SPORTS: PROS & CONS

When we think about sports, there are almost no disadvantages presented. We see famous sports stars, like Lionel Messi or Manu Ginóbili enjoying their fame and opportunity to change things in the world. 

But, is there any negative aspect when referring to sports? We started investigating about this and found out that things are not always easy and that –sometimes- a great sacrifice must be done. 

Lionel Messi was born on June 24th, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, he tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-Based Club.

Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth.

To help him, Messi’s parents decided to start a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved to be impossible because they had to play several hundred dollars per month for the medication.

So, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy -La Masia- and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. 

Here’s where his career began and where he became the famous football star admired by almost everyone.

As we can see, for Lionel to become the Messi known worldwide, he and his family had to make sacrifices and leave their homeland. As a child, he had to put up with daily injections and pain produced by the treatment.

After getting to know Lio's personal story, we asked ourselves whether there could be negative aspects about sports, such as the ones presented during Messi’s childhood.
With this idea in mind, we decided to interview two of the Physical Education (P.E.) teachers at school. Here’s what they had to say. 

Interviewing Soledad

BerthoTimes: When did you decide to be a P.E. teacher?
Sole: Well, I’ve always loved sports and when I finished the primary school I had already decided to be teacher. I always loved sports and teaching.

BT: Do you specialize in a particular sport?
Sole: Not really, I love dancing so I always teach my pupils (girls) rhythmical and artistic gym.

BT: What is your favourite thing about sports?
Sole: I like the comradeship. And I like team sports.

BT: Is it difficult to work with adolescents? Why?
Sole: Sincerely? Yes, because they are rebellious and it’s hard to put them limits.

BT: Is there any sport with more benefits than the rest?
Sole: Yes, in fact swimming and athletics are the most complete sports.

BT: Are there any negative things about sport?
Sole: When the sport is high performance, people don’t think in their bodies. Sometimes people think the achievement is more important than all the bad things that could happen to their bodies.

BT: Is there any risky sport for you?
Sole: I don’t like boxing because I don’t like watching people hitting each other; but is considered a sport.

Interviewing Gabriel

BT: Is it hard to work with children?Gaby: It’s not hard but sometimes you have to be patient; respect that, each stage has its things and complications and you have to know how to handle those issues.

BT: When did you decide to be a P.E. teacher?
Gaby: Since I was in the first year at the secondary school because I liked sports and teaching.

BT: Do you specialize in any sport?
Gaby: Yes, football.

BT: Have you got any favorite sport star?
Gaby: Yes, of course. Batistuta is my favourite player because I liked how he behaved in the football field and all the scores he made.

BT: Are there any negative aspects about sports?Gaby: The competition, because people can do anything just to win and they forget about the team spirit sports inspire.

BT: Is there any risky sport?Gaby: Yes, extreme sports; they give you a huge rush of adrenalin. Some people like that, although it could be dangerous.

After talking to them, we can now guess which are the sports pros and cons:

PROS 

• You get fit 
• You can become a millionaire Sports star like Lionel Messi 
• You get to visit other countries, learn different languages and cultures 
• You do what you like doing 
• You’ll stay healthy 

CONS

• Possible dehydration 
• You may have to leave your family or homeland behind 
• You can be injured 
• Tiredness 
• Muscular pain 
• Unhealthy competition 

When we talk about sports we generally think about the healthy side of everyday life. This is mostly true, because doing sports improves the quality of life. However, we must never forget that –to stay healthy- we have to respect our own limits, respect other people’s abilities and play fairly.

Abril Ludueña, Sofía Clocchiatti and Florencia Romero - 3rd Year