What Are the Advantages of Participating in Sports?

Sports are governed by an independent group of rules or traditions, that aim to ensure fair play, and enable consistent adjudication of the results of games. In many organised sports, records of previous performance are kept, and for lesser popular sports, such as ice hockey, this data can be openly reported or even publicly announced. This is in contrast with most contact sports where the players are allowed to continue playing beyond the end of an event. The umpire is the only person who can order a game to be stopped due to ‘grounds’, which can be as broad as inappropriate clothing or an obvious lack of skill on the part of a player.

For many centuries, sports have been seen as a menial pastime, but in recent times there has been a growing interest in pursuits outside of traditional athletics. Many people now play sport for fitness, for example, while others take part in extreme sports such as skydiving and mountain climbing. Extreme sports involve greater skill and use more exertion than typical sporting activities. Some of these sports are also classified as spectator sports and their participant-centric status goes beyond being merely competitive. For instance, roller skating and high diving are considered to be spectator sports.

There is great debate over whether or not sports are intellectual or mentally stimulating. Some people argue that sports involve far more than physical dexterity and are more ‘social’ in nature, but others argue that without the competition, many people would not be as interested. One thing that can be safely said about most sports is that the skills learnt during training to develop the individual’s potential for future success in the sport concerned, but it is possible that future technological developments could reduce the importance of physical dexterity. Some sports are designed to encourage a degree of physical dexterity, such as skiing and swimming, but many other sports such as golf and rugby rely largely on mental attributes. If you think you may have what it takes to become an athlete, why not find out what sports you would like to participate in and get started today?