Sports & recreation

Games should be fun

Sports & recreation

Posted by: Goulah

16th Oct 2008 11:46pm

It used to be that when you played sport you had fun. You jumped up and down, got muddy as all get up, ran around in circles and laughed for the sheer joy of it. You fell over and skinned your knees and immediately got up and chased after your friends and went down to the local fish and chips shop and shared with your mates. Now it is win at all costs - it does not matter if the person you push over is your team mate. You must make money and be seen to be the strongest and the fastest and the meanest so start them young and set them up for a million dollar contract. Okay that is a bit harsh but shouldn't we let the kids enjoy themselves?


Comments 43

karlos
  • 7th Aug 2012 09:38am

Kids need to develop a attitude while young to achieve in a positive way. Sports are a way to challenge yourself with the opportunity to enjoy at the same time. Isn't it up to parents and older members of the community to encourage and teach kids to grow up ambitious, happy and fair.

amar93
  • 19th Jul 2012 07:33am

money destroyed sports

margaretjulia
  • 19th Apr 2012 02:03pm

I agree sport should be fun and it should be participated in - not just watched on TV

Anonymous
  • 10th Oct 2011 11:55pm

its true that sports has become a kind of business but many around the world still play sports for the joy of it. those who are able to play it at the professional level because of their passion are without doubt gaining the most out of the activity however games and sports tend to be fun when it is not a duty or a job. an interest in a particular sport would make exercise seem effortless thus allowing any individual to be the best they can be. if they are motivated to become better at the sport then its the best situation that can occur.

Anonymous
  • 5th Sep 2011 05:18pm

too much emphasis is put on winning and the competition takes the fun out of it

dint
  • 6th May 2011 12:54pm

Noone's banned kids being kids and having fun

Isildae
  • 3rd May 2011 03:59pm

That's how it is with my kids sport - they play for fun, get muddy then go and have Maccas. Maybe you should expand your horizons. Just because it isn't happening near you doesn't mean it's not happening.

Anonymous
  • 5th Apr 2011 09:04am

sport has changed its all about winning, only losers will say "its just about having fun", if you wanna have fun you have to win, or if your such a sore loser dont play sport

riaria0203
  • 2nd Apr 2011 12:49am

Sports is fun until money comes into the picture! There is also so much pressure behind it that it will make or break even the best of players. Sadly that is when those players turn to alternative methods to help ease that pressure and stress away.

Anonymous
  • 17th Mar 2011 08:53am

any sports man or woman,should not cultivate the habit of taking any drugs by others influence or wrongly thinking that may help in geting good result. once acdict no chance to get rid of this.so i feel to away from this habit for all sports guys.

mysteron347
  • 17th Mar 2011 02:06am

Kids will go out and play sport if they're allowed to do so. They'll organise themselves and make up rules of their own to make their game balanced. They find it as boring to be the perpetual runaway winner as to be the dismal loser.

What goes wrong is that adults then try to organise them and keep records and make them wear uniforms and not accept that accidents happen. The parents who can find a lawyer ready to make a quick buck with a frivolous lawsuit, the park-keeper more intent on his own dictates and preferences than on his custodial duties, the cop concerned with the letter rather than the intent of the law - all conspiring to stop kids entertaining themselves.

yoniclix
  • 16th Mar 2011 09:12pm

'Sportmanship'. It doest,t really matter whether we win or lose. so long as we have a go. So let's all give it our best shot and 'Have a go'. Before there was only Melbourne and Geelong(1850's), some fellas went to the pub and 'many' of the other teamed up and kicked the footy. Shortly after first bell, they stopped and evened up the sides. When they were done , off they went..... Home to there families. 'They' were 'good sports' Cheers, Lance

Anonymous
  • 11th Jan 2011 03:24pm

I play and teach under 13 netball and last season the team was mostly kids that have never played before. so every week they lost by alot. but they did not care about the score because they all went out there and had a blast. they were learning a new skill while having fun. I dont think it is about Winning and losing all the time. I love playing sport but i play to keep fit and cuz i love it not because i have to win. kids need to have fun and get out there and interact with others. they need to learn that when they fall over its ok you get back up and keep playing.

Anonymous
  • 10th Jan 2011 10:33am

It is not the winning that counts it is the fact that you have participated and played to the best of your ability on the day. Life time sports such as Tennis, Golf, Swimming etc are the way to go and the fact is that a lot of our schools are not allowing the students to take part in these lifetiime sports. If kids are involved in sport such as these then there is little chance they will become involved in illegal activities. There are coaching experts around that can train the trainers(teachers) and in a lot of cases this is free.

Anonymous
  • 19th Aug 2010 11:45am

dont really care

bruce45
  • 10th Aug 2010 04:36pm

I like playing lawn bowls 1 game of 21 ends is like walking 2k plus all the bending down is good excize

Gerry1945
  • 4th May 2010 05:03pm

Yes and remember how many games are being rigged, especially soccer, you see the goalies miss so many easy saves, either they are sleeping or being paid to miss.

bigjimmy1
  • 13th Apr 2010 01:30pm

i agree y nothing like all he has mentioned did not happen when i played then again today there is overpaid wagesto the modern day sportsman
jim

typhoon
  • 29th Mar 2010 10:46pm

I have seen the ugly side of sport where parents feed off their childrens
success.The children get berated for not winning and everyone and everything is at fault because their child does not win.Children should be allowed to have fun when playing sport but some parents just cannot seem to let their children do so.

logilnk2
  • 1st Mar 2010 08:22pm

It Seems to me that professional sport has attracted the biggest bunch of losers ever. They are happier popping pills and popping it out to urinate in the street. They are far removed from fun it used to be as kids. Sportsmen used to be respected for there prowess. Now there are more and more disgraced people who have fallen for the lure of the money. They have lost all respect for others.

brat
  • 2nd Jan 2010 12:53pm

I agree sports should be fun. Whats the point of playing a sport if you're not going to enjoy it. I coach 12 year olds for netball and as I tell the girls it doesn't matter if we win or lose as long as you have fun. And sports are getting to expensive as for my 2 daughters and myself to play it costs us $400 and that's only 14 games if we get good weather. That's what puts alot of people off sports because if you have more than one child it's too costly.

shaper
  • 29th Dec 2009 11:52am

Sport is ot fun any longer, it is now just ego driven either by the sportsmen and women themselves or by the
parents of the children. I have been with my grandson and seen people shout at their child if they don't manage to get a goal or
hit a ball or whatever. Sport was to have fun and give children character, backbone and team spirit. Not any longer. Its now
me, me, me , and how much can I earn?

jan
  • 23rd Dec 2009 09:46pm

I think it's up to parents to instill in their children the thought of fair play. Kids must be taught that it;s alright to lose. Its all part of growing up and learning to cope with lifes ups and downs.

Goulah
  • 15th May 2009 02:23am

It would seem that most 'grown up' sport is subsidised, paid for and encouraged by breweries and big business. This should be ok but a friend told me last week that his son plays amateur football and gets paid $1000 per game. Is it my imagination or is that professional. Yes I know that nowadays professional is considered to be when you do nothing else but play sport or associated activities but how the hell can you call giving 18 year olds $1000 pocket money being an amateur.

They don't know the meaning of enjoying themselves. It has turned into a spectacle akin to the Circus Maximus.

O'D
  • 3rd May 2009 03:54pm

At a time where we need to encourage kids to be as active as they possibly can and play sports we need to encourage kids and not put so much pressure on them as to drive them away.

Michael_M9
  • 11th Dec 2008 01:18pm

you still have doing it... i play soccer... i play to win.. but i love it.. ill do anything for it... if you dont fail you will never succed... yeah these days people are out there to win, though they still love and fun trying to do it..

gigle
  • 12th Nov 2008 11:13pm

We played in the street with our friends, whether it was cricket, basketball, on our bikes or skipping or football. What happened to staying outside until the street lights came on? We all became afraid for our children...now for our children it became dangerous to play in the street. Child predators,dangerous drivers, angry neighbours.

PaulV
  • 11th Nov 2008 11:57am

Nah, i disagree. Go tio any suburban park, yeah sure you'll see the pushy parents, but they are far outwayed by those just wanting to have fun.

Noddy
  • 19th Jan 2009 05:11pm
Nah, i disagree. Go tio any suburban park, yeah sure you'll see the pushy parents, but they are far outwayed by those just wanting to have fun.

agreed, too many people see sport as the elite teams, getting paid too much money and appearing on the front page of the paper too much.

Its more about the youngsters playing it on the weekends. The participation numbers are quite huge, which is great.

matt
  • 7th Nov 2008 08:13pm

I think all the money in sport has created to much greed and everyone has to remember the reason sport is sport . And that is win loose or draw , if you had fun your a winner

pamsiwamsie
  • 5th Nov 2008 05:12pm

Couldn't agree more. In our day (I am 71) we played outside, games such as one stop cricket, tennis, swimming, everything, and no competitiveness, no money involved, just a lot of clean good fun. So sad those days have gone. Now its win, win, win, at all costs, never mind whose leg, arm, you break, just get on with it and win. Sport is no longer sport. I only watch the swimming now, at least they don't thump each other. Too much sport on TV, pushing the win, win, win, banner all the time. Am over it, and refuse to watch. The crowds, the parents, they are all the same. Wake up before it is too late.

gadibar
  • 7th Nov 2008 05:44pm
Couldn't agree more. In our day (I am 71) we played outside, games such as one stop cricket, tennis, swimming, everything, and no competitiveness, no money involved, just a lot of clean good fun. ...

Yes did the way it go when money come involve then the we losing a little bit of the fun that go with sport but over all it still give great enjoyment to the won that play it or watch spacilly if the team win....

kezza052
  • 21st Oct 2008 09:55pm

I have 3 Grandchildren that do Gymnastics and at the moment they are doing competition's. I alway's tell them to go out there and do the best they can.I do not believe that kid's have to be so comepeitive with all the sport,but it's a bit hard when you have adult's on the side line telling the kid's to get in there and give the other person ashove or push. Where are the day's when kid's can just be kid's.

Anzacbaby
  • 20th Jul 2010 03:17pm

I have 3 Grandchildren that do Gymnastics and at the moment they are doing competition's. I alway's tell them to go out there and do the best they can.I do not believe that kid's have to be so...

I agree kezza, my daughter did callisthenics for 3 years and was good at it and loved it. As she got older it became so competitive that it wasn't fun anymore.

thevet
  • 21st Oct 2008 04:10pm

It is unfortunate that sport has become a business, even the juniors are pushed by their parents to limits that are not conclusive with having fun while playing a sport they like.

vitabudgie
  • 14th Dec 2008 05:00pm
It is unfortunate that sport has become a business, even the juniors are pushed by their parents to limits that are not conclusive with having fun while playing a sport they like.

Not everyone that plays sport is good at it. The way it should be to give everyone that wants to try should be able to without the only goal to be a professional player. Sport should be played as a sport but it you can make money out of it all the better . Let anyone play sport for the fun of it and to be part of a team.

Pouncycat
  • 18th Oct 2008 10:56am

On one hand, the authorities give lip service to the notion of encouraging kids to get involved in physical activities, and on the other we've got government schools banning the performance of handstands and playing touch football. Why ? Because these activities are not "safe". So, let's just wrap our kids up in cotton wool, and let them become more obese, develop more juvenile diabetes, suffer from more premature heart disease etc, etc. Is that "safe" enough for you, Mr. Rudd ?

bigjimmy1
  • 13th Apr 2010 01:33pm
On one hand, the authorities give lip service to the notion of encouraging kids to get involved in physical activities, and on the other we've got government schools banning the performance of...

the sort the schools are banning are dangerous i do not agree with your statement

Gerry1945
  • 17th Oct 2008 03:35pm

sport has died...too many rapes drugs and alcohol, not good any more for our youth to follow as an example, parents punching refs...etc etc

Anonymous
  • 19th Aug 2010 11:45am
sport has died...too many rapes drugs and alcohol, not good any more for our youth to follow as an example, parents punching refs...etc etc

tes i agree with gerry

jimmy
  • 4th May 2010 04:09pm
sport has died...too many rapes drugs and alcohol, not good any more for our youth to follow as an example, parents punching refs...etc etc

you do not condem many because of a few

Michael_M9
  • 11th Dec 2008 01:19pm
sport is good fun and when you free to participate ion sport it is god given blessing

sport is fun, though top clubs are expecting money from everyone.. when i played for sydney olympic (soccer) we had to pay $800 to be in the team.. how does that work...its wrong here.

elle
  • 20th Oct 2008 04:11pm
sport has died...too many rapes drugs and alcohol, not good any more for our youth to follow as an example, parents punching refs...etc etc

sport is good fun and when you free to participate ion sport it is god given blessing

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