Home / Debates / Health / Are Sports Really Good For Us?

Are Sports Really Good For Us?

Is sport really good for us?

All the Yes points:

  1. Sport is a great way to stay fit and healthy. This is very important today as few people have jobs …
  2. Sport teaches us big lessons for life. Most sports involve teamwork and teach us how to get along w…
  3. Sport is competitive because life is competitive. In the past humans were hunters and fighters and …
  4. Sport encourages a sense of belonging and identity, bringing people together in our fragmented socie…
  5. Sport gives us role models to look up to and try to copy. This is very important for young people f…
  6. Sport has lots of social benefits. Sports programmes can give people a positive purpose and somethi…

All the No points:

Sport is a great way to stay fit and healthy. This is very important today as few people have jobs …

Yes because…

Sport is a great way to stay fit and healthy. This is very important today as few people have jobs with physical labour and most of us travel everywhere by car. As a result many people are overweight and suffer poor health. Sport may not be the only way to keep fit, but the competition and teamwork in sport give people a lot of motivation to keep going and to push themselves hard.

No because…

It is important to keep fit, but sport is not the only way to do this. Eating well is a big part of a healthy life, and many people prefer to exercise in other ways, for example jogging, working out in a gym, dancing, or even gardening. On the other hand, sport can actually be dangerous. Millions of people are hurt playing sport each year, some of them very seriously. Professional athletes spend much of their time getting over injury. Being hurt by another player is common in contact sports, such as boxing, soccer, football, rugby or hockey. Other injuries often happen because players are pushing their bodies too hard or for too long, in training or competition.

Sport teaches us big lessons for life. Most sports involve teamwork and teach us how to get along w…

Yes because…

Sport teaches us big lessons for life. Most sports involve teamwork and teach us how to get along with others, how to work together to achieve a common goal, and about trust and responsibility. All sports teach us about dealing with success and failure. They also help people learn about coping with pressure and the need to stick with training in order to improve yourself. True, some sports do not suit some people, but there are so many possible choices that everyone can find a sport to enjoy.

No because…

Sport does teach children lessons, but not always good ones. Many children are not naturally talented and only come across failure and embarrassment on the sports field. This hurts their confidence and may put them off any sort of exercise for life. Plenty of other activities can teach teamwork and other life skills, for example hiking and camping, playing in a band, or raising money for charity.

Sport is competitive because life is competitive. In the past humans were hunters and fighters and …

Yes because…

Sport is competitive because life is competitive. In the past humans were hunters and fighters and that spirit is still in us. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious and working hard to achieve the aims you set yourself. Nor is there anything wrong with wanting to do better than someone else. By playing sport children learn about competition and adults have a controlled outlet for aggression. But sport teaches us to compete fairly, within the rules. It balances competitiveness with teamwork and the need to respect the other side.

No because…

Sport makes people too competitive and encourages the worst sides of human nature. Sport is far from fair – the urge to compete leads many people to go too far to gain an unfair edge. Even amateur sports have plenty of cheats, a lack of respect for referees and drugs problems. These problems are worse in professional sport where the need to make money adds further pressure to win by any means. Too much competition can also be bad for you – doctors find that sports fans often feel stress and depression as a result of following their team.

Sport encourages a sense of belonging and identity, bringing people together in our fragmented socie…

Yes because…

Sport encourages a sense of belonging and identity, bringing people together in our fragmented society. This is true of playing sport, and also of watching sport and following a team. When cheering your side on, you can forget about your everyday worries and enjoy sharing in a group experience. It also brings people from different classes and backgrounds together – after all, sport is a universal language. At national level, it can bring unity and pride to a whole country and help overcome differences.

No because…

Sport also encourages tribalism and an us-against-them attitude. The unity of the group depends on feelings of aggression and hostility towards other groups. This is true for fans of club teams and can be seen in football violence (hooliganism) in England, Holland and Italy. It happens at boxing matches and even in college sports in America. Hooliganism also happens between countries – every time England play Germany it renews memories of the Second World War. Violent fans have also been a problem at the African Cup of Nations and even at cricket matches.

Sport gives us role models to look up to and try to copy. This is very important for young people f…

Yes because…

Sport gives us role models to look up to and try to copy. This is very important for young people from poor backgrounds who may have little hope. They can see how sports stars have made it out of bad situations through hard work and their own abilities. For those from minorities, athletes may be the only positive role models from their ethnic group they see on the television.

No because…

Sports stars are bad role models for young people to follow. Many behave badly, on the field and off, and so set a bad example to children. But even those who behave well are not good examples to follow. This is because top athletes donโ€™t need a good education. Children who hero-worship them could easily come to think that sport is more important than working hard in school. It is also bad that sport is seen as the best way for people from ethnic minorities to become well known. Shouldnโ€™t they be celebrated for their work as scientists, doctors, and teachers, or in business?

Sport has lots of social benefits. Sports programmes can give people a positive purpose and somethi…

Yes because…

Sport has lots of social benefits. Sports programmes can give people a positive purpose and something to do. Small amounts of money spent on supporting sports have been shown to reduce crime a lot. In schools periods of activity doing sports send children back to their desks with better focus on their work. On a larger scale, sport can also be at the centre of efforts at urban renewal. Many cities have used a new sports stadium to draw people back to run down areas. Other businesses have followed the sports fans. Over time this investment pays off in higher tax revenues for the city.

No because…

Sport today is about money rather than taking part. Greed has ruined any good that was once in sport. Success for professional teams now depends upon having a rich owner who can buy up talented players. Players have no loyalty to the club which trained them from childhood, but go wherever the money is. Some athletes have even changed nationality for money. Advertising is everywhere, including on the pitch and the players shirts. Fans are seen as consumers, willing to overpay for any item with the team logo on it. Even the Olympics has become one great marketing exercise, rather than a celebration of sport.

Subscribe
Notify of
8 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
kyle
3 years ago

I love sports, and I play them every day, but we also need room for our time, stay healthy.

James Bentley
4 years ago

Just imagine if all that energy, money, and pleasure was focused on something more constructive, such as curing cancer, solving this pandemic problem, improving our environment, having conversations with people by starting with “How are you doing?”.

Bingfan42069839401
4 years ago

I might be 400 pounds but sport is trash Iโ€™ might be obease but I think what you eat is better like my healthy 10000 calories
Lifestyle it is amazing aww yeah itโ€™s my chest day and Iโ€™m bout to ea the whole Taco Bell menu ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ Love my country and my people and my food taco bell for life Iโ€™m not fat im a bat and Iโ€™m good.

Davis
4 years ago

Sport is good cause Iโ€™m good and Iโ€™m not fat it is good it is the best in the west I think sport is life and id rather sport than a wife

Adila Najib
7 years ago

Yes because
Sport make our life full of happiness and keep our minds rest and comfortable, so with rest mind we can do good work and good behavior with another.

kaku
7 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Well as far as i know there is no sport player who Have not got any enjuries but I do exercise daily and never hurt my body. So whatever you think but actually playing sports is unfit for the health. Ya of course it may be really a fun playing it. Just like junk food which is tasty to eat but unhealthy as well.

James Bentley
4 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Sorry for messing up the stream of comment and reply. I accidently posted a reply to kaku but meant to post it here. I subsequently removed it from kaku replied box. Please remove it for me. I can’t.

Top
Verified by MonsterInsights