Lesson 5 SPORTS
SPORTS (British English) or sports (American English) includes all forms of competitive physical activity or gameswhich,[1] through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases, entertainment for spectators.[2] Hundreds of sports exist, from those between single contestants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. In certain sports such as racing, many contestants may compete, simultaneously or consecutively, with one winner; in others, the contest (a match) is between two sides, each attempting to exceed the other. Some sports allow a tie game; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure one winner and one loser. A number of contests may be arranged in a tournament producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs.
The word "sport" comes from the Old French desport meaning "leisure", with the oldest definition in English from around 1300 being "anything humans find amusing or entertaining"
Other meanings include gambling and events staged for the purpose of gambling; hunting; and games and diversions, including ones that require exercise.[9]Roget's defines the noun sport as an "activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement" with synonyms including diversion and recreation.
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is an attitude that strives for fair play, courtesy toward teammates and opponents, ethical behaviour and integrity, and grace in victory or defeat.[20][21][22]
Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. The well-known sentiment by sports journalist Grantland Rice, that it's "not that you won or lost but how you played the game", and the modern Olympic creed expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing... is not winning but taking part" are typical expressions of this sentiment.
Cheating
Key principles of sport include that the result should not be predetermined, and that both sides should have equal opportunity to win. Rules are in place to ensure fair play, but participants can break these rules in order to gain advantage.
Participants may cheat in order to unfairly increase their chance of winning, or in order to achieve other advantages such as financial gains. The widespread existence of gambling on the results of sports fixtures creates a motivation for match fixing, where a participant or participants deliberately work to ensure a given outcome rather than simply playing to win.
Doping and drugs
The competitive nature of sport encourages some participants to attempt to enhance their performance through the use of medicines, or through other means such as increasing the volume of blood in their bodies through artificial means.
All sports recognised by the IOC or SportAccord are required to implement a testing programme, looking for a list of banned drugs, with suspensions or bans being placed on participants who test positive for banned substances.
Violence
Violence in sports involves crossing the line between fair competition and intentional aggressive violence. Athletes, coaches, fans, and parents sometimes unleash violent behaviour on people or property, in misguided shows of loyalty, dominance, anger, or celebration. Rioting or hooliganism by fans in particular is a problem at some national and international sporting contests.
EXAMPLES OF SPORTS
Ball Sports Ball Sports
Ball sports fall into multiple categories: ball over net, ball and bat, ball and stick and ball only. Examples of ball over net games include volleyball, water polo and tennis. Ball and bat -- or stick -- games include golf, lacrosse, field hockey, softball and baseball. Ball-only games include familiar sports such as basketball, American football, bowling and soccer. Handball, table tennis and paddleball also fall into this category.
Endurance and Track Endurance and Track
From sprints to ultra marathons, running can be approached as a recreational or professional, sport. Track and field events, from the high jump to the long- jump to discus and javelin throwing, include individual and team events, such as relays. Road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, cyclo cross and BMX place the athlete on a two-wheeled vehicle. Even walking is classified as an Olympic sport when you are a competitive race walker. Multi-sport activities are often classified as endurance sports; these include triathlon in which you swim, bike and run; biathlon in which you ski and shoot; duathlon in which you bike and run. Multi-sport track events include the decathlon, which involves a 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and a 1,500-meter run; and heptathlon consisting of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, 200-meter dash, shot put throw, long jump, 800-meter run and javelin throw.
Combat and Strength Sports
Martial arts, including karate, taekwondo and jujutsu, are ancient combat sports that thrive today at the local and international levels. Wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts -- including ultimate fighting -- also fall under the category of combat sports. Combat sports sometimes include the use of weapons, such as in fencing and kendo. Weightlifting, power lifting and bodybuilding are among the most well-known strength-based sports.
Water, Ice and Snow
Rowing, swimming and sailing are among the more mainstream water-based sports. Diving, surfing, wakeboarding and synchronized swimming also fall into this category. When water freezes, people play sports such as ice hockey -- also considered a ball and stick game -- and curling, or participate in figure or speed skating. In snowy climates, you can ski, snowboard and sled; or if you want to try Olympic sports, you have the luge, bobsled and skeleton.
Gymnastics
The sport of gymnastics consists of more than the artistic gymnastic events, such as balance beam and high bar, that you're accustomed to viewing on television. Rhythmic gymnastics have athletes perform using props, such as ribbons and ropes. Trampolining, rope jumping and trapeze also fall under the gymnastics realm. Slack lining, in which you perform balancing moves -- including flips -- on a loosely anchored, elevated rope, is another sport that's gained popularity since the 1980s.
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