Sports are competitive physical games and physical exercises. These fill the need for competition, physical exercise and play. Almost all sports are potentially competitive. This is really the key difference between recreational or leisure, and physical activity or sports.
For a recreation sport, this means playing a sport with other people, generally with another team. For example, football (a contact sport) pits two teams each trying to run the ball down the field to score points. Each team has a coach who tries to coach the best possible combination of skills into his or her team players. The same is true of baseball; there are usually several levels of play ranging from first base to short outfield. While these sports provide a good diversion from the serious business of life, the competition is real and can be felt.
For a sports competition, on the other hand, the competition is not just between teams. It is also between individuals. For example, swimming is a team sport, but it is also a competition between individual swimmers. That means that while you may have friends who never take part in swimming, you might have competitive swimming among your buddies. Competitive handball is a game that requires a lot of maneuvering and thinking, but it is also a game in which the winner is likely to be someone who has practiced the game regularly.
Most kids love to play sports because of the competition and the fun. Even children as young as four or five enjoy sports, so there’s nothing wrong with encouraging them to play. Of course, this does not mean that you should leave your kids out in the backyard when they play sports. However, it is perfectly acceptable to give them some basic instruction, such as how to properly bat, throw the ball and catch it, so that they develop a better game plan as they get older.
Sports also teach kids about fairness. When a team member loses a ball, it is unacceptable for him or her to continue to play until the ball is returned. If the lost ball is replaced, the team member must return to the goal line and play again. This teaches children that they should not keep playing if they have already lost the previous ball. A lost ball will usually result in a forfeit, and the losing team must forfeit to another team within a set amount of time, depending on the rules of the game.
Finally, sports teach children that they should respect each other on the field. No matter who is on your team, players should treat each other with respect, even if they are of different races or ethnic backgrounds. If a racial slur is used by a player on the field, the coach should reprimand them immediately. The same should be done to any other form of racism that is directed at other players on the team.
