It’s becoming increasingly common for people on the internet to criticize things that other people enjoy. It often starts with a long explanation of why they personally don’t watch or do a specific thing anymore, and then it ends up trying to explain why you also shouldn’t enjoy said thing. There are lots of examples of this in the world of sports, such as blog posts recommending that you stop watching it.
They often make a few good arguments. For instance, watching sports can be seen as a lazy hobby since you’re not improving yourself physically or mentally. You’re simply watching other people play and then cheering with them when they achieve something. You technically aren’t achieving anything–you’re just going along for the ride. In this sense, it can seem like sports is a huge waste of time since you’re not personally achieving anything.
But is that really the case?
In this post, we’ll be looking at some good reasons why sports isn’t a waste of time contrary to what many people believe. Hopefully, this post will show you that it’s perfectly fine to enjoy not just sports, but any kind of hobby that other people label as a waste of time.
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Engaging in sporting activities can help keep you healthy
The majority of people that criticize sports as being a waste of time don’t realize that there are a lot of people that also play the sports they love, even if it’s just casually. Whether it’s a weekend meetup with friends and family members or an amateur league, there are lots of ways for people to get out and enjoy their favourite sports. Some people even make it out to local games just to spectate and cheer on the teams, even if they don’t have an affiliation to them. Getting out to watch these games or even participate in them yourself can help keep your heart healthy. It’s a surprisingly good way to motivate yourself to exercise and it can also be a fun social event if you invite a few friends and family members to join you.
As a group activity, sports has countless benefits. Even if someone describes it as “just a game”, it’s certainly not a waste of time. You shouldn’t feel guilty or bad for indulging in sports and you should embrace it as a hobby that you enjoy.
People enjoy sports in different ways
Sports can be a fun and leisurely activity for some. For others, it can be a high-adrenaline competition that keeps them on their toes. Everyone has their own way of enjoying sports and it’s important to remember that having fun shouldn’t be something frowned upon. If you actively play sports, then you’re also improving your physical health. If you enjoy analysing NBA power rankings for 2020 playoffs for your fantasy team, then you’re building analytical skills. Everyone that enjoys sports in their own way is building up different kinds of skills that can make a bigger impact on their life than you might think.
As such, it’s good to remember that everyone can enjoy sports in their own way without it being a waste of time. Even if you’re just sitting at home watching sports, you’re still engaging in a fun activity that helps you relax and de-stress after a long workday. You should never feel like enjoying yourself is a waste of time.
Sports can be a great talking point when meeting new people
Sports is a surprisingly common denominator when you meet people. In fact, many people find themselves learning more about sports just to fit in with their colleagues, work clients or even friends and family members. It can be a fun way to learn about something you’re unfamiliar with and you can use it to strike up conversations with people. Since lots of people enjoy sports, you can often find common ground with people and it opens up a lot of conversation options to get to know someone.
You could even join sporting communities around the world which are dedicated to passionate sporting fans. You can discuss the latest games, talk about players and meet people who share a love for the sport as you do. This is a great way to make new friends and build a sense of community around something you enjoy. Don’t underestimate just how popular certain sports can be and how useful it is as a way to break the ice and build your network of friends.
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With enough dedication, your passion for sports can build a career
When you have enough passion and dedication for something, it’s easy to build a career around it. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a professional player to build a career either. Think of all the other roles involved in the sporting industry. For example, there are commentators, analysts, referees, advertisers, software developers, website designers and even influencers. All of these roles play a part in how the sporting industry works, and there’s a good opportunity for you to become any of those. You don’t have to become a player to build a career around sports and there are countless options available to you. You don’t even need to be physically fit to get a job in sports since you can also become a writer or analyst. If you have a passion for sports, you’ll find a way to make it into a career if you choose to.
However, building a career in anything requires a great amount of dedication if you want to make it work. While breaking into the industry isn’t very difficult, maintaining your position can be a challenge and it’s important for you to look for ways to pivot your skills if you want to stay relevant. It’s easy to lose your place in the industry because there are always hungry and passionate individuals that want to build a career in sports. With that said, it’s easy to see that sports isn’t a waste of time and it’s not just a silly game you play on the weekends. It’s a fully-fledged industry with countless employment opportunities that helps to stimulate the economy.
It’s all a matter of perspective
At the end of the day, people that criticize sports as a waste of time are just getting their frustrations and personal feelings off their chest. You could say the same about virtually any hobby. Reading a book, watching a film or even learning to draw could be seen as a waste of time to some people. There are even life-long sports fans that have written about why they’ve dedicated themselves to hang up their flags and leave it all behind. But this is perfectly normal as well. Some people will end up saying goodbye to the hobby because they don’t have time to spend on it or because they’ve found something else to be passionate about. Hopefully, this article has shown why sports isn’t a waste of time and why you shouldn’t feel bad for indulging in it.
In summary, you shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying sports or any kind of pastime that other people label as a waste of time. Instead of getting caught up in what others are saying, you should just enjoy what you like and ignore them. There are lots of good reasons to get involved with sports and you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone that criticizes you for liking something.
