Sports are so very important for students. Most schools offer only one or two classes of physical education per week. This is simply not enough!

The world is evolving — and with it so are children’s needs. What we once did with a lot of effort, can now be done virtually, for example playing a game. We can use ‘virtual reality’ or VR to do all this. Children are now practically glued to their gaming consoles. This makes students lose any focus whatsoever in their studies, and makes them become snails as far as quickness and being agile is concerned. They become bloated, and while all these physical changes are happening, something else is taking place too.

The lack of enough exposure to the real outside world affects these students in many ways, especially mentally.

Put a child under the sun for an hour and he’ll melt faster than an ice cream in a brand new oven. Tell him to run two kilometres and then follow him. Less than halfway through you’ll have a nearly unconscious body lying in your way, gasping.

Overexposure to anything is bad. Schools and parents alike need to understand that this is a serious exigency, not just for the individual child, but for the entire society, which is adapting to this abysmal routine. Schools should have physical education classes at least three days a week. This will make students more optimistic, happy and satisfied, thus increasing their academic output in school. The alertness of a student greatly increases if he is given sufficient time for extracurricular activities such as sports.

Couch potatoes of the modern world playing as a goalkeeper in the school football team, for example, would be required to have quick reflexes, jump and dive. They will then get in the habit of responding swiftly, instead of being lazy.

The fact that video games are addictive is now an established fact. At least half an hour of gaming is part of the routine of the average child, in some way or the other. A common excuse for children not stepping out of the door to play a game of football is not having enough time. This is an invalid reasoning. Even with a truckload of homework, anyone can fit at least 15 minutes of sport into their routine.

Homework needs to be managed and done timely enough to create some room for a bout of physical recreation. Sports are just as important as academics are.

Even the smartest, most ingenious person is judged by his physique and overall looks. Sadly, our society is one which is very judgemental and this is at times unfair.

However, one cannot change the entire society, to be on a realistic note. Having a well-built body, looking smart and of course not forgetting being mentally capable, will increase the chances of one getting a good job.

A sport is like a fidget spinner. It relieves you of stress and takes all your worries away for a good while. Be it football, basketball, cricket, baseball or tennis, sports are packed with fun.

Sports are a vital part of life. They make you feel good about yourself. They teach us what math, history and science do not. They teach us teamwork, the true meaning of leadership, spirit and self-motivation.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 10th, 2018