Sports and Recreational Activities: Importance, Socialization, and Impact

This article discusses the importance of sports and recreational activities in society, their impact on media, economy, social classes, and ethnicity. It also explores how socialization and social worlds are affected by sports and how they shape social identities and institutions.

Running head: SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES 1
Sports and Recreational Activities
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SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Sports and Recreational Activities
Introduction
Sports and recreation activities have been practised by societies for over a long period of
time in life (Coakley, 2009). They are taken as very important events by the society. Recreation
activities are very healthy and helpful to a society (Ditton, Loomis, & Choi, 2012). They are
practices in the dimensions of family, friends and society, communities and nations as a whole.
They affect the media, the economy, ethnicity, social classes etc. Every age group has especially
different gaming activities. Each group of individuals has reasons why they practice a certain
sporting activity. Sporting activities are very important to families and friends. Some activities
are very healthy and also enhance peace and harmony in society. The lifestyle of sports and
games contributes much to healthy living among people (Sinclair, 2015). Generally, sporting
Activities are very important in life.
Media houses are also well affected by sporting activities in different ways. Many have
commercialized sporting activities over many years ago. Many media houses have even time set
aside daily for them to view or report sporting activities (Krassel, 2016). World economies of
people who practice sporting and gaming activities for commercial purposes have their
economies well impacted by these activities. It’s a major contributor of nation’s world economy.
Different social classes practice different kinds of sporting activities. Many of high profile
people practice sporting activities for pleasure and to keep fit (Müller, 2014).
Sporting activities have affected societies for over a long period of time in history. People
are born in different localities and different societal setups. These different setups affect the kind
of sporting activities people find themselves in. sports and games are also taken as a means of
taking off people from daily chores. People believe sporting also improve people’s capabilities.
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They improve people efficient to take studies or work (Hasselstrøm, Hansen, Froberg, &
Andersen, 2012).
Socialization and social worlds
Human beings are naturally born as social beings. In my early years as I grew up games
were very common. Actually every day we rose up to go gaming. These games occurred in my
early years as early as I find myself I could understand and interpret things. However even
before I could comprehend life we used to go sporting and gaming and watch of carers and our
parents (Coakley, 2014). Our parents took sporting very important for the games were taken as a
source of good health. They kept us fit unlike children who didn’t play and ended up becoming
obese which was a burden to their parents. From the ages of 4-12, we practiced games which
required minimal equipment such as “jump rope”. This was the most common game we used to
practice in our lives as we grew up (Ponchillia, Armbruster, & Wiebold, 2015). The game
needed minimal equipment and the rules of the game could be understood by each and every one
of us in these age groups. Sometimes we could do this gaming as a competition among one
another as friends or as different families (Macnamara, Hambrick, & Oswald, 2014). This
gaming was very enjoyable in these early ages of development. In school and everywhere we
met most times we used our times doing this kind of gaming. In a social gathering where we
found ourselves with our parents we used to do gaming too.
Soccer was also practiced in the ages of 7-12 (Green, & Jones, 2015). During these ages,
we could make teams and pray against one another. We had senior people who use to help us,
especially in football. This is a game very addictive to children of this age. We could play this
game until we forget whether we are supposed to eat or go home at sometimes. We also played
volley ball in high school.
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Most of our gaming took place in a small town where we were born in our early years.
This was because in this small town is where we could meet often and is where our friendship
was strong. This was advantageous also because we knew each other and we could meet in the
same school almost all of us. However, with time we could meet in competitions in big cities in
provincial level in children competitions (Coakley, Riemer, & Pittman, 2009). The society used
to organize that we meet with different other kid teams and play. This created bonds within
communities and talents were easily identified. During all this period of sports, I was learning
much about how to live with my peers. I was also learning how to appreciate people from a
different background (Chin, 2010). I was also becoming fit day by day and I remained healthy.
This early experiences affected my age, social class, race or ethnicity, family, education,
neighborhood and community. I was becoming mature in my age and developing a physical
feature which was making me more fit (Wankel, & Kreisel, 2015). I could understand
community and society even at my tender age. My social class was also affected because I felt
accepted and also could associate with different people of different caliber (Harris, & Parker,
2009). I learned also to appreciate different races and ethnicity. Sporting made me appreciate
every race and treat people equally because I could see the same abilities from my friends. Since
playing was teamwork discrimination wasn’t possible. Families lived in unity for their children
could play together. There was a strong bond joining the community making a better society.
Neighbors knew each other in different dimensions making them cooperate in societal issues.
The community became strong and could help each other in different aspects of life. Every
aspect of sports affected me, family and society as a whole. This is because meeting together and
gaming creates unity among people for they mostly spend time together.
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The social worlds create the best human relationships in all the parts of the world. Human
beings are social beings and need one another. These bonds are created by sporting and games
activities (Bendíková, 2014). When people meet together they interact and know each other
better and this enables them to live well.
Youth Sport
During my childhood, we used to play games with a certain imagination especially at
ages 4-12. There are feelings which we felt always that made us follow or chose a certain sport.
We were also influenced by the society, in how people behaved towards the winner and the loser.
In most cases the winner is liked the most. The ideas of choosing a certain game come mostly
from families and society (Andersen, Lawlor, Cooper, Froberg, & Anderssen, S. 2009). The
games and cartoons we watched also influenced the kind of game we took. The society also had
influences on the kind of ideas we formed. Our families also had expectations on what their
children will become and they became a source of ideas too.
The source of the ideas determined what kind of feeling we could carry around with.
Most sporting activities always made us feel proud of ourselves always. When you win always
there is that emotion of feeling great and they made us live a joyful life always. Most of these
feelings haven’t changed over time (Robertson, 2017). The feeling of taking everybody
important and understanding differences in humanity has remained. Only childish behaviors of
those ages have been left behind. Games made societies and communities live in harmony and
that I have carried even now. My life has been one of the joys explicable for being able to cope
with different environmental conditions at different times in life. Since training has challenges
which every player has always to adhere to, they molded us and that I have carried till the
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present age. Changing conditions of life don’t beat me down for I am able to adapt. Some of the
game activities I even practice them even to date (Gratton, & Jones, 2010).
The youthful sports have influenced my life positively. The lessons of oneness and
teamwork I have carried even to date. Appreciating every ethnicity was also learned during this
youthful age and I am able to live with different people from all parts of the world. Some of the
challenges and success I have achieved in this present time I learned all from our early sporting
times (Trudeau, & Shephard, 2008).
Social identities
Gender affected games we played during our early lives. The game like “jump rope” was
largely taken by girls. Football was mostly practiced by boys. They were set beliefs with grew
with because we found them in the society. There are things which we found in our society that
affected the gaming activities that we practiced in terms of our gender (Khan, ul Islam, & Khan,
2011). These rules couldn’t be broken that time for those who trained us had a big say on what
we could do. Soft training was done to girls but hard and heavy training was done for the boys.
The game practiced by girls didn’t require any strenuous activities but lessons learned from these
sporting activities were the same.
The race wasn’t a challenge or a point of deferential gaming. This is because we
discovered whatever the race or ethnicity one came from we all had equal potential. Ethnic
differences were not acceptable in our small city. No matter which race you came from in a team
it didn’t matter for the victory was always for all (Davis, Bull, & Saiz, 2010). Social classes in
our times just made our sporting better. Since all of us were children, social class and status
weren’t much recognized. However, those from a higher class and status from the society helped
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us to make our sporting activities better. They made all of us feel a sense of beginning. So for us
as children, our focus was seeing victory and not seeing our backgrounds.
The issues of gender, race and social class I learned from my early years have carried
some to date. Gender issues helped me to know how to treat people of the opposite sex. Since in
sports we were trained values of relations have carried most even unto to date (Lenskyj, 2013).
Racial issues and ethnicity which comprise the major challenge in the world have helped me so
much (Grundy, 2013). As other people see differences in abilities based on race, I normally see
everyone having an equal ability to accomplish his or her purpose. Issues of discrimination are
none issues to me always. Growing and seeing people of different ethnicity do a common thing
and achieve great things together shaped my mind to see people equal (Rosen, & Peterson,
2010). Social classes were seen that if someone is more advantaged he/she is supposed to help
others in society. Have had this mentality in the whole of my life and instead of looking down
upon those who are lower than me I make it my goal to help them to become better. My present
life is much affected by our early gaming activities and I am happy for having had such
opportunities.
Social institutions
My participation in sports involves the consumption of goods and service. We pay the
trainers for their good work but many also volunteer themselves. Sometimes when we go far
there are things to carry with us and also higher modes of transport (Gratton, & Henry, 2012).
There are also recommended foods which are for the players at certain points in time and other
goods are part of our lifestyles. This commercialization has helped me see the sports as a big
contributor to the economy. Commercialization of sports also has helped me see different
financial opportunities in sporting activities which is very important.
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The government at times has been very helpful in our sporting and recreational activities.
Many times they have been funding our activities. The government also has been offering
trophies making a point of meeting with one another (Hickman, Lawrence, & Ward, 2015). The
authorities are interested in sporting activities in such that the ministries dealing with sports are
very keen on our sporting and recreational activities (Coakley, 2012). In different places, they
have helped us build recreational facilities. The government also has lessened rules related to
sporting and recreational activities. Many restrictions that used to be have been removed making
our small sporting and recreational facilities free for access.
At times the media covers our activities. This is mostly aided by local authorities with the
aim of developing talents. The media is very cooperative in such a way that some time they
cover our activities for free (Misener, & Mason, 2016). The media that cover our events include
a TV station which air our events live. Radio stations also cover our event too. The national
media also publicize our events. The intervention of media in our activities makes our events
very popular. Our sporting was depicted by media due to our good performance. The networks
we form have also enabled the media houses to create some interest in our sports activities.
Winning several trophies organized by the government has also made the government to note us.
The media also has been benefiting from airing our events (Hartmann, & Depro, 2016). Due to
the involvement of media in our sporting activities we have improved in our sporting activities
performance. It has made some of us get scholarships in their education for the media exposes
these talents to the whole world. Media has made many of us committed and creating high
interests in our sporting activities (Pitts, & Stotlar, 2007).
Social issues
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Our participation in sports and recreation activities has been considered very different
from the normal way this happens. Being a group of people from different races, ethnicity and
social classes and being able to live together has amazed people (Saito, 2009). Media houses
have been amazed and the people who hear this aired. We differ from the rest of the people by
the way we handle our matters in terms of gender, race and social classes. For me to see different
people united and doing things in common is not normal at this age. The deviance is influenced
by doing things differently. This has been due to our background training which is based on
unity. Violence happens at some point but it’s very easily solved for our goal is to remain united
and make difference in this current world (Loes, Dahlstedt, & Thomee, 2010). This minor
violence does not affect the family, friends and society. For the violence is very minor in our
sports and recreational activities. My opinion on violence in sports has changed over time. This
is because I think there are always ways in which people can avoid violence.
Conclusion
In future recreational activities and sports should involve many people from different big
areas. A team should not be composed of people from only one small place but rather a bigger
locality. These activities should involve all age groups for recreational activities help people to
keep fit. People in all classes should choose sports to keep them fit. Technology should be
employed to teach/train people on sports activities.
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