Great Debate #1: Is Sport Character Building?

[Angela Harlem]

Many moons ago when I did High School debating, we had this topic. I was on the negative team. Anyone care to play?

 

[bullet the blue sky]

I wouldn't say it was character building as such... because if you lack character or the characteristics needed in the first place, you will never get anywhere.

However, it can IMPROVE your character in that respect, assuming you have some in the first place.

So the answer I suppose is yes.

 

[brettig]

The answer can be yes, it can also be no...sport can be soul destroying. Whether it needs to be soul destroying is another issue, but it can tear down what it builds up just as savagely as anything else.

 

[rafmed]

I think sport in his more pure form is character building, too bad many youngsters are pushed into a mentality of win at all costs. That is good for pros, but for kids, is not what is supposed to be.

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Please...don't make me say please, champagne and ice cream, it's not what I want, it's what I need.

 

[Bbug]

Sports under the right conditions can teach you the importance of discipline, communication, etc. But if it's something you're pushed into by parents/siblings, or if the coaching staff has no perspective about the level at which you're playing, it can become a chore and cause a lot of worry and self-doubt. I think sports CAN be character-building, but they aren't necessarily so, and it's not the only activity that can have that benefit for people.

 

[The Wanderer]

Well of course it can be either, but in so many ways sport mirrors everyday life, and there's no disputing that. People face competition at every turn in life, some people respond with less integrity than others, but how one deals with competition is important to survival. I would love to be able to say that all coaches of youth sports have the best interest of their players in mind, but many do not. I've played sports from the time I could walk, organized sports for well over a decade, I encountered my share of good guys and bad guys -- and I don't mean just coaches, but players as well, and of course many players reflect the attitude and characteristics of their coach. But again, you're going to get that in all aspects of society. (For instance, employees often assume the characteristics of their employers). So unless you're somehow living outside of the capitalist realm, everything from corporate society to the education system perpetuate competition -- and sport is a paradigm for life.