English Essay Value of Sports
Value of Sports
The connection between
mind and body - the neglect of physical education - sports are the best means
of physical development - they instill valuable qualities. The duke of
Wellington's remarks,
'A sound mind
in a sound body' is an expression so familiar and so often quoted that
its meaning is likely to have lost something of its edge and appeal. Yet it
expresses a profound truth and formulates an ideal which every individual
should set before himself. The body is the temple of the mind and is intimately
connected with it. Bodily ailments stunt the growth of the mind, just as mental
maladies affect the health of the body.
The education that is
imparted in our schools and colleges is mainly intellectual. It is true that
every school and college has a playground and offers facilities for sports like
cricket and football. However, participation in games is not compulsory and
little account is taken of it while awarding certificates and degrees. Besides,
there is acute shortage of playgrounds in large cities. Our educationists
should realize the organic connection between mind and body, and pay more
attention and importance to the physical training of the young.
Outdoor games like
hockey, football, basket ball and tennis are the best means of ensuring
physical health and development. They have several advantages over other forms
of exercise. They provide not only exercise for the body but also recreation
for the mind. Exercising one's limbs at home or in a gymnasium calls for some effort
of the will; but boys and girls have natural inclination for sports and they
derive exercise from them in an agreeable way, without specially exerting
themselves. They return to their studies, feeling refreshed and energetic.
Sports also inculcate
valuable qualities in young people. They learn how to cooperate with one
another and to subordinate their selfish desires to the interests of the team.
They learn to play the game, practicing fair play and showing generosity
towards their opponents. In other words, they cultivate the quality of
sportsmanship, which consists in playing a game according to its rules and
accepting defeat with good temper. They are likely to follow the ideal of
sportsman spirit in life also, showing honesty and uprightness in their
dealings with others and never using unfair means to attain personal ends.