Are Sports Really Worth It?

Submitted by amy.huhtala on

For hundreds of years, competitive sports have been an essential part of human existence. Artifacts suggest that sports could be found as early as 2000 BC in Asia. Ancient Egyptian monuments show that sports such as swimming and fishing were well-developed thousands of years ago. Sports entertain us, and they bind communities together. But are they really worth it? According to stanfordchildrens.org, “more than 775,000 children … are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year.” That’s a whole lot of injuries! But wounds aren’t the only thing bad about sports. Sports cause a whole lot of tension and anger between people, too.

Recently, the SaJHS Journalism class took a trip to a Utah Grizzlies hockey game. For most of the game, everyone seemed to be happy and friendly. The Grizzlies were beating the Oilers, the opposing hockey team, but both sides seemed to be happy. Then, when one team missed a goal, a fight broke out on the ice. The involved players fought fiercely, and the referees allowed them to continue until one of them fouled the other. Honestly, this shook me. The fact that people allowed the fighting to continue, even urged them on, was frightening.

However, sports aren’t all bad, as any athlete will tell you. Coach Blanchard, the Track and Field Coach at Salem Jr High, said that sports “are a great social experience.” Muhealth.org explains that sports also “teach teamwork and help [athletes] achieve goals…help athletes do better academically…[and] cuts down on pressure and stress.”

While sports result in many injuries and cause fighting and anger, they also have a multitude of benefits. So are sports worth it? I believe that they are.

 

Attributions
Hyrum Devenport