The Meaning of Sports

Sport is defined as any competitive, physical activity that is guided through established rules. However, not all individuals would say it is the definition of sport, as there are many ways to define sports depending on the individual. So what is truly sport in the eyes of viewers and fans that are spread out around the world? But, clearly everyone has their own definition of what sport means to them and how important it is to the society. Sport is seen as an irreplaceable and valuable aspect that belongs to the American people which allows benefits to occur in the society. At the same time, sport can also be harmful to the society, but, many people choose to ignore or not see it. Though many would rather see the benefits of sport, instead of the harmful side of sport, as they rather choose to support sport as a benefit to the society. But, the society should not forget that sport can bring benefits and harms to the society as a whole. To understand the benefits and harms that sports bring to society, it would be best to understand the sociological perspective of functionalism and conflict theory as it will assist in deciding the most single benefit and harm to the society.

“Rejected by Rose,” screamed, TNT broadcaster, Kevin Harlan. Derrick Rose’s block on Rajon Rondo’s shot was the play that forced game 7 and kept the Bull’s season alive. The 2009 first round series between the Chicago Bulls and the reigning NBA champions, Boston Celtics was the best playoff series I ever watched. What does Rose’s late-game heroics have to do with anything? The excitement of the sport of basketball. My paper will be about my favorite sport to watch and play I will also mention about my favorite sport to participate in ancillary. Afterward, I will relate my favorite sport to Michael Mandelbaum’s The Meaning of Sports and offer my opinion on the book.

Sports can be viewed as a learning environment that helps individuals learn life lessons, foster strong work habits and develop core values all the while learning a sport skill. Youth sports that truly benefit young athletes should be structured to emphasize participation more than just competition. Children enjoy a sport more when they are able to have fun (Humpries). Despite many excesses some sport programs still manage to promote important virtues like self- confidence, teamwork, personal responsibility, coping skills, and persistence. Through sports kids can learn to stay organized and learn how to prioritize (Ferguson). Sports enables development of physical skills and increasing proficiency makes kids feel good about themselves. It teaches kids that failure is something to overcome and and not to fear (Meyerhoff 8-9). Youth sports has many aspects that are truly benefiting for children, but these benefits are slowly being clouded by the negatives that are prominent in today's youth sports.

First, youth sports help develop character and confidence in children. In the article “Are High School Sports Good For Kids?” it states “... develop good citizens through interscholastic activities which provide equitable opportunities, positive recognition and learning experiences.” Another reason is that it creates more rewarding friendships. As it states in the News article “Kids and Sports” by CBS News “... Having athletic confidence helps a child greaty and it doesn't have to be a team sport or a high pressure one either.” This tells us that if your children are in sports it will benefit them as they get older and when they are adults they will be prepared more than people who didn’t participate in sports.

It’s been debated that having kids participate in sports can be either a positive or negative factor in a child’s development. Is participating in sports a positive outcome in a youth’s development? Through my own personal experience and through the research that I have conducted I believe that participating in sports is a true benefit to a child’s development. Participating in sports can contribute to a healthy individual, developing problem-solving skills, social interaction, promotes following direction and rules, goal setting and creating plans, promotes self-esteem, reduces stress, helps academic success, and a higher quality of life.

Gender in sport has been an ongoing issue, especially for women, with many factors influencing their participation in sport

Firstly, sports are good for children because they improve children’s health, both mentally and physically. While this has been known for

Sport plays a huge role in today’s society. It contributes to one’s health and fitness, social interaction, social and motor skills, patriotism, fun and entertainment. It also stimulates the economy and tourism leading to interaction between different cultures, for example the Olympics, and sport role models. Sports clearly are an important part of cultures and societies around the world as such events as the Olympics

There is a distinct relationship with sport and positive psychosocial development. They learn team work, following rules, playing fair. It also has links between physical sports and social and moral development, learning to deal with winning and losing. It is shown to improve schooling success, where the environment is set up to follow rules and routines.

Sports keep children busy. In school sports it could keep children out of trouble, away from TV, and video games. They can control their anger, feelings, and other emotions better by playing sports. The more active kids are, the less time they are spending time inside playing video games. Next, Healthy, physically active kids also are more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. And physical competence builds self-esteem at every age (“Be a Kid”). When

First of all, sports give discipline to kids. This will help them be organized in school and sports, and they will be better behaved at home. Second, playing a team sport will help kids develop teamwork. This is an essential skill to know when you grow up. Also sports will help kids develop leadership. Third, when you push kids into sports they are most likely to live a healthy life because they will always try to eat healthy and workout, also you can prevent childhood obesity. When you push kids that have had a hard childhood, like kids who live in poverty, pushing them to join a sport is a way out of the poverty they are used to. Also, it helps them not get involved in crime, gangs or robberies, because they will be too focused on playing the sport that they are practicing and they will work hard to achieve their goals. A lot of kids all over the world are pushed into sports every year so they can achieve their goals of being professional athletes and live a better life. In the article called “Ethics of Youth Sports: Protecting Our Future” That confirms what I said about kids pushed into sports. The article makes it clear that kids that participate in sports at a young age are provided an opportunity to develop skills, characteristics, and a moral background that can shape their maturation into adulthood. (Huston, J.

Sports may not be all that good for children. Some people might say that sports can cause injury, children won’t get a chance to play if they are not very good, or children may be made fun of for lacking skill in that particular sport. I believe that participating in sports has a much more positive impact on children. Sports can help children’s health approve, help them develop new friends, and can help improve the children’s self confidence.

Students are full of energy, all of which cannot be spent in studies only. The extra energy can lead students to do wrong or unwanted activities which are harmful not only for the health but studies of students as well. This is avoidable through sports. They are the outlets of surplus energy. Students who play sports have their mind occupied and are less likely to have their mind wander to wrongful things. A student learns that while playing, he has to play not for his own good but for the good and success of whole team. He or she is to keep in mind the success of his or her school. Sports help students lead a more corporate and mature life. Sports teach our students that the ups and downs are the inevitable aspects of life and should be taken in strides. Playing for a sports can help them experience hardships and allow them to face the trials, hardships and various rigors of daily life in the future. The very breath of sportsmanship is fair play. Sports are another name of honesty, integrity and loyalty for students. Thus a good sportsman can be the ideal citizen of the country.

“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and custom. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports and which gives some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sports is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.

“Sport means all forms of physical activity which, through casual and organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.”