What is the purpose of sports? People play and spectate sports for several different reasons. Although sports can sometimes cause issues, sports are also an amazing part of American society that could not be filled by any other activity. There is a belief that sports are detrimental to society; however, sports teach discipline, provide hope, and instigate health.
Sports are believed by some to be detrimental to society. Author Wilfrid Sheed says that sports tend to take over people’s daily lives and consume too much of their thoughts (Sheed 492). Sheed states, “An English teacher looking at a football drill or a pep rally must overflow with envy: if he could capture just one ounce of such energy for his poetry class, his students would be the wonder of the nation” (494). Sports do gain a lot of attention in today’s society and non-athletes tend to not like that. In addition, Joe Posnanski, sports journalist, says people believe professional sports put out the idea that if cheating becomes a normal occurrence, it is then okay to do (Posnanski 558). Sports do sometimes have less-than-perfect moments, but they also can be extremely beneficial to America’s society.
Athletes have learned discipline better than non-athletes through their hard-work and all the competition they’ve seen. Athletes have a competitive drive that they learn through sports and success in sports. Tennis player Arthur Ashe believes that athletes would figure out a way to meet any criteria given to play their sport. Ashe advocates, “...if making the team were made to depend entirely on one’s grades, the grades would be achieved somehow or other by these highly competitive spirits” (Sheed 494). Athletes tend to have a love for sports because not everyone can excel in sports. Only those who put in the most time and effort will excel beyond the average player. The discipline practiced to reach this level is found in athletes alone.Authors Carol Shookhoff and Jordan D. Metzl, who is also a sports medicine physician, said, “Sports increase self-discipline and the awareness of the value of preparation because kids can see the difference in their performance” (Metzl and Shookhoff par. 13). Young athletes learn their greatest life lessons through sports, including this one. Along with having the discipline to work to succeed in sport, major athletes also instill hope in people.
Sports have always been a dominant event in American society that inspires hope in people in several different ways. Athletes are highly praised in America’s society, especially athletes who started out in less than ideal situations to succeed. American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou discusses the tension behind a match between Joe Louis, an African-American boxer, and a white man. Angelou herself writes,“If Joe lost we were back in slavery and beyond help. It would all be true; the accusations that we were lower types of human beings… True that we were stupid and ugly and lazy and dirty and unlucky and worst of all, that God himself hated us and ordained us to be hewers of wood and drawers of water, forever and ever, world without war” (Angelou 486). This one match gave hope to African-Americans all over the world. This match was not only another match but a symbol that African-Americans are not less than white men. Angelou explained the thought after Louis’ win. According to Angelou, “...Joe Louis had proved that we [African-Americans] were the strongest people in the world” (488). This match brought pride to Black communities and was a beacon of hope for them. The key to this success and the success of all professional athletes is simple: hard-work. Where a person comes from or their economic standing is not important; what is important is how hard that person works for what they want. Tony La Russa, manager of the Oakland Athletics, was asked how they had gotten beat three times by the Orioles who had recently not had much success; he responded saying, “They are playing hard” (qtd. in Will par. 18). Sports can show that only hard-work and perseverance make people successful. The root of all success is the work ethic, and major athletes have the power to instill that idea and hope into young athletes.
Athletics play a big role in promoting how to live a healthy lifestyle. Being physically active from a young age will usually turn into a healthy lifestyle that will last through a person’s adult years. In a study done in 2006 and published by Sports Medicine, the results showed that “regular exercise starting before puberty and continuing as a child grows older leads to stronger bones and muscles, leading to better bone health as they grow into adulthood” (“Youth Sports” par. 2). This shows that not only do youth sports teach kids the importance of being physically active and taking care of their bodies, but sports also give the body a good foundation to grow with. If a child is not in sports then he or she more than likely does not get enough daily physical activity to be considered healthy; the child also will not have the same strong foundation for their body as they grow older. Another physical benefit of sports is the awareness of how a person’s body responds to different conditions, therefore, decreasing the use of unhealthy substances such as drugs and alcohol (Metzl and Shookhoff par. 12). Sports have a huge impact on how people view health. The health benefits of athletics are countless.
My conclusion, then, is that sports are important to America’s society because they motivate dedication, inspire hope, and promote health. Despite the controversies against sports playing a big role in America’s society, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Sports are a big part of today’s culture and are too valuable to be considered a detrimental activity.
Works Cited Angelou, Maya, et al. “Champion of the World.” "They Say / I Say": the Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2017, pp. 484–488. Metzl, Jordan D., and Carol Shookhoff. “Playing Sports Benefits Children.” The Young Athelete: A Sports Doctor's Complete Guide for Parents, edited by Christine Watkins, Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010487202/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=3937c2d8. Accessed 2017. Posnanski, Joe, et al. “Cheating and CHEATING.” "They Say / I Say": the Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2017, pp. 553–559. Sheed, Wilfrid, et al. “Why Sports Matter.” "They Say / I Say": the Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2017, pp. 489–511. Will, George F. “Baseball Heroes Offer Lessons in Determination and Persistence.” Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, edited by Geoff Griffin, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1990. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010350206/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=879dd9a3. Accessed 2017. “Youth Sports.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, Detroit, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/RELZFS780278640/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=30778c2b. Accessed 2017.