WHY PLAY SPORTS

Doing sports is a very profitable activity to take up, in more ways than one. Besides the obvious benefit of maintaing one's health and improving one's fitness, it is also the gel that binds people that would not normally meet or socialize together. Why do I say that?After a hard day's work, or on a leisurely weekend, there is nothing like a good game to unwind, with friends or family alike.

Everyone is equal on the sports field; forget the rigid social hiearchies that govern the workplace and school, if even for a while. The lines between boss and subordinate, business partners, parents and children - all blur, and give way to a spirit of informality and camaraderie. It is a great way to learn many of life's lessons and priceless benefits abound- competitive spirit, never-say-die attitude - for the individual; cooperation with your team mates; the potential to make lifelong friends irregardless of backgrounds, to achieve victory; and the ability to win, and lose, gracefully in the sprit of healthy competition. Moreover, conflict resolution skills can be put to the test in some heated competitions; as can be the chance to help others - those who are not as proficient as us at the game, or those who get discouraged or injured.

All these opportunities are less likely to occur in the formal world; we need to escape from reality from a while to enjoy the drama that sporting activity gives us.

It is also a good avenue to evaluate a person's character that could be disguised under a veneer of politeness in more formal spheres - his true colours show when a game is played in competitive spirit - is he or she determined to win or more the social player? a good or bad loser? able to empathise with those not so proficient at the sport? able to coach others, or inspire interest in them? so on and so forth. We can also meet new people through our friends, or simply through those who challenge us to a friendly game - which could lead to further networking opportunities - he could be your next business partner, or she could become your future spouse... who knows? sharing the same interests could be the stepping stone to a something much greater.

So what are profitable sports to invest your precious time in? I will attempt to evaluate the following sports on an impartial basis, for they are sports which I have engaged in before.