Sports - the eternal craze.

Mrs Nathan, grade this post :P.

First of all, to put this discussion into perspective, what has been the one thing that has survived through the ages, since early man's primitive age to today's modern, advanced age? Sports.
The existence of sports in our world is known by every single human being, young or old, rich or poor, male or female. Let's explore the force, the overwhelming force that compels us, the force behind sports.


What is sports? A pastime or hobby? A way to exercise? An avenue of destruction? Or perhaps the human instinct marshalled into a form accepted by the conventions of the time, given direction by its creators and set loose to forever roam the earth? It may be all of the above, and yet it may be none at all. Sports come in every conceivable manner, from cyber gaming (also a sport, by the way) to American football. We can easily see the great spectrum of sport's manifestations, and thus we must question, what exactly classifies a sport? Is it something that requires intense training, is it something that must always require competition to determine a winner? Maybe not the former, in some cases like recreational sports, but in our modern world, the latter is a given.


What is it about sports that has enabled it to stay "in" and not fade away like many other monuments, many other religions, even through hundreds and thousands of years? Is it the fact that it transcends race, religion, and the social ladder? Is it the fact that anyone and every one of us has an equal chance at making it big in sports? What about the chance to let loose on the field, to take it out on the ball, to take it out on the opposing team, to be completely yourself and not be penalised or punished? In today's society, we are forced to conform without knowing it, from birth. We are forced to be what society wants us to be. We are forced into a mold that shapes our life, right from the start to the very end, even at a funeral where certain conventions and rules must be followed. Therein lies the beauty of sports, the closest we are likely to get to true freedom.

In sports, there is always a winner, and then there is the loser. The spectators say: If winning isn't everything, then why do people keep score." The players say: Don't settle for anything less than the best." Lastly, the song was sung:"We are the champions, no time for losers." I must beg to differ from everything implied in the above three statements. Success has always been, is, and will always be the fruit of failure. Only by losing can we comprehend the nature of that we lack, the distance to our goal, and the taste of defeat. Inevitably, it is the last of the above three that spurs us on to greater heights for fear of that one taste. Thus I said sports is the closest we are likely to get to freedom, because of the simple fact that hurting others forms a liability to oneself, and in turn does not fit into the concept of freedom. In sports, one party will be hurt irregardless, and therefore it is the closest, but not quite there yet.

What is it about sports that has caused its flames to never die out? Is it because it has been the one thing that is constant in that it is not and never will be constant, and therefore can never been correctly and perfectly predicted? We may never know.