Sport, History, and Benefits
“Sport” is the term most commonly used when people talk about sport. It can mean any number of things, from horse racing to ice skating, tennis to cricket. “Sport” is also the term that most non-ateurs and professionals use to talk about any particular sport. So what exactly is it?
“Sport” means any form of structured activity, which through organised or casual participation, aim for expressing or enhancing physical fitness, social interaction or getting results in competition at competitive levels. Sport can therefore cover any physical contact sport, including contact sports such as wrestling, boxing, hockey, rugby, soccer, lacrosse and athletics. Funding bodies such as Sport England now regard if an activity meets this strict definition when deciding whether or not they recognise it as sport.
In modern society, most people associate sport with participation in organised sports. This has led to the gradual increase in the number of people playing sport, especially contact sports such as football, rugby, hockey and basketball. However, over the last few decades there has been an increasingly widespread acceptance of non-contact sport activities. For example, ice-skating has enjoyed an almost exponential rise in popularity since the turn of the millennium. The reason for this is that ice skates enable people of all ages and abilities to participate in activities that would otherwise be too expensive or physically uncomfortable.
Sport is now almost as popular in the United States as it is in the rest of the world. There are now professional sport leagues based in many cities and millions of people take part in them. In the US, professional and college sport teams are now more popular than major-league baseball and basketball. As a result, the demand for equipment and sports wear has increased dramatically, leading to an annual investment in equipment of $250 million.
Sport also plays an important role in the physical education curriculum in schools. Many school teachers and school administrators have seen the benefits of arranging sports activities for students. Sport teaches kids about fair play, good health and discipline, and the importance of being a well-rounded person. These values are important to a young person’s development as they get older and begin to go to school.
Sport has a wide range of social and health benefits. Participating in sports can reduce stress and improve physical health. It can help a child learn how to get along with other people and build positive relationships. The best thing about sport is that the enjoyment continues even after the activity is over.