Are you a Sports Junky

Women have been active participants in sports since ancient times. They have been a part of amateur and professional competitions in virtually all the different sporting events played all over the world. The participation of women in sports increased dramatically in the latter half of the twentieth century, when modern societies began to emphasize gender parity. There is no denying that the level of participation and performance of women in different sports and their ability to draw in the audience still varies greatly by country and by sport.

However, the participation of women in sports is now broadly accepted in every country. In fact, in the arenas cut out for figure skating and tennis throughout the world, women have rivaled and even exceeded their male counterparts, especially in popularity. The modern woman is participating in every sport competitively. In competitions that involve brute strength or contact, the level and extent of competition between women have decreased, but not to eliminate the possibility of future participation at all. There are quite a few dedicated training schools that offer women’s programs in football, boxing or wrestling.

Disabled sports, like the term suggests, are sports played by people with some disability or the other. The disabilities are categorized as physical or intellectual. These ports are regular sports reinvented. The existing sports are modified in a way to meet the needs of disabled persons and hence these sports are also sometimes referred to as adapted sports. However, it is important to understand that not all the disabled sports are adapted sports. There are several independent variations of different sports that have been specifically created for such persons with disabilities. The whole idea is to create competition for people who unfortunately have no equivalent in able-bodied sports.

The levels of competition though in the disabled sports are no different from the regular sports. The motto remains: May the best man win! These sports have given the disabled community a rostrum to display their effort towards striving for excellence in spite of their disability.

The relationship between sports and politics cannot be ignored for the simple reason that both have had a profound influence on each other. This was especially seen when the social evil of apartheid was on official display in South Africa. The policy of Apartheid, where the black community was discriminated against, had far reaching effects. Many sports people then, to salvage sport from the evil, adopted a conscientious approach that they would not take part in competitive sports in South Africa.

The decision was met with mixed sentiments from followers of sports around the world. While some felt that this stand was an effective contribution to the removal of the unjust policy of apartheid, others felt that it unnecessarily prolonged and reinforced its worst effects! Another show of relationship between politics and sports was the Summer Olympics of 1936, in Berlin. It was a perfect show of an ideology that was developing to strengthen through propaganda.

Sportsmanship, as the name implies is the attitude that strives towards excellence and fair play. It comprises courtesy toward team mates and opponents along with ethical behavior on and off the field. A sportsman is judged by his integrity and the grace he displays in losing. The spirit of sportsmanship expresses an aspiration for the involved activity to be thoroughly enjoyed for its own sake. The sentiment that is encouraged while training and on the field is that it hardly matters whether you win or lose, what matters is how you play the game and your participation.

Sadly, there are times when the pressures of competition or an obsession with the individual achievement works against the element of fair play. The element of fairness is also affected negatively with the recent intrusion of technology in sport. Amateurs often seek recognition and respectability as sportsmen by joining dedicated federations or by creating their own regulatory bodies and in this way sports like cycling, snowboarding, and wrestling have evolved from leisure activities to formal sports!

The further additions to the ever increasing popularity of the different sports led to a number of dedicated sports fan following the exploits of professional athletes. Athletes began to combat for first, second and third positions in a number of sports. The cheering and support group operated via enhanced radio, television, and now - the internet. The endeavor was to use technology to enroll, participate and follow all the exercises and competitions associated with amateur participation and professional sports.

In the new millennium, new sports have been introduced and able participation is now invited from athletes and sportspersons within the physical aspect to the mental or psychological aspect of competing. The wireless technology has made cyber sports organizations very popular and now you also have competitions that you can take part in from the comfort of your living room. All sports activities, where the outcome is determined by judgment that is based on the overall execution of expertise are considered performances.