Wilfred Sheed wrote an essay, “Why Sports Matter,” that concentrates on how sports have changed over the past 150 years. Sheed also explains that sports can play an important role in the lives of people by helping them discover who they are and here they want to be. Sports go beyond what goes on in practice or in the game. They help build character and prepare you for many obstacles in life. The evolution of sports to what it has become is a fascination for experts. Preachers had previously had considered sports the devil’s work (p. 489).
It was believed that the time spent in participation could be spent serving the Lord instead. Sports were also considered a time waster especially when workers had “time off,” and were found playing a game. It was thought that the time off given to people should be used doing pretty much anything else that doesn’t involve spending it “in a rule-bound, open-air, referee-dominated contest of skill and strength,” (p. 490). However, things have changed since those days, Sheed explains. The “change” is because of the way people socialize today.
Sports can teach many things. “A sports team is a tiny parliament operating on a war footing, and what holds it together and makes it work is much maligned cult of winning,” (p. 505). People learn a sense of discipline, cooperation, and how to handle winning or losing. The importance of winning gives a type of felling of weakness when a loss is brought upon in life. Sports have often displayed the pains, troubles, and embarrassments in people’s lives. They have been a new center for looking deep within oneself. Character building has been included through sports.
They help build health, such as self-control and weight balance. Sports have provided many opportunities in forms of competition, which is one of the biggest things sport can teach. Something that meant the most to me was when the essay talks about young athletes receiving discipline from whatever sport they play unlike a normal student would have received. Sports effect people in way more ways than just being at practice and doing hard work. Playing a sport teaches us almost anything and everything. Being someone who is involved in sports, I agree with the thoughts on this subject.
Playing a sport teaches us how to prepare ourselves for “obstacles” that may come in the way. They give the ability to run away from stressful things for awhile as well. I know when I’m at practice, I use that time to let out all my anger. Sports help you focus on the area around you, and within you. I have learned plenty of lessons myself in football. These will prepare me for whatever life will throws at me. Sports have helped me cope with a lot of things. I think sports help tons of athletes through their lives, and are the reason why you can be able to escape from reality and still have it relate to your life.
