Sports: Detrimental or Beneficial
“... and the Royals win the World Series!” Announcers go wild as all of the Royals players charge the field and the stands erupt with a roar. Millions of different kinds of people have come together to watch the World Series baseball game. Sports have brought many positive aspects to multiple cities all over the word. The positive effects of culture that have been demonstrated through sports has brought American citizens together, created women’s sports, and taught children to have character.
The fans of sports are how people from different backgrounds can come together for one reason. Felisa Rogers, author of “How I Learned to Love Football” says, “Watching sports, particularly football, is a good excuse to sit around with friends, drinking a beer and eating nachos” (531). I agree because my experience of going to sporting events like football and basketball games confirms the notion that watching sports brings all different kinds of people together. Sports are a way for most people to take a break from their duties, such as work, and just relax and watch the game. As fans go out to watch sports, most are not aware of what goes on in others’ lives. They may not know one guy just lost his job, or that a women just broke up with her boyfriend, and they both came to a hockey game to forget their troubles. Although sports bring people together, some hate the idea of sports. Some people may say, “It doesn’t matter how many times you try to explain it to me. I hate sports. It’s, like, genetic” (Rogers 531). Although I can agree how some may not like sports as much as another person up to a point, I cannot accept his overall conclusion that it doesn’t bring people together because a person hates it. Many people dislike sports, but when a town or city has a team that is having a prospering season, people come together to support the team. Athletes who play for high school teams see the support coming from people who would usually not attend a sporting event. People who may not like basketball come to the games because everyone knows that the fans are what makes the game. These fans come from many different ethnicities as well as cultures. Therefore, when sports are played people come together making our towns and cities more cohesive places.
As sports grow, so do the people who are allowed to play them. Sara Maratta, author of “Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Crease” emphasizes that, “Ultimately, what is at stake here is the awareness that sports are not exclusively male-orientated; therefore, females can and should be involved and have the opportunity to provide insightful opinions about these pastimes” (539). Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to the awareness that sports should not be participated in based on sex. There are many cases when female athletes use the same skillset as men to accomplish the same feats men have accomplished. Most women playing sports are fit and talented just like men but are constantly trying to monitor their personas to fit the stereotypes (Maratta 540). Nevertheless, no matter how many people think that women’s sports made a positive impact on culture, there will always be people who disagree. Maratta states, “Like other women in sports, cheerleaders are perceived as illegitimate wannabes in short skirts, rather than as athletes” (540). Though people believe this stereotype is true, women athletes continue to prove that they are capable of prospering in sports. It has become common today to dismiss that media coverage has, for the majority, focused on male participation. As fans have seen when watching college basketball, the men’s NCAA basketball tournament is much more advertised than the women’s tournament. As sports change overtime women’s sports were made and continue to contend with men’s sports.
When children play sports, they are open to all the valuable life lessons sports can teach them. Kelsie Ingham, author of “Fun and Games” claims that, “Through play, children learned valuable skills” (par. 2). While playing sports, kids learn that winning isn’t all that matters (Sheed 491). Many traits such as patience, teamwork, and character are all things that children acquire while participating in sports. Ingham’s theorem of children learning life lessons while playing sports is extremely useful because it sheds some insight on the difficult problem of whether or not kids should play sports when young. Conversely, many parents who are deciding whether or not to let their children participate in sports decide that it is a bad idea. Some parents may think that it is a bad idea because they will get burnt out on the sport once they are older. In other cases, sports could cause future anger management issues in athletes as well. Though I concede that there may be issues with starting sports as children, I still insist that the positive affect outway the negative. In short, sports have given children character and life lessons as they play.
As announcers exclaim that the Royals have won the World Series the crowd goes wild. Millions of different kinds of people have come together to watch the World Series baseball game. Sports have brought many positive things to places all over the word. The positive aspects that have come through sports onto today’s society have brought people together, made women’s sports, and taught children character.
Works Cited
Ingham, Kelsie. “Fun and Games.” Appleseeds, 2005, p. 10. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A139966096/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=9307f8cf. Accessed 2017.
Maratta, Sara. "Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Crease." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 537-544. Print.
Rogers, Felisa. "How I Learned to Love Football." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 529-536. Print.
Sheed, Wilfrid. "Why Sports Matter." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 489-511. Print.
“... and the Royals win the World Series!” Announcers go wild as all of the Royals players charge the field and the stands erupt with a roar. Millions of different kinds of people have come together to watch the World Series baseball game. Sports have brought many positive aspects to multiple cities all over the word. The positive effects of culture that have been demonstrated through sports has brought American citizens together, created women’s sports, and taught children to have character.
The fans of sports are how people from different backgrounds can come together for one reason. Felisa Rogers, author of “How I Learned to Love Football” says, “Watching sports, particularly football, is a good excuse to sit around with friends, drinking a beer and eating nachos” (531). I agree because my experience of going to sporting events like football and basketball games confirms the notion that watching sports brings all different kinds of people together. Sports are a way for most people to take a break from their duties, such as work, and just relax and watch the game. As fans go out to watch sports, most are not aware of what goes on in others’ lives. They may not know one guy just lost his job, or that a women just broke up with her boyfriend, and they both came to a hockey game to forget their troubles. Although sports bring people together, some hate the idea of sports. Some people may say, “It doesn’t matter how many times you try to explain it to me. I hate sports. It’s, like, genetic” (Rogers 531). Although I can agree how some may not like sports as much as another person up to a point, I cannot accept his overall conclusion that it doesn’t bring people together because a person hates it. Many people dislike sports, but when a town or city has a team that is having a prospering season, people come together to support the team. Athletes who play for high school teams see the support coming from people who would usually not attend a sporting event. People who may not like basketball come to the games because everyone knows that the fans are what makes the game. These fans come from many different ethnicities as well as cultures. Therefore, when sports are played people come together making our towns and cities more cohesive places.
As sports grow, so do the people who are allowed to play them. Sara Maratta, author of “Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Crease” emphasizes that, “Ultimately, what is at stake here is the awareness that sports are not exclusively male-orientated; therefore, females can and should be involved and have the opportunity to provide insightful opinions about these pastimes” (539). Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to the awareness that sports should not be participated in based on sex. There are many cases when female athletes use the same skillset as men to accomplish the same feats men have accomplished. Most women playing sports are fit and talented just like men but are constantly trying to monitor their personas to fit the stereotypes (Maratta 540). Nevertheless, no matter how many people think that women’s sports made a positive impact on culture, there will always be people who disagree. Maratta states, “Like other women in sports, cheerleaders are perceived as illegitimate wannabes in short skirts, rather than as athletes” (540). Though people believe this stereotype is true, women athletes continue to prove that they are capable of prospering in sports. It has become common today to dismiss that media coverage has, for the majority, focused on male participation. As fans have seen when watching college basketball, the men’s NCAA basketball tournament is much more advertised than the women’s tournament. As sports change overtime women’s sports were made and continue to contend with men’s sports.
When children play sports, they are open to all the valuable life lessons sports can teach them. Kelsie Ingham, author of “Fun and Games” claims that, “Through play, children learned valuable skills” (par. 2). While playing sports, kids learn that winning isn’t all that matters (Sheed 491). Many traits such as patience, teamwork, and character are all things that children acquire while participating in sports. Ingham’s theorem of children learning life lessons while playing sports is extremely useful because it sheds some insight on the difficult problem of whether or not kids should play sports when young. Conversely, many parents who are deciding whether or not to let their children participate in sports decide that it is a bad idea. Some parents may think that it is a bad idea because they will get burnt out on the sport once they are older. In other cases, sports could cause future anger management issues in athletes as well. Though I concede that there may be issues with starting sports as children, I still insist that the positive affect outway the negative. In short, sports have given children character and life lessons as they play.
As announcers exclaim that the Royals have won the World Series the crowd goes wild. Millions of different kinds of people have come together to watch the World Series baseball game. Sports have brought many positive things to places all over the word. The positive aspects that have come through sports onto today’s society have brought people together, made women’s sports, and taught children character.
Works Cited
Ingham, Kelsie. “Fun and Games.” Appleseeds, 2005, p. 10. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A139966096/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=9307f8cf. Accessed 2017.
Maratta, Sara. "Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Crease." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 537-544. Print.
Rogers, Felisa. "How I Learned to Love Football." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 529-536. Print.
Sheed, Wilfrid. "Why Sports Matter." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 489-511. Print.