The Problem of Sports: Actually, there is more than just one problem

By: Rachel Baker

In today’s world, there are many things that take over pop culture. An example of this would be the dreaded sports. Football, hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, badminton, golf and more. All of these are examples of extremely boring social events that take priority over such things as education. There is nothing relatively entertaining about watching grown people running around in shorts or tights (in the case of football), after a ball.

Not to mention the fact that there are too many rules, positions and terminology to remember. Furthermore, the idea of watching people get beat to pulps, break bones and suffer injuries all for the idea of winning a socially constructed idea of a trophy is barbaric. Not to mention in the case of wrestling those unitards do not flatter anyone. 

There is also the fact that sports are entirely too serious. In the end, sports are simply glorified games. The fact that people get upset and argue over a game is ridiculous. It is inevitable that in any game there is a loser and a winner. Getting into disagreements and fights all because somebody lost at a sport makes absolutely no sense. This again ties into the idea that sports promote violence and aggression. People take sports so seriously to the point where they are willing to hurt others or get hurt. This violence is another reason why I do not like sports.  

Sports also promote a sense of pressure for not only the players, but the audience. There is a pressure to win put on the players. This pressure could lead to success in some cases, but in most cases, it could lead to performance anxiety, and unnecessary stress. Stress could lead to other health issues which compromise athletes in a negative aspect. As for the audience, there is the stress of one’s team losing when the score is close.

The stress and pressure one feels for their team can also lead to health issues. There is also the pressure of cheering for one’s home team even if they might want to cheer for another team they prefer. Not to mention the pressure of following the bandwagon in the sense of following a team only because they are going to be number one. 

Moving on, the fact that athletes make more money than teachers, those who educate the future of our society is ludicrous. This shows how faulty our society is in terms of its priorities. Additionally, people argue sports bring people together. While this is true to a certain degree there are more cases where arguments start over disagreements between sports teams and their fans.

This and the fact that alcohol is traditionally consumed at sporting events results in more barbaric fights and unnecessary injuries, all the result of watching sports. In the end, sports are merely insignificant. They highlight the fact that society has its priorities out of order, promotes violence, are too complicated and are boring. Simply put, watching sports is not only an utter waste of time, but is an undeservedly popular part of today’s society and this is why I do like them.