Essay on To Deny Competition is to Deny Life

Sports are something that everyone in the world, regardless of age, sex, or nationality, can enjoy. Whether it's a child playing in his first t-ball game or a professional athlete swimming in the Olympics and everyone in between, sports can connect almost everyone. Fan support and overall devotion for athletic competition has raised professional athletes to superstars and national icons; Super Bowl Sunday is a national holiday to some, and sports are one of the largest moneymakers in the economy.

Sports have been a huge part of my life ever since I was about five years old. It has impacted my life so much. The biggest challenge that I faced was with my injuries during basketball and soccer season. I recently had to quit soccer and basketball, which was difficult for me.

Sports are extremely popular around the world and only get more popular as time goes on. Sports is on television (TV), in the news, in the newspaper, and online. It only makes sense that this is the case. A sporting event is the ultimate drama. The variability of a game is what gets people so into it. Sports can tell a story, and teach great life lessons as well as inspire people. If sports are that important to the people around the world who watch it, just think about how important sports are to the ones who actually play it and coach it. It is their passion, their persona, their life. With the media’s harsh expectations of teams today, unless a team wins a championship, they are deemed unsuccessful. Since expectations are so high,

Sport is a global phenomenon, it is a common between all the nations of the world there is not one culture that has not engaged in a way or another in some type of sporting activity; such activities are not only often physically challenging and mentally stimulating – they also provide a sense of belonging and personal meaning to people’s lives. In American culture like many other cultures worldwide winning is highly prized and cherished by fame and money from audiences and sponsors.

Sports are not for everybody, not only because of talent level, but because a certain mindset is to be had to be successful at any sport. A commitment is made. Forty hours of practice a week, the average amount of time spent practicing for football players, all for a one hour game, the average time of one game of college football, takes dedication. That is not even counting the time spent icing, resting, and studying the playbook or film, not to mention the school work to be kept up with for college and high school students. Most athletes have become used to the grind and juggling three or four time consuming activities all at one time while being successful at each. Waking up at the break of dawn, following a schedule, and suffering consequences when a bad choice is made creates character and discipline that is often needed for many little league, high school, and college athletes. The most important non tangible thing sports teach anyone is how to get back up after falling, how to get knocked down but get right back up and keep going, how to move on from failure and overcome it, focusing on the next important part of life. These skills of determination and courage taught through sports are essential for being successful in any part of life and are hard to come by anywhere

I played sports all throughout my childhood and I have seen the benefits of it as I get older.

To many of us, sports are a way of chasing our dreams, but why? What in sports is so great? In “Why we Run”, the author states,” I think it is because without dream-”antelopes,” to chase we become what a lapdog is to a wolf.” The author conveys to us that in a sense, we don’t want to be established as the weak one, or seen as “what a lapdog is to a wolf”. Also, we do it for ourselves so that we believe more in ourselves. The author of “Why we Run” also

I have always loved sports ever since I was a little kid. Some of my earliest memories are of playing soccer with my friends on a wet, cold spring day or hitting a ball off of a tee and feeling like it went a mile, when in reality it only went about fifty feet. Even to this day I still can never get enough of sports. I get about four weeks off out of the entire year where I’m not technically in a sport, but I’m still always practicing and trying to get better because that’s the only way I know. I love everything about sports: the friendships, the competition, the passion, the atmosphere, the unity. Sports are one of my true loves and they consume my life. It is this strong desire that I have for sports that has driven me to want to pursue a

Throughout my life I have always been involved in sports, whether it's for a team or just with friends they have always been apart of me. Once I entered junior high I began playing competitive baseball, a commitment that taught me how to manage my time. With practices everyday ranging from 2-3 hours I was limited to the time I was able to hangout with friends as I decided to put my schoolwork first. I realized I needed to create a balance between school, sports, and friends so I could further my education as well as do the things I love.

In modern day America sports are a very important part of our culture, because we are constantly watching sports and participating in sports. In any sport we watch mythology is present. The very act itself of playing the sport is reflective of old roman times when gladiators would kill for the crowds entertainment although today instead of killing its by hitting a home run or scoring a goal. “At their best, sports are about the extraordinary capacities of the human spirit.”(Wolter). These athletes can become extremely popular to the point were they are viewed as superhuman just like in myths, and there is a reason because the best athletes in their respective sport do what no average person could do. “The most legendary performances speak of almost super-human feats: the sub 4 minute mile, Michael Jordan’s flu stricken playoff

Sports have always been a necessary component in my life due to all the lessons they have taught me over the

As people get older and older less people have confidence in participation trophies. To elaborate, participation trophies can indeed boost confidence, but in the long run, it will not work out. Additionally, in a job, you don't get a trophy for doing something right that you employer trusts that you already know how to do it. Another point, Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison believes, "...that everything in life should be earned and that effort alone is not a cause for recognition"(Lisa Heffernan). Adding to that, he is convinced that everything should be earned and nothing should be given to you. We are not teaching the next generation of adults some of the harsh realities that come along with life. In conclusion, nothing in life should be given and parents are starting to realize that. Many people have came out and said that participation trophies are not helping out our society.

I never liked playing with dolls, painting nails, pretending I was a teacher or even acting like I was baking with fake food. All that girly stuff sounded boring to me, so the one thing that kept me busy everyday was going outside and playing whatever sport was on for that day with all my neighborhood friends. We played everything from kickball to football in the streets. Ever since I was a little child, playing sports was my passion. In my free time I played every sport you can think of, but sports that I actually was on a team for was baseball, hockey, soccer, and I ran track. Being an athlete is how people knew me, I guess you could say I was and still am a tomboy. Being involved in a sport ever since I was four years old, has really taught me a lot about not just playing the sports itself, but at life as a whole. Being apart of a team, can teach someone many skills, and life lessons. Because there are uncountable reasons why one should be involved in a sport, the main skills, and lessons include learning how to work together, and developing communication, and organizing skills. Additionally, one could develop a good work ethic, and learn how to control body language/temper.

In the following novel I felt surprised when the author tackled the subject of competition. I always thought as being competitive a good thing, since it helps stretch your abilities. I was once told that too much of something can arise to be deleterious. According to “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens” on page 155 it states that, “Competition becomes dark when you tie your self-worth into winning or when you use it as a way to place yourself above another.” People are more familiar with this concept through all the technology we have today. For example, there’s always that one movie that has the head competitor in the athletics team using their winning attitude to put themselves above the people who are not that athletic and focus

There has been times of me falling behind in school because of my dedication to athletics. I did not continue to do athletics in college by choice. I had been through so much behind sports that I just wanted to be finally be a normal student. Sports have had such a major impact on my life. It has had some positive some negative. I love sports even to the point in which I am not still playing but I choose to pursue a career in this field.