Influence of Sports on Society

Sports are an event that has been around in some form or another for many years. Through time, they have gradually evolved into their current state, and will undoubtedly continue to be around for years to come. This is because they always have, and always will be a positive influence on society and individuals. The emergence of professional sports over the past century has unfortunately brought with it some negative effects. However, the positive effects of sports definitely outweigh the negative.

One way in which sports have a positive effect on people is the fact that they draw people together. Whether it is members of a team, or fans rooting for a certain team, sports have always bonded people of different backgrounds together with a common goal. Even thousands of years before professional sports, stadiums were often the cultural focal point of cities and nations. Sport events were places where people could gather and socialize with other people from the same city while they watched events. Even though times have changed since then, sports still have the same unifying effect over people.

Not only do sports bring people together, but they are also physically and socially beneficial as well. Through constant practice and playing actual games, players are kept in a state of complete physical fitness. The goal of winning a game also drives them to perform to the peak of their abilities. To succeed, one must ultimately become a vital part of the team by interacting with the other members. This creates a social environment where attitudes, values, and behaviors are constantly developed and carried over to other situations in a player's life.

Sports can also help build one's self-identity. The way players participate in a sport and interacts with team members helps to build the players self-identity. The better they perform, the more important their role in the team is. If a player is constantly getting better in his abilities, the team will need him more and more as he gets better.

You might have heard that sports build character. This saying is very much true. Teamwork makes players loyal, builds their courage, and makes them willing to do anything for the good of team. These attitudes learned on the playing field often carry over to a player's real life as well. This, in turn, helps build their character.

Aside from all these positive influences, recently some negative influences have been brought into sports via professional teams and coverage of sports on television. For instance, bringing too many fans together in a sports arena or stadium can have some disastrous results. Conflicts between fans of two different teams can sometimes become bitterer than the rivalry on the sports field. They can become too drunk and out of hand, which often causes fights to ensue. Riots have also occurred after the victory of an opposing team.

Bad role models are also an issue in professional sports. Kids who watch games on television have favorite players who they, the kids, look up to and want to be like. The problem with this is that some of these players are not exactly the greatest people to look up to. They don't exercise the same values or have good morals, like