Sport

Sailboats are raced for sport as well as used for general transport

A horse, involved in many sports since ancient times

A sport is a game or exercise that is played to keep humans fit or even just for entertainment. Some examples of some sports are: baseball, horse racing, motor racing, go-karting, mini golf, canoeing, rowing, white water rafting, skydiving, rock climbing, rugby, football, soccer, hockey, basketball, golf, and swimming. They often help to train self-discipline.

Professional sports are increasingly a tool of liberal politics, misused by oligarchs and the liberal media as a way to promote the homosexual agenda or some other political goal. The distortion caused by increased gambling on professional sports makes merit irrelevant; the quality of play can be second or third-rate without revenue declining much.

## Contents

* 1 Virtues of sport
* 2 Sport as entertainment
* 3 Dangers of sport
* 4 Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism
* 4.1 Atheism and unsportsmanlike conduct
* 4.2 Atheism, sports performance and mental fitness
* 5 See also
* 6 Notes

## Virtues of sport[edit]

Besides its obvious physical advantages, sport can teach one many virtues, for example fair play and honesty, modesty and acceptance of defeat.

## Sport as entertainment[edit]

In the United States and Canada, the four main broadcast team sports are American Football, baseball, basketball and hockey. Franchises are spread across the major cities and their arenas attract large audiences. Although many leading players of these sports are rich, they give to charity as well. However, some have had low moral standards. For example, OJ Simpson, who was found civilly liable for wrongful death.

In the United Kingdom, soccer has long been the most popular team sport and its Premier League is broadcast across the world. Rugby and cricket are also popular. Golf was invented in Scotland and tennis has its main tournament annually at Wimbledon in London.

## Dangers of sport[edit]

As the medical understanding of brain injury increases, the adverse long term consequences of sports like boxing and football have become a growing concern.[1] Some states considered a ban on combat sports like mixed martial arts.[2][3]

## Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism[edit]

See also: Sports performance: Religious faith vs. atheism  and Atheism and physical fitness

Numerous studies report that athletes to be more religious than non-athletes.[4]

The Sports Journal is a monthly refereed journal published by the United States Sports Academy. A journal article appeared in the Sports Journal entitled Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions. The article was submitted by Nathan T. Bell, Scott R. Johnson, and Jeffrey C. Petersen from Ball State University.[5]

An excerpt from the abstract of the journal article Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions declares:

“  |  Numerous studies report athletes to be more religious than nonathletes (Fischer, 1997; Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, & Storch, 2001; Storch et al., 2004). According to Storch, Kolsky, Silvestri, and Storch (2001), four reasons may explain why religion interacts with athletic performance. First, athletes may identify with religious beliefs for direction and humility. Second, athletes may turn to religion to gain a sense of optimism and security, benefiting from such beliefs following a disappointing athletic performance. Third, religion can be used for emotional and psychological support in stressful circumstances like the uncertainty of athletic competition, which can cause athletes an overwhelming amount of anxiety. Religious beliefs can offer the internal strength to persevere through the stress. Fourth, religion “provides a cognitive framework conducive to the relief of anxiety associated with competition” (Storch et al., 2001, p. 347). This framework allows relief from fear and anxiety on the basis of the athlete’s understanding (i.e., belief) that a supreme being is in complete control of the situation. For example, athletes may rely on religious faith to place a poor athletic performance in perspective...

Religion can be an important aspect in athletes’ lives and may serve a protective function against psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors such as substance use or aggression (Storch, Roberti, Bravata, & Storch, 2004). Viewers of sporting events can frequently observe athletes pointing to the sky, engaging in team prayer on the court or field, and glorifying God following athletic competitions.[6]

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### Atheism and unsportsmanlike conduct[edit]

See also: Irreligion and unsportsmanlike conduct

There are a number of notable cases of irreligious individuals/countries engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct (see: Irreligion and unsportsmanlike conduct).

### Atheism, sports performance and mental fitness[edit]

Besides lacking the aforementioned benefits that religion bestows on athletes, atheists have higher rates of depression and suicide than the religious (see: Atheism and health and Atheism and depression and Atheism and suicide). This suggests that atheism is a detriment to sports performance.

## See also[edit]

* Exercise
* Skateboarding
* Balls
* Physical Culture
* Geocaching
* Biathlon
* Irreligion and unsportsmanlike conduct

## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ Malone, Scott (Apr 2, 2012). Football turns to helmet technology to tackle head injuries. Reuters. Retrieved on November 22, 2012.
2. ↑ Sachs, Jenna. "Controversial bill could ban MMA fighting in some areas", February 12, 2012. Retrieved on November 22, 2012.
3. ↑ Okamoto, Brett. "Lawsuit: N.Y. MMA ban unconstitutional", ESPN.com, November 15, 2011. Retrieved on November 22, 2012.
4. ↑ Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions
5. ↑ Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions
6. ↑ Strength of Religious Faith of Athletes and Nonathletes at Two NCAA Division III Institutions