Sports: Pros and Cons

Sports are a very big part of America and the world. According to the Washington Post, 55.2 percent of High School students are involved in sports. At small schools this number is even greater. Professional athletes are some of the highest paid and most respected (or least in some cases) in the world. People have parties and celebrate just to watch a sporting event on TV. The impact of sports on this nation is phenomenal.

Participating in sports is something that everyone wants to take part in. This can be very helpful in developing social skills like creating friends with teammates and even creates a sense of competition. Your entire life you will have to deal with other people. Some may like you and some may not. This is easily exemplified by your team or your competition in sports.

Discipline is a very important skill that can be developed while playing sports. In sports you need to arrive to practice on time, be prepared for anything, and be relied upon by your teammates and coach. You have to work hard with your grades in order to stay eligible. This is easily relatable to your job life. If you’re always late, disrespect your coworkers, and never get any work done then you should be swiftly fired.

An interest in sports may also lead to bad things. A first is a lack of interest in academics. You may just keep your grades high enough to play but always think sports first and school after. A typical stereotype for someone that plays a sport is that they are an arrogant jerk, also known as the jock. This shows that bad social skills may be developed if you regard yourself as physically better than others. This will get you nowhere in life because no matter who you are, there is someone more powerful than you.

Sports also have another side-effect. They are the party and betting aspects of sports. Betting is always a bad habit to have. Betting is illegal in many sports and it’s also advocated in others. Betting in the illegal side is hidden through things like fantasy leagues and the sort. They involve a group of people picking athletes to be on there team and they keep track of points that they earn in order to beat the other teams. This makes it seem like it’s fair competition but it’s just like betting.

The partying side of sports can also get out of hand. On many occasions, streets and towns have been utterly destroyed because of fan celebrations. Fans roam the streets drinking and partying. They flip cars and vandalize street signs and buildings. In 1994, a riot broke out in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after Canucks lost to the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals, which resulted in a reported 200 people injured and 50 arrested.

Sports can be a very fun and exhilarating source of entertainment. We can learn some of life’s valuable lessons from competing and be led into some life lows by watching it. No matter how sports are looked at they will remain one of the biggest parts of American culture.

Information found at:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8086868

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/16/sports/200-injured-in-vancouver.html