The Value of Games and Sports in Education:
There is hardly a student who is not interested in games and sports. They say, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.
Sports afford amusement and recreation. They give equal joy to players and spectators. Our daily work is a great strain on our energies. A game of football or tennis takes us away from the drudgery or dullness of work. After the game is over we return to our work with renewed energy.
Games and sports develop a sound mind in a sound body. They strengthen our muscles, make our bodies strong, increase our capacity for work and develop our power and alertness. They are excellent training in concentration and endurance. While playing a game a player is constantly being attacked by his opponents, so he remains always alert.
Games and sports infuse in us a sense of cooperation- esprit de corps. They teach us the important lesson- all for one and one for all. We learn team spirit. No player can play only for himself, he must obey his captain. He must place the interests of the team above everything else. A player may score a goal or a run, but it is the team that wins.
In addition to this, games and sports teach us the presence of mind, fellow -feeling and discipline. The lesson of the spirit of sportsmanship is brought home to us. It is to win without pride and to lose without bitterness.
Players learn self-control. They are not swayed by sudden fits of anger or passion. Games teach them cool-mindedness and courage. If we have constantly to compete with others in the open field, we shall develop mainly courage. Sportsmanship means a calm, forgiving and cheerful view of life.
Games and sports provide a healthy outlet for our surplus energy. They promote international understanding. They open before us a new world of competition and struggle when they are over. We feel closer to our comrades in other parts of the world.
But sports have also a number of defects. If we indulge in them in excess, they damage our physical and mental systems. Too much physical exertion tires our nerves.
There are professional players who do not play a game for the sake of a game. They care more for records, prizes and gains than for the pleasure derived from them.
Sometimes games give rise to a party spirit leading to quarrels and broken heads. Hard games sometimes cause serious injuries to players- spraining of a limb or fracturing of a bone.
In spite of their defects, games and sports are essential to our healthy growth. They invigorate our bodies, refresh our minds and help us grow into healthy and upright citizens. Games and sports, in short, play an important part in giving us complete education. Education means the all-round development of the learners. Games contribute a lot towards this end.
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