In numerous countries, sports programs are shown continuously on TV, which is why some individuals consider them the main discouragement for young people not participating in real sports by themselves. Although watching professional athletes’ performances on a screen can result in a sedentary lifestyle and cowardice among the younger generation, I believe this activity is more likely to encourage youth to take part in some competitions either at school or local community.
Since any type of sport involves a contest between teams or athletes, watching it is a usual pastime among a majority of people. Frequent broadcasting of such championships may be appealing to some who might hold their attention for hours lying on the sofa. This situation directly relates to making children more inactive in their free time. Moreover, competitions in such types as martial arts, box, and UFC are often intense and can end with breaking one’s limbs. After witnessing these frustrating outcomes of practicing such sports, young emotional individuals will probably be afraid of participating in them. As a result, young members of society can opt out of getting envolved in any physical activity related to sport.
From what I have observed, watching sports on television is the first stage of a child’s interest to start practicing them, however. When children see a higher level of dedication in players to win the game against their opponents, they often want to become one of those professional athletes. In my childhood, for example, I would watch almost any type of sport I found fascinating mainly due to the brilliant mastery of players. Whenever I watched football, particularly El Classico, the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, I was so inspired to play it on my own. The way top football players like Ronaldinho, Inesta, and Messi acted during the match has always held me spellbound, resulting in my higher participation rate in every tournament at school, in college, or even at university. Not surprisingly, this is the case for most of the children who are trying to repeat their idols’ dribblings when playing by themselves.
In conclusion, when some dangerous sports are broadcast on TV, young members of society may opt out of engaging in sports physically after knowing the negative consequences. Nevertheless, in many cases, watching sports has been the first good impression and motivation for children to join local sports clubs and higher attendance rates in them.