SPORTS IN GENERAL
The history of sport dates back to ancient times. Some sports date backto thousands of years (e.g. running, wrestling, etc.), some have arisen for some decades(snowboarding, surfing, rafting, etc.) Today there are hundreds of different sports, so it is not easy to define what sport is. In the dictionary item the term sport defines as physical activity done for exercise and amusement, usually played in a special area and according to fixed rules.
Sports can be either competitive or recreational (leisure-time). Competitionsare organized between individuals and teams. In a knock out,also known as direct elimination, the winner proceeds forward, while the defeated one finishes the competition, and in round robin systemeach player or team plays against the others, and the one with the most wins goes forward. Leaguesare organized in team sports. Competitors play each other and points are awarded for a win, draw but not for a loss. The league champion may be promoted to a higher leagueand the bottom competitors are relegated to a lower league.
Leisuremeans the free time we have outside of working hours, physical needs and duties. In highly developed societies leisure time is increasing. Recreation is an active form of leisure, when people do not sit in front of the television or computer games, but they do different things, e.g. get fit through sports. Sports for Allor other mass sport eventsare organized to satisfy these needs.
We do sports for many reasons.
For health benefits. Physical activity and sports can keep us healthy. Our bodies will become stronger, we will be more flexible, level of stress will be reduced, and we will feel good. But these, can only be reached with regular activity.
For social benefits.Sport is a good chance for spending free time in a healthy way. Doing regular physical activity, often outdoors,lessens the chance of getting ill. People participating in (team) sports can more easily or better fit into society.
If you do sports only for fun and enjoyment at a sports club, you are considered as an amateur. But if you do sports at a high level you are often offered a professional status that means you do your sport activity for money and that is your job.
There were some periods of time when only menwere allowed to participate insports (the ancient Olympic Games), but through the centuries women could generally try themselves in several different sports. Nowadays there are hardly any sports in which only men can compete. Not only fully-able peoplecan participate in sports. People with disabilities should be encouraged to be involved in sports. Physical disability directly affects movement or the control of movement. Mental impairment results in a person's intellectual capability not developing as quickly or as fully as that of other people and this causes difficulty in learning. Different expressions are used for their activity: handicapped sports, sports for disabled, adapted sport, wheelchairsport, etc. Some sports are specially designed for the disabled (e.g. goal-ball for the blind) some have been modified (e.g. wheelchair basketball).
Physical educationtakes place in schools, colleges, universities or as part ofmilitary training. The lessons are conducted byteachers of physical educationand are always full of physical movement. The schools work withcurricula,which describe the objectives, methods and evaluation procedures of P.E.and sport during and after school and the kind of exercises that should be taught. Becoming a P.E. teacher is a good job. Not only because of the many things you learn, but also because of discipline, enduranceand concentration you develop can all contribute to a good personality with which you can easily undertake different jobs. Another good job is to become a coach. A coach is a person who instructs or trains athletes or players in the fundamentals and various techniques of a sport.