Is Sport Given Too much Importance In Today's World?

Sport has been given the recognition unthought of a century or more ago. Countries have invested substantial amounts of money in sports, and famous sporting events such as the Olympic Games have seen countries go all out against one another for fame and recognition. We hear news about sports being broadcasted on television almost all the time. Even majestic buildings and structures have been built solely for the purpose of sports. Schools are also placing more emphasis on sports. In the past, our main objective as a student was to study and grow up to be a wealthy person, however, in our current society, sports talents earn tons of money even without a decent education! Is the importance attached to sport out of proportion to its value to us?

Nowadays, it is apparent that too much money is spent on sports. For example, famous footballers and golfers can earn more money than people who have high social status. Instead of placing so much emphasis on nurturing sports talents, the government should encourage people to have a job that contributes to the progress of the society. After all, what can sports achieve for a country besides glory and recognition?

Sports makes news headlines ahead of far more important matters. An example would be the football star David Beckham, who appears on the front pages of newspapers even for the most trivial of things. In my opinion, newspapers are talking more about sports than they should, due to the fact that a few pages are dedicated to sporting events alone. Surely there are more significant events happening in the world right now! What matters to us most is becoming aware of events that may impact us, not whether a soccer player scores a goal or not.

Sports takes the minds of many people off the serious matters in life. People who are obsessed with sport often go too far to show their support for a certain team or sportsman, to the extent that they name their children after them! In some cases, some parents even use that as a model for what their children will be when they grow up. I feel that the child should have the right to decide whether he or she wants to play sports or not, and not live as a mere shadow of a famous sportsman.

Furthermore, sports takes people away from home and also concerns of the home. Some parents do not spend valuable family time with their children just because they want to watch a soccer match. People who are so obsessed can even bet large amounts of money on sports illegally. We must get our priorities straight as our family is definitely more important to us than sports.

Some die-hard supporters or fans of a certain team or player may get carried away with emotions when things do not turn out the way they want to. This may result in fighting and violence, which has actually happened before. For example, a bus containing soccer players from a certain country was attacked on their journey to another country for the World Cup. Such fighting and violence may even result in deaths.

In my opinion, sports is given too much importance in today's world. It should only be used as a way for us to stay healthy, not as an obsession that deviates us from what is truly important in life, which is our loved ones. Sports should only be a passion for some, not something that tears apart relationships.