Boys playing soccer

Sports are enjoyed by millions of people around the world daily, either those who enjoy functioning in the role of spectators, or those who play all the various sports in order to become champions and win.  The popularity of sports throughout the ages reflects the human desire to group.  A team is like a small country, clan, or tribe.  It has its own colors and is represented by an animal or other mascot.  It has fans who support it, who enjoy gathering at all the events and screaming, laughing, eating and drinking, and generally having a good time being against “them,” whoever they are.   Many of the world’s most talented and successful athletes in competitive sports began trying sports at a young age.  They may have started by playing Tee Ball, progressed through softball and baseball, then maybe soccer, football, ice hockey, rugby, or team swimming.  Either way, these young people were brought into a sports mindset from the time they were old enough to practice the physics of games and learn the rules, and unlike people who do not go on to sporting careers, they stick with it for life or until some injury prevents them from pursuing their dreams. 

If you are basketball fan, you have probably seen your share of NBA moves gone terribly awry on and off the court. NBA and NFL bloopers are some of the most popular outtakes to watch on social video sites like YouTube. This is because basketball and football are two of those sports we just can’t seem to get enough of. We like watching our favorite sports stars stumbling their way out of a bad fall, or crashing through the sidelines in the heat of a play and trying not to crush innocent bystanders. We even love watching someone like the legendary Shaquille O’Neal miss a shot now and then.

Casey Longernecker, a freshman at a college in the southern United States donning a yellow shirt, yellow socks and yellow paint smeared over his face, darted across the quad while other students wearing capes and clutching brooms in hand (between their legs, no less!) darted after him. They were all trying to win the same prize: a tennis ball in a sock, dangling from Longernecker’s shorts as he ran. Longernecker was playing the role of the “golden snitch” as these college students translated the fictitious game from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to a game on a field, played with real people but following the same basic rules.

As long as you do it very safely, then racing down a hill at speeds that feel close to a million miles an hour can amount to a great time. Winter sports are one of the reasons people all around the world become thrilled at the first signs of cold weather and the possibility of snow. Sledding is a part of that. When chosing your sled, you need to find the safest one possible. This should be one that you can stay on, and one that you can actually steer. There should be handholds, and those should be within easy grabbing reach. There should also be padding on the seat of the sled.

As a parent concerned for your children’s well being and success in life, you have probably taken the advice of developmental psychologists to heart and agreed that team sports can go a long way to help build social skills in children. On the gaming field, kids learn to specialize in a specific role, and they learn to be a team player. They learn friendship, and loyalty, and what it means to win and to lose. They learn that practice and hard work lead to big rewards, and that sometimes life isn’t fair, and that no matter what, it’s all good if you let it be.

Green Bay remains the only undefeated team in the NFL after beating the New York Giants yesterday in a tight game that went into overtime and nearly ruined the team’s pristine 2011 record. But once again, the Packers went on to victory. It’s the only publically owned team in the NFL now, and will be selling shares of its stock for $250, allowing fans and investors a chance to own a stake in the Superbowl Champion team that just can’t seem to be stopped. The Packers announced details last week about their first stock sale in about fourteen years, and only the fifth one in team history. The historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay, in need of $130 million in repairs and renovations, will benefit from the sale of the stock.