Sport

 I love watching cricket, field hockey, formula 1 races, golf and a few other sports. I watch the games live as well as recordings. Have also collected autobiographical accounts of quite a few sportsmen. 

I have played my fair share of sport while in school and also continue to play competitive games (in some sports). The standard cliche is that sport builds and helps health - both physical and mental. The games I play regularly save cricket and are not very physical i.e they don’t contribute to the physical health.  The one odd game here and there of golf is for sure not physically rewarding or mentally rewarding, on the contrary it’s mentally frustrating. Mental health after losing a competitive game is not great especially when you have some money on the line (I bet on the outcome of the game I am playing - maybe as an incentive to improve? ). What then draws me to sport ? 

It’s a simple answer - sport shows me the qualities of a sportsman and how he or she conducts him or herself under pressure as well as without. 

Sport attempts to teach us the value of many behaviour traits ; in my opinion the few important ones are leadership, mental fortitude, team spirit, personal growth, dedication, grace under fire, Learning from mistakes, not quitting and a drive to win. These traits are the same traits shown by successful folks in other fields as doctors, entrepreneurs , leaders, teachers .. which ever field you can think of the traits displayed are the same. Sport condenses this exhibition in a short span of time and the true character of the sportsman is for display almost instantly.  The burden of many a sportsman is not knowing that they become idols for young impressionable minds and the character displayed will make or break that young mind in the long run. 

Play some sport and actively analyse the behaviour you display, it will tell you a lot about your own character. I know I do. Which is why I love playing a competitive game often; it helps me reconnect with myself. 

C