Sport From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, seeSport (disambiguation). Sport in childhood. Association football, shown above, is a team sport which also provides opportunities to nurturesocial interaction skills. A Sport is all forms ofphysical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain orimprove physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winneror winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree ofskill, especially at higher levels. Hundreds of sports exist, including those for a single participant, through to those with hundreds ofsimultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. Some non-physical activities, such as board games andcar d games are sometimes referred to as sports, but a sport is generally recognised as being based in physical athleticism. Sports are usually governed by a set ofrules orcustoms. Physical events such as scoring goals or crossing a line first often define the result of a sport. However, the degree of skill and performance in some sports such as diving,dressage and figure skating is judged according to well-defined criteria. This is in contrast with otherjudged activities such as beauty pageants and body building, where skill does not have to be shown and the criteria are not as well defined. Records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news. Sports are most often played just for fun or for the simple fact that people need exercise to stay in good physical condition. However, professional sport is a major source ofentertainment. While practices may vary, participants in many sports are expected to display good sportsmanship, and observe standards of conduct such as being respectful of opponents and officials, and congratulating the winner after having lost. [citation needed]
The aspect of sports, together with the increase of mass media and leisure time, has led to "professionalism" in
sports. This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck are more important than recreational aspects, or
where the sports are changed simply to make them more profitable and popular, thereby losing certain valued
traditions. Indeed, since sport by definition is a leisure activity, "professional sport" does not and cannot exist.
However the term is commonplace and accepted to mean a game or other activity, regarded by the general
population as sport, which is performed by persons for reward with the intent to entertainspectators. The
entertainment aspect also means that sportsmen and women are often elevated to celebrity status in media
and popular culture. For this reason, many journalists have suggested that sports should not be reported by the
general media but only by specialist magazines.
[edit]Politics
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Main article: Politics and sports
Sports and politics can influence each other greatly.
When apartheid was the official policy in South Africa, many sports people, particularly in rugby union, adopted
the conscientious approach that they should not appear in competitive sports there. Some feel this was an
effective contribution to the eventual demolition of the policy of apartheid, others feel that it may have
prolonged and reinforced its worst effects.[11]
The 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin was an illustration, perhaps best recognised in retrospect, where an
ideology was developing which used the event to strengthen its spread through propaganda.
In the history of Ireland, Gaelic sports were connected with cultural nationalism. Until the mid 20th century a
person could have been banned from playing Gaelic football, hurling, or other sports administered by
the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) if she/he played or supported football, or other games seen to be
of British origin. Until recently the GAA continued to ban the playing of football and rugby union at Gaelic
venues. This ban is still enforced, but was modified to allow football and rugby to be played in Croke
Park while Lansdowne Road was redeveloped into Aviva Stadium. Until recently, under Rule 21, the GAA also
banned members of the British security forces and members of the RUC from playing Gaelic games, but the
advent of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 led to the eventual removal of the ban.
Nationalism is often evident in the pursuit of sports, or in its reporting: people compete in national teams, or
commentators and audiences can adopt a partisan view. On occasion, such tensions can lead to violent
doesn't just impress as being an effective way to avoid obstacles. It impresses because of the ability, skill, and
style that is demonstrated in its performance.
Art and sports were clearly linked at the time of Ancient Greece, when gymnastics and calisthenics invoked
admiration and aesthetic appreciation for the physical build, prowess and arete displayed by participants. The
modern term art as skill, is related to this ancient Greek term arete. The closeness of art and sport in these
times was revealed by the nature of the Olympic Games, which were celebrations of both sporting and artistic
achievements, poetry, sculpture and architectures.
[edit]Technology
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Technology has an important role in sports, whether applied to an athlete's health, the athlete's technique, or
equipment's characteristics.
As sports have grown more competitive, the need for better and fancier equipment has arisen. Such as Golf
clubs, bicycles, American footballs and helmets, tennis rackets, baseball and cricket bats, hockey skates.
Ranging from nutrition to the treatment of injuries, as the knowledge of the human body has deepened over
time, an athlete's potential has been increased. Athletes are now able to play to an older age, recover more
quickly from injuries, and train more effectively than previous generations of athletes.
Advancing technology created new opportunities for research into sports. It is now possible to analyze aspects
of sports that were previously out of the reach of comprehension. Being able to use motion capture to capture
an athlete's movement, or advanced computer simulations to model physical scenarios has greatly increased
an athlete's ability to understand what they are doing and how they can improve themselves.
As well as being a form of recreation for the participants, much sport is played in front of an audience. Most
professional sport is played in a theatre of some kind; be it a stadium, arena, golf course,race track, or the open
road, with provision for the (often paying) public.
Australian Rules football
Large television or radio audiences are also commonly attracted, with rival broadcasters bidding large amounts
of money for the rights to show certain fixtures. The football World Cup attracts a global television audience of
hundreds of millions; the 2006 final alone attracted an estimated worldwide audience of well over 700 million.
The Cricket World Cup is another sporting event which attracts a global audience. The 2007 Cricket World
Cup attracted about 2.3 Billion viewers all over the world. In the United States, the championship game of
the NFL, the Super Bowl, has become one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year. Super Bowl
Sunday is a de facto national holiday in America; the viewership being so great that in 2007 advertising space
was reported as being sold at $2.6m for a 30 second slot.
The benefits of playing youth sports may include:
Better grades
Less risk of drug or alcohol use
Chance at sports scholarships
Health Benefits
The biggest risk for youth sports is the increased risk of death or serious injury, including concussions and gym
class injuries.[15]
The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with the UnitedStates and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improvethis article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (August 2011)
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Wrestling Coach
Assistant Wrestling Coach West Carteret High School
The importance of sports in the life of a young student is invaluable and goes muchfurther than the basic answer that "it keeps kids off the streets." It does in fact keepkids off the streets, but it also instills lessons that are essential in the life of a studentathlete. Sports play a pivotal role in the makeup of a young athlete, especially in themiddle school to high school years where student athletes are much more mature andmentally developed. Where else can a young, impressionable youth learn values likediscipline, responsibility, self confidence, sacrifice, and accountability? Television,which may be the most influential tool in the lives of young adults, does not showenough of these qualities, nor is it on the Internet, or radio. Rather it is up to the
parents, teachers, sports teams, clubs, and after school programs to help mold,develop, and instill these qualities into the lives of student athletes. I believe in order for this to happen, school sports programs must have a few components in place. Thefirst thing they need is a good core of coaches that understand the great responsibilitythat is placed upon their shoulders to help shape and prepare these student athletes notonly in sports, but in their everyday lives. Yes, I did say coaches, because it is aresponsibility that lies on the shoulders of more than one person and it is going to takemore than one person to help lead these student athletes to success.
The second component also involves the coaches: It is the ability to capture theadmiration and the trust of the athletes. This is crucial because if you can capture a
person's admiration and trust you can motivate them to perform at a higher level notonly in sports, but also in their own lives. If you can get the athletes to believe in youand your philosophies you can begin to see significant changes in grades and
behavior. It all starts with coaches that have a plan and methodology behind the principles they are teaching. As I said earlier, there is a great responsibility on thecoaches to help young student athletes make a smooth transition into society.
The third and I believe the most crucial of all is the support that comes from thecommunity, and administration. This is very important because student athletes needto know they are appreciated and there is no greater way than for the community,
booster club, and commissioners/treasurers to show that appreciation than to getinvolved in youth athletics. In order to accomplish this it's going to take investmentand the most valuable investments are money and time. The more invested, the better
the results. I can attest that there is no greater investment than the future of our youngstudent athletes. When these things are in place, I believe student athletes will benefitand the results will be evident not only on the field, but long after they step off of it.
FUNCTION OF SPORT IN LIFE.The word sport is a contracted form of "disport" which
means to amuse, to divert one's self. It includes play,
amusement, entertainments or recreation. It is a word
