The chief object of sports is, of course, bodily
exercise. “A sound mind in a sound body” is a well-known saying. The health of the
body is essential for success in life an unhealthy’ man is always sad, gloomy
and therefore loses confidence in him. To keep healthy, one must take an active
interest in sports. Thus sports serve an essential purpose in life because they
ensure good health and build a fine physique. If one is bodily fit, one feels
capable of hard endeavor and life without endeavor is useless, the great advantage
of sports is that they combine exercise with thrill, excitement and sensation.
In order that we should readily take exercise. It should be made interesting
and, as everybody knows practically all kinds of games devised by man possess a
certain degree of interest. Hockey, football, cricket, tennis badminton, rowing,
swimming -- all these and others not only give exercise to the limbs but also
provide a good deal of excitement and entertainment. Besides, the competitive
element in sports is a source of thrills for the mind. Not only the players,
but the spectators fell engrossed in a game because of its suspense and
unexpected turns. It is for these reasons that sports from a very important
part in education. A bookworm who takes no share in sports is physically weak
and all his mental excellence cannot make up for his physical deficiency.
Sports benefits not only the body but also the
mind. Almost every game requires a certain degree of skill to play. Skill is
mental quality. Vigor alone is not enough in games like golf, cricket and tennis.
A certain dexterity is also needful.
Sports are an excellent means of spending one’s
leisure. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Sports are an interesting
and entertaining pastime. Most of the games are quite inexpensive too.
There are several other consideration which entitle
sports to an important place in life. It is usually by taking part in sports
that we cultivate what is called the spirit of sportsmanship. This spirit of sportsmanship
is an excellent quality in a man and consists of fair play, sense of
discipline. Capacity for team work and cooperation, and confidence in oneself
that enables one to accept a defeat cheerfully. A sportsman playing on the
field is not expected to play, foul; he must not lose self-confidence but must
shake hands with his adversaries cheerfully. When a sportsman has acquired
these qualities on the playground, be will naturally exhibit them in the wider
sphere of life. If he has truly imbibed the lesson taught to him by sports, he
will be very honest and fair in his dealings with other people; he will never
hit his enemies below the belt; he will always obey his superiors; he will never
feel heart-broken on account of the disappointments. If he shows these
qualities in his general conduct, he has learnt how to live truly. His life is
successful and he will be admired everywhere.
Sports develop and encourage the spirit of healthy competition.
The competitive instinct is natural in man and demands outlets. Sports have
wide scope for the competitive instinct. Matches and. tournaments and contests
are held to put to test the skill toughness, stamina and endurance of various
participants. Medals and other awards are an incentive to players to achieve
excellence and a high standard of performance in their respective fields. The healthy
spirit of rivalry and competition constantly leads to improvement in the
performance. And previous records are constantly excelled or surpassed.