Hassan U Ahmad
March 27, 2019
THE IMPORTANCE OF SPORTS IN SOCIETY
For hundreds of years, sports have been used for entertainment across the globe. Some people
relate sports to entertainment only and do not associate any other value with it. Others consider
sports as part of life creating competitiveness amongst the players. A true sportsman develops
sportsmanship and learns the qualities of leadership, discipline and team building/bonding. Sports
can even go as far as saving people, keeping kids out of trouble and make them admire their role
model. It also makes their wishes come true by meeting their role models and spending time with
them. Sports is presently being observed as a method for connecting individuals instead of
partitioning them and they have additionally created numerous employments opportunities.
The involvement of people in sports may yield a profound impact on anti-racism attitude. Racism
may affect motivation, enjoyment and levels of participation and, if unchecked, may result in
inappropriate potentially dangerous violent behaviour, racial harassment, discrimination and
vilification. Sports attract people from all different races and life-styles and provides opportunities
to build social and cultural bridges based on shared interests. People from all over the world get
together in one team to play solely on skills rather than color, class or creed. This really benefits
our societies as it teaches our youngsters not to differentiate between people from different cultures
and ethnic backgrounds rather how to work together and help building a better society. As an
example, Tiger Woods was racially discriminated in golf because he was from an AfricanAmerican decent and 83 percent of golf participants were white. In 2011, Woods' former porter
Steve Williams described him as a "black arse", which sparked much controversy over the racial
dynamic between Woods and the world of golf. His comments opened a debate on the racial
tensions present in golf. Williams described his own comments as "stupid" and not racist, and later
apologized to Tiger Woods. Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman was suspended from The Golf Channel
after joking about Tiger Woods being "lynched in a back alley" during final round coverage of
the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
Sports impacts not only our lives but as well as our economy. It has created thousands of jobs that
positively impact the economies of nations. According to Economic Modeling Specialists
International as of 2013, the sports industry in America produced 456,000 jobs (average salary
$39,000). These jobs include far more than just the athletes. Some other occupations involved with
spectator sports are coaches, referees and agents. Moreover, it does not even take into
consideration the many stadium vendors and their employees, front-office personnel, etc. These
different job and volunteer opportunities help develop the knowledge, skills and productivity of
individuals and communities. Moreover, it creates strong and vibrant neighbourhoods and cities
where people want to live, and businesses invest in order to improve the lifestyles of people.
“You’ve got 3 choices: Give in, Give up, or Give it all you’ve got”
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Hassan U Ahmad
March 27, 2019
There are many charity foundations that have been built by citizens but some of them were paid
by professional athletes who wanted to help the needy and deprived people. Charity foundations
are countless but Make-A-Wish Foundation is a charity organization of its own kind. Make-AWish has partnered with many sports teams and athletes over the years to make dreams come true
for young people with life-threatening illnesses. This foundation arranges meetings of professional
athletes with such people. An example of such a case is that of my cousin whose wish was recently
granted by the foundation. This specific meeting opportunity really helped my cousin mentally.
His wish was to meet Lebron James and Make-A-Wish made it a reality. My cousin spent a day in
Miami, Florida with Lebron James. Mr. James’s team also joined them there in Miami. These
kinds of foundations can help the society in making it a better place not just for normal people but
even for people that need physical and mental help.
In conclusion, sports has impacted our societies in a positive way. It has united the hearts of
everyone in the society with similar interests and made the society a more peaceful and enjoyable
place to live. The jobs and volunteer opportunities has impacted the society on a large scale and
will continue to benefit it in more useful ways. Furthermore, sports has not impacted the economics
of a society, but it has also influenced the lives of many young people that would not be possible
without the presence of sports.
“Sports do not build character … they reveal it” John Wooden
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