison time for the driver. I bet if it had been the mayors wife or child there would have been such charges.

#11

Sport, on an international level, is a substitute for war.
All the conflict & violence are bashed out with bats and balls, rather than guns and missiles.
It’s cheaper too.

#12

I agree with you Dee. I find Individual sport very important both physically and mentally.

My primary activities involve Downhill Skiing in the Winter and Mountain Biking in the Summer.

Professional Sport is no longer for the love of the game, It’s all about the money.

I find myself on occasion watching professional Sports both on T.V. and Live. I also tend to lean toward watching more what would be considered non traditional sports (IE X- Games, Dew Tour, …Etc) as they tend to be more passionate about it and not getting paid stupid amounts of money.

:cool::cool:

#13

I abused at least one toenail, the big one on the left foot. Talked to two dermatologists near home. Both explained it must have been because of small running shoes. The second told me yesterday to visit one of the three largest local hospitals. I asked her to prescribe me some anibiotics since I rarely go to hospital, once in years, but then I rarely take antibiotics either.

It’s not as serious as some shown on this, but almost as useless.