Sport—More Than Just Having a Ball

For some people, sport is an obsession; for others a hobby. For some, sport involves chasing a ball as though  their life depends upon it; for others it means slouching before the TV with popcorn, letting the players on screen do all the hard work.

Whatever its role in people's lives, sport has many obvious—and some not so obvious—benefits for human development.

Why Games Are Great

Good for Girls and Guys

On an individual level, sport and physical activity help keep people healthy by preventing heart disease, obesity, and other health problems. Sport also plays a big part in personal growth, instilling values such as discipline, self-confidence spirit and fair play. No wonder sport and physical education is an integral part of almost any school's curriculum—it is universally accepted that they improve a child's ability to learn, increase concentration, and overall achievement. Young people learn better when they are having fun and are being active.

The skills and values learned through sport can be especially empowering for girls, given that many of them have fewer opportunities than boys for social interaction. Sports help girls acquire leadership skills, and improve their confidence and self-esteem.

Similarly, sport and physical activity can have a very positive influence on young people with disabilities, because apart from its obvious physical benefits, participating in such activities helps raise social inclusion and self-esteem. The Paralympic Games were created with this goal.

Good for the Globe

It's hard to list all the countless ways in which sport can help societies and economies. For one thing, it is an effective way to raise awareness of serious issues. For example, top sportspeople often act as ambassadors to spread the word about important topics like HIV/AIDS or illiteracy. Large sporting events can also be used to raise funds for good causes. And several international sport-related organizations like FIFA or the International Olympic Committee include in their missions the goal of using sport to create a positive change, and implement projects around the world toward that vision. Sport also contributes to economic development by creating jobs and developing businesses. For example, large sporting events that bring together thousands of people, are a big boost to local economies because game goers will spend on food, accommodation, transport, and often also on tourist activities. The sports industry also increases jobs, skill-building and wealth through sporting goods manufacturing, infrastructure-development, event hosting and media.

According to the European Commission, sports activities created 2 million jobs in member states from 1990 to 1999. Television rights for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany were estimated to be worth over $ 6 billion. In the United Kingdom, the sports market grew by 15% in value and 31% in volume since 1994. Source: United Nations Sport & Development Report, 2005

Perhaps one of the most powerful ways in which sport helps the world is by promoting peace. Dating all the way back to the days of the Olympic Truce, sport has helped people forget old rivalries and political differences, and come together in a spirit of healthy competition, teamwork and fair play. It transcends boundaries, cultures, and religions, and promotes values such as tolerance, respect and mutual understanding.